Holy Leggings

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Riding on my Mind

Cruising shady alleys,

Created by arches of centenary of trees

Wind whistling in my ears,

Sun setting caressing my skin

Lifting my gaze to not miss any,

Of the natural delights for the sight

My thoughts go to you

I at times strangely miss you

Such beauty seen by the solitary traveler

Feels too much for just the single wanderer

Such beauty, exquisiteness,

Unshared is spoilt, like buried in a soul, because unexpressed

Could I lend you my eyes,

Even for just a short while

I would like to share with you,

What makes my heart sing

So you too,

Could let that tremendous joy engorge you

Like a surge of happiness,

That permeates you entire being

But makes you wonder if worth living,

When there is not another for sharing

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MA INDIYA

Ma… make me smile,

Make me daydream,

Make me laugh,

Fill me with joy.

Wash away all my sorrows,

Make my heart sing.

Caress my skin with your sun,

Wrap me with your warmth.

And wake me when it is dark,

Still chilly out.

To climb on a rooftop,

And lift my gaze….

To see the bright moon high above,

Watch the multitude of stars,

Hear the crickets chirp, music of the night.

Ma, swallow me alive,

Show me your magic.

Make me feel high,

Don’t take away the lows,

That help me grow.

Surprise me always,

Then take me home.

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A cool Sunday evening I was looking at all my jars in the pantry to satisfy a desire… I had been reading an appealing cookbook, I read them like novels, and the sight of a bowl of plant goodness caught my eye. Kale, rice, pumpkin with black beans seemed like the perfectly scrumptious and nourishing lunch I needed for the following cold day.

I searched the shelves of my kitchen, picked up all the jars, yet was astound to not find one dark bean left in my well stocked cupboard. In disappointment, I aimed for the glass container filled with green split peas… that will do I thought in resignation. So I put the little verdant nuggets to soak and went off to bed to not miss the visit of our dear Mr. Sandman.

The sun rose, I had a good night’s rest… yet I still had no idea what I was going to do with my split peas… Dhal? Puree? No, I know, soup!

After browsing the net for some inspiration… I came up with my version of a Middle Eastern warming pot. Trust me, this soup is deliciously satisfying. Would you be tempted? You will need:

A cup and a half of over night soaked green split peas
A big yellow onion
3 or 4 celery stalks
2 medium size potatoes
The zest of two lemons
Plenty of olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon of cumin powder
1 heaping teaspoon of coriander
Some salt and pepper
Half a bunch of flat parsley
Za’atar

Start by rinsing the split peas, then put them in a pot covered with water and a little salt. Peel your potatoes, cut then into little pieces and add to the peas 15 minutes later. Keep the pot on the fire until the potatoes are cooked. Chop your onion, fry them in a pan with a little olive oil, add the chopped celery sticks, a few minutes later add the cumin and coriander. Season with salt and pepper as well as some water from the pan of potatoes and peas. Just before the celery is cooked add the zest of two lemons. Transfer all the ingredients into the blender and blend with a little more olive oil. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Chop finely your flat parley and mix with a little olive oil. Pour over the soup once served and sprinkle with Za’atar. May you enjoy split peas as much as I do!

Love & blessings,

Ladyjo*

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Osho, “Wild Wild Country”

You too have enjoyed his books and don’t know so much about the man? Here’s a captivating docuseries about the early years of the Bhagwan Community, Osho followers.

A joyous gathering, cult, plain devotion or sheer fanatism? I guess there could have been a good mixture of all… community and teachers I love, yet, there is a fine one between following a spiritual leader and losing your sense of discernment.

Question all, always and look everywhere.

Enjoy the series! And good news, no need to have Netflix, here it is!:

“Wild Wild Country”

Blessed Sunday evening,

Ladyjo*

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FEMALE

Bali, The International Woman’s Day 2018

We stand strong, yet, at times are vulnerable,

Don’t walk all over me because I showed up naked in full trust.

We mostly give, are the nourishers, yet, also we need to receive,

Don’t just take from me because it’s easy to abuse generosity.

