yearning for mangrove mountain

kolkata--> mangrove mountain (australia)--> beijing--> vancouver--> pemby--> castlegar--> calgary

i had intended to write this entry about a month ago, so hopefully the immediacy is not lost. i just wanted to speak briefly about my time at the mangrove mountain ashram in australia. it is mostly a welling up of gratitude and appreciation that made me want to write, and what has finally made me do it so long after the fact.

mangrove mountain is unspeakably beautiful. i had no idea what to expect, really, on my way to australia, other than some reservations about poisonous things... i was hopeful, as i had heard so much of the place and knew that it had been very precious to paramahamsa satyanandaji, but i tried not to have too many expectations. i still remember when i landed in munger for the first time and it might as well have been the moon! let's understate things and say that i was pleasantly surprised.

the natural beauty of the area shocked me when i arrived and still shocks me in my memory. it was incredibly lush, unseasonably so as it was the wettest summer they had had in ten years. the ashram is set in a tight green valley bordered by red stone cliff faces way up above. i am still so happy that i got to do my karma yoga project on the bush regeneration team, as it meant i got to spend hours outside hiking up and down the steep valley walls. and no leeches- for me at least! my fellow karma yogis heroically managed to lure them to themselves (ha). i cannot express my joy at all of the wildlife: giant pythons, monitor lizards, possums, wallabies, flocks of cockatoos, parrots, kookaburras... i only saw one poisonous spider the whole time, and luckily it had been trapped in a jar already- phew! it is no exaggeration to say that swimming in the muddy tidal creek on hot, muggy afternoons was an exquisite pleasure.

the residential period of my yogic studies 3 course (my reason for going to australia), was likewise incredibly inspiring. it was so nice to spend time with people who have similar interests as me. also, as i have come to expect in the satyananda tradition, all of my teachers were remarkable. a few people i knew from india, which was a nice way to connect this with my 4 month course in bihar. it was incredibly supportive and inspiring, and worth every ridiculously long flight!

now i'm in calgary, working away at the home learning aspect of my course (it is 6 months long in total). i'm enjoying settling in with my parents for a long visit before heading out to the coast for a very special wedding- yay! after that, i'll likely be back in rusty trusty pemberton, at least for a little while!

om