Osho Monsoon Festival 2016: Part II, Community.

This week's eargasm is Chikni Chameli.

Do you believe in miracles?

This year, the miracles I have encountered are in the people I have crossed paths with.

The one thing about me that hasn’t changed is that I am still interested in learning about life. Unfortunately I am not interested in how the political situation is in the country, about the scientific explanation of things, about even how the cost of living has changed over the years. I know these matter a lot, but I could never for the life of me even feign interest in these subjects.

I want to know life. Not only through firsthand experience, but also through the eyes of others.

I want to know not only what makes you happy, but also what makes you sad.

I want to know what your inner demons are, & how you overcame them…or are still fighting them.

I want to know you. Not your job, not your responsibilities, not your status in society. You.

& I’m pleased to say that I have met a good number of these people. People who are willing to have heart to heart conversations, who are not afraid of vulnerability, people who have a zest for life.

True, yoga is all about the self, but it is also about how we relate to others. & I admit that there were times when all I needed was a shoulder to lean on while I got back on my feet.

I have found that at times it isn’t all that easy to figure things out by yourself. Sometimes you need to talk things out with others, & either:

a. Just by verbalizing everything & talking it out, you will come to realize the solution by yourself.

Or

b. The exchange of experiences, ideas & thoughts enable you to look at things from a different perspective & come up with the answers to your situation.

Point to note for all men though: Sometimes we women just want to talk things out to express ourselves, although we know damn well what the solution is. Heheh.

I absolutely love those light bulb moments when you are deep in conversation & you hear a completely new idea & you’re like, ‘That so makes sense, why the hell didn’t I think of that???’!

By now you must be wondering, 'Dafuq, this isn't what I came here for!'

Well, dear friends, what can I say. Very lari topic lah (out of topic), but it is hard to compress my experience at the centre into a generic 'been there done that here is my experience' post.

During those five days at the centre, I was the most extroverted & social I have ever been in my life. There were so many amazing people there, people from all walks of life, each with their own special story to tell, experiences to share. & I really believe in the power & mystery of the Universe - the right people will come at the right time.

Admittedly, I almost never participated in any afternoon/evening meditations, because I was more interested in spending time with others. Besides, I've already experienced the meditations during Deep's Teacher Training courses. But the people - aha!

In a sea of people, it's amazing how by sheer serendipity you meet your soul mates. Mindfuck moment.

People in the centre are generally very friendly (sometimes for the wrong reasons, but that happens almost everywhere in the world so your own discretion is needed), you just need to keep an open mind & heart to make a sincere connection with them.

Which is basically the same principle one would use even outside of the centre, right?

You see my predicament, dear reader? To me, life in the centre is the same as outside, so how to write about life in the commune? & how to write about all the small moments which would probably seem insignificant to others, like sharing a piece of chocolate, a cup of chai, walking together? Of course, all these seem insignificant because they happen all the time, but what makes them unique & special are the conversations that happen during these moments!

A lot can happen over a cup of chai!

What I realized is: why should I contain my love for life & connection with others to just those few short days? Life is short & unpredictable, why to have ego or put on airs, or even hold grudges? Why take life so seriously, condemning others, or even being afraid of trying something because of the possibility of rejection? Yes...why to take life so seriously? Even if someone does you 'wrong', just 'Namaste, thank you, goodbye'...what's the big deal?

You can never lose at life - either you get what you want, or you get a lesson how not to get what you want, heheheh...

Maybe I really manifested these people - Friend With Benefits?

Yes, the place is a meditation centre, where people come to look inside themselves through personal practices. But I found myself in others. Through them, I got to know where I am in life, who I really am, & what I am about. Meditation was going on the whole day, just that this type of meditation can never be facilitated by others, it is a completely internal practice. I don't believe in meditating for hours yet going out into the world & being a dickhead. I believe that the real test of one's meditation is in how it affects one's relationships with his/her surroundings.

Just a month has passed, but I have grown heckuva lot because of these people. Whether they know it or not, even just their mere presence in my life has guided (& still is guiding) me back to my path.

I'm sure you know who you are.  & if you don't, just wait for the soppy melancholic messages to flood your inbox soon! :P

Signing off with this mantra:

Om Saha Nau-Avatu

Saha Nau Bhunaktu

Saha Viiryam Karavaavahai

Tejasvi Nau-Adhiitam-Astu Maa Vidvissaavahai

Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih

Om, May God Protect us Both (the Teacher & the Student),

May God Nourish us Both,

May we Work Together with Energy & Vigour,

May our Study be Enlightening & not give rise to Hostility,

Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

Osho Monsoon Festival 2016: Part 1, Meditation.