We laugh often and at times cry, cry for days on end,

Don’t tell me to dry my eyes because you can’t face the mess we created.

We are lovers, daughters, sisters, soulmates and sometimes mothers,

Don’t reduce me to only one category, because you would be killing a part of me.

We have a voice, we speak from a place of love and experience, we have great emotional knowledge,

Don’t tell me to hush as if I didn’t know the world, you are oppressing the one who gave you life.

We are young and beautiful, yet we age and change,

Don’t look at me just because I am pretty, but also because you see my strength, my soul, my true beauty.

Honour me, in my power and times of weakness, in my joy and sorrow, in my youth and maturity, in my good and bad days. You are here to protect me and to help me grow.

But know it, I am not easy, yet I am worth it, however, if you give up on me, you, are not worthy.

I am here to nourish you, to support you, to heal you, to help you grow into your better self. Together we can step into our higher beings.

But it is going to hurt, we are both going to suffer, yet when there is love, it is worth the pain.

Love me, trust me, protect me, respect me and I will give myself to you , yet, I promise myself to not get lost in love and grow, grow as a woman in her multifaceted self and multiple identities.

I shall not forget myself to whom ever I give myself……

To all the beautiful women I know, the ones I still have to meet, and those I will never encounter. Be strong, be brave, be female.

Be love,

With love,

Ladyjo*

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A Book

The Sundarbans….. India, West Bengal. A labyrinthe of rivers, formed by multiple tiny islands where the tide ebbs and flows and mangroves are the main scenery. A time travel between past and present. Political turmoil and natural catastrophes.

Piya, a marine biologist, Kanai, a business man, Nilima, head of a Hospital, Nirmal, an idealistic school teacher, Fokir, a Fisherman, Tutul, a wild child, Moyna mother and nurses to be, are all so different yet tide together by fate and nature.

The characters are at the mercy of nature’s ruthless temperament, wild animals and moral ethics that are compromised when strong feelings arise.

It’s not about words, exhaustive talks, more like feeling what the heart needs to do, to connect with a soul or flea the imminent danger of a storm, but maybe love. An ode to wildlife and ideals.

Amitov Gosh will lead you gracefully through time and space, a tight web of fiction and facts, wars and migration. A novel that will teach you some history of the great India, it’s myths, customs and people. It kept me reading till I was finished.

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Shiva and Shakti….Happy Maha Shivaratri

An ephemeral encounter,

For a brief time, together

You see me, I see you

You were not expected,

nor awaited.

Battles of the sharp tongs,

Measuring the wittiness of the minds.

Grasping the depths of the thoughts

or discovering of souls?

A sudden departure,

And the pull to re-encouter

I have come,

You are there.

An attraction,

unbearable.

A wish to share,

To know more…

I go.

and come.

You are there

An attraction,

unbearable.

A wish to share,

To know more…

Bodies mingles,

Not all is consumed.

confusion arises

You were not expected,

nor awaited.

An ephemeral encounter,

For a brief time, together.

You are gone,

A presence lingers.

Till all vanishes

A face, a feeling, a presence.

None will remain.

Only what the imagination can retain.

An ephemeral encounter,

For a brief time, together…

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Le-Melrose

On a hot summer day,

Several friends that met on the path of yoga, came together.

A dancer, a cameraman, an entrepreneur, an architect and Ladyjo, climbed into an abandoned wine bottling factory, through an open broken window. It was dark and damp, spooky yet fascinating and inviting.

Excitement, as well as the trepidation of being caught in a condemned place set a peculiar vibe… the unruly adults feeling the reemergence of rebellious years, started playing around the edgy playground.

All were lighthearted yet all worked hard. It got messy, we got dirty, rolling around on cold dusty ground….. yet we laughed so much, aches and pains were only to be felt the next day…..

In just a little longer than the blink of an eye, Alessandro skilfully put it all together. From serious giggles and laughter, arose the teaser Melissa had dreamt of. Nothing was planned nor choregraphed, all was play and instinctive…. trust bound the kindred souls, connection and intuition were the guides.

