LYRICAL MUSINGS

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote this great song about some girl pining for a guy, but the way Aretha and her girls do it, you'd swear it was about ones' devotion to God or one's yearning to merge with the infinite. I couldn't help but think of this because when I awoke this morning, this song popped into my head....before I did my morning prayers (Japji).

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now,
And wondering what dress to wear, now,
I say a little prayer for you

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

I run for the bus, dear,
While riding I think of us, dear,
I say a little prayer for you.
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time,
I say a little prayer for you.

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
and I will love you
Forever, forever we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

My darling believe me,
For me there is no one
But you.

When my mom was on her deathbed back in December of 2006, my aunt, my sister, my daughter and I all decided that Frank Sinatra was gonna take my mom out. We all stood around the bed holding hands as Frank Sinatra's greatest hits escaped from the ipod mini speakers I brought with me from LA to Florida. Now you might think this is campy, but I swear this was the most compassionate and elevated way to help my mom transition. When you listen to the early Frank, you are struck by his phrasing and his magnificent choice of material. But when you are experiencing your mother's death while listening to George Gershwin's "someone to watch over me" , suddenly the words take on a whole new meaning...and Frank will never again be the same.

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag

For the Summer Soltice Sadhana Celebration, which is happening in a week, I'm bringing up TONS of merchandise: Kundawraps, Kundabinis, Yoga Clothes AND the New KundaBags.....which are off-the-chart gorgeous AND just as fantastic as the other ones...only more colorful! As you may or may not know, the earlier Kundabags were fabricated out of fabric of my own design; some of which I had matte laminated to increase its durability and also because I think laminating fabrics looks great. I thought I'd give my fabrics a rest and use these WONDERFUL HAND BATIKED NIGERIAN 100% COTTON FABRICS which are just yummy and evocative and I can't wait to see everyone carrying around their stuff in them. You can see that they are designed so you can put a rolled up yoga mat in the bottom and follow that up with your blanket, and of course your sheepskin.

Gone are the days of carrying around multiple bags and packages when you come to class.

And if you happen to be a teacher, you'll appreciate how you can fit EVERYTHING you need in the KundaBag including small stereo speakers, books. Your timer, ipod cords, keys and water bottle fit right in the two-part interior pocket. In fact, you'll find this Kundabag so useful, that you'll use it for travel, the beach, and of course shopping! And while we're on the subject of shopping, visit www.kundalink.com and purchase these Kundabags and lots of other things just by pressing a button.

When I decided to make these Kundabags in the first place, I wanted to make the perfect bag for me. It's a blast to go to an event or a yoga class and see them interspersed among all the other totes and bags on the floor. Everyone tells me how much they love them. And that just

makes me want to keep making them.

To answer the question..."Can you do them with a zipper?" the answer is ....

"I'm thinking of other ways to close the bag...but part of what I like about it, is its expandability and its simplicity. Obviously zippers are a problem unto themselves when you start topping off a bag with a FURRY SHEEPSKIN".

"What is batik?" That's the next question. It is a printing method that involves a resist technique. The artists apply the design with a wax resist and the Dye or Paint on top of and around the wax design. Then the wax is removed to reveal either no color or a color that was applied underneath. Its a complicated but very beautiful technique that has been around for ages and is practiced with incredible skill by the artisans of Nigeria in Western Africa and also in Indonesia. There are many ways to do it....some designs are as detailed as fine lace, and other designs are more random like tie dyeing. Anyway you do it, requires incredible patience and skill. The fabrics used in the Kundabags are hand-spun cotton and are handprinted with the wax resist. (Some batik is done with a paste made of grain and water).

Here are two videos which show the wide range of batik technique.

Yogi Bhajan's Wise Words About Summer Solstice

This is an ad from the inside cover of Beads of Truth, Winter/March 1978 Bead no. 37, a magazine that the 3HO Foundation put out back in the day. You can't really read it because when i posted it, the type came out really small.....but click on the image, and VOILA...it gets bigger. Click on the enlargement, and then it'll be just like a kindle!! Can you imagine....to attend solstice, it cost $150 dollars for a single person... and discounts WERE available on top of that!

The ad read: "YOU must do it! A Spiritual teacher only inspires you, he gives you the technical know-how, but it is for you to work it out, and to experience the result!"

Ain't THAT the truth!

With regards to what to bring, the ad reads as follows:

"You will be camping out in very changeable weather, so come prepared with:

tent of camper (some type of shelter)

eating utensils (spoon, fork, knife, bowl, cup, plate, etc.)

suntan lotion

bathing suits

warm clothes (for cold nights and mornings)

rain wear

any special dietary requirements

Please be sure to bring all necessities your children may require"

Pretty simple...and jives with my list in the blogalini post before this one.

People were intent back then on transforming the self and the world just as they are now, and that's why they packed up their things and headed out to New Mexico, just as we are doing in a week 32 years later.

