Yoga, Art & My New Friend Emma

I’ve known Emma since the day she was born, but until this trip I didn’t really know her at all. Emma is the 25-year-old daughter of my mom and dad’s dear university friend Nancy. Throughout more recent years, Nancy and I have been involved together in a variety of e-learning Web projects that brought us closer together and practically drove us nuts at the same time.

Emma heard that I was traveling to India and called to ask if she could ‘tag along’ for two and a half weeks before her first year of Graduate school at University of Toronto. She had never visited a ‘developing’ country and had no idea what to expect. I agreed (a little hesitantly as this was my big solo mission) and our plans began to coincide. Emma and I were set to travel to Leh together and volunteer at DWLS. She decided to bring art supplies and teach art classes to the students while I headed up the yoga initiative. Somewhere along the way we met in the middle, discovered one another and re-discovered ourselves.

Emma is a bright, bubbly, beautiful girl … ‘with a bounce’. She is witty, funny and has her own set of anxieties such as consuming dairy products in India and packing absolutely everything in zip lock bags. I must say she handled India with an open mind, big heart and a sense of humour. Throughout our time together, we both had our ups and downs, our strong moments and weak. We held each other’s hands when we needed it most and conversely allowed one another the freedom to walk our own paths.

As volunteers in the school, Emma and I not only learned from one another but from the students as well. And even though I was teaching Yoga Asanas and Emma, drawing techniques … the students were teaching us to be truly in the moment and just be ourselves - to let go of expectations, keep things simple, live happily and not take everything too seriously. Many lessons were learned in patience, humility and compassion.

As my Nanny used to say, ‘In relationships, you have to give more than you receive and take more than you give.’ Somehow this mantra has taken on an entirely different light. Emma left to go home a couple of weeks ago. A tear rolled down my cheek as we said our final good byes before she departed to the chaos of Delhi. I know all of the people that she met and touched in Leh will miss her dearly … I also know now that I have a new little sister.

DWLS Confidential

The Druk White Lotus School is a relatively new organization that opened ‘for business’ in the community of Sheh in 2000. It’s design and construction have become world renowned through the use of local materials, environmentally sustainable practices such as solar power and a variety of technological innovations … the ventilated latrines are just one example. In fact, media communications and support for this school stem from a variety of high profile sources. A documentary narrated by Brad Pitt was produced and aired on PBS, numerous articles published, awards such as the ‘Best Green Building in Asia’ garnered, and even celebrity support from the most famous Buddhists; Richard Gere and of course the Dalai Lama and his successors.


The school has completed its first two phases of construction. The design is centred on a ‘Mandala’ structure with all the other buildings radiating outwards from this focal point. The buildings are configured in such an intelligent way to catch the best sunlight in order to retain heat in the winter and keep the rooms cool in the summer. Construction is still underway with more plans in the works. This is a serious endeavor spearheaded by ‘His Holiness’ here in India, as well as, a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom. Fundraising is key to its continued growth and success and its fair to say that the school is faced with new challenges everyday.

Currently there are over 400 students of which 123 live on campus in the residences. The children come from far and wide … some right from the community of Sheh, others take the bus from Leh and surrounding areas while others are from remote mountain communities. The new school year starts in November and a goal has been set to attract 60 new students to register. In order to meet this objective aggressive strategies must be implemented including radio and print campaigns that offer promotional incentives such as free uniforms and hot meals. Wendy from the UK along with Sarla, a genuine Ladakhi Princess that works with the school will also be venturing out on a three day trek into the remote mountain communities to create awareness and meet families first-hand. Talk about grassroots style. I was invited to go along on the trek but lo and behold my boy, Bob finally arrives in Leh on Monday and I want to be there to pick

him up in person and give him a big kiss.

Attracting students is a competitive business with all organizations under pressure to meet quotas in order to stay in the game and keep their doors open. International sponsorship is also an integral component to the business model. At DWLS there are only 10% of the students with sponsors. This year I solidified enough funding through my own personal fundraising and network to sponsor three more students at DWLS. A special thanks to Dad & Cindy, as well as, Hayley and Paul for their commitment to sponsor a child. The folks at DWLS were absolutely thrilled. They will be in touch soon with information on your student including photos and progress reports of their studies.