It's been three weeks since I've been back from Incredible India. Our trip to Rishikesh wasn't much to shout about - it was overcrowded due to the Shravan Shiva festivities, & the monsoon season was in full swing, so I couldn't spend much time by the river.

Pune, however, was a different story!

Our aim was to attend the Osho Monsoon Festival, an annual event which runs for 5 days. During those 5 days, daily meditation sessions run as usual, but what draws the crowd is the live music events that happen throughout the day. You could say it's sort of like a music festival, only difference is that the main theme of the event is meditation.

Photography is not allowed within the centre, so this is the only decent photo I have to share here!

Meditation sessions start as early as 6am, with the first one always being Dynamic Meditation, one of my favourites. The thing I love about this meditation is the part where you get to do whatever the fuck you like. Basically, you get to release your emotions by tapping into your inner child, & that inner child may either throw the biggest tantrum ever, or cry its heart out, or laugh like crazy. Whatever you feel like doing, without thinking, just do it! Oh, I absolutely loved it!

To some this may seem utterly psychotic, even to the extent of citing demonic possession! & I don't see why not; to the untrained eye, a large auditorium full of people screaming, kicking, wailing, shouting & whatnot can be frightening to say the least.

But before you kick Dynamic Meditation as hogwash, hear me out for a second!

What I love & appreciate about Osho's approach is that he really goes deep down to the real root of the problem. He doesn't beat around the bushes nor trim the branches, he knows the ins & outs of the human psyche & develops formulas to work with it.

According to him, our modern lifestyles have caused so much repression within us, and before we can even begin to meditate, all this inner BS has to be gotten rid of first. In a healthy way & without harming others, of course. Unexpressed emotions not only fuck us up energetically, but if they go on unaddressed, will eventually surface as physical ailments, but because of the limitations society has placed on us, often we are unable to express ourselves the way we want to.

So yeah, damn right this woman got down & dirty with all that kicking & screaming! Years & years of being told to sit still & look pretty, oh to hell with that! :P :P :P

Another favourite of mine is the 10.30am Dance Celebration session. Oh me oh my, if there's anything you could be sure of, it's me, right at the Buddha Grove, 10.30am, on the dot, errday!

I could go on & on about why I love Dance Celebration so much! First of all, the Buddha Grove is a beautiful outdoor location, with marble flooring and giant bamboo & rainforest trees surrounding it. At that time of the morning, the sun is just right (well, to me, at least), not too hot, yet bright enough for you to feel it shining on your skin & high enough for its rays to sneak past the leaves & make you squint.

& nobody is dancing with anybody in particular, in fact everyone is dancing on their own; enjoying their own presence, really being in the moment with themselves!

Bring on the Indian music & voila! I can go on for days!

'But...there are so many people here, what if they start judging the way I dance?'

Meh. Balderdash. Ain't nobody got time for that!

& even if they are looking at you, they are happy for you that you are enjoying yourself, regardless of how you are dancing! I can vouch for that, because I merely balter around aimlessly, yet everyone was so nice to me, bahahahahah!

You're probably thinking the same as what both my parents were: 'Dance as meditation???'

Yep. Consider this: if your mind is working, you cannot dance. You have to really feel the rhythm & be in the moment in order to really dance!

Besides that, Osho's teachings is centred around celebrating life. He doesn't want serious, humdrum sanyasins! Sure, there are people who are enlightened & who sit for days on end without moving. But then there are those who are full on bursting with excitement & gist for life! Life holds a myriad of emotions & experiences, why choose to not live them fully?

Next week, I will write about my non-meditative experiences during the festival! ;)

Until then, enjoy, be happy & keep celebrating life!

If You Are Not Sure What You Want, Ask Yourself What You DON'T Want.

My dear readers.

I don't really know what to write about this week. I started writing a few pieces, but gave up half way because I was not completely feeling them.

It has been a week of ups & downs. I know it has been two weeks since I've been back from India, yet...

Forgive me, my attachment towards that place is too much, I know.

I ain't no saint or guru. I have my own inner work to do.

People always assume that the Tantra path is the easy path. In actuality, the work of any spiritual seeker is the same: to remove attachment. It's just the object of attachment which may differ.

There were so many happy times in India. & I am probably seeing her through rose-coloured glasses because I've only seen a small side of her, but still.

I digress.

Some things can never be explained.

I may not know exactly what I want in life, but I do know a few things which I want, & what I don't want.

Someone asked me just yesterday, 'did you find yourself?' to which I replied, 'there is no one to be found.' But in fact, I did find myself. & I refuse to hide the real me anymore.

Thank you for your patience. I will be back in full writer mode soon, I promise.