Prabhu treks up the Velliyangiri 7th hill

Prabhu narrates his experience of trekking up the Velliyangiri 7th hill!

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I don't know how it happened and I'm going to put in words. It was his sheer grace and bliss, that made me have the glimpse of shiva.

I wished I could participate in yatra (organised by Then Kailaiya Bakthi Peravai) on 27th and 28th feb, during lingha bhairavi consecration and left the thought behind. The wish became an opportunity last friday (26th) through a telephone call from balaji asking if I could join yatra. Wow!!! It was definitely to music to ears.

I had promised my wife that we would go to shopping centre and get her something on our 3rd anniversary (though she was not willing to get it). My mom was fuming and fretting, seeing me packing the bag and looking at me as an irresponsible creature. When it's shiva's call, how can I ignore?

I began the journey not knowing if I would be allowed for yatra since I didn't register for it :)

To my surprise, swami allowed me in.

We started the yatra with an intro by swami and video by Sadhguru. Swami started his talk with a verse on shiva and inspiring stories about the sacred place and how reverential we should be in this yatra. Jaggi insisted not to miss this opportunity being born in tamil nadu and dhyanalinga is the essence of what is available in south kailash.

We flagged off the yatra @ half past two in the afternoon at poondi shivan temple, velliangiri foothills. Swami oriented us again that this shouldn't be perceived as trekking but yatra.

Though I was struggling initially and wondering if I could make it up, swami's talks at certain points, explaining the significance of those places and helping us re-gaining the focus, simply kept me going.

At one moment, energies completely drained, I decided to keep away my body and mind for some time and just be with the yatra, I felt I was being pulled up. Nothing could hold me anymore.

After 3rd hill, heads started to disappear one by one. Fear of getting lost, fear of getting attacked by animals, fear of walking alone in the forest, fear of getting slipped in the valleys, I stopped creating them one by one. Journey was effortless afterwards.

I was crawling like an ant in the vast mountain, realising how small I'm, foolishly pretending to be big. Everything looked amusing that night, the rocks, the path, the moon, the trees, the grass, the breeze, the petty shop-in-the forth hill-with single chimney light, the people out there making their living in mountain. What a lovely world it is?!

Reached 6th hill and took 3 dips in frozen aandi sunai* (vellaikkara durais, translation please). Needless to say that I enjoyed the delicious dinner prepared by the volunteers.

We were ready to retire for the day in the beautiful tent, they had set up. The thin shawl that I had was helpless in the awful weather, piercing tiny holes in my body. Fortunately one anna had a thick blanket and was generous enough to allow me and another meditator (devotee) by his two sides. All of us stayed very close in bed to get warmth.

I woke up the next day with unknown experience and little excitement. We went through some process before climbing up. Just paused a moment to look at all devotees, from all walks of life, from 1st standard student to 50 year old woman (women below 12 years and above 40 years of age, are allowed), a hefty man, looking hard, whispering to swami with respect, definitely all 70 people had different flavours but only one goal: 7th hill.

Like turning pages of an interesting novel, we were heading towards the mystical kingdom. We reached place and sat under the rock, where shiva had been for a while. The place was reasonating with high decibal chanting, heart breaking devotion and unconditional love. When swami came and spoke about the place, tears started rolling down in his cheeks. One being, who didn't want to miss anyone of us, like a mother taking care of her children, cultivating devotion in ourselves, telling what we need to know and how should we be. A real possibility of how one can be as parent to all beings in the world, accepting things and people as they are and doing what is needed for the situatuon. Even my dumb mind had experienced something indescribable, happening there because of him.

Swami and volunteers are still ringing in my head than the Lord Shiva. What a tremendous world this would be, if all the people dare to hold others' well being more than their lives.

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* - Literally translates to "barren creek" - obviously has a spiritual connotation to it.

PhoenixButterfly attends the Isha Yoga program

For PhoenixButterfly, the Inner Engineering program happened at just the right time in her life:

"It is a profound spiritual experience. It is very hard to explain. It is very light and funny and deeply touching and peaceful. There is no releasing or bringing past things up. You don’t go around meeting your peers but you become one with them and at the end the connection is so huge you don’t need to know their names, you know their soul and are one with all of them. We learnt yoga poses that improve our lives in every aspect."

Full post here: http://phoenixbutterfly.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/isha-yoga-1.html

Revamped!

Meera posts about how her life has changed after the Inner Engineering program:

"I have let go of(so many of) my mental blocks. I still own quite a bit, but it is probably a matter of time before I can let them go too. I am doing things way over my capacity. Me & G are juggling between things in such an easy manner(& with so much happiness & acceptance), that I find it hard to believe it is me."

Full post here: http://mjaishankar.blogspot.com/2010/02/volunteering-with-isha.html

Fiercely Beautiful

One more post from a participant of the Linga Bhairavi consecration.

Rajasekhar writes:
"Linga Bhairavi devi is supposed to be fiercely and wonderfully feminine at the same time. I do not know about the fierce part of her really because all I could see was the beauty and she has certainly taken my mind & heart. Still cannot forget the first sight of her!"

Full post here: http://mrrajasekhar.blogspot.com/2010/02/fiercely-beautiful.html

Anupama a the Linga Bhairavi consecration

Anupama shares her experience of attending the Linga Bhairavi consecration.

"For the past 3 days, I have been trying to put into words, my experience of being at the Isha Yoga Centre for the Linga Bhairavi consecration. I am unable to explain the magnificence that is the consecration process and the Devi.
Every single word to describe something much bigger than me seems too trivial, too small."

Full post here: http://thechroniclesofa.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post.html

Meera's trip to Mahima

Meera originally posted about her IE experience. She now details her experience on her visit to Mahima and her Shoonya initiation at the IIIS.

"Yesterday I was in the middle of a slight fever & a major sore throat/running nose. While every aching muscle would support my decision to not do my practices, I did it anyway. In aches & pains for sure. But after my practices, I only felt better. In so many ways. So, Yoga really works for me."

Full post here: http://mjaishankar.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-trip-to-gracemahima.html

Desh's journey to his Guru

Desh shares an enchanting story of his life that led him to find his Guru. He also shares his experiences as he finishes reading "Midnights with the Mystic".

"There were many questions from Cheryl that I had asked on my own journey from the "Universe" and would sometimes "receive" an answer. To my surprise, the answers from Sadguru completely resonated with those answers / conclusion that "I" seemed to have come to. Some answers from Sadhguru were truly unique which seemed to be very similar to the my own answers. Had I been marked and fed by the Guru even before I had met Him?"

Full post here: http://drishtikone.com/?q=blog/journey-my-guru-sadhguru-jaggi