Other plans to generate revenue include offering a variety of customizable tours of the campus. Naropa Palace is a must-see attraction that is linked to the school and Hemis Monastery. Naropa is home to a number of Buddhist Nuns that come from as far away as Nepal. The Nuns are indeed a sight to behold … not only do they have the voices of angels while reciting and singing their chants to a hypnotic beat in the temple but they also ‘Get er Done’ by constructing their dormitories, greenhouses and gardens. Talk about powerful women!

During the three week summer break in July the campus could also be rented to groups as a retreat centre. This is a truly powerful and spiritual place set within one of the most stunning mountain ranges in the world. Think trekking, yoga, meditation, art, writing, holistic healing, organic food … Now, that gets my creative juices flowing.

A trip to Saboo

“Saboo, Saboo, Saboo,” chimed Padma. “Yes, please come.” We all piled into the car for a Sunday drive to visit Padma’s mother who lives in Saboo and works in the fields tending to the acres of gardens for the guest house family. Saboo is a small village that lies on the outskirts of Leh. It was like stepping back into time. We parked the car and walked to the homestead down narrow passageways, past the bubbling creek and climbing over makeshift stonewalls. Padma’s mother was delighted to see us and greeted us with milk tea in the family’s rustic home built from clay blocks and small trees. She stoked the fire using a hand pump and proceeded to the garden to pick fresh pea pods to include in our lunch. I helped to prepare our simple meal, shucking the peas and molding round discs of dough with my thumbs for a traditional Ladakhi dish called ‘Skew’. I felt so content sitting on the dirt floor as part of the family contributing in my own small way. We communicated with our smiles and laughter, knowing in our hearts what we were saying to one another. Lunch tasted delicious and it was wonderful to see Padma so happy to be with her mother for an afternoon.

When I decided to sponsor Padma two years ago, it was a great relief to her mother. Working in the fields she makes just enough money to live day-to-day and struggled to pay for the annual school admission fees. Needless to say, she was extremely grateful that I took on the responsibility of providing $240 per year for Padma’s education. As we were leaving Saboo to return to Leh, Padma’s mother grabbed my hand and placed a silver ring with a small topaz stone in my palm. The ring was scratched and worn and likely one of her few possessions. I wear this ring proudly and think of Padma’s mother … I think of how giving just a little can profoundly touch the lives of so many and at the same time reciprocate in ways that fuels the soul and warms the heart.

Back to School

Yoga at the Druk White Lotus School has been a blast. It took a couple of days to get into the swing of things ... but now I am teaching yoga during the Phys Ed classes of the Junior 3 to Junior 5 and Middle School 6 students. It has been such a learning experience. A typical day goes something like this:

~ Rise to the crazy barking of the packs of dogs at approx. 5am
~ Toss and turn on my thin matress and lucid dream about weird and whacky things until 6:30am

~ Get out of bed and take an Indian bucket bath to wake myself up
~ Go downstairs for breakfast in the kitchen - typically one piece of Ladakhi bread with Apricot jam. There has been a shortage of eggs recently as the road has been closed from Srinagar due to internal conflict
~ Padma and I walk hand in hand along the pathways to the bus stop downtown
~ The bus is a wild trip ... picking up little cuties left and right and just when you think you can't squeeze any more kids onto the bus a dozen more find their way aboard
~ The Hindi music blares as we bump down the streets en route to Sheh where the school is located approx. 45 minutes from Leh
~ We enter the school and the sun is scorching ... desert dry I am greeted by a multitude of smiles and 'Good Morning Madam'
~ Morning prayers in the prayer room led by a resident Monk who has the most friendly face ... the voices of the children sing the Tibetan prayers and I try to sit quietly in a cross legged position while my legs fall asleep
~ Outdoor prayers follow in the morning sun ... it resembles a military brigade somewhat ... it is so neat to watch the little ones with their palms together and their eyes closed
~ Classes begin ... I typically teach 2-3 40 minute yoga classes in the prayer room before lunch
~ You can imagine the dust and dirt on the floor from all the children wearing their shoes in this space for the past few months ... it was not so pleasant to be putting your nose into this carpet. I have managed to get it cleaned out ... much better now - whew!
~ The kids love the yoga - we laugh so much and now they are remembering some of the poses and their names. Some classes we start with a game like 'Over and Under', others we practice partner yoga or go on a jungle safari making all kinds of animal sounds together.
~ By 1pm I am famished. Finally lunch at the residence. The food keeps getting better and better. The first day I was a little concerned after biting into a deep fried egg. A typical lunch consists of dal, rice and a veggie ... I have yet to venture into the meat after seeing goat's carcas attracting a multitude of flies hanging in the various butcher's stalls.
~ After lunch I take a little time to visit Naropa Palace, a temple where Buddhist Nuns from the surrounding area and as far as Nepal reside. My first visit was incredible ... I have never heard such sweet, serene sounds with such a hypnotic beat ... I wanted to stay for days. I have been welcomed and sit behind the nuns for a short while as they chant the afternoon away ...
~ I then take a visit to the Nursery or the Kindegarten classes to say hi and observe the organized chaos. Sometimes we practice English and others we play games ... Duck, duck goose was a real hit!
~ And then it is time to go home - 3pm. I take the bus with the children ... the music plays and we are on our way.
~ By the time I reach home, I am absolutely exhausted. Working with kids takes a lot of energy but is so rewarding in so many ways. Hats off and my deepest respect to all the teachers in the world.

