Saturday, July 16, 2016

Be Your Center


 
 
Relate to your life as the person you are and not as you think you should be. To do this we must learn to live from our center. Most of us live on the periphery of life, sometimes spinning violently through life without an anchor. Some people don’t even know they have a center. That is why we often refer to someone as being “on edge”.

One of the problems with living on the edge is that is causes you to relate to others on their edge. They will in turn be “on edge” with you. Our understanding of each other is oftentimes on the periphery and this is what keeps us locked into an ego mentality.  It is the ego that keeps us separated and this is what causes violence and hatred.

On the edge all of life becomes superficial.  To really understand anything we need to get inside of it. If we learn to live from our center we begin to relate to others from their center and even if they are still on the periphery of life we are never on edge with ourselves, with others and with the world.

The secret is to get mentally inside whatever you are trying to understand; to gaze outward from your center rather that inward from the edge of life. The first thing to do is to go inward to your center where you will find that place where all humans are connected. We all feel. We all cry and we all laugh. So go to your center and find the center of humanity and then from your center reach out into the world. In this we can overcome violence because violence is spinning out of control without connection to our center.  Your center is strong, balanced and yet flexible enough to find compassion and understanding for all of life. Let’s begin our practice.

To keep you centered remember this. Most people perceive life as “circumference everywhere, center nowhere. Instead perceive your life as “center everywhere, circumference nowhere.”  In the great web of life we are all connected at the center.

Doctor Lynn
http://www.doctorlynn.com

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Only Three Things You Need


 
 
No matter what anyone tells you there are only three things you need to bring about a life of health and balance. This is no great revelation. They are:

1.     Eat healthy in proportion -  this requires  choice

2.     Exercise every day – even if it is a short walk - this requires discipline

3.     A positive mental attitude – this requires faith or trust and confidence

Choice, discipline and faith are all you need to navigate life. Choice means making the best decisions to support your health. Proportion means taking only enough to satisfy a need. Attitudes are a bit more difficult to change. Your attitude is grounded in your sense of trust and confidence. It gets attached to the ego and then begins to battle with itself. The only way to change an attitude is to be open to changing your point of view. You make the choice, employ the discipline and then trust yourself with complete confidence that you can develop a posture of self-love instead of self-hatred because when you have trust in yourself to implement the discipline necessary to make good choices you empower yourself and this is all you need to live a healthy and balanced life.  Let’s get started!

What choices do you need to make today to bring positive energy to your life? Don’t let the outside substances of life (food, cigarettes, alcohol, excess spending, gambling and negative people) have more power over your life than you have. Discipline yourself to choose trust and confidence and you will bring to your life balance and health. Have a healthy day!

Doctor Lynn


Saturday, July 09, 2016

An Argument for Non-Violence


 
 
 
In yoga there are things we should abstain from. We call these the Yamas. They are not so much rules for living life as suggestion on how to live a more peaceful existence. The first Yama is to abstain from violence. It has been suggested that if we practiced just this one Yama we probably would not need to focus on the other four Yamas.

 If we could remove violent thoughts, abusive words, insulting statements, angry speech, bad advice and any kind of physical abuse to either ourselves or someone or something else, we probably would not need to focus too heavily on abstaining from untruthfulness, stealing, lack of self-control  and greed; the other four yamas

Without violence truth would prevail. Stealing would disappear as stealing is always a violation. Celibacy which actually means to have control over your emotions and actions would be easy to achieve, and there would be no place for greed. Greed, lack of self-control, coveting and lying all result from some level of violence.

If violence were to disappear from the human equation there would be no need for war. We would preserve the environment and all humans would live together without a thought, word, or action that would create harm. Non harm is the fundamental underlying principle of yoga. It is also the underlying principle of respect, kindness and decency.

If there is one thing we should all focus on when it comes to healing the world it is removing violence. Watch and choose your thoughts, words and actions carefully. In this you will begin to remove violence at its core. Because the potential to be violent exit within each and every one of us. The only way to remove it is to become aware and then actively seek to do no harm.

Remove violence and the rest of the Yamas, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy and non-greed will be easy to achieve. I think this is a good argument for practicing non-violence.

