A West Texan's Passage to India

In September of 2011 I’ll be making my first trip to India. I will be visiting the city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka.

How is it that a girl (well I guess I’m a middle-aged woman now) born and raised in West Texas ends up pursuing a trip to India…to study the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali?! - karma, dharma, circumstance, luck, destiny, fortune, fate, chance, serendipity, coincidence? So much has fallen into place that I believe it is simply the grace of God.

For several years I’ve been struggling with what direction to go in my life. I think this is a common theme for most people my age, especially in America, where the evolution of the human being seems to peak at home ownership, nice cars, a modest number of children, and job security - the material evolution of man: the conquest of things and acquisition of position in the quest to “do” in order to find respect, belonging, acceptance, and love.

A cycle of attachment to the temporary is created, a cycle linked to all sorts of expectations. When the results of the “doing” and “acquiring” fall short, hands and hearts are left empty, thus the classic mid-life crisis. Transpositional behavior is the trend to just do it all again with the hope that a change in location or relationship will yield better or different results. Anyone who is at this juncture in his or her life knows it just doesn’t work. Well, the good news is that Patanjali gives us a path to transcend these limiting behaviors and to allow for spiritual evolution, and he does so in a way that is inclusive and universal.

I’ve spent a great amount of time reflecting on my academic career…the successes as well as the challenges. At times I’ve found the intricacies of academic relationships challenging enough to consider other professions, but time and time again I am lead back to this fertile ground. The rich soil of academia offers so many varied opportunities for witnessing - not witnessing in the testimonial sense, but witnessing of one’s self - chances to “watch” actions and interactions, reactions and responses, and endless possibilities to learn from the perspective of awareness.

It is the ground of Academia that is supporting this visit to India. I have received a development leave (sabbatical) to pursue my intention to write a book, which fuses my interests in music, God, and Yoga. The universe has given me so many gifts to make this possible: substantial training as a classical musician, the insight gained through my experiences in yoga teacher training at Kripalu, a family who fully supports this pursuit, and many generous friends who have read, researched, and written letters to support the creation of a strong proposal. These gifts opened the door for the beginnings of the book, “The Transcendent Musician: Music, Spirituality and Yoga.”

What I find most amazing is the universe’s gift of an exceptional teacher to guide me in this project. Many years ago I underwent an exhaustive search for a quality recording of the recitation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. And, having been blessed with years of classical music training, this quest was challenged by a discriminative ear. That was until I came across a recording by Dr. M. A. Jayashree. The pitch, rhythm, and pronunciation were impeccable. I had found a recording that would unquestionably inspire my study of Patanjali’s classic work.

Once I found out that the development leave had been approved, I began researching opportunities to study with scholars of the Yoga Sutras and Dr. M. A. Jayashree was certainly at the forefront of my mind. I came across the site for the Anantha Research Foundation of which Dr. Jayashree is a founder. The center offers training courses on the Yoga Sutras. What followed was a lovely correspondence with Dr. Jayashree that has given me even greater confidence to pursue this project. She has been incredibly generous in helping to facilitate my experience including helping to find housing during my stay. When I discovered that recording three or so years ago, I had no idea that I would become one of her students.

At Dr. Jayashree’s recommendation, I will be visiting Mysore in September and October 2011. I will be sharing information about the course, the city and my preparation for this voyage in future posts. Please feel free to join me on this journey. I welcome your support and feedback.