Yogi Bhajan wrote in an article from this issue:

" You need in your life eleven days of vacation per year for your glandular system. You know why we started having this Summer Solstice? Just to break your habit pattern. We don't give you food you always normally eat. "

"Actually, the total idea is to bring you for ten days to live with the environment of nature to make you immune so your skin can breathe, so you can survive. So you think I can't hold a convention in a hotel? You will all come. No, that is not my way. I have to train you to live. I have lived many, many times. I know what living is. It is you who are important. And you must be trained to live in a natural environment to feel sometimes that there is a God. And too much maya around us does not allow us to feel God.

We live by the sun energy, there is no lie about it. That is why when the energy of the sun is the highest we do this sadhana to leave everything. We need eleven days. Then we go on a mono diet, and that mono diet has carbohydrates, because you need that sugar for the brain for those meditative exercises. It is a situation designed for centuries which we practice. Then we always try to go to a place where there is heat and elevation so that your children can go five, six, seven, ten thousand feet. Their metabolism needs the experience. How can a person who grows up eighteen years in New York ever come to New Mexico and not get sick? Impossible. You need the practice of environments, and your body and your nervous system must adjust. You know, if all New York people came here and lived for fifteen days, then went back, they wouldn't need a lot of medicines. If you think I'm a fool that I'm building up all this here, couldn't we build somewhere else? No. Why are you under this tent? Couldn't a better shed be built for you? It could be, but when it rains, you won't enjoy what you enjoy under it.

This is what lies underneath the teachings we are practicing. We are trying to make you survive. We are trying to make you conscious to survive and you only survive with your basic instinct. Intelligence is your basic instinct. You do not understand this human therapy. In normal environments you will always be rational. Until you are aroused to confront abnormal circumstances, you will not pressure your supreme friend, intelligence to come to your help."

Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light. ~ Yogi Bhajan

The Summer Solstice is rapidly approaching and there is much to do before I go to Guru Ram Das Puri for the celebration. I will be joined by thousands of like-minded souls who travel to New Mexico for this extraordinary experience hosted by the 3HO®, Yogi Bhajan's Healthy, Happy, Holy organization.

In the mid-1970s, a group of Hopis took Yogi Bhajan into the Jemez Mountains of Northern New Mexico near the town of Española and gestured toward the vast wilderness that stretched out for miles. The elders explained that for a hundred thousand years, huge spiritual gatherings took place over a vast territory stretching from what is now New Mexico, south to Mexico, and east to Missouri. They told Yogi Bhajan that these spiritual gatherings took place once every 108 years and the last one had taken place 2000 years ago...around the time the forces of darkness appeared.

The Hopi elders went on to tell Yogi Bhajan that it had been foreseen that just before the forces of darkness reached their full power, a white-clad warrior from the East would

arrive and create a white-clad army to protect the Unified Supreme Spirit. Since Yogi Bhajan was the white-clad warrior they were talking about, the Hopis entrusted him with the duty of keeping and protecting the Unified Supreme Spirit on this sacred land. Yogi Bhajan had celebrated the summer soltice in many different locations, but he was looking for one place where the students could return to year after year. In 1976, 3HO Foundation bought the parcel of land that the Hopis had recommended, and Yogi Bhajan named it Ram Das Puri that came to be known as Guru Ram Das Puri.

The Summer Solstice celebration is a great opportunity for many things; to deepen your practice, to be with your spiritual family, to serve, and to live close to this sacred earth. There are several ways to experience this living close to this sacred earth...and one way is to camp. I have camped the two years I've gone and I think I've learned a few things which I wanted to share. This is just my personal experience, but it might help others as they start to prepare for the Summer Solstice experience in the high desert.

The first year I thought, that all I needed was a very small and light tent to sleep in. NOT!

LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GET A TENT THAT YOU CAN STAND UP IN. It doesn't have to be the size of a one bedroom apartment, but you should be able to stand up in it. My first year I couldn't stand up and I was changing my clothes in a crow squat. It was light to carry, easy to assemble, and basically disposable. And I did dispose of it because it was useless. The second year, I bought a larger, more commodious tent with better construction. THERE IS WEATHER THERE, SO MAKE SURE YOUR TENT IS WATERPROOF and sturdy enough to withstand rain and wind. Some people came back from events on the site only to find their tents

collapsed or their belongings sopping wet. This is avoidable...so I say,

1) buy a decent tent that is waterproof and large enough to stand up in. (REI, TARGET, WALMART all have good tents)

Bring clothing that is easy to wash by hand, layer-able, and warm. It can get both very cold and very hot. If you are there for a while, you'll need to wash your clothes....

which you'll probably wash by hand and hang up on a line or a tree. so to this I say,

2) bring lots of t shirts, comfortable pants, etc. for yoga practice, servingand "playing". Bring something to wash them with. I BRING DR. BRONNERS LIQUID SOAP BECAUSE I USE IT FOR BODY SOAP, SHAMPOO, AND THE LAUNDRY.

3)be prepared for the rain: waterproof tent with rain flap. a portable, foldable rain coat or poncho is a good thing to have just in case. If you don't like to walk in the rain, bring an umbrella.

