Satsang....

So, we had a beautiful satsang today. For those of you who dont know, satsang means 'company of truth' sitting and singing, laughing, dancing with people who love doing the same. Sharing knowledge and sharing love.....

I remember satsang used to mean something different to me. It was 4 men sitting at the front screeching into mikes, and everyone sitting behind them busy trying to shout over the screeching, talking to their neighbour about the latest fashion, or break up in the family. It was not pleasant for me.....

This satsang is different, someone leads beautiful bhajans, kirtans, hymns, love songs, anything....sometimes even just an instrument is played. I sit there, and sing along for a while, and observe as my mind goes blank. I am totally in the present moment and eventually ever cell of my body is only listening and absorbing, the energy. The energy gets higher, and my eyes feel heavy and close themselves. I dont feel like singing anymore. So i sit still, and let the beautiful music wash over me, it feels exhilerating, so so so blissful....the tempo picks up the beat and i feel a surge in energy shooting up my spine....

In this moment i am not interested in seeing anything, talking to anyone, not interested in anything at all. Just being in this state where my mind is blank and i am a nobody, i am nowhere, and eventually i am nothing.....deep deep rest happens in this state. It is a state of meditation. So blissful......pure joy, happiness, contentment in this moment. The most common sentence i hear when i talk about meditation is - "I just cant concentrate!, its impossible for me!" - Meditation is the simple art of doing absolutely nothing, not even thinking, so you need to de-concentrate....effortlessness is the key. Using the breath as a tool, bringing the mind to a stand still state is possible.

For all those meditating regularly, well done, give yourself a pat on the back! You have found the treasure we have been sitting on and looking for for lifetimes....for those yet to start, dont waste a moment. Start meditating and discover the true wealth within you that does not leave you, even as you eventually leave this body.....JGD.

Sweet Waters tented Camps!

So this weekend i ended up on a sudden trip to Sweet Waters tented camps! It is a beautiful space located in the heart of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in the shadow of the great Mount Kenya! The mountain had cloud cover most of the time we were there, but no matter what you were doing, you could feel its presence looming. I kept orientating myself by checking where the mountain was....

First we stopped at Barneys in Nanyuki for a quick lunch. what a cute place! As you eat your lunch you watch the small twin engine planes land and take off. Most of these belong to the surrounding ranch owners. I could have done with a ride in one : ) check out some pics of the place here - http://www.barneysnanyuki.com/

Being in the game park was amazing. After being in the prison last week. I felt like, wow....opposite values are really complimentary! The feeling of being in the prison, the sights, sounds smells of the prison, the faces of the inmates were floating in my mind as i looked over the top of the roof of the hired safari van. I couldn't help thinking, what would they give to be here right now ? Could i organise a trip for them ? would the prison accomodate that ? I wanted to share this beauty and the vastness with them.

The vast wilderness before me, behind me, all around me. The best thing was the freshness of the air. NO pollution, no smell at all, just pure pristine cool fresh air! Thousands of miles of pristine savannah wilderness.....totally untouched by humans. A space reserved for the most amazing animals on the planet. As soon as we entered the conservancy we saw 4 lionesses and a HUGE male lion. My camera it turns out was only for happy family pics, and did not work so well for the long shots i needed to shoot the lion. Nimo took some great pics, and will post them up when she sends them to me. The lionesses were so majestic and elegant, there is no mistaking why the lion is called the King of the jungle. You could see raw power in the way he moved, his stride, his mane and i think one swat of that paw could send a human flying a meter away!

This was just the start, we saw Cheetah's (a cute baby one too) hiding in the long grass. we saw a family of about 60 elephants! has anyone noticed that the size of elephant tusks have started getting smaller than when we used to go game drives even 8-10 years ago ? Giraffe (my favourite animal!) did you know its the only animal whose both right legs move together and then both left legs move together ? other animals use opposite legs to walk/run. Fascinating! We saw buffallo herds, Rhinos, hippos, chimpanzees, babboons, some really funky birds! (too many to list), bush babies, etc etc....It has been raining a lot, so the park was lush and the animals were all really fat! Its true, they all looked so healthy and well fed. The lions especially, i guess as usual the lionesses (read women!) were hard at work while the male lion (read man!) sleeps 20 hours a day! Its a fact about lions! he he....