Doctor Lynn


Saturday, July 02, 2016

Patience – it is virtue


 
 

 
 
 
 
 
An important rule in life is; don’t be impatient. This is much easier said than done. The definition of patience is:  the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

 

We live in such an achievement oriented society that we are all constantly pushing to arrive somewhere. Often times when we arrive we find ourselves exhausted and frustrated because we have been in such a hurry to get somewhere and that somewhere often times doesn’t arrive.  We are especially impatient in this time of life. The internet gives us instantaneous information. We jump from one thing to the next. We have forgotten how to focus. It is a dying art. We have lost the ability to wait and to relax.

To find inner peace, which is one of the aims of yoga, you must learn to be quiet and still and that takes patience. It takes effort and time to master anything. Don’t let your approach to finding peace be achievement oriented. That is the work of the ego; always needing to be successful. Patience is the fastest way to soul consciousness and soul consciousness is the path way to finding peace.

So when practicing yoga don’t try to do the poses, try to be the poses and you will discover patience. Let’s practice.

Peace is not something waiting for you over the next hill. It is not something you can construct. It is a part of your soul. It just takes patient to discover it.

Doctor Lynn


Thursday, June 30, 2016

Healthy Relationships – Doctor Lynn’s Daily Dose - how to relate


 
 
 
We are all in relationships; simply by being here today you are relating to others. How we relate is of vital importance if we are to establish healthy relationships. Balance is required. We cannot hang on too tight nor stay too distance, but must find that place of balance between the two. What we need is respect, trust and compromise. If you do not have respect and trust the relationship can never be healthy. Compromise means the ability to step back and see the other person’s point of view without becoming overly identified with our own wants and needs. In other words we need to let go of the controlling ego and realize that everyone shares the same feelings and emotions. It is how we handle them that makes the difference. Relate from the soul and not the ego because we are all one.

A healthy relationship is a fine choreographed dance. We cannot connect with another until we dissolve the boundaries that are keeping us disconnected. At the same time we cannot completely merge with another or we risk losing our sense of self. So how do we dance on the fine edge of balance? Open your heart with understanding and compassion as you give and receive for the soul.

Doctor Lynn


Saturday, June 25, 2016

The Source of Happiness


 
 
 
Nothing is gained without consciousness. That is why awareness is so important. Sit quietly; close your eyes and focus on something that brings you pleasure and makes you happy. It could be good food, money, power or another person. Focus on it. Where is it coming from? What is the source of your happiness? Are you the source of your happiness or is the source coming from somewhere else? If the source is coming from someone or anything outside of yourself you will never find happiness because you will always be dependent upon outside sources for your happiness.

When you are happy your body reacts by producing neurochemicals. Nobody else or anything else can produce these chemical reactions in your body.  You are the source of your physical and mental happiness. Sit quiet, let go of the outside source and be happy just as you are in this very moment.

 Be the source of your own happiness independent of all things. This does not mean you do not enjoy things in life. It simply means that it is not something outside yourself that makes you happy. You are the source of your own happiness. If you look to outside things to make you happy you will always be dependent on outside sources for your happiness.  Once you realize that the source is within you will be able to enjoy everything in life more because happiness cannot be taken away. It simply exists within you. So be the source of your own happiness.

Doctor Lynn
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Saturday, June 18, 2016

Duality


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In New York I went to the top of one world observatory and saw a panoramic view of New York. Below are the ground zero monuments and the museum. The monuments are serene, but the museum is humbling. Inside there is a quiet sense of remembrance for that awful day on 9/11. It reminds us of both the horror of hatred and the beauty of human kindness. It’s important to remember both the good and the bad. They both keep us humble.

After that we ventured to Nashville and Memphis where the heart and the soul of the culture is music. The blues, country and rock and toll were born in the South and are a part of our heritage. The people are extremely friendly and the culture is simple, but the energy is vibrant.

The south also reminds us of slavery, war and hardship. It shows us the good and the bad of humankind. Again it is good to look at both for they humble us.  The world is based upon duality. There will always be pleasure and there will always be pain. There will always be war and there will always be music. This is human nature. To uplift this we need to tap into our spiritual consciousness. This is the place where we all unite as one. This place is found in the quiet moments between thoughts, emotions and opinions. This is why we stop to do a sitting Zen. This is why we practice yoga. It humbles us.   

 

Sit quiet in the moment free of thoughts, emotions and opinions. Tap into your spiritual consciousness and be one with all of life. Although there will always be war and hatred there will also always be love and music. It’s in our souls!

Doctor Lynn

Saturday, June 04, 2016

Following Rules - Yoga Today


 
 
Practicing yoga is not about following rules. Yoga is simply suggestions for living a healthy and peaceful life. These suggestions are not to be followed, but to be understood.

If you understand rules you will follow, but if you follow rules understanding will never come.

If you understand the rules of yoga, or for that matter the rules of life, then following the rules will come automatically as a backdrop to your life.  You won’t think about what is right or wrong you will simple move in the right direction.

For example desire-less-ness is a suggested direction to be followed in yoga. If you follow it as a rule you will kill all desire, and if you kill all desire you will be  desire-less However, you will also be dead because desires are not only desires they are the flow of life. We desire to eat, to sleep and to love. To be without desire, in yoga, is to be without discontentment. Contentment is one of the suggested rules of yoga.

Here is a story about rules. A man was hired to be a doorkeeper at a museum. Before he started he was handed a book of rules and told to memorize them. The first day on the job a man came to the museum and the doorkeeper told him to leave his umbrella outside.  “But I don’t have an umbrella,” said the man.  The doorkeeper said, “In that case you will need to go home and get an umbrella because the rules say unless a visitor leaves his umbrella outside with me, he cannot be allowed in the museum.”

Rules are to be understood not followed blindly.

 

Remember rules are to not be followed blindly. They are to be understood and when you understand the rules of life you will flow with life effortlessly without the attachment of desire. You will simply move in the right direction.

It is okay to have desires, just don’t let them control your life. If you let them control you, you will need rules and rules followed blindly destroy life. Understand the nature of life and then follow its natural flow. If love is not in your life today don’t obsess over it. Let the energy of life flow and be the love you seek.

Doctor Lynn



 

 

If you came to my yoga class- you would practice:

Are you quiet and respectful (phones off) in yoga class because it is the rules, or do you understand the significance of being quiet and respectful. Both allow you to find peace and humility; two very important aspects of yoga. Don’t be quiet because I tell you to be quiet. Do it because you understand why.

If I ask you to take a deep breath, do you do this by following the rules, or do you understand that deep breathing is a necessary part of practicing yoga. It is not a rule to be blindly followed.  It is a suggestion that if followed will improve the nature of your body, mind and soul.

Sava Sana is practiced at the end of yoga class. Not as a rule to be followed, but with an understanding that the ultimate goal of yoga is to work toward bringing peace to the body, the mind and soul. Be at peace.

Namaste

May you go with health, happiness and peace.

 

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Habits Block Your Flow -Yoga Today


 
 
 
 
To know your true self you must apply constant effort. That means we must constantly be aware of the true nature of self and to strive for it; not to achieve something, but to remove the obstacles in your way which are your habits. When we think of habits we think of the annoying and repetitive things we all do. But in yoga habits are wrong ways of thinking, speaking and doing. They are whatever has come into you from without which cause you to experience wrong thinking, speaking and doing. This is a block to your true nature.

Let’s say you have the habit of getting a Starbucks coffee every morning. You tell yourself you cannot function without it. This would be wrong thinking and a habitual thought that must be removed. Oher wise your energy is not free flowing.  You are controlled by the impulse or habit of having the coffee. This does not mean you need to give up the coffee. It simply means you need to give up the notion that you need it to flow and move. To flow and move through life with balance and ease all you need is your breath, your health and a clear mind. Let’s work on this.

The struggle in life is not against nature. It is against the wrong knowledge within you. This is not your true nature. These are habits and wrong ways of thinking. Your true nature or the ability to flow with life from a place of ease is within you. You just need to remove the self-imposed habits to experience it and when you do this you will experience your true nature which is peaceful and serene and ever flowing.

Doctor Lynn


Saturday, May 21, 2016

The Fifth Modification of The Mind


 
 
 
 
There are five modification of the mind; right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep and memory.

Memory is tricky because it can be misused. Your memory is not always reliable. We tend to change, omit, polish and embellish our past. We remember what is best for the ego and tend to forget or eliminate that which is not. So we all have a storehouse of dropped or distorted memories. The key is to be honest with yourself about your past so that you can let go of it and be present. If you know your past as it was then you will not want to repeat it or get caught up in it. Instead you will move forward with a sense of balance, strength, flexibly and present awareness.