4)There is a first aid building on the property which is well stocked with things for minor pain and discomfort, sunburn, scrapes and abrasions, etc. There are doctors and nurses

on staff for anything more serious. SO IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED, BRING IT. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A FIRST AID KIT OF YOUR OWN....don't forget your prescription medication or supplements that you are used to taking. If you have a way to handle muscle pain (narayan oil, arnica, traumeel, ben gay, etc. for example) bring that with you.

There are massage therapists, chiropractors, healers offering their services in the bazaar tent so you can handle most minor injuries or discomfort for a reasonable fee. Just remember to bring what you think you might need based on your past experiences.

5. Water bottles, hot bottle for yogi tea, eating utensils,a plate (reg food)and bowl(soup). You can pick these things up at Costplus, Walmart, or Target. You'll be washing your own plates and utensils at every meal. There are water dispensaries all over the site which includes electrolyte water, too. You don't need to bring dishwashing soap...they have it at the dishwashing station.

6. FOOTWEAR: The terrain is rough and dry and while flip flops might

be ideal for going to and from the shower area, your feet are going to get beat up. Trust me. If you are the slip-on, slip-off kind of person that I am, I like to use keen-type sandals which are waterproof, easy to get in and out of, offer support, and cover the toes (if you choose). I got mine at REI and it's my third year wearing them all the time... if you know what you want, you can go to Zappos and get them for less money. I wear the Venice H2.....and the Daytona...both EXCELLENT CHOICES FOR SOLSTICE! While we're on the subject of feet, there is a foot therapy station at Solstice...

and I highly recommend bringing BANDAIDS, FOOTCREAM, etc. because I can guarantee that your feet will get DRY.

7. BATTERY POWERED ALARM CLOCK AND BATTERIES: even though every morning

before Sadhana, Guru Singh and his band of 20-60 merry men and women walk through the camp sites starting at around 3 singing "RISE UP"...you still may want a back up plan.

8. TOILETRIES: SUNSCREEN, LIP BALM, LOTIONS, TOOTHBRUSH AND TOOTHPASTE. BRING YOUR OWN TOWELS AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU NEED TO STAY GORGEOUS AND HAPPY ON YOUR TRIP IN THE HIGH DESERT. OH DON'T FORGET THE Q-TIPS.

9. FOR WHITE TANTRIC YOGA YOU'LL NEED: White cotton or natural fiber clothing and a white cotton or natural fiber headcovering....both of which will be available at the KUNDALINK.COM table in the bazaar tent. If you haven't experienced a Kundawrap or a Kundabini...you're in for a treat. We make white cotton clothing for women and men... and we have KundaBags, yoga duffels, and tote bags....we actually have everything you'll

need to wear at Summer Solstice!

10. THERE IS NO HOT WATER. COLD SHOWERS. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COLD SHOWERS.If you are not used to taking cold showers, now is a good time to practice it. By the time you get to solstice, you'll be a pro.

11. Sheepskin, yoga mat, warm blanket, and a hoodie or something warm for morning sadhana. Some people take their entire bedding to the tent! It's pretty cold when you start but you warm up pretty quickly after you start doing yoga at 4 am.

12. Hat to protect you head from the sun unless you're wearing a headcovering

13. SLEEPING BAG, WARM BEDDING, SLEEPING PAD OR AIR MATRESS OR COT.

14. bathing suit just in case. Some people go down the hill to the hot springs and you might, too.

15. a bag to carry around your stuff. Of course you can buy a KundaBag or yoga duffel at the Kundalink.com table in the Bazaar if you don't get one on line....

16. flashlight OR one of these head lamps. I USE THE HEADLAMP BECAUSE WHEN I WALK TO THE BATHROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND I AM CARRYING THINGS TO THE BATHROOM, I NEED MY HANDS and you might, too!

17. On the 3HO website, they suggested bringing one or two dressy outfits for social events, but i have to say, this is not really necessary.

18. A hooded windbreaker is helpful...but i found that layers of clothing was the best way to go. I rarely wore socks although they can be helpful in the early morning chill.

AND if you need to charge your ipod or iphone or cellular, there's a charging station and you can plug in from time to time. I can tell you that you won't be using your phone very much, or at least much less that usual. The reception is so-so.

19. A "DOORMAT". SOME HEAVY TOWEL OR SHOWER MAT SO THAT YOU CAN WIPE YOUR FEET OFF BEFORE YOU ENTER YOUR TENT. JUST A THOUGHT....

The best advice I can give you is to travel light. You should be able to fit everything in a duffle bag and a medium suitcase. Try to keep your things to a minimum....and make sure you have enough clothes to layer and keep in rotation, comfortable shoes, comfortable bedding, and a tent that you can stand up in. You won't believe how helpful, generous and friendly everyone is and if you need something, if someone there doesn't have it, you can always go down the hill into "civilization" and buy it.

Bring some money because you can get some fantastic products at the bazaar.... see you there! If you'd like to see some videos that my dear friend and fellow yogi, Elena aka Ek Ong Kar, made about the summer solstice experience....here they are:

kundalini yoga: summer solstice 2008 from ETentity on Vimeo.

Summer Solstice 2010 from ETentity on Vimeo.