Anyway - want to keep my blogs short and sweet. To sum it up - we are very small, our existence is very insignificant compared to the millions of miles, and millions of years of life that i saw this weekend. It made me feel so good and greatful that i have been a witness to such beauty and wilderness. every trip into the national park gives you something different to love about it, respect about it, and learn from it.

Friends reading this from out of Kenya - Dont think twice, book a trip to Kenya now. It could be a life changing experience.....JGD

Kamiti Prison Courses

Hello! All my 1 follower so far : )

Its late but i am writing this blog because i promised someone i would. So here goes......

Today we finished our 2nd course at Kamiti prison. My 1st course there was 2 weeks ago, and i spent a lot of time breaking all my concepts about the kind of place Kamiti prison was. Before i went in, people had told me some horrendous stories about what goes on in there. A prison in one of the poorest countries of the world. Kamiti Maximum Security prison is situated in Kiambu, Kenya. Surrounded by lush green tea fields, this place used to be a torture chamber. There is an inmate population of 3000, the largest prison in Kenya. There used to be a saying, if you are sentenced to Kamiti, you will either die inside or if you are lucky enough to survive it inside, you will be mental by the time you come out.

One the first day, i went for the first prison smart course, the officers, wardens everyone was at first suspicious of our motives for being there, but eventually i found their suspicion turned to curiosity. They got used to seeing us everyday after the first 2/3 days. I was the only young asian lady going into Kamiti, and i had Paul (another local African teacher) and Duncan (the blessed soul who drove us there everyday)go with me. For the inmates, at first we were approached with curiosity. I was observed like a species from another planet. They were told we are were there to teach stress-management. Those who would like to join are welcome. the first course saw 30 brave participants come forward voluntarily out of 3000 inmates. With Paul and Duncan, the 7 days flew by, i had gone through teaching the entire course without saying much. I was more focused on excercising their bodies, and doing a lot of breathing to calm the mind. The inmates had some very intense experiences, i will post their experiences here soon.

The 2nd course was a lot more interesting. I taught it with Nimo (my own first basic course teacher). She being a lot more experienced, taught me a lot. This time word had been passed through the prison and we had 70 participants on the course! This time 2 young asian girls were going into Kamiti daily. One of the course participants narrated later - we thought you ladies were coming here to have fun and mock us. But after experiencing the breathing and the excercises, we feel free and truly transformed. Every inmate had a blessing for us, every inmate had their heart opened up. They felt free, the Sudarshan Kriya had transformed them, Grace had penetrated their lives. Some of the most hardened criminals were having some very powerful experiences. We talked to them about trust, brotherhood (to end the mentality of tribalism, a big problem in Kenya). We talked to them about forgiveness (they were very bitter towards the people/person who had landed them in prison), we talked to them about Kenya and patriotism, and how much the country needs good people to build it. They felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, we asked them to have a vision and a mission for themselves, their families and communities. We spoke to them about guilt, and freedom.

They said, these were things they had never thought about. All the inmates had very powerful experiences. All this time i was learning so much from them, and learning so much about what pushes a person into such a situation that they commit horrendous crimes. Towards the end, we felt so much love from the inmates (i really dont like the word prisoners).....we did a dancing process at the end where the inmates felt free for the first time ever....some dancing in ecstasy with their eyes closed and tears running down their cheeks....i went around saying to them, give it your 100% and you are free right now!!! It was a fantastic celebration.....it felt like the air was electric!

As i left the prison, i had a heavy heart, and felt responsible in a way for the inmates being there. The government, people, society in general of Kenya, had in some way failed these beautiful souls.....to me they were like innocent children, caught up in a big bad world, pushed into crime...... I feel so used to going there every morning, i am going to wake up tomorrow and miss going to the prison and seeing my friends......

These experiences have made my resolve stronger, to bring this precious knowledge to as many people as possible, to anyone who is willing to listen, first 30, now 70, next 90 inmates.....all 3000 of them will experience the Sudarshan Kriya. Slow but sure, 97 prisons, 50,000 inmates - with Guruji's grace, nothing is impossible for Kenyan prisons.....and for giving me the priviledge of this experience i bow in deep gratitude to my Guruji.

We are now working on a program where inmates will be able to go through a 9 days YLTP (Youth Leadership Training program) once they come out of prison. They will then become Breath Water Sound teachers and continue to spread this knowledge in their own areas....JGD.