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India

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Tuk Tuk
I took my first solo tuk tuk ride today. I also got to work on my bargaining skills! The driver said '100' (Rupees) for where I wanted to go, I said '50'... He didn't really like my price and I was late at that point so I sort of gave up and said 'Let's go'. We got to the spot and I said '50?' He thought for a second and said '70'. I felt I had won so I gave him the full 100. He was my first driver and I was happy to win. I'm a sucker.

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Shenin
Hindi for Shannon, haha.

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Lotus Temple
A beautiful temple where all faiths are welcome. Our tour made it for a special prayer time where passages were read from many different books of faith otherwise you enter and sit in silence. The lotus petals were made of marble; very gorgeous!

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HOHO Bus
I took the Hop On, Hop Off Bus around the city today. It turned out to be quite an adventure when my debit card wouldn't work and I had to make my way through the market looking for a money exchange. Along the way I ran into the Jama Masjid Mosque and had my first experience of the celebrity life. Here are some of my fans, haha. (Notice the men in the background waiting.) A little while later I was in the middle of a mob of about 50 people that wanted to take pics with me or of me. I finally had to run out of the crowd when I felt it was getting out of control. Respect for all the celebrities out there... I couldn't handle it!

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Qutub Minar
I spent the day exploring Qutub Minar and the ruins that surround it. There were some very intricate carvings in all of the stonework of the ruins. Hard to imagine how long it took and what tools they were using to do it in 1192. It also made me wonder if people came from all over to see it like Tokyo's SkyTree, Teipei's 101 or Seoul's North Tower... "10 Rupees to go up please!"

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Hookah!
At night I have been going upstairs to hang out and enjoy some hookah with the guys. Here's a video of Ketan showing off his impressive hookah skills. Starting with the ever elusive Rings, then the impossible Ring Through Ring, moving on to Speed Rings and ending with... THE DRAGON!

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Iboooooo!
Happy Independence Day, India! It was a beautiful day! I went up to the rooftop with the family I am staying with and everyone was flying kites around us to celebrate. The guys bought ten for us to fly and they managed to use up all but one. Whenever someone cut the line of another person's kite they yelled "Iboooooo!" and cheered. It was amazing how they got them up in the air off the rooftops and how far we got ours to go! They put my kite flying skills to shame!

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Hauz Khas
I explored a couple of places today, Lodi Gardens and Hauz Khas Village. They both have very old, beautiful ruins of temples, mosques and tombs. Hauz Khas Village has an area next to it known for it's night life and happy hours.

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Mom's Chicken Soup
Mom's chicken soup recipe has made it to India! I was delighted that the guys said they enjoyed it! I was worried it wouldn't suit their palates after trying all the spicy foods here and tasting the mutton Ketan made for us the night before... Hot, hot, hot! While cooking the soup Ketan asked what other spices I was adding besides salt and pepper (none, haha) and why I wasn't frying the dumplings (a lot of fried foods here). Glad it was a success!

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My Indian Mother
We have lots of fun chatting with each other; her in Hindi and me in English. Her sons really get a kick out of it because they can understand both of us and we're usually talking about two different things!

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Cucumber Tricks
Ketan made some delicious kebabs tonight. I was in washing a tomato for him to cut up to go in his cucumber salad and was surprised to see him rubbing the cucumber when I came back out. He said it makes it sweeter. I did a quick search later on and sure enough a bazillion articles saying how rubbing the cucumber takes the bitterness away. Learned my new thing for the day!

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Taj Mahal

The Taj… FINALLY!
I feel like my Taj Mahal visit was put off forever! Everyday someone would ask if I had booked my Agra ticket yet and I\'d reply, \"Maybe tomorrow.\" Even the day of our visit we were rerouted by an accident on the main road and forced to detour on one of the bumpiest, torn up roads I\'ve experienced in awhile, for three hours. (Maybe that was Gilligan behind the wheel touring me!) One short camel ride after that, some lunch and we finally got to tour the Taj Mahal! It was gorgeous. The guide showed me exactly where to take photos and pointed out all of the symmetry of the builiding. Glad I finally made it!

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Hookah!
After letting me by with merely smoking the hookah the past couple of weeks, Mukul put me to work preparing it tonight! The tobacco is way juicier and nastier looking than I imagined so I still let him pack that into the bowl. I did however tin-foil the bowl shut and attempted writing 'Mukul' with the holes I popped into it. I'll consider it a successful attempt at my first hookah preparation!

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Holy Lake
I went for a walk around the Holy Lake of Pushkar today. I had been forwarned about being pressured into the prayer ceremonies there but it happened anyway. $10 USD later I'm wearing a new bracelet, a dot on my forehead and prayers and wishes have been sent to all my loved ones. Love you all!

