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Hemis & Dalai Lama teachings

Hemis Monastery

Dalai Lama teachings in Nubra Valley

Some photos of Shey & Thikshe

Shey

Thikse
Thikse inside

Not raining here!!

Just a quick note to let you all know: Please, dont worry, Ladakh is the dryest region of India, not raining here, maybe some snow in the high altitude passes but no illnesses or floodings!

Take a look of the attached maps!

I will be without internet until august 10th, going to Nubra Valley for the Dalai Lama teachings!

Love you all!

Debbie

Leh, Ladakh, Indian Himalaya, J&K

from the airplaine, very close to landing in leh airport

leh, ladakh

After a short day and a half in Delhi, I am in Leh now, the capital of Ladakh @ the Himalayan Range, 3.505mt, west to Jammu and Kashmir Region, northeast from Nepal and very close to Tibet. Monasteries, gompas and stupas are everywhere.

This is so beautiful; huge mountains surround this small fertile valley north of the Indus River. Friendly villagers living very basic lives, mostly Tibetans refugees live here or people from Nepal, some Muslims too, everybody trying to sell their products (bargaining is a must here!). This is very tourist oriented area, lots of small hotels and restaurants, and summer time is the best period of the year for being here because the moonson rains does not reach Ladakh and the temperature is warm around mid 20C (70F).

The Dalai Lama is going to teach 3 days in Nubra Valley (aug 7-9), few hours from here in an antique monastery named Diskiyd. For going there is necessary to go over one of the highest motorized passes in the world: Khardong La (5.602 mt.) afterwards he will teach 4 days in Leh, where I am now (aug 16-19). In beetween I will go for trekking in tent from Lamayuru or Phanjila to Chiling, crossing passes and visiting remote villages and enjoying the breathtaking nature and energy that you breath here everywhere. I had mild AMS (acute mountain sickness or “mal de paramo”) de first 2 days but now I feel completely acclimatized and ready for having fun!

Love to all of you! Light and peace to all the world!

Debbie

different cultures from ladakh: tibetan refugee, muslim old man and indian man, all selling their products

Himmal, Centre for adult spastics, Pune

Himmal, Centre for spastic adults and children

Hello everybody!

Pune (Poona) means “the place where good things happen” and it was like that until the last day there!

After working in Himmal, the centre who takes care of the spastic children, I, with the help of Francisca, Liz and Joe, organized a fare well benefit party inviting everybody from the Iyengar Institute.

It was really nice, I made a presentation of the photos that I toke while volunteering at Himmal during their daily activities and sold the products they made with the sweet help of the art therapist who works with them and all the lovely staff who take care of them. We even make a ruffle with pictures of BKS Iyengar as the first prices. At the end we collected and donated enough money to pay for the tuition of one child for 1,5 months and we spread the word of how people who go to practice yoga can help the community while being here.

The experience was so beautiful and rewarding; only to see them each day, play and laugh with them was fantastic! They where so happy to see their pictures, to take them home! I even teach some of them to take pictures!

I will like to thank Liz for the candles and decoration for the party, to Francisca, for her high energy Bollywood Dancing, to Smita, who let us use her flat as ours all the time with the most warm smile, to Vashinta who cook the Parathas and Jeera Rice, to the manager of the centre for trusting me, letting me get involved, to all the staff of Himmal for opening their hearts, to the spastics people for being more than my friends, my small brothers and sisters and to all the Iyengar yoga teachers and students who came and help us to create a world full of love and unity.

If any of you want to make donation to the centre, please contact me, any amount will be appreciated! Thanks for your support!

With all my Love, Debbie

Shredding paper for selling it

Adult spastic with helper

Card that we use at the party as a gift for supporters

Art, children and yoga...

Friday, July 20, 2007 4:43pm

Namaste Everybody!

I just noticed that it had been 11 days without writing! Time is going so fast! I just feel great here, doing so many things that I like, It is beautiful to feel so good!

I have been going to yoga everyday, 6 times a week in the morning at the Iyengar Institute + receiving private medical classes from my special friend Joe, who is taking very good care of my lower back, he had been an iyengar yoga teacher for a very long time and is here practicing yoga (advance classes) and learning medical yoga and physiotherapy.

I am also volunteering to a center for children and adult spastics (people suffering from cerebral palsy which is the dysfunction of the Central Nervous System or in other worlds, when the mind and body do not function in accordance with one another).
They are wonderful, pure souls, like children. I am helping them with everything that I can, but mostly with trainings that the center teaches like papel shredding, coloring, pottery, batik, mostly art related creations. This help them to improve their manual abilities and to recollect funds for the center. We are organizing a fund raising party for them on next week with all the yoga people! I will send you more info later in case any of you would like to donate money or sponsor a child.

The first day I was a little nervous about how to relate with them, assuming that they needed to be help, but very soon I realized that they are happy, joyful and just need help with their physical needs. About their minds there is a lot to learn from them, like innocence, love and friendship! Contentment and living the present! Just as children! I really feel grateful of this opportunity!

I keep doing my lessons in drawing and painting as part of my training to fulfill the requirements for the MA in art therapy. And all this experience is helping me to know if I really like it, and honestly, so far so good! I am very excited! :)

And last but not least, of course I am taking pictures around the city, going out with friends, to restaurants, dancing parties and having so much fun!

Ahh, just to let you know, I don’t know what happen to the moonson, but its not raining anymore, first week was really heavy raining all day long but now we are really enjoying of a marvelous sunny weather!

I have a dinner at home with my roommates, Francisca, a wonderful German woman who lives in Bali, Lis, a fantastic Australian lady who lives in New Zealand, Joe, our awesome friend from NY that its cooking, and our two new neighbors from Sri Lanka! :)


I feel healthy and strong so no worries!



Love and joy to all of you!



Debbie