Tabeer!

Album for Palkistani vocalist, Shafqat Amanat Ali! Check it out. Great Music!

FINALS!

What I don't understand is how Pace can call tomorrow a study day, if evening classes still meet. I guess that takes the concept of study "DAY" literally. Either way, at least my class tomorrow is a class i enjoy, if not, I would have raised hell. 

On a side note, even though I am no longer a vegetarian, I bought some Morningstar " Chik'n Tenders." I realized that I still like them, and with some badass Buffalo Wing Sauce ( Thats the name on the can ) it was truly a LEGENDARY experience.

Kick the Chair

I'm searching for an armchair. Like the nice ones old people sit on while using a typewriter. Well not actually, just because the chair provided in the room is so damn uncomfortable. I'm actually using my desk this year, so I need a chair. I walked with my phone directions, trying to walk to IKEA, only to find out that it's far and only bus accessbile. That's so lame shit right there. I turned around couldn't find anything, so I got breakfast. This was all before 9 am. The search goes on!

And check out Cheb I Sabbah. Very impressive. Props to my cousin Ankita for the recommendation,

THE WEEKEND

So I'm home for the weekend, and damn does it feel weird. No subway station, zero external interference whatsoever. Who would of thought that was possible? Definitely not me. I ran errands today, and driving a car was very strange to me. Even though it's not like a forgot how to drive. It's just that I acclimated myself to elevators and subways, that an automobile has become like a vestigial organ, utterly useless unless it implodes. Cheers to New Jersey, it keeps me real!

Thought

Is Humor arrogance, is arrogance excessive humor? Both? Neither? I am confused out of my mind.

HOME!!

So I'm home now. It's amazing how weird it feels to be home. A part of me misses the Institute, while the other does not at all. A very weird feeling to describe. Either way, home-cooking is great, and my own bed is a definite plus. 

I was in what the Institute called the " self transformation program." Now let me tell you, all kidding aside, that I feel the initial steps of the self transformation after only a week there. Now that I am home I am going to relax and make music, which I know are two things that I enjoy.haha

Kitchen Karma !!

So I just finished the karma yoga portion of my stay at the Himalayan Institute. Not that I did not enjoy several days of vegetable cutting, a day of vacuuming, and my last task, mopping. I know, and you should know, that I am not a vegetable cutting, vacuuming and mopping sort of guy. In terms of karma, it felt nice knowing that I helped not just me but the community. 

While all of the tasks seemed rather boring and repetitive, well at least with the vegetables, the whole experience was and is something that I will remember, and use in life, well maybe ( haha ). 

I dont expect myself to go home and offer to vacuum, mop, and cut vegetables, but hey, change never hurts. Right?

Life In and Around HI

While I am learning and enjoying my time here at the Institute, I kind of want to get back home. I fully respect everybody here, and what they are here for. However, This is not my lifestyle. I can do the 10 day programs, but staying longer just does not fit who I am. While yoga and meditation are very intriguing and life-changing, I do not think I could continue such a practice here. Not that the Institute is a bad place, it's just that to live here would take an adjustment of magnanimous proportions.

 For those who know me, my lifestyle is not very yogic. In terms of diet, the ayurvedic diet does not suit me. I am trying to enjoy it, but I just do nit. The exceptions being Sooji, comparable to cream of wheat, and Joyful Ginger salad dressing. Oh, and the scones and scrambled tofu.haha. Outside of those foods, I long for my usual diet, whatever that may be. But I also went to the Himalayan Institute Cafe on Main Street in Honesdale. There I found Virgil's Root Beer, which is by far the best root beer that I have ever had. I found their website and I plan on having it delivered to my house.haha.

While I find the yogic lifestyle very exciting and relaxing at the same time, I do not think I could fully immerse myself in it. 

I will take tidbits from my experience here, and apply them in my daily life. The relaxation from my morning walks and early meditation practice has been an awakening of my being. I have been able to channel my emotions in the best way ever. Hopefully my awareness and concentration extends to my daily life. Actually I will make sure that it does. My inner self is a lot more peaceful than I initially perceived. Breathing is a lot more than I thought it was. It allows you to control your emotions in a way that I did not think possible. 

Welcome

As my first post, I did not know what to write. I could write about the weather, what I ate for dinner, etc. However, all of those seemed very boring. So i decided to enter the blogging realm with a current events of me! Now don't get too excited! Haha. 

I have been at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA for about five days. These five days have been very different than any five days I have ever experienced. For those of you who know me, I am a man of routine. A leads to B, which leads to C and then finally D, if that makes any sense. From my school routine I got into my vacation routine, or lack thereof. Routine, to me keeps me grounded, I know what I have to do, what I want to do, and where I have t do it. At the Institute; which after five days I feel " cool " enough to say, life is very different. 

The schedule is posted, seminars , karma yoga, etc. Schedule adjustment plays major tricks on my mind. New people and new location always bring new anxiety for me. In terms of anxiety, I was a nervous wreck for the first two days. The lifestyle adjustment, especially the food, has and still is taking time for me to adjust to. I wake up at seven a.m., go outside for a walk, and come back for breakfast at 8. Karma yoga, or selfless service, takes up four hours of my day, 9-11 and 2-4. While yoga classes are scheduled, I avoided them until todays 4:30 class. The avoidance was not out of fear, it was out of sheer non-interest. I wanted, and actually still want my free time. While yoga is known as a body and mind healer, I guess I want to do things on my own terms. I have been reading up on various breath awareness techniques and the art of meditating. The whole idea of meditation fascinates me. As a man with anxiety and a never-ending thought process, meditation seems that it would be the best thing for me. In my short stay so far, I have been able to feel the change in my body by simply focusing n my breath. I want to read more on it, and eventually start a regular practice, kind of like a release from my world of anxiety and constant thinking. We shall see!