China Visit, Day 3 - Bejing

The visit to the Great Wall of China

I didn't sleep well last night, it may take a couple of more days to get over the jet lag. It will be time to go back then, oh well!

We had a hearty breakfast at the hotel, homemade granola with soy milk, fresh fruit, juice and green tea. Our car, driver and tour guide, Lily were ready to take us to the Great Wall, We were going to the Matiyung (maa tee yon) section of the wall which is about  70 kms north of Beijing.  , would take us approximately 2 hours to get there.

Lily spoke good English, she has been a tour guide for 16 years! We drove through a village, it's known as the village of Longevity. It has a population of 350,000 - a small village by Chinese standard! The average life expectancy in this village is 88 years, whereas rest of the country is ~75. They grown their own fruits and veggies, all organic. Their peaches were humongous as compared to the US. You can't live in this village unless you have ancestors who lived there or marry into it.

After passing the village we stopped at a Jade showroom. China provides 80% of the world's jade! One of China's biggest jade mining is form this area. They had jade in various colors (didn't know jade could be in any other color but green), black, white, yellow, orange and purple. I bought a pendant with circular green jade with a Chinese character for happiness/peace and prosperity. The circular design also depicts happiness. I wanted to wear it right away but the sales lady said you can only wear it after 3 days (wearing before 3 days brings bad luck!!), you also can't wear it on the 4th day (the number 4 and 14 are considered unlucky in Chinese since 4 sounds like a word for bad luck).

Apoorva bought a jade male money dragon. The money dragon has a wide mouth to bring in good fortune but no outlet to let it out, so it retains your wealth. The male dragon has hi right paw n front, he is used to bring prosperity in your business. They female dragon has her left paw in front, she brings prosperity in house. The pair together is a yin-yang pair.

There is no good restroom facility from here on, we were asked to use the facilities before taking off from the showroom. The northern Beijing is surrounded by 3 mountains, The Dragon on the east side, The Tiger on the west side and Longevity on the north. The mountains are beautiful, we began our ascent after leaving the showroom, the view was breathtaking!
/hike
There were a lot of people at the Matiyung section, We had 3 options to go the wall from the parking lot:

1. Hike up hill for about an hour - not happening
2. take a closed cable car
3. take a chair lift on your way up and toboggan on the way down - winner

The view from the chair lift was amazing, the lift wasn't high enough and our feet brushed some trees. There is no way this would have passed the US safety standards! The lift dropped us right at the wall.

I have no words to describe the wall, I know why it's called the great! It took my breathe away (The Taj Mahal had the dame effect on me). Apoorva and I decided to go all the way up to the mountain, to the point where you can no longer go any further. There are only some parts of the Wall that are restored and available for visit/hike. Every 30-50 meters there is watch tower made of stone,  the watch towers were made for soldiers to keep an eye on Mongols. Lily said every watch tower "housed" about 10 soldiers. It was nice and cool inside the watch towers, many families took rest there or stopped to have a bite. We must have hiked about 2-3 miles and when we got to the top, just when we thought we were done, there was more!!! It was hot and we were sweaty, thirsty and tired. My feet were killing me, I didn't have good walking shoes and up hill hike and stairs were taking toll on my lower legs and feet. We decided to turn around. You just can't believe how this was built hundreds of years ago, such high up in the mountains!!!!

Lily said they used slaves to built the wall, everyone worked on one meal a day and never got to go home. Millions of people died building the wall and they were buried at the base of the wall. the wall is also a cemetery. When I asked her if Chinese people get married at the Wall, she frowned and said, "no, it's a cemetery", but at the same time they are very proud of the wall. I found it ironic.

While hiking on the wall, remembered Robert Frost's poem, "Miles to go before I rest...". It is just like life, just when you think, it's getting easier it doesn't, just when you think it's ending there is more and just when you think it's too hot there was a watch tower!!!

My calves and feet were sore but mind and heart were very happy! My skin was burning and throat dry, but mind and hart were very happy!

The toboggan ride down was fun!

Lily took us to a Chinese lunch at the area's best hotel. I got steamed broccoli, stir fried pumpkin (it was crinkle cut like potatoes) and roasted spicy green peppers. It was good and I was hungry. Did pop one Advil after lunch.

One if the most memorable days of my life!!!!

Abundance and gratitude

I thought for a couple of minutes regarding which word to place first in the title of this post, abundance or gratitude.

Since I began noticing both of these in my life, there has been a huge shift in the way I perceive life. There are times when I'm grateful for the abundance in my life and there times when showing gratitude creates abundance in life. Amazing thing is, this cycle continues to feed itself. Psychiatrists talk about spiral downward of mood among the depressed, this cycle is the spiral upward. Just like the spiral downward, if you feed it regularly it continues to go upward. 

Just a small example, last weekend we went up-north for the Memorial day long weekend. We had a big storm in the Cities and two of my tomato plants died. I was sad about the plants but grateful that others survived. I decided I'll buy a couple of plants over the weekend. A day after we got back, someone I work with brought me three tomato plants that he grew since I lost mine. I couldn't believe it!! I don't recall telling him I had lost two plants. What a nice gesture by him! this small gift made my day. I was grateful for the abundance and humbled!!!

Courage

I'm back after a long time!

What is courage? Courage isn't about doing big things, but doing things that you believe in. Following your dreams, your aspirations without giving up.

Connecting to your inner self, listening to its wisdom and practicing your wisdom is courage. This can happen only when you don't feel disconnected with your inner self. As iterated in Bhagvad Gita the knowledge of Advaita - अद्वैत.  Thou art that - तत् त्वं असि

I plan to be more regular in my blogs :)

My practice of non-attachment

Since last few months, I have been doing manana (manana is a Sanskrit word for reflection, understanding, thoughtfulness, meditation) on attachment or rather non-attachment. Anytime, I'm out at the mall and something attracts my eyes, I'm able to stop myself and ask this question, "Would owning this thing make me more complete?". Of course the answer is always no and so I move on without buying it. 


I've notices a shift in my personality because of this. Last week I found that my yoga eye bag that was a gift from one of my favorite yoga teachers was destroyed. Normally, that would have made me very upset or bummed for days. I was shocked to see it destroyed but I also was able to calmly pick it up and trash it. I was happily surprised at my reaction or lack of it. A few weeks ago, my other eye bag was destroyed as well. So now I'm left with no eye bags. a year ago I would have ordered a new one right away or would have began thinking about what kind of eye bag should I get next. That thought hasn't crossed my mind yet.


When Apoorva, our son, moved out in October the first few days felt really weird knowing he will not come back at night. I again surprised myself as how quickly I was able to let him go.


Oh about the eye bag that was a gift, I threw it in the trash can of our bathroom. every time I stepped into the bathroom I was able to look at it without getting bummed. My little practice on non-attachment brought a smile to my face. Is this attachment to non-attachment? Is that even possible? I don't know.


I sincerely wish I can continue this practice and bring in to the other bigger aspects of personal and professional life.


Namaste!
नमस्ते! 

Yoga Sutra 2:7 and 2:8

Sutra 2:7
Sukha anusayi ragah सुखानुशयी राग:

Pleasure is accompanied by attachment

Sutra 2:8
Dukha anusayi dvesah दुखानुशायी द्वेष:

Sorrow is accompanied by aversion

This two stutras go hand in hand, attachment and aversion are two root causes of happiness and sorrow. Shri Kirshna has explained this very well in Bhagvad Gita (post on this later). We are happy when we get the things we want, an outcome we want when we don't get it it causes sadness and pain. We need to bring our minds (by meditation) to a state where it is neither attached nor averse. This doesn't mean a yogi doesn't feel happy or sad, she just doesn't get overwhelmed with the happiness or sadness. She is stithapragya, when she gets something she doesn't      get overly elated and when she doesn't get it she isn't sad as well. You can only create this state of mind by knowing Self (brhaman - ब्रह्मा or  atman आत्मन), realizing that you're that Self and not different from the Self. You're complete the way you are (more on my experience on this practice in the next post). This knowledge has to be constantly with you and that comes from meditation. Meditation practice connects you with that awareness.

Here's what B. K. S. Iyengar has to say on these two sutras:

2:7 
Dwelling on pleasurable experiences ignites desire and a sense of attraction, which creates attachment. Pleasurable experiences generate greed and lust, which strengthens attachment and stimulates a greater craving, as one always wants more and more. One becomes absorbed by the pursuit of pleasure, and addicted to gratification of the senses.


2:8
Pain, sorrow and misery triggers a chain of hate or aversion. Recollecting lost pleasures, tormented by desires unfulfilled, man is led to sorrow. 
A discriminating person strives to acquire knowledge so that he may strike a balance between sukha and dukha and live at the mercy of neither pleasure nor pain.


B. K. S. Iyengar has used the word discriminating person here for stithapragya.

Yoga Sutra 2:46

Sutra 2:46

Sthira Sukham Asanam स्थिर सुखम आसनं

The posture (asana) for Yoga meditation should be steady, stable, and motionless as well as comfortable.

The western exercise regime believes in "no pain no gain", whereas yoga philosophy says, "no pain no pain". The asana needs to be steady and filled with ease. I believe this applies in the real life, no matter what the situation your mental state needs to be sthira and sukha. You learn it on the mat, practice with your physical body and then apply it off the mat.

This sutra in a way re-iterates 1:2, yoga chitta vritti nirodh. Yoga is control of the modifications of the mind. You control modifications of the mind by bringing steadiness and easy in your thoughts, words and actions.

Here's what B. K. S. Iyengar has to say:

Asana is perfect firmness of bidy, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit.


Performance of the asana should be nourishing and illuminative. In any asana the body has to be toned and the mind tuned so that one can stay longer with a firm body and a serene mind.


Usually the mind is closer to the body and to the organs of action and perception than to the soul. As asanas are refined they automatically become meditative as the intelligence is made to penetrate towards the core of being.


Each asana has five functions to perform:

1. Conative - conative action is the exertion of the organs of action
2. Cognitive - cognitive action is the perception of the results of that action. when the two are fused together the discriminative faculty of the mind acts to guide the organs of action and perception to perform the asanas more correctly; the rhythmic flow of energy and awareness is experienced evenly and without interruption both centripetally and centrifugally throughout the channels of the body. A pure state of joy is felt in the celss and the mind. The body, mind and soul are one. This is the manifestation of dharna धरना and dhyana ध्यान in the practice of asana. 
3. Mental
4. Intellectual
5. Spiritual

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Here's a link to the article in YJ on this sutra from Linda Sparrow

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/893 

This is by Judith Lasater

http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/45

Today

We had a icky day today, freezing rain, icy sleety roads and lots of accidents on the roads. I decided to stay in and nurse my horrendous headache that has been going on since about past 3 weeks. It was nice! Especially after the past few crazy months. It was a quiet, slow and introspective day.

As a child, I was shy and an introvert by clinical definition. I had had a few close, didn't (couldn't) mingle with a large crowd. Married an extrovert, I thought he (my husband Sunil) brought me out of my shell. He loves to mingle, draws energy from large groups and absolutely dislikes being alone. After marriage I was like him (or at least I though I was) for years. Since last few years,I have begun to doubt that. I like being alone, with my thoughts and my favorite things to do. I prefer being with a few close friends rather than a big group. 

I'm wondering if I have come back a full circle or is it my yoga practice! Wish I'd have more days like today.

नमस्ते!

Namaste!