Yoga Practitioners of All Religions

Yoga Practitioners of All Religions. When I first got interested in both Yoga and Yogis
only the people of India and secular Christians I knew seemed to be interested. Only the most open minded people of the western world were interested outside of India.

I can remember how in the 1950's and 1960's and even into the 1980's if you used acupuncture it was sort of like you either lived in the dark ages or were a witch or hippy or something. Times have changed so much now with Whole Foods Markets selling organic foods nationwide like Ralph's and Safeway markets sold food through there warehouse style large markets in the 50's and after. It's an amazing world that constantly changes after all!

The following is a quote from "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert starting at the beginning of chapter 39 on page 125. begin quote, "One of my first roommates at the Ashram was a middle-aged African American devout Baptist and meditation instructor from South Carolina. My other roommates, over time, would include an Argentinean dancer, a Swiss Homeopath, a Mexican secretary, an Australian mother of five, a yound Bangladeshi computer programmer, a pediatrician from Main and a Filipino accountant. Others would come and go too, as devotees cycled in and out of their residencies.

This Ashram is not a place you can casually drop by and visit. First of all, it's not wildly accessible. It's located far away from Mumbai (India), on dirt road in a rural valley near a pretty and scrappy little village (composed of one street, one temple, a handful of shops and a population of cows who wander about freely, sometimes walking into the tailor's shop and lying down there). One evening I noticed a naked sixty watt lightbulb hanging from a wire on a tree in the middle of town; this is the town's one street lamp." endquote.

India in the country was an amazing experience when I went there in December 1985. I was in India for 2 months and Nepal for 2 months and Thailand for 2 weeks with my family. We travelled by plane to Narito Airport in Japan and then to Bangkok, Thailand and then to Katmandu, Nepal. All transportation besides flying was by train, bus, car, taxi, three wheeled taxi, rickshaw, horsecart, camelcart, oxcart, or on foot or rental bicycle or by jeep or dugout canoe in Chitwan National Park on the Nepali Terai. There are white Rhinos, Tigers and huge snakes and a type of Alligator there.

The Brahma cows and bulls are especially to be on guard for in places like New Delhi and big cities. They are protected by law and can be well mannered or not. I walked too close to one in a New Delhi alley, sort of thinking at the time it was like a dog or other person. Nope, it is a wild animal and tried to gore me with its horn. Only because I have very fast reflexes did I not get gored. I grabbed the horn before it pierced me and it threw me across the alley and against a wall. After that it simply kept walking. I was grateful it happened to me and not to my wife or children as I don't know if they would have fared as well as I did. I had only a few bruises and no punctures. But I definitely had more respect for Brahma bulls.