I have more baggage than I thought....

A realisation is a funny thing - it can be satisfying, thought provoking or sometimes really irritating. I've had a few realisations about myself since I have' been in India and this one I'm not particularly pleased about.

I decided to take my Reiki Masters course while I was in Varkala - yes, I've been studying. It may come as a shock but it's true - I am not just sunning myself on the beach or chatting with friends - although I must admit that does take up a significant amount of my time. No, I've been learning a new skill, adding another string to my bow, stretching my mind, which is all rather well and good except I didn't bank on uncovering yet another realisation about myself.

You see I was under the impression that I'd learnt enough last time I went away. Indeed it would even appear my 'discovery journey' continued when I returned to the UK.  It's pretty tiring all this 'looking inwards' especially when what you see isn't quite what you'd been telling yourself.

I'll give you an example: I can't drink, it leads to a a whole host of nonsense (mainly in my head) which I've decided I can no longer deal with. That's one realisation. Another is that no matter how many pairs I try on Gold Ray Band Aviator sun glasses do not suit me. I'm gutted. Mainly cause this realisation shocked me so much I had to purchase a pair of Oliver Peoples sunglasses at triple my original budget. Realisations can be expensive lessons. My realisation about the baggage in my life causes me extra expense too.

Take my rucksack for example. No matter how hard I try I just can't seem to pack the thing correctly without it feeling like I have a dead person on my back. I even left what looked like half a ton of clothes, toiletries and books at my friend Joanne's house when I left Varkala for Patnem. Still didn't make a difference - on arrival in Goa I waddled off the train and rather than take a bus the weight of my rucksack meant I had to take a taxi. When I arrived in Patnem, the sun beating down on my weary forehead and the weight of what now seemed like several dead people on my back, I had no choice but check in to a 'luxury' hut rather than walk up and down the beach searching for a cheaper option.

It appears the excess baggage in my life doesn't just apply to my rucksack. No. You see part of my Reiki is essentially about energy. Universal Life Energy. The energy is used for healing all sorts of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual disabilities. Emotions are energy too so if you have an unprocessed emotion which many of us do, the energy stays in your body.The location of the toxic energy is determined by the type of emotion. So grief and anger can result in problems with the shoulders, resentment and bitterness affects the lungs, judgement and criticism affects the teeth and gums and the list goes on.

All rather fascinating indeed but naturally when one is learning you look to yourself to determine what aliments you have which may need attention. My hips have always been stiff. They are the bain of my yoga practice - stiff hips. I have to work on them on a daily basis and it's pretty painful. So you can imagine my horror when I discovered the reason for my stiffness. My ex boyfriends.

Yep, it would appear that you hold your past relationships in your hip area. It explains a lot. Previous boyfriends have mostly been undesirables now it appears I have all of them in my hips. I've been spending the last week trying to 'remove' Gary, Kevin, Warren, Nick and those are just the relationships. God only knows how many other flings/dalliances/mistakes I have tucked up in there.

So you see I have more baggage than I originally thought.

More Beauty News from India.....

Rrrrrright, listen up ladies, I've discovered another brilliant beauty find. This range is seriously good but it's not available in the UK - you'll have to order it online which I strongly suggest you do. I'm in lurve with it and the products I've tried so far have more than exceeded my expectations.

Sadly I cant' take all the credit for this...my dear friend Reji - owner of Reji's Beauty Parlour in Varkala (Kerala) recommended the BIOTIQUE range so you have her to thank. Regi, who I've written about before on my blog, is in my opinion the oracle when it comes to Ayurvedic beauty products available on the market in India. She's worked in the beauty industry for years, born and bred in Kerala (home of Ayurveda) so has been surrounded by the benefits of the philosophy all her life. She's the font of all knowledge in terms of Indian beauty products so if she says try something, I'm on to it quick smart. No questions.

