Slowing Down and Zooming In at Anand Ashram

I’ve always woken up early while traveling. In fact, I’d wake up at the usual 5am and try to pack as much as possible in a day: see everything, do everything, and get my money’s worth before time ran out.  Nothing wrong with being in tourist mode.  Nothing wrong at all, really.  It’s the contrast with my current experience that makes me smile.  I’m still getting up at 5am, but that’s so that I can go to Anand Ashram’s daily 6am meditation, fire ceremony and yoga class before breakfast and spending time walking the grounds with my camera before it gets too hot (around 9-10am).  I still feel like I’m quite busy with 2 other meditation sessions, 3 meals, photo editing and time in the library – but I feel so very relaxed, peaceful, and content.  This week is about slowing down and zooming in.  I’m very glad I was guided this way.

Gallery – The Ashram Close-Up:

After my day of photographing the grounds with my wider angle lens (see previous post), I decided to spend Wednesday with only my long lens, zooming in to the world around me from within the ashram.  Looking at the world close-up has always increased my sense of wonder at the beauty that surrounds us.  With a heart filled with gratitude and joy, I slowed down and wandered around looking – seeing – appreciating – connecting.  When I’m in nature with my camera or in my studio painting – those are my truest forms of meditation – my spiritual practice. It’s now my pleasure to share the results here with you. The best way to see these is on the blog site. Click on the first image and proceed to the next at full screen- you can’t always appreciate the tiny thumbnails in the galleries. Can you find the motorcycle with 5 people on it?

Gallery: Looking Outside from Within:

I’ve also just finished “Soul Quest- the Journey from Death to Immortality”, the autobiography of Anand Krishna – the one who founded these multi-faith ashrams.  How very inspiring.  I’ve read many such books over the decades, and as for each one before it, I feel blessed for the reminder of what being a spiritual traveler on this earth is all about.  Love, Beauty, Inspiration, Consciously Going with the Flow, and sharing what we’ve learned along the way. I found it most interesting how his life – this one and remembered past ones – is interlinked with the lives of many of those I have read about and followed in my own ways in my own time.  By reading his story, it feels like I’ve connected to my own more deeply and more peacefully.

Gallery: Artsy Photoshop Creations:

Last night, as for every Wednesday night at the ashram, dozens of people (mostly Balinese from the neighbouring towns), came for an evening of Keertan (devotional call and response chants in Sanskrit).  Most of my music collection consists of this kind of chanting and joining in (thanks to the words on the screen) was blissful.  It was held in the open air devotional/yoga space below the Universal Mother Goddess temple while the rain fell outside and the djembe drums led us inside. Lovely!

Other memorable moments have been:

• watching a firefly slowly walk down the mosquito net as I was falling asleep, with its traffic signal flashing on and off (reminding me of how thousands of its species had lit up the rice fields on the dark night of Nyepi – something I forgot to mention).
• getting eaten alive under my mosquito net the night I decided to sleep with the windows open… by tiny small black bugs easily visible with my flashlight. I switched beds, had the linen changed the next day, fogged the room, and slept with the windows closed the next night without problems.
• tasting 3 kinds of fruit after keertan last night – hairy rambutan, purple mangosteen, and duku (lanasium domesticum)  myum!
• finding a tiny bird with its wing broken and bleeding at the top of the stairs near my door.  As I approached to see if I could help, it managed to fly down 3 flights to the ground in fear.  I’m not a Saint Francis… and I couldn’t find it after that.  It reminded me that it was not my place to judge whether this was a good thing or bad thing – it was just a thing – perhaps its injury would help the scrawny  kitten that recently moved into the gardens to feed itself.  My heart had reached out to it as well.

• that sense of knowing that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing – being in the moment- and praying I remember that when more challenging times occur, as may this month with 2 eclipses and other astrological events.
• the pleasure of simply showing up for meals without having to make any choices or pay each time – thanks to Yuda for his wonderful cooking – he learned on YouTube he told us. I enjoy hearing him chanting joyfully in the kitchen while I look at the birds and flowers around the outdoor eating area.

• knowing I had fun taking about 30 photos of butterflies in flight even if I don’t have one in focus to show you 🙂
• simply being here – thank you also to Herny, the ashram’s caretaker and fire keeper, for making my stay at this beautiful, safe, sanctuary so wonderful.
• Still going with the flow, I had my first swim in the healing pool – refreshing!… how’s this for a selfie?! (thanks to my Otter iPhone crushproof/waterproof case)

OK – now it’s 11pm.  Let’s see if I get up at 5am for meditation…. Goodnight!