Life in Leh

Once I regained my strength, I took to the streets to explore all the nooks and crannies of this mountain town. I remembered the little short cuts through the ancient cobble stone paths, visited a few of my fave spots where you could get the best MoMo's (Ladakhi dumplings) and chai and met up with a few of the characters that I had met on my last visit. The hustle and bustle can be a little overwhelming ... big trucks spewing black exhaust, motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic, horns honking, Ladakhi women carrying incredibly large loads on their small yet sturdy frames, Kashmiri men urging you into their shops to sell their wares, children begging in the streets and the holy cow wandering the open sewers in search of discarded food morsels.

I visited a few of the surrounding monasteries and listened to the chants of the monks. The beauty of the deities within the temples were overwhelming ... a 20 foot carved sculpture of Buddha captivated my senses.

And back to Shanti Stupa; a temple that was built for the visit of the Dalai Lama located just on the edge of town. Up, up and up many steps. I felt quite the accomplishment making it to the top for the first time after numerous winded stops. The view is incredible ... a craggy mountain scape fills out the backdrop as monks silently circle the Stupa three times. I will try to come to this special place as often as I can ...

Arriving in Leh

Leh, Ladakh is a remote spiritual centre situated 10,000 feet high in the Himalayan Mountain range of Jammu Kashmir State. It's desert landscape is dusty and dry yet the town centre itself is an oasis alive with a spectrum of colour and people.

I arrived in a weary state on August 14th after traveling for over 48 hours from Toronto ... talk about sleep deprivation. Let's just say my body was in a state of shock. I caught a nasty little sore throat, cold, cough and fever. This could be attributed to many factors ... the long, arduous journey, the altitude and change in weather, the whirlwind tour of Ontario that involved many late evenings of excess and yes, debauchery visiting friends and family. Whatever the reason, I was flat on my back for a solid week and a half and felt miserable.

Now when you are visiting such an incredibly different place you want to be up and at em. You want to tackle the streets, visit the sites and climb the hills. I was forced to surrender to my situation and to simply lay low until I was feeling better. Just walking into town from my guest house took all of my energy ... and we are only talking a 10 minute rendez-vous. But alas the heavens were telling me to take rest and let go of my expectations.

Thank goodness I was staying at the Ashoka Guest House where I stayed two years ago and became very close with the family who owns the establishment. They looked after me keeping a watch on my temperature and concoting traditional Ladakhi remedies that I happily choked down. It was such a treat to see little Padma Dechen again ... the girl who I have been thinking about everyday since my last stay at the Guest House. In such a short time she had grown so much ... her baby teeth that were rotting were replaced with healthy adult teeth ... her hair had grown to her shoulders ... and her smile was still the same... enough to melt your heart. She was so shy at first but it didn't take too long to open up. She remembered Natalie and myself from our last encounter. It made me so happy to reconnect and be in a place that I once felt such peace and tranquility.

Fundraising for DWLS

On the mat and on the move ... all proceeds from yoga classes for the week of July 7th will go to sponsoring a child's education at the Druk White Lotus School in Leh, Ladakh.

As well, we are having a BIG YOGA CLOTHING SALE at the Treehouse Studio. Great bargains ... lots of colours, sizes and styles. Contact Naomi for an appointment. Sale ends next Monday.

Visit the Druk White Lotus School to learn more.