India Update #3

Dear Friends and Family,

"Bring your mind to stillness. Be here and now. Be aware of your breathing. Be aware of your body sensations. Relax. Relax. Relax."


Back when our daughter Colleen was a teenager, and we got into the inevitable tiffs that comes with that territory, and just as I was about to explode, she would look at me with her big blue eyes, and say: "Dad, breath. Just breath."

It has taken me a long time to absorb this simple instruction, all the way to this time in India, where for this past week, here in Kuttikkanam at the retreat of Matthew Joseph we have been immersed in a practice of yoga, relaxation, meditation, and ayuvedic massage. Each day, Matthew has given yoga instruction to his guests. For Jeannette, who has practiced yoga for many years now, this has been a refresher, but for me, whose body is tighter that a fine tuned violin, this has been a revelation. Matthew teaches Hadha Yoga, which integrates meditaion into the practice, and it has given opportunity to step into this ancient spiiritual discipline in the milieu in which it orginated. Ayuvedic medicine is another anicent Indian practice, which sees the body holistically, and in nearby Catholic hospital we have been the beneficiaries of this wonderfully restorative healing art. You could think of it as Canyon Ranch on a beer budget, but I am doubtful Canyon Ranch can replicate the simplicity, the intentionality, and pure grace we have experienced here. It all seems a fitting prepartation for the start of our retreat at the Ashram Kurisulama, which begins today, as we leave Mundax, for this Benedictine monastery an hour away. Kurisulama was the community in which Bede Griffith, the renown Benedictine, began his vocation, integrating Indian meditation into the traditional prayer forms of Western monasticism. We are looking forward to our five days at the ashram and entering into the silence, the prayer, and simple practice of this community of monks.

Next week, we will travel to Tamil Nadu, the state and home of the oldest and most venerable of cultures of India, the Dravidians, dating to the time of the Romans and even earlier. We will spend time in Madural, the location of the Sri Meenakshi Temple and a riot of Dravidian sculpture. It will be yet another journey into a world in this dazzling universe of culture and religion.

We think of you often and send our prayers and blessings to you!

Peace and Joy,

Steve and Jeannette