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Camel Time
I went on an overnight trip to the desert via camel. It was just as hard on the backside as riding a horse for hours. It was great to get out of the city and get a good look at the stars again. We had a campfire dinner and rode back to town early in the morning. The camel that carried me back didn't seem to happy about it as he sat and bellowed the whole time the guides were saddling him back up. It was fascinating to see some of the simple homes and communities that we passed along the way. Many of the little kiddos ran out to yell "Hello!" as we came through.

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Swami
What a jam packed day; I feel like I have been searching for time to nap all day! I arrived to Haridwar early this morning at 6am by bus and took a tuk tuk to Rishikesh to check into my ashram. Once I was settled in I took a walk around the city with another girl at the ashram. We saw some gorgeous views of the River Ganges and got acquainted with the layout of the city. While going to take the second bridge across the river we passed a group of monkeys. I reached into my bag for my camera and one of them must have decided I had some food in there and began playing tug-of-war with me for the bag while 5 or 6 of his buddies ran up and tried to take down my pants. I survived but I'll be watching my back the rest of my stay. We made our way into the market across the river after that, we wandered around and popped into a few stores. While we were heading back to the ashram one of the cows in the street got a wild hair and decided to horn my bag. It kind of stalked me the rest of the walk back so I decided it was best to stay away from animals the rest of the day. The final event of the day was to go listen to Swami speak at a festival down the road. There was music and dancing under the first tent we went to and we were given second row seats under the next tent to listen to Swami speak. When he was done my head was heavy and I was tired from the long day. Time for some sleep; classes start tomorrow morning at 6am!

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Color
We started our day with a Fire Ceremony at the ashram. Swami and his assistents all chanted as we threw bits of wood on the fire. We followed that with some tea and some yoga. While walking back to my room for a nap I was told there would be a parade through the street to bring the statue of the god from the festival down to the river at 2pm. Since it was 2 I decided to skip the nap and check it out. After asking around by the statue the consensus was the parade would maybe start in 30 minutes to a half an hour, maybe, haha, India time. So, I went back for my nap and as soon as I got to my door the drums and music started. I went back to the street and the party was roaring. Color was flying in the air, fire breathers had flames flying, firecrackers were blasting, people were dancing and having a terrific time. I followed the parade as long as I could until I had to get back to the ashram for my evening yoga class. My first color experience; big fan!

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Color Clean Up
I went to the bridge below the ashram this morning between classes to take a quiet break. It turned out to be anything but that. I was sitting watching some boys clean up from the previous day's festival. There was color everywhere in the streets so they were pouring water on and sweeping the color away. While I was watching them cleanup, all of a sudden a man who came running across the bridge, screaming something I couldn't understand but it was obvious... it was the monkeys! His timing couldn't have been better as a large group of Indian tourist were approaching and would no longer cross the bridge past the monkeys. I didn't blame them for not wanting to. They all stood there awhile, taking some photos of the monkeys but not getting too close. The man who had ran across the bridge wound up sitting next to me and of all he was saying I could only understand two words "monkeys" and "dangerous". Haha, "My thoughts exactly", I told him but I am not sure he understood me. After watching one monkey approach a lady, who immediately threw the food she was holding down for him, I decided I'd seen the monkeys win enough for one day and headed up to class.

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River Ganges
What a beautiful area to be doing my Yoga Teacher training. I have heard many things about the river since I have been here but have only looked from a distance thus far. Some girls from the course have gone down to dip their toes in and have sworn by doing so that the energy of the water has changed their whole day or mood for the better. I hear it is fairly clean this far up stream but still cringe a little thinking about getting in. Some have told me that there is a special bacteria in the river that cleans it even more once more dirt is added to it. Daily, there are rafters headed down it, looks like fun, and people are constantly bathing in it. I was also told in the winter people will make a blanket or towel wet and then wrap it around themselves and chant until the blanket becomes dry. There are so many ways people get their fix of the water I'm excited to see how mine happens!

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Shiva Temple
One of the temples of the ashram where I take the yoga teacher training classes. This one is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the all knowing Yogi god. Shiva is always pictured with his weapon the trident and his instrument the drum both at the top of the front of the temple.

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Philosophy
Swamiji is our instructor for this course. He has the most intense gaze. He can just look and look and look at you. Sometimes it is hard to resist the urge to divert your eyes, you almost feel like you're in a staring contest. I often times find myself relating the ideas of this class to ideas that I learned while reading the book, How Yoga Works. Who are we, what is anything and how does it all relate to the yoga sutras. I am excited to see where his stories go before the end of this course.

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Anatomy
The medula oblengata... Haha, something like that! What a blast from the past! I'd say it has been since my 7th grade health class that I have learned about the systems of the body. Dr McSneer with Mr Hastings? That poster might still be packed away in your basement, mom. It is wonderful to revisit the systems and to learn which yoga poses have an affect on each of the systems or how the pose can help with different health issues. I also like that there is no pressure to learn things like back in school. If I feel something is being taught relevant to what a future student might me then I try to retain it. Back to school isn't as hard as I thought it might be!

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Ganges Meditation
It sure was a windy morning to be sitting on the edge of the Ganges for meditation but at the same time very enjoyable. Bundled from head to toe, it was beautiful to watch the water rush by. I didn't realize how fast the river ran until sitting that close. On the other bank of the river there were people taking an early morning bath, dogs and monkeys running about in the early morning light and families throwing food all the way from their balconies to the water where fish were jumping for their breakfast. What a peaceful and beautiful morning.

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200 Hour Graduation
This past month of yoga has flown by! Today I received my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification and announced my decision to stay for one more month to complete my 500 Hour Certification in total. Here's to headstands, scorpions and the rest of the poses!

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Just stick 'em in your mouth and suck 'em!
Well, they aren't Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls but they are definitely delicious! On our week off I, and everyone else in the Yoga Teacher Training program, have gained a ginormous sweet tooth! It must be our lack of other bad habits steering us towards the sweets. Here Tom is sampling the chocolate balls at the Oasis German Bakery. With the quantity and variety of balls he has tried around town I think he would be a wonderful candidate to create a Chocolate Balls of Rishikesh rating website!

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Loving India, Loving Life!
I celebrated my one year anniversary of sailing away from St Thomas this week. Sometimes I miss the islands but I couldn't be happier with all that I have seen and done this past year. I made a wish in the River Ganges today to be able to see one more great year of traveling!!

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Here we go again!
The new recruits are here and the fire is burning! The next session of training has begun! One month from now my 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training will be complete!

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Just Breath
Moving on to the 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training classes. First up... Pranayama! Every morning at 6am we are up in the Yoga Hall practicing inhalations and exhalations of all different combinations. Some to cool the body, some to warm the body but all to cleanse and oxygenate our bodies! Nothing like clearing your mind, and your nose, to start your day!

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Banana Porridge
Yum! Our new schedule is so jam packed with classes that there is barely time for breakfast. The kitchen crew is now serving us individual bowls of banana porridge with honey every morning at 7am. Mmmmm... makes me happy!

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Ekam, Dve, Treeni*... Maintain.
Stretching; an amazing class! I have never had my legs extend so far apart or my back bend so far backwards. Well, maybe 15 years ago in gymnastics class! It is a wonderful complement to our two yoga practice classes each day. Just when I think my body can't bend any further Sidharth cracks the whip and I find another inch to pull. I am impressed with our color coordinating mats to the yoga clothes in this pic! *Ekam, Dve, Treeni is Sanskrit for One, Two, Three

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That baby dinosaur noise you make when you stretch...
I definitely made the noise in and out of this stretch! Sidharth hasn't liked cameras around during yoga practices but he is up for it in stretching so here is the first glimpse of some intense stretching!

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Circus Act
I'm running away with the circus! Ok, maybe not just yet but Sidharth certainly seems to be preparing me for it! I just need to learn a couple more body contortions to go with my balancing act and I should be all set. Keep your eyes peeled for the circus coming to a town near you!

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Happy Thanksgiving!
I thought of all my friends and family in the States when we did this pose in class tonight. My instructor said it's one of the few asanas that can be done after food! So, if you're feeling sluggish after enjoying all of those delicious Thanksgiving meals today come to Virasana to digest it all and we'll be thinking of each other today! Happy Turkey Day! Gobble, gobble!

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Oh no! They drank the Kool-Aid!!
Swami recently installed video surveillance cameras in the ashram; maybe to keep an eye on trespassing monkeys? While the majority of the students were in meditation class I was next door working on the ashram's website with Swami. The monitors for the cameras were in the room we were working in and when I looked up to see the entire class in Shavasana, or Corpse Pose, I gasped 'Oh no! They drank the Kool-Aid!' Haha, I am unsure if Swami understood what I meant or if it was because I proclaimed it so loud but he hushed me as they were just on the the other side of the door and he didn't want me to disturb them. It sure was hilarious to me and I am glad they hadn't really sipped the Kool-Aid.