I'm feeling pretty smug about that fact I've met such a brilliant beauty authority in such far found location. In fact (cue opportunity to brag) I now have two beauty gurus whom I call upon in times of need...some people have spiritual gurus, I have beauty gurus: Anastasia Achiellos in London who is arguably the best facialist on the planet - a session with her and your skin looks incredible...reiki, massage, general sheer brilliance combined with a lot of know-how and she literally changes the shape of your face. Good bye lines, cherrio wrinkles and hello looking better than ever. And now I've met Reji who is probably the best beauty therapist in Kerala. Now I know that's a bold statement but believe me I've hunted around the state and if you want a decent facial - I actually gave her a brief to 'make me look 10 years younger' and while she's no mirical worker her Papaya facial is definitely heading in the right direction. Anyway, enough bragging from me - back to the Biotique range.

Bit of background: Ayurveda is literally translated as the ‘Science of Life’. 5000 years ago the Ancient Sages who founded Ayurveda, discovered that plants and plant extracts had a startling effect on skin and hair. According to Ayurveda the powers of nature - the Heat of the Sun, Light, Air, Water, Minerals and Plant substances have immense therapeutic value and play an important part in leading a healthy, fulfilled and aware life.

The Ayurvedic Sages had the ability to control aging. The Sages were expert biotechnologists and practiced yoga and meditation to achieve health and good looks throughout life. They developed potent herbal remedies for prevention and treatment of disease. Modern Science is each day discovering the benefits about the substances found in nature and the long historical tradition of its role in health and beauty.

I've tried the Honey Dew mosituriser, under eye cream and Papaya facial scrub and to be honest my skin is now behaving the way it's supposed to. Or rather the way I like it to. All I need to do now is kick the fags but having said that despite smoking over 20 dirty, filthy fags a day the range is still working wonders so it must be good!

Personally what I love about this arrange, aside from the fact it actually works, is that it doesn't contain harmful chemicals, synthetic fragrances or artificial preservatives. Biotique does not conduct cruel tests on animals and all Biotique preparations are environmentally friendly and bio-degradable. A skincare range which does what it says is does and gives you peace of mind - who'd have thought?

Have a look on http://biotique.com - you may have to contact distributors direct. It's a bit of leg work but I promise it's worth it. Enjoy!

Beauty news from India.....

It may come as no surprise to you that while I've been travelling, I've felt somewhat duty bound to sample the various beauty salons, parlors and spas. It's actually one of my favourite past times and let's face it - who doesn't like to be pampered and preened? I like to look at in as research really. You know, get to know a little bit more about another culture and...actually, not sure who I'm trying to kid here - the opportunity to have weekly facials, massages and pedicures (not manicures as my Lancaster sun cream plays havoc with nail varnish!) for a fraction of the price I would usually pay back in the UK is just too good to miss.

One of the benefits of whiling away my time with beauticians, masseuses and the like is that I get recommendations on the best products to buy. So ladies (and gentlemen), I've discovered two brands (from India and Tibet) which are so good that, with slight hesitation, I feel compelled to share with you.

Some of you beauty obsessives out there may already have heard of Himalaya - personally before my travels I'd never tried the range but let me tell you its a beauty (excuse the pun!). Himalaya uses the tools of modern science to create pharmaceutical grade Ayurvedic products. Given the Ayurveda is steeped in over 500 years of history, in my opinion, it's pretty handy these clever guys have developed a range which incorporates the old with the new so to speak; they marry Ayurvedic knowledge with scientific know how. And this stuff really does work. Admittedly I haven't tried the entire range - simply because it won't all fit into my backpack and my back is already suffering from its current weight - but people I've travelled with have raved about the entire range.

Personally I can recommend: the Gentle Face Wash Cream which doesn't leave your skin feeling stretched and dry but fresh and glowing (must be the cucumber and Aloe Vera ingredients). The Foot Care Cream should be positioned next to the crown jewels - perfect for hard, dry and cracked skin. It works wonders. And the Soothing Body Lotion which has sunflower oil extracts which soften and smooths dry skin, Apricot Kernal Oil to revitalize, while Grape, with its axioxident activity keeps blemishes at bay. It doesn't leave a thick, greasy film on your skin like so many of them do either - you don't have to wait very long for it to dry.

