TheJourneyofBethB

I have an amazing announcement!  I’m going to do something outrageous and way outside of my comfort zone! Wondering what it is?  Well keep reading.

This year in India has been brutal. Seriously, it’s been the hardest year of my life, surpassing even my two divorces and the death of my mother in 2004. Never mind all the cultural differences, demanding work and loneliness. Each of those challenges has been exponentially compounded by a single factor, my diminishing good health.

The Cause of My Declining Health

Now to be fair, I can’t blame it all on India. Yes, the pollution is awful! I can taste it in my mouth and feel it in my lungs. I’ve developed a persistent little cough since I’ve been here, much like many Indians. I’m always hacking up phlegm and sneezing. I usually have at least three sneezing fits every day.

Aside from the pollution problem and its effect on my health, I haven’t been eating right. Indian food is very greasy and heavy on carbohydrates. The sauces (they call them gravy) are loaded with butter and oil. They use very few fresh fruits and vegetables in traditional Indian food. Slowly but surely I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve nearly gained 10 pounds this year.

I haven’t done a great job at exercising either, which also explains my weight gain. Usually I go to the gym and work out several times a week. Unfortunately, due to the time difference (currently 13.5) hours I often have conference calls very early in the morning or very late at night. Add to that the demotivation I’ve felt because of being away from my family and friends, feeling sluggish from a poor diet and my lungs being full of crap, and well, I’ve just fallen off the gym wagon.

The Big Announcement

Two weeks from now my work in India concludes and I have yet to find a new job. So I’ve decided to take a bold step towards recovering my health. I am going to spend a month at a yoga ashram in Rishikesh! Rishikesh is known for being the yoga capital of the world. It is famous for a number of reasons, one of those being the place where the Beatles went to find their guru.

I will be staying and studying at Rishikesh Rishikesh Yog Peeth on the beautiful Ganges River. Rishikesh Yog Peeth specializes in yoga teacher training but they also have fabulous yoga retreats and yoga for beginners. Although I have never, not once, taken a yoga class, I will be taking the 200-hour yoga teacher training program. This will be a sponsored program for me and I am grateful to Yog Peeth for their generosity and openness to host me on my journey to renewed physical and emotional health.

My Goals at Yog Peeth

I am very excited about the opportunity to learn yoga, improve my health and free my mind from the stresses that have consumed me for the past year. It will be lovely to meet new people, learn to meditate, breathe correctly and really focus on my own health and well-being for a change. I hope to finish my month with renewed energy. I hope to feel stronger and leaner. I hope to gain flexibility, both mentally and physically and to feel a renewed sense of purpose and focus. But most of all, I wish to inspire you to take steps to get healthier and to step outside of your own comfort zone.  I’m sure whatever happens, it will be another fabulous adventure in TheJourneyofBethB. Please follow my blog from mid-December to mid-January for updates on how I’m doing and what I am learning from the experience.