Spiritual Exile

exile. n.
Enforced removal from one's native country.
Self-imposed absence from one's country.
The condition or a period of living away from one's native country.
One who lives away from one's native country, whether because of expulsion or voluntary absence.

I am often asked: why do you go to India time and time again? ...perhaps looking for a tangeable organized answer, for which there isn't. Best answer is just to smile and laugh when asked "why"
(deep sage-like wisdom from two year old Hunter Grace here).
Perhaps another answer to why? is "To find yet more questions of a higher nature that experiences outside our normal ruts, routines & culture provide." Or the answer to satisfy our sense for normalcy..to study Yoga, Indian Music (Violin & Voice),certain types of India Massage to bring back and enhance, heal & teach others here in this culture while otherwise hanging out in a warm, spiritual and expansive environment with yummy food. To visit my dear family friends,The Violin Gurus Manjunath and Nagaraj and their family, (Manjunath says to me that what we Learn and practice in our lifetimes are our closest intimate friends i.e. Indian Music, Yoga, more so than even our loved ones ) or to go away from the U.S. for awhile to return not asking "why" so much!

Four and a half more days to go...
Was blessed to "sit-in" for Jai Uttal, the famous luminous kirtan singer who got the flu in Bend. Wonderful Lolo from Hood River lead the kirtan, i played violin. We were both in awe of the amazing and brilliant Daniel Paul on the Tablas (Jai's drummer) sitting next to us and also the full Old Stone Church audience who decided to stay put and sing despite the missing lead character.
Kirtan, as Jai puts it is "The Lifeboat of the Soul"...and it just FEELS good to sing together that way, kind of like everyone in the audience gets to experience the joyful "emptying of what we come full of" to a musical performance that us Musicians get to feel each time.
Many things to be grateful of...
and now the "letting go" pains of leaving beautiful Bend and the circles of family friends, which i seem to be particularly sensitive to this time around !