Personally, I'd skip through the range (any excuse) and see what suits your skin - the good news is you can buy the products on line...so no excuses.

http://www.himalayadirect.com/noneu.asp

Right, this little baby is called NYERDAK-GAMOLI or Sorig Anti-Wrinkle cream and its a true gem especially if you want to get rid of wrinkles - form an orderly queue! I swear you see a difference even after one application. Thought I was imagining it but I've given it to a few friends who literally shrieked with glee down the phone at me for sending it to them.

It originates from Tibet and it is based on natural herbs derived from a formulation of a renowned 17th century Tibetan physician. It was originally developed as a protective and nourishing cream to withstand the cold winds of the Tibetan plateau. Perfect for the UK then! It helps to prevent dryness, revitalizing the skin and making it smoother and more youthful. And another bonus is the cream doesn't contain any animal ingredient and are not tested on animals. So you can look beautiful with a guilt free conscience!

http://www.men-tsee-khang.org

Have discovered another little find called Biotique - so blimmin obscure I can't get any info on it - will try for next month.

Go forth, purchase these finds - your skin will thank you for it!

I've been Joshied...

Prem Joshua - ever heard of him? I hadn't until I saw a zillion posters around Varkala announcing his open air concert. I'd been in Varkala for a few weeks and by that time had heard every single playlist in the area. Prem Joshua was one of them and his 'hit' Shiva Moon is literally played to death in Varkala so I thought I'd go along.

Prem Joshua or 'Joshi' as his groupies refer to him is viewed by many - again, manly by his followers - as a 'guru'. Personally I'm not convinced about the 'guru' reference mainly due to the fact he's musician so in my opinion this doesn't mean you get to graduate to 'guru' status. But then I like Phil Collins so what do I know. However, Joshi has very successfully infused Indian with contemporary music and it is good. At least I think so but again I ref Phill so you may not believe me!

The open air concert was interesting to day the least. The setting was gorgeous; we were perched on a the edge of a cliff, surrounded by coconut trees and of course it was a gorgeous evening.

First of all I thought it was slightly strange the tickets were, by Indian standards, pretty expensive. This meant that Indians couldn't attend as generally non of them could afford it. Bit of a shame really especially as he's so popular over here plus I didn't really think it was in keeping with the 'one religion, one god, one love, everyone is equal' blah blah blah that appears to be the essence surrounding Joshi.

The second thing that occurred to me was the number of groupies wearing tees with 'I've been joshied' on the back, strategically cut-up (assume this is some sort of fashion statement) - it made me smile. Maybe it's me but the strap line 'I've been joshied' conjured all manner of images in my mind - most of them not that clean either...

The highlight of the evening for me, aside from the performance which was excellent, was when Joshi mentioned love. He started talking about his philosophy on love, how we should love more people etc. He was half way through his 'sermon' when a rather over zealous woman (sporting a 'I've been joshied tee) jumped up, yelled 'we should all love more, yes to love, love, love, love...', did a star jump and started gyrating against a coconut tree...priceless!

Leaving Varkala

Leaving Varkala was one of the hardest goodbyes I've had to date. I'd stayed there in total for nearly two months and to be honest I'd really settled there. It was easy: I'd made so many friends, spent my days sunbathing, practicing yoga and hanging out. Eventually it got a bit much - before I knew where I was I had my feet fully under the table and knew it was time to leave when I became fully embroiled in local Indian gossip. When the going gets tough - the tough leave. Don't get me wrong it wasn't anything I couldn't handle but nevertheless it made me realise my time in Varkala had to come to an end. As all good things have to eventually.

I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz - when she said goodbye the the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow before heading back to Kansas - when I left Varