๐
๐
๐
จ ๐
ข๐
ฃ๐
๐
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๐
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ข!
So, what is going on in my world? What part of the world am I currently traveling in? Well, let me give you a little update. I am currently in Pokhara, Nepal after spending 3 months traveling all over Northern India. It has been quite a journey and I am on the last month of this travel experience in Asia now. So, I am giving myself space to reflect and relax after, what was really, a very intense and transformative journey throughout India.
๏ผฉ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ผ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ผฉ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ
๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ผ
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐, ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐
In this time I was able to really rejuvenate and take the time to go within. It was my vacation time after 6 months of working REALLY hard to make this travel dream a reality. I worked 14 hour days 6 days a week to save up for this trip! So when I finally reached Goa it felt like heaven. I was able to ground into India without the intensity of the country hitting me all at once. Goa is really a safe haven for any free spirited traveler looking to meet other travelers with a similar vibe. You won't find a lot of Indian culture here but you will find amazing beaches, great food, and cheap living. I lived in a hut on the beach for around $6 a day and sometimes paid no more than $1 for my meal! I also experienced a Bufo frog medicine ceremony of 5MEO-DMT that really set the tone of the rest of my travels through India.
๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐
๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข, ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐
Wow! This experience was such a treat. Arriving in Mumbai was definitely the next step to grounding into the culture of India. Nothing beats the constant stares and curiosity of Indians. However, when I realized I had made it to Mumbai just in time for Gay Pride I was thrilled! Sexuality is very suppressed in India so being able to march with the gay culture of India and support them was a real the least I could do. Especially since it gave me the opportunity to also support my traveling partner who is also gay and experience life a bit from his point of view. We later made way to a gay after party in Mumbai and I got to experience more of the hidden gay culture in India.
๐๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐
Well, if this wasn't a cultural experience... I don't know what was! The whole experience of going to this wedding was profound and eye opening. It was filled with colors, flowers, brides, grooms, food, music, ceremony, and so much more! It was a wedding in Gujarat, India and the wedding was HUGE. There were over 50 ceremonies going on at the same time of 50 different brides and grooms getting married away. The party consisted of over 4,000 people. It was intense! Especially since most of this village had never seen a white person with blonde hair and blue eyes before! Andrew and I were the only foreigners there! I was being pulled in every direction and I must have had over 100 photos taken of me that day. I can now say I know what it feels like to be a celebrity! Everyone wanted to know me and be my friend. It was quite the experience! My friend Andrew (on the right side of the photo) and I loved being apart of it all.
๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง, ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐
Traveling to Rajasthan, India in the small town called Pushkar I quickly found myself in love with the place and people. I connected very deeply to the Gypsy culture and spent most of my time playing music with them and experiencing life through their point of view in their villages. They made me authentic Rajasthanian food, dressed me up, taught me their dances and songs, and befriended me. I spent 3 weeks straight hanging with them every day from morning until night. Pushkar will forever be home after the month I spent there. I was able to really experience India from a raw and cultural experience. I was able to witness India in a very true way. It opened my mind to what poverty actually looks like but also made me realize what happiness looks like as well. My time spent in Pushkar was complete magic and will always have a place in my heart. This place changed me forever.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐
Going to the Golden Temple was a bit of a cultural shock experience after being in Pushkar, Rajasthan for a month. Each state in India is very different: different language, clothing, people, etc. Here the culture is made up of many Sikhs and the space is very clean and much more organized. In order to enter the space of the temple we had to cover our heads and wear modest clothing. So, I wore my Kundalini Yoga clothes and made my way into the experience. I did seva hours cooking in the kitchen and making chapati with my two friends Andrew and Matt who I was traveling with at the time. We were able to live for free in the foreigners guesthouse space they have readily available for foreigners who want to see The Golden Temple and serve in the kitchen. The Golden Temple provides food for 1,000s of people for free every day as well as provides sleeping space for the homeless. The energy at the Golden Temple was cleansing and purifying and exactly what I needed before making my way to Rishikesh, India for my 200 hour Kundalini Yoga teacher training.
๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐
Hello transformation! This 200 hours of Kundalini yoga pushed me on every level and in every way but it was one of the most profound experiences I have ever had. It was 10 hours of yoga, meditation, and study every day. In Kundalini yoga we wore all white because it increases the vibration of the aura. We cover the top of the head to hold in the Kundalini energy from escaping out the top of the head through the crown chakra. In the experience I was able to live in an ashram like setting and really get the full experience of what living a Kundalini yogi lifestyle looked like. We woke up at 4am every day, took cold showers, did 2 1/2 hours of morning sadhana in yoga and mantra chanting, connected to our hearts and truth, and let go of a whole lot of subconscious baggage. In this training we all cried together, laughed together, grew together, and connected together. I met some life time friends and was reintroduced to a deeper part of my true self. This training opened me and changed my life on many levels by awakening me to a new and more empowered potential within me.
๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ข, ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐
After so much transformation and growth experience of being 24 I felt it was only appropriate to turn 25 in the oldest continuously running city in the world: Varanasi, India. Here death is a normal part of life and people will travel from all over India as well as other parts of the world to die here. It is said that if you die in Varanasi you will not incarnate again. There are burning ceremonies open to be scene and witnessed by the public daily. It is an intense place to experience energies of death and rebirth. Which is exactly what I was intending to get by being in this cities energies during my 25th birthday. It definitely did the job and forced me into a space of letting go of a lot of what no longer served me. Here in this photo I am praying to Hanuman the monkey god to bring me strength and courage to step into the next phase of my life. After leaving this city I was ready to start on the next chapter and head to Nepal!
๏ผท๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ผ ๏ผท๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ ๏ฝ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ
๏ฝ ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ
๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ผ
Overall, the experiences I had in India have really transformed me forever. The culture of India is so captivating and embracing. It built my confidence up, taught me how to communicate my boundaries, empowered me, helped me to step further into a space of compassion, and gave me life long experiences I will never forget. India is a country that I will continue to travel back too. It is forever a sacred place that I will always consider home.
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Ah yay!! So much excitement spewing from this. Thank you for noticing!
Wonderful @thirdeyeindigo thank you for sharing this. You bravely stepped into the unknown and grew from all of it. So inspiring to have watched you experience these beautiful life experiences. Your path towards healing yourself and others is bold and something to admire. Much love.
Thank you, Jake! India is definitely a place for anyone who feels called to go and experience the lessons that blossom there. There is definitely a reason that India is also known as "Mama India" She is a teacher in many ways.
I appreciate you and the support you have provided during this part of my journey.
Wow! You really know how to live life! Hope you have a good time for the rest of your stay in India!
Cheers :)
Thanks so much I will be making one last stop in Dharmshala before I depart back home for a few months. ...womp womp womp... but the time I spent has been AMAZING. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Currently in Nepal. It is very calm and different here than it was in Nepal. Looking forward to being back in India in just a bit though!
so awesome angela!! hope to see you in the tipi soon :)
Same! I will be in Utah in June for a few weeks. Hoping to sit with the fam then. Hope to see you there if you are around!
Sounds like you were transformed. Your photos are so bright and cheery.. you look so joyful. India for me next year.. can't wait!
I am so excited for you! India is absolutely amazing that I may just go back next year as well! So maybe see you there! Where are you thinking of traveling too?
I highly recommend both Goa and Rajasthan.
I really want to go to Rishikesh and Varanasi. We also are looking at a landrover expedition into Assam and the wilderness there. Can't wait.
If you like yoga then Rishikesh is the place to go... but to be 100% honest with you... it was my LEAST favorite place I went to in India aha. It lacks culture and I LOVE the culture in India. However, some love Rishikesh... it really depends on your own personal intentions and what you are wanting to gain from going to India.