At Le-Melrose, come and play with us! We will roll around on the ground, yet on great mats and pristine floors!

No matter how old you are, whatever your walk of life is, play, play! It is the best way to be real about it.

Love,

Ladyjo

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Guru Purnima

A feeling of Nostalgia kicked in today…

Followed by a longing for kindred souls and moreover, my teachers.

Pictures were looked at, warm feelings of love filled my heart, after which I sent messages to dear ones with whom I share a practice with as well as blissful times on the road.

My extended family, a community. Kind beings with whom we gather to grow, learn and transform.

Only then I realised, it is the full moon of Guru Purnima…. the first full moon following the summer solstice. Such an auspicious day to celebrate our teachers.

Purnina means full moon and Guru, “Ru” is the Sanskrit root which mean “remover”, “Gu” stands for “darkness”, the remover of darkness is the teacher. Our Gurus come in many forms.

We learn from our mentors, assistants, parents yet especially from our children and students, nature! There is no rule about how a lesson can be taken, expect from baring in mind that it takes humility to learn from all.

Happy Guru Purnima! And I take the opportunity to thank all that make me grow, learn and wise up….. let’s all take the opportunity of this auspicious day to change, grow, transform and transcend our limitations!

With love,

Ladyjo*

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Beauty Lies in the Eyes of the Beholder

Banana Stand, Trivandrum Market 2015

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,

One says

Also,

When one looks into someone’s eyes,

One could have a glimpse of their soul

Yet,

When the eyes become the portal of the heart,

And that is to see

Then mundane becomes magic

The ordinary, extraordinary

The ugly, beauty

When one looks into someone’s eyes

One can see the soul…

Beauty lies in the heart of the beholder

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In India, Everything is Possible

Where rabies and scab full dogs run around wild, as well as others perfectly groomed are walked on leashes

Where hawkers sell spinach from bags hanging on handlebars of old English styled bicycles and the hardly known broccoli is going stale on shelves of pristine shopping malls

Where women stroll down the neighbourhood in their nighties, whilst others never step out of their mansions or extravagant cars

Where street ear cleaners operate from a plastic stool on the roadside when ultra modern private hospitals are filled with cosmetic holidayers

Where one can nibble anytime of the day or night at freshly cook street food for less than 50 cts and dine in the finest opulent restaurants

Where the latest technology is found as well as produced but still many households are not yet equipped with electricity

Where cows are holy and most won’t eat them but worship them, yet the most bovine leather is produced

Where the crippled have wooden plates splintering in their hands to drag themselves through the dust and distance, whilst some of the latest prothesis are conceived

Where the smell of burning rubbish and urine is covered by divine scents of the finest incens

Where one can drink a cup of tea made from a street stall just as well as sip coffee from an air-conditioned cafe watching the first scene

Where one can draw cash from a distributor but having to step over the still asleep and bed less watchman

Where drunken lads fall over or walk around with dead sneaks around their necks and wealthy business men share the same pavement with sheer indifference

Where one can sleep at his workplace, on the counter or footpath without being bothered or even out of place as well as in the most luxurious palaces ever seen on earth

Where dead corps lie on the ground unnoticed whilst lively children play cricket cheerfully just a couple of meters away

“In India, everything is possible!”

Ladyjo, Mysore 2015

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Walls Talk

Kovalam, February 2017

Could the beginner’s mind, for the student, be the beginner’s eye for the well travelled?

Hard, to tell, as well as hard to maintain….

This is not said proudly, but a majestic out of the ordinary temple can become just a temple amongst many.

An exotic merchant in a fascinating and foreign scenery, could just become a common sight to the often returning wanderer….

Has one become blasé or is one so spoilt, that the once alluring is no more enjoyable or noticeable?

Possibly.

Yet, not being able to maintain the beginner’s eye, as shameful as could be, might just be, piercing through another layer, going deeper and reaching another plane?

Maybe.

India I see. I see what I used to see, yet, also lay my eyes on what I used to fail to grasp….

I see, I see.

Walls talk.