Whatever the past, be true to it. When this happens you have freedom because you can then let go of the past and you will be authentic. When you become authentic you become strong and when you become strong nothing can disturb you. In this you can always remove what is wrong. You will find clarity of mind and in this discover the pathway to freedom. Clarity and honesty become the basic ground from which you live your life.

Let’s practice present awareness

The ego remembers what is good for the ego. To transcend this we must be willing to be completely honest with ourselves. Your memory can get you into trouble if you use it wrongly. A clear consciousness allows you to cut away the wrong, know the right, imagine the best and sleep well. Clear the past, don’t worry about the future and be here now.
Doctor Lynn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Give Your Brain a Tweak this Week


 
 
Researchers have discovers that those who eat fresh fish at least once a week have a lower incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s than those who don’t eat fish. It is interesting that when I was a child my father would tell me to eat my fish because it was good for the brain. We called it brain food.

Now if you are worried about heavy metal poisoning we do know that long term over consumption of  the big fish such as King mackerel, tuna, tile  and swordfish can cause kidney, and  liver damage, however those markers did not correlate with dementia or  have a negative impact on the  brain.

Eating fish at least once a week outweighs any potential risk. The key is to eat in moderation and if you are going to eat the big fish eat it occasionally. Shell fish and the smaller catch of the day would be a wiser choice.  So give your brain a tweak and have some fish this week.

Doctor Lynn
http://www.doctorlynn.com

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Sleep - The Fourth Modification of the mind


 
 
 
 
 
 
There are five modification of the mind. The first is right knowledge, the second is wrong knowledge, the third is imagination and the fourth is sleep. Yes, sleep is an action or change in our mind state because when we go into sleep we become unaware or unconscious. This is different than our waking state.  Sleep is different than dreaming. It means to be totally without content. There is no activity or movement. The mind is totally relaxed. In deep sleep you are in bliss and this state of bliss is good for your health. You will know if you had a good night’s sleep by how you feel when you wake up. If you feel rejuvenated you have slept.

Most of us struggle with sleep. Sleep is actually a nutrient. We require sleep to function and survive. Natural healthy sleep comes to us when we take care of our health, are aware of the difference between right knowledge and wrong knowledge and when we allow our imagination to imagine good and peaceful thoughts.

Breathing and meditation are two tools that we can use to get better night’s sleep. So close your eye and begin to breathe deep in through the nose and out through the nose, quiet the mind and relax.

 

The mind moves in and out of right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination and sleep. Pay attention to where your mind moves.  Simply observe and then get a good night’s sleep. It’s good for the body, the mind and the soul.  

Doctor Lynn   http://www.doctorlynn.com

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Imagination – the Third Modification of the mind


 
 
 
 
The mind has five modifications or ways of being. The first is right knowledge and the second is wrong knowledge. You may think you have right knowledge, but you may be wrong unless you learn to really listen to your inner voice where you will always know the truth and what is right otherwise what you think is right may be wrong.

The third modification of the mind is imagination. Imagination is good and it is beautiful. All great discoveries, all art, music and beauty come through imagination. But everything that is ugly has also come through imagination. Hitler had a great imagination. He imagines the world as being inhabited by a super race and so he set about to destroy what he imagined to be weak

Imagination can give you poetry, music and art or it can give you madness. It all depends upon how you use your imagination. It can bring you peace and serenity or anxiety and paranoia. Ever imagined that someone was upset with you because they didn’t call you only later to find out that they were just busy? Ever told someone they were beautiful only to see their face light up and a ray of beauty ignited from their soul? Tell someone they are stupid and they will begin to believe it. Tell someone they are intelligent and they will also begin to believe it.

The practice of yoga is to teach you to discover your inner voice and use it to imagine and create good.

 

Pay attention to your imagination. You can use it to create right knowledge or wrong knowledge. You can use it to create beauty or madness. If imagination is used with right knowledge you will know that it is imagination and you will never get lost in it. You will simply use it to create beauty.

Imagination – the Third Modification of the mind
Doctor Lynn  http://www.doctorlynn.com

Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Second Modification of the Mind


 
 
 
 
The first modification is right knowledge. The second is wrong knowledge. If you are functioning from the wrong center of being whatever you do you will do wrongly and whatever you choose you will choose wrongly. If your center is out of balance you will be operating from wrong knowledge. Just as if when your center is not engaged in a yoga pose you will lose your balance. Even when you think you are doing good you will probably be doing from the wrong center of energy and in this you will receive the wrong results. You can’t think about right and wrong. You simply have to know from your center which way to move, how to be open and flexible and when it is good to hold strong.

Here is a simple story of how trying to do something good can actually lead to doing something wrong. A man visited a saint. The saint sat in silence. The man finally asked the saint to give him a message for life, a direction so that he could know what the right thing to do is.  The saint said, “Do good and throw it in the well.” This is a very old Sufi saying which simply means do something good and forget about it. Do not walk around thinking about how good you have been. Simply be good.

The next day the man helped an old woman cross the street and then he pushed her into the well. Do good and throw it in the well. If your wrong center of self in functioning no matter what you do it will be with wrong knowledge.

We will continue to work on this, but for today lets’ see if we can find our center, know how to move so that we remain flexible and yet stay strong at the same time.

Doctor Lynn

This week, do good and throw it in the well. No, do not help an old lady and throw her down the well! Do good and then let it go. In this you will be in right knowledge because right knowledge is always good and never needs reminding.

Saturday, April 23, 2016


 
 
 
If right knowledge is present in your being you’ll be centered, you won’t need to pray, or undertake any form of worship or ritual. You will simply know what is right and you will move in that direction. Right knowledge will keep you centered and when you are centered you find your balance. Balance is the place between extremes, in yoga certain poses take us to the extreme and this is where we can get hurt if we are not centered, likewise we can refrain from doing something (like a pose) out of fear and this too can hurt us. To live a life of yoga is to live between extremes; never too little and never too much.

Right knowledge means to do what produces “good” without harm. If someone is harming you then speak up and end the harm. This will take strength, but is necessary to bring balance to your life.

Today let’s work on balance. This means to always come back to your center. Your center is your strength. The moment you let go of it you’ll know it. The practice of yoga is to make you aware of your center (your strength) and then to teach you how to always come back to it; because in life you will lose your balance. Things will happen to cause you to feel weak. The quicker you recover and pull back to your center the stronger you will be and in this strength you will find your balance.

Let’s start our practice and see how this works. Look for the moments you feel strong and the moment you feel weak. Both have much to teach you.

Right knowledge always leads to strength. When you are grounded in right knowledge no matter where you go or what you do you will always connect with the temple of your soul. Here you will always find the truth. Seek balance in all things and in all things find balance. That is the way to right knowledge.

Doctor Lynn
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Saturday, April 16, 2016

Right Knowledge- the first modification of the mind.


 
 
 
 
Right knowledge means you are able to choose what is right for you without debate. There is no decision making; you simply move in the direction that is right. A good analogy is a sunflower. Grounded and rooted it simply moves towards the sun. It doesn’t think about what is right it simply moves in that direction.

Knowledge is very powerful. We all know what is right for us and we also know when we are anguishing over something. When anguishing stop and adjust your thoughts and then move in the direction that is right for you without getting hurt or hurting anyone or anything because the first and probably most important part of practicing yoga is to do no harm.

So today choose to move in and out of the poses without harm and with what is right for you. If you listen to your body you will know what is comfortable and what is a struggle. You will know when and how to modify the pose so it is right for you. But be very careful when choosing. Don’t give in to weakness or avoid something because it is a challenge. Remember the sunflower must work to bend and move towards the sun so it can grow.

Right knowledge; stay grounded and strong while always moving in the direction that is right. This is the direction where you do no harm to yourself, to others and to the universe. Listen to your soul and you will always know the right direction and be armed with the right knowledge. With this we all make the world a better place.    

Doctor Lynn

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Saturday, April 09, 2016

The Modifications of the Mind – don’t choose- adjust


 
 
 
 
Modification of the mind or your thoughts is just like modifying the poses in yoga class. It’s not that we change; it’s that we make a slight adjustment so that we find the place that is comfortable and right for us. We don’t choose to either stay in the pose or to not do the pose we simply move in such a way that the body becomes comfortable, the mind becomes quiet and the soul takes a breath. Modification means to make slight adjustments. So when we modify the mind we are consciously minding the mind. We are in control of where our thoughts go. We are constantly modifying our thoughts to bring us either anguish or non-anguish.

The first modification is right knowledge. With right knowledge one never has to choose. It is not a decision between what is good and what is bad. One simply moves towards good. To do this you must find your center. It is from here you can choose. Your center is the place that from wherever you go or whatever you do it always leads you to good.  But remember everything in life gets modified or adjusted to each of our own points of view.

So use the yoga poses to understand modification. If you struggle with a pose modify it by moving closer to your center which is the place where you will always find your balance.

If you find yourself struggling this week, modify your thoughts and move yourself closer to your center. It is the place of right knowledge and will always lead you towards what is good.

Doctor Lynn

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Friday, March 18, 2016

How to be happy – Yoga Today


 
 
 
 
Today we are going to work on being centered with what is. Not what should be or ought to be, but simply what is as we are here right now. Put aside what you think ought to be or should be and stay with what is. You may think you should have more or ought to have more, but what you have it’s exactly what you have earned. You must learn your lessons. That’s karma. However, it’s ok to reach out for more. Prosperity is good. Just reach out from a place of centeredness and an abundance of energy will fill your life, and you will be very happy with what is.

Sit quiet and still, outside of what ought to be and what should be, and be at one with the moment. Happiness….

Doctor Lynn

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Removing Obstacles



 
 
Surprisingly very few people are begging in India. The Indians believe that there is no need to beg. Everyone can find some sort of work to do. It is not good to give money to beggars. When we give something to someone who has not earned it we are putting obstacles in their way. A human cannot grow and reach their highest potential unless they work.

When I saw a woman begging with her children my guide remarked that she was taking the easy way. She could work to feed her children. Everyone in India can find something to do to earn money. Many times I saw women in the fields planting crops and sweeping streets. I bought handmade items from a woman’s co-op where village women worked sewing items to help support their families.

It is very easy to put a hand out and ask for something for nothing. But if you really want to help the world give money to those who are working hard; because hard honest work makes the world a better place and is good for the body, the mind and the soul.

Doctor Lynn

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

India - What I would like to share with you


 
 

 
 
 
When you arrive I India at first you are overwhelmed by the noise and the congestion. Poverty and filth are everywhere. Mixed in amongst the traffic, are pedestrians pushing carts, cows roaming freely, elephants and camels. Horns are honking and people are darting in and out. Everyone is working and moving,

Within a few days it all seems so natural. All the commotion is just a way of life. Poverty disappears into village after village of simple people living a simple life. Everyone works. In the villages everyone has a smart phone and many do not have plumbing or toilets.  Technology is the priority.

The women whether rich, poor, old or young are the most beautifully dressed in the world. The country is a blaze of color from the beautiful sarrees. In the poorest of villages you will see women dressed in beautiful colors.

The people are kind even though they have been dominated and controlled for centuries. They are just now emerging as a democracy. Still corruption prevails. India is not a poor country. It is a country where the government is still corrupt. It’s not poverty that holds it back; it’s corruption and greed.

I visited a Shiki temple in Delhi.  Every day the Shiki temple feeds anyone and everyone for free. You just need to show up, grab a plate; sit down and the volunteers will feed you. This is a symbol of wealth and prosperity being used for humanitarian work.

I saw a tiger in the wild, opened my eyes to the cultural and political views of India, and met my yoga guru. I took private yoga lessons in the yoga capital of the world and did a 16 miles white water rafting trip down the Ganga where I was drenched by the river and purified my soul. I witnessed a funeral on the banks of the Ganga and watched young children frolic and play. I visited the Beatle’s Ashram.

I went to an orphanage and met a young man who was abandoned at age two and is now about to go off to Australia on a scholarship to study bioengineering and then come back to India to improve the organic growing of food for a  country that has many mouths to feed.

The normal greeting is Namaste. It simply means I am grateful to meet you. Not everyone is happy and not everyone is nice. Humans can be brutal and cruel, but they also can be kind and caring. When you come back to the US you realize how very good we have it. The poorest of our people live better than the working class of India. But they are not oppressed. Everyone works and everyone eats.

If I can give you one tip when going to India it is to take a roll of toilet paper and keep it in your bag. Toilet paper and western toilets are hard to find. You’ll do a lot of squatting in dirty bathrooms that don’t have toilet paper or towels. But your cell phone will work just fine. Be careful of the cow dung; it’s everywhere. Indian’s love their cows. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to drivng through town with cows, camels, elephants, carts and blasting horns. It’s just the way it is in India; a diverse culture with deep Hindu roots that always bend back to one common thread; be content and be at peace.
Doctor Lynn