magic yogi man

greetings from pondicherry!

once i decided not to go the vegan eco forest retreat, all my dreams came true! during all the meditations at art of living, i realized i wanted to focus on my mind AND body; that freedom35 starts inside and more than anything i want to feel really free and easy allround!

so ... of course ... the universe provided!

on sunday, i walked into this little place called Prana Health on canteen street where the sign outside said Yoga, Detox, cleansing ... and spoke to Martine, a frenchwoman who waiting for a massage. while she was raving about the couple who run the place, i was thinking "well of course, i will ask for the woman" and then ta da this beautiful man appears with the clearest eyes, lovely warm and fuzzy white beard, in his little massage outfit of lungi and tablier! my mind was made up! he was IT! I was IN!

he gave me the most unbelievable 2 hour massage with E-V-E-R-Y gland, orifice, surface and interior rubbed and scrubbed. i'm talking NOTHING was left untouched. he pulled every hair on my head (oiled and rubbed and then yanked and pulled), he slapped and tapped, and pushed and probed with THE most expert and loving hands. and when he did my stomach to get at my internal organs, it hurt but i knew it was for a higher good. energy and prana were moving, emotions and sensations came up and... yes, i just started crying and crying. and what did he do? he held my face close and said in his soft voice "relax, relax, relax" and then put his beautiful beard on my face and held me in such an indescribable way... that i could only think that this is the way he serves the world, healing one person at a time. and then when i started laughing, he gave me an eskimo kiss - he rubbed my nose with his nose! i'm serious!

so i've totally changed my plans. i have decided to stay in pondicherry until i go to bangkok on the 10th and today started a 3 day cleansing programme with Ganesh (that's his name Dr. Ganesha). today was totally wild. get this:

yoga
herbal mud pack on my stomach, then a special tea
hot bath (plunked in a little plastic tub like a kid), a black pepper tea
warm enema, lie down for 10 min, let it all out, another tea
full head and body massage (by his wife), tea
steam bath followed by sugar cane juice and then a fruit salad

ok, but the whole time i had no idea what i was in for, what was coming next, how long i would be there, (it turns out it was a half day), and i'm totally naked going from one thing to the next in what is basically their house, but fully equipped with stone slabs for lying down, showers...

so i finished the day with another yoga class with 2 danes and then a fruit salad and carrot salad. they sent me home with tea for tomorrow morning. i feel SO GOOD. and i have 2 more days of this!

so i sign off, feeling totally blessed and caressed!

i highly suggest coming to pondi for the 7 or 10 or 21 or 30 day cleanse with Dr. G-Love! a day with him was the same cost as one hour of ayurveda at the ashram. really - worth the price of a plane ticket.

prem, shantih shantih...