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A Sight for Sore Eyes…

One of my favourite pictures taken in India, many years back. A Delhi wall, so insignificant if passed by hastily, yet if you give time to the heart to grasp the street art, it is Pandora’s box you will open! Dive in, enjoy the ride.

And to feed the soul, by kindling the ear, click on PLAYLISTS and let your heart dance.

Hari Om and blessings,

Ladyjo*

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Playlists… Finally!!!

Eureka! I am so grateful for the support team of WordPress… They have guided me so patiently all through the creation of my website when in India. Seriously I can be so thick when it comes to technology at times. Yet no parties never lost their faith and their sens of humour during the process, it has always been pretty hilarious to deal with theses guys.

Give me a hammer and nails I will be fine, yet a computer… well no point going any further.

So that is it! I finally managed to publish two of my old playlists. And I lost most of the beautiful ones I made for “One Love Two Teachers” workshops amongst others. One of my daft manipulations synchronising the library with my I-Pod. That I have also lost altogether too! Guess it’s all about making new ones now and finding a second hand I-pod… does anybody have one to spare?

Will work on making public my more recent ones this week. So hang in there! You soon will no more need to record with Shazam during class… just click on the Playlist Menu and get those feet moving.

Enjoy!

Love, patience and hammers for ever!

Ladyjo*

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Sound Healing Festival in Geneva

Celebrating life with sounds and vibrations!
24 – 25 & 26 March 2017

At the Domaine “Château de Collex – Geneva”

Join us for the very first edition of the Sound Healing Festival, which will bring together some fifteen musicians, therapists and teachers from all over the world.

During this weekend we offer you the opportunity to discover the magic of sound vibration as a means of self-expression and as a therapeutic tool.
The musicians and therapists were chosen in order to allow us to reconnect with our inner joy and celebrate life. They will present us various sound approaches such as mantras, crystal chalices, kirtans, world music – approaches accessible to all, for connoisseurs as for the neophytes.

We also offer different approaches to yoga: kundalini yoga with Amir Jaan, vinyasa flow with Sheila Chacko and Jivamukti yoga with Joanna Lancaster. The body is our earthly vehicle, our sacred temple, which allows us to be in action and in motion. You are offered the opportunity to cultivate Wellbeing in its wholeness in order to support and consolidate the transformation by sound.

And to re-energize the body and the mind, we collaborate – among others – with Benjamin Ries, who will give you the opportunity to discover his live cooking at any time of the day.

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A Book

“The Palace of Illusions”

A novel. A take on a passage of the Bhagavad Gita from a feminine stand point of view. Such great way to get familiar with the numerous characters of the Gospel of the Yogis. Elegantly written and infused with life lessons….. by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

… On Indrakila mountain, where the air is like crystal, Arjun meditated and prayed to Shiva. But Shiva did not Answer. Instead, a wild boar charged him from a copse. Arjun lifted the Gandiva bow, but as he shot, a different arrow flew through the air and struck the boar dead. Enraged by this encroachment, Arjun turned to find a man dressed in skins. He didn’t seem intimidated by Arjun’s threats. When Arjun in his anger shot at him, all his arrows – even his divine astray – fell useless at the hunter’s feet, whereas each arrow of the hunter found its target.

“There I was, bleeding, while the hunter mocked me,” Arjun would tell us later, his voice conveying his astonished outrage. “I, who hadn’t been touched by an arrow since I completed my studies with Drona! I prayed to Shiva for help, but nothing happened. My heart sank”.

Dispirited, he made a garland from wildflowers and offered it to an earthen image of the god in a final attempt to please him. But when he opened his eyes, the garland was gone. “I was sure the God had abandoned me,” he said. “Then I saw the garland – it was around the neck of the hunter, who glowed with a golden light!”

Understanding Shiva’s play, he fell at his feet. The god embraced him and gave him the dreaded Pasupat, asking only that he use it in righteous war…….

Such a good read.

Hari Om,

Ladyjo*

Celebrating life with sounds and vibrations! 24 – 25 & 26 March 2017

Celebrating life with sounds and vibrations!
24 – 25 & 26 March 2017