Thoughts on India by Corrine
I have been to India seven times now in the past eight years and am now living there four or five months a year. I find India helps me to remember what is important…love, community, family, God, kindness. Not that I don’t find these things in the west, it is just that I seem to experience these things daily in India. I find that India embodies the best and worst of everything. It is an assault to the senses! Sights, sounds, tastes and smells are intense everywhere...all of the time. It is amazing! Though not for the faint of heart, India is not for everyone, that is for sure.

I fell in love with India during my first trip there in 2001 with Deepak Chopra. I spent 3 weeks, a short amount of time really, but just enough to know that I wanted more.

I thought I knew what to expect the second time I departed for India on December 3rd 2004, but Mother India is where to expect the unexpected. I found myself in the tsunami on December 26th, 2004 on the beaches of southern Kerala running from the water and up to safety on a rooftop. After experiencing the tsunami and sleeping on a rooftop for a few nights, I headed to Tiruvinammalai (Tiru), to welcome in the New Year. I fell in love with Tiru and stayed for two months. Tiru, the home of the sacred mountain Arunachala...the oldest mountain on earth. For thousands of years people have been coming to Tiru to worship the mountain as it is said that the Arunachala is Shiva! One million come to Tiru every month on the full moon to do Pradakshana...the spiritual practice of walking the 16km around the mountain. It is a site to see and experience. During my stay in Tiru in 2004 I broke my left foot and had a caste and crutches for six weeks. I also got terribly ill with parasites. I got to know the nurses and doctor at the local hospital very well. I learned to smile through the pain and discomfort and I also experienced a pure acceptance of what is through my perils and that feeling has stayed with me in my life over in the west ever since.

Tirvinammalai is a magical place. Even through the hardships, it was amazing! You see people of all backgrounds, classes, levels of income and education and they all live together in India. You see a vast variety in just walking a few blocks. And so there is an innate sense of appreciation that most everyone has in India. Everyone seems to be thankful for what they have. Whereas in North America we seem so separate or at least that is our experience. We are raised an individuals, feeling separate from everyone and not experiencing the variety of cultures and economic classes on a daily basis. We always want more rather that appreciating what we already have. That is a pretty big difference when it comes to general daily happiness. Indians have a sense of acceptance and happiness with exactly what they have. Not that I they don’t more. They work very hard to make life easier for the next generation. However, they are also happy with what they have. That is my observation and one of the many reasons that I love India.

My third trip to India was much easier on my body and I fell not only in love with the country even more but I also fell in love with an amazing Indian man from Tiru! I started my trip January 8th 2007 with a group of brave American women who entrusted me to take them on a yoga tour to India. We had the most amazing two weeks and I really enjoyed showing people India through my eyes and also seeing India through their eyes. We started each day with a yoga class on the roof and finished each night by chanting in the moonlight. Inbetween we received wonderful ayurvedic massages, hiked up Arunachala, meditated with a 'silent Saint', shopped and shopped some more, visited an orphanage, rode a bull cart around Arunachala, ate amazing South Indian food, got blessings in ancient temples, laughed a lot, drank daily fresh coconuts, rode is rickshaws and left India fully transformed.

My new love Satya and I now do the tours together. For upcoming tour dates please click on the 'tours to India' link. When it is your time to go to India the pathways will clear and magic will happen to get you there. The call is so loud you will not be able to help but respond.

One other thing I would like to mention. When I broke my foot in India in 2004 I had an wonderful rickshaw driver who took very good care of me. I asked him what I could do for him and he said all he wanted was for his son to receive a good education. So now, every year I pay $300 for my friend Kumar's son Krishor to go to a local private school where he is getting an excellent education. $300 pays for his tuition, cloths, books and transportation for one year…amazing! Krishor is six now and will get a great education and be able to help his sister, mother and father as he gets older. in the past few years since I have met this wonderful family Kumar's wife now speaks excellent english and is in computer school. So this small amount ends up changing an entire families’ life (If you are interested in sending a child to school in India you can click on the 'make a donation' button on the India page and 100% of your donation will go to sending an Indian child to school).

Tours to India