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Taking a Timeout
Classes have been intense this month so we decided to make a sweet stop at the Honey Hut. Pictured from left to right, after being thoroughly satisfied with chocolate balls, fig and honey ice cream and carrot cake, are: 'Shanti Shanny', 'Maria Marichiasana', and 'Vinyasa Vanessa'

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The Band
After a fun day of cave and beachside meditating and then hiking up to waterfalls, we had our first 'band' practice Ganges-side. The tambourine, ukelele and a whole bunch of singing makes for an entertaining afternoon. We were joined by a couple of local artists playing the drums and an instrument that I am unsure of the name of. To wrap up our day, we came across our Irish friend who offered wonderful musical lessons. Can't wait for the next practice!

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Rafting - Ganges Style
After watching rafters make their way through Rishikesh for the past two months I finally made it on my own trip. I, along with 7 other Shiva Yoga Peeth students and Swamiji, faced the chilly rapids of the river today and it was nothing short of fantastic! Once we were completely drenched by the rapid waves we took the opportunity to hop out of the raft and body surf some rapids. It was freeeeeezing but it was fun to feel like skydivers as we all extended out our arms towards each other to try and lock elbows as the current quickly pulled us downriver. Thankfully there was a 'chai stop' shortly after our dip in the water to warm us up! Here we are basking on some of the rocks for heat while the other half of our group loads up in the raft below to finish the last stretch of the river.

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Sunset Stretch
Stretching class was held Ganges-side at sunset today. We had quite the array of distractions parading through to check out the class. One guy that only seemed only to hum loudly and thankfully Sidharth was able to convince him to go away merely by saying we're having a class, a more peaceful sleepy guy I will dub Mr. Smiles since everyone agreed all he does is smile, a pack of dogs that were constantly peeing to mark our stretch area as their territory and this crazy photo bomber behind me, Vanessa!

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Balls!
What's better than a chocolate balls break? ... A GIANT chocolate balls break! Maria and I may have outdone ourselves with these tonight since we're on the homestretch of classes finishing up. Oh well, only 3 full days left in Rishikesh to enjoy all the balls we can!

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Today's Secret Word: Funny
On my walk home from breakfast today I did something I rarely do in India... I stopped to take a picture of a cow. Even while I was holding up the camera I was thinking 'What are you going to do with this picture of a cow?' It wasn't until tonight that I realized of all the cows in India why I had chose to take a picture of this one. Her beautiful bell necklace reminded me of Cowntie who was always wearing her ever so fancy jewelry on Pee-wee's Playhouse!! Too funny! ... Ahhhhhhhh!

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Peanuts! Popcorn!
I finally got my popcorn fix tonight! I have been smelling it in the streets for weeks now but never found the time to enjoy a bag. With only 1 day left in Rishikesh I feel like I am getting closer and closer to wrapping up my bucket list!

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Farewell Rishikesh
Today was jam packed with events! After waking up and going to Ashtanga practice this morning my phone was ringing off the hook... Ketan, Pushkar, Sunny and Deepak had arrived from Delhi! We grabbed some lunch and then Maria and Vanessa joined us to take a stroll down to The Beatles Ashram. To our surprise you could not enter without being fined. The crowd outside the gate said that there was some paranormal stuff going on there too so no one wanted to push any harder to enter. (I thought it sounded kinda cool. Hehe.) After that we had to speed back for the Graduation Ceremony. I am officially a 500 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor! Woot! After the ceremony the crew from earlier in the day, along with Frances and Frauke, convened at the hotel for a lovely celebration party before I finally was able to get packed and take some rest from the busy day!

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Back to Delhi
I flew back to Delhi today. It was sort of rough trip back as I celebrated my 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification with a glass of wine last night. No good after 2 months without it! I met up with Mukul when I got back and he took me on an interesting 'Last Day in Delhi Tour'. We went to the spy store, out for some Tandoori chicken and then for some hookah and an Oreo shake! We eventually made it back to Ketan's where I had my goodbye meal of paneer and garlic naan... Mmmm! D-lish! My room is booked for Thailand and it's off to Bangkok tomorrow!

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Go Time!
Another busy day, this time leaving Delhi. I had last minute items to ship back to the States so Ketan took me to the post office on the way to the airport. Who knew it would almost make me miss my flight! They really packaged my things well, including the use of a needle and a thread! Then I was short on money to pay for the shipping so I had to try three different places for an ATM. Ultimately I had to 'play Frogger' back across the busy street to the first ATM I knew in Delhi. Very fitting! Ketan got me to the airport with an hour and 15 minutes to spare, even with a stop for gas! But then it was time for me to deal with admittance to the airport. To enter the Delhi airport you must have a valid ticket to fly in your hand. My flight had been delayed an hour and forty minutes and I had not gotten my ticket reprinted. Big problem. After talking with 3 different security guards and an Air India agent I was finally allowed in the airport to run to the ticketing counter. I made the flight to Bangkok with no time to spare... Phew!