YOGA FOUND ME IN LA
I began practicing yoga regularly when I lived in LA in 2010 and was always curious about where the roots of such a healing practice came from.
While living in LA a friend introduced me to Bhakti Yoga Shala. I was immediately swept away by the truly caring and welcoming community I found there. Bhakti Yoga Shala’s owner and yoga teacher Govind Das inspire so many to deepen their yoga practice, and to show up with an open, loving heart.
BHAKTI YOGA SHALA TEACHER TRAINING
In 2012 I went through Bhakti Yoga Shala’s teacher training program. The community we formed was incredible. We practiced yoga, chanted, sang, ate, studied, played and meditated together for two straight months. We really bonded, because we were all on this path to find transformation and healing and share that with others.
PILGRAMAGE TO INDIA
In 2014, I heard Govind Das was planning a pilgrimage with a group of yogis to Rishikesh, India. Rishikesh is the gateway to the Himalayas and international capital of yoga. It’s a spiritual center that has attracted yogis for millinnia. The purpose of the trip was to go deeper in yoga practice each day, sing kirtan, visit holy temples, practice puja (prayer), sit with sadhus (holy men), meditate, chant at the banks of the holy river Ganga, and experience sat sang (a community of like minded people).
A JOURNEY TO MOTHER INDIA DOCUMENTARY
When I heard about the pilgrimage I immediately wanted to go and document the adventure through documentary. That is where the concept for the film A JOURNEY TO MOTHER INDIA was born. We successfully raised the funds through Kickstarter and flew to India in October 2014 for a three week trek.
My goal was to capture a candid and beautiful experience and to be able to more deeply understand yoga. Nate came with me and helped with everything from camera operation to sound and logistical planning.
INDIA CALLS
One of the books we read was “The Journey Home” by Radhanath Swami. It is about his treacherous yet profound journey to India as a young man and everything he went through to find his true path. This book stirred something in my heart and it hit me like a ton of bricks. ‘I must travel to India,’ I kept thinking. That distant yet strong calling to discover, explore and truly embrace the origins of my yoga practice kept growing.
STRUGGLE AND GROWTH
The trip had many emotional ups and downs for me that I was not expecting. For instance, I didn’t realize I was going to see such a dichotomy between the rich and poor. It was heartbreaking to see children on the street begging for money, some of them with debilitating polio, or to see dogs who were so severely starving with mange, or cows eating trash on the side of the road. I began to question my role in this picture, as a privileged American traveler.
FINDING MY VOICE
Through the documentary I have sought to find my true voice on this journey, which can often be full of paradoxes, struggle and confusion. But what I realized is that that is what spirituality and life often teach us. Things are not always what they seem, and yet if we found easy answers for everything we wouldn’t really appreciate the wisdom we gain by going through the winding journey. By pushing past our own boundaries and expectations for how we imagine things will be, we stretch and grow beyond belief. That was what this pilgrimage did for me and I think many others too.
STEPPING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
It’s funny – what was revealed to me in India four years ago continues to be true. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be tough. It is certainly uncomfortable. But I believe the experiences, wisdom and personal growth gained greatly outweighs the sacrifices.
THE DOCUMENTARY!
Check out the latest evolution of A JOURNEY TO MOTHER INDIA: a documentary about Bhakti Yoga, the path of love and devotion, and the journey to its heart… Mother India.
SURRENDER IN TRAVEL
Travel pushes us to step out of our comfort zone, expand and become better versions of ourselves. Or maybe it just helps us surrender all of the clutter and get back to our core self. Either way, I am continually grateful for this opportunity to travel, to learn and to GROW.
GALLERY
streets of Rishikesh
streets of Rishikesh
taj mahal beauty shot
Taj Mahal
me and smiling morning sadhu ganga river
smiling sadhu at sunrise on banks of Ganga River
Bell at Durga Temple in the clouds
Bell at Durga Temple in the clouds
Joy sitting with sadhu man
our friend Joy Santos with Sadhu, on pilgrimage in Rishikesh
cassie with yogi kids on ganga
Cassie with new yoga kid friends in Rishikesh
jungly mountain at ganga river
banks of Ganga River near cave temple
women at taj mahal
women near Taj Mahal
two crows on donkey, Agra India
donkey with crows near Taj Mahal
cass and nate in frenetic temple in vrindavan
Nate and Cassie at temple in Vrindavan
man cooking on ganga sunset
Sadhu on banks of Ganga river practicing ritual at sunset
Nate in front of taj close up
Nate at Taj Mahla
narrow street of Vrindavan, India
narrow street of Vrindavan
jill and gemini at ganga river
Jill and Gemini, friends on pilgrimage in Rishikesh
fire alter Vrindavin temple
fire alter at a temple in Vrindavan
Govindas chanting on river ganga near ashram
Govindas chanting on the banks of Ganga River, our yoga teacher and friend who lead us on the pilgrimage through India
narrow street with movement and people vrindavin
Sadhu in busy street of Vrindavan
yogis walking up steps at foothills of himilayas temple
heading up to Durga temple in foothills of Himilayas in the clouds
two sadhus sitting happily together
two Sadhus in Rishikesh
fire aarti ganga river India
Chanting at the banks of Rishikesh at main ashram
two sadhus chatting on benches
two Sadhus in Rishikesh
Govindas singing kirtan Ganga river
Govindas chanting at sunrise on the banks of Ganga River, our yoga teacher and friend who lead us on the pilgrimage through India
Cassie at Taj Mahal
Cassie at Taj Mahal
sadhu holy man in orange, Rishikesh
Sadhu holy man in Rishikesh in small temple
marigold flowers on the alter vrindavin
Flower offerings on alter in temple in Vrindavan
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Airport in Delhi
Cassie with women at Taj Mahal
Cassie with women at Taj Mahal
cass with marnie and joy top of temple himilayas
Cassie with Marnie and Joy at temple in the clouds in the foothills of Himilayas
Cassie and Nate in Goa, India
Cassie and Nate in Goa, India
Joy Santos himilayan temple pics
our friend Joy Santos, on pilgrimage in Rishikesh
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picture on the alter in the room of 150 year old yogi/sadhu of a small temple in Vrindavan
Marnie with dog with mange again cute
sweet dog with our friend Marnie on pilgrimage in Rishikesh
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Govindas and Nate temple hopping in Vridavan before Divali, the biggest holiday in India
Silent Sadhu at Neem Karoli Baba’s grave in Vrindavin India
Sadhu who had been silent for 20 years, at temple where Neem Karoli Baba’s grave is
Indian women we shared taxi with in Vrindavin
tuktuk friends on a ride through Vrindavan
monkey in grass near taj mahal
Monkey near Taj Mahal
gdas and clay campbell with kirtan instruments ganga river
Govindas and Clay chanting at sunrise on the banks of the Ganga River
Nate with baby cows Rishikesh
baby cows looking for food in Rishikesh
cass with girls in saris in vrindavin
Cassie with pilgrimage friends in Vrindavan about to go temple hopping
neem karoli baba hanuman shrine with lady praying
Neem Karoli Baba’s hanuman temple – woman chanting the Hanuman Chalisa
