Settled in Varanasi

Hi everybody,

I arrived back in Varanasi a few days ago and have settled down. There's no way to capture the spirit of this city, but this book I'm reading Benares: City of Light is doing a pretty good job. The spiritual atmosphere is really thick, although I haven't gotten to engage the people much because I've been exhausted.

Thus far, though, I've visited the Benares Hindu University multiple times, have spoken with some interesting Aryuvedic doctors, and am now taking individual yoga lessons with a teacher at BHU. Health-wise, I'm doing quite well -- in some ways better than in the states. Aryuvedic medicine and yoga are both topics continuing to fascinate me.

I haven't had time to add pics from my camera, but here are a couple from the program. The first is a picture of our program on the roof of the building in which I lived. I think it's kind of colonial-looking, but it's nice. The second is of our group with His Holiness the Karmapa, whom I spoke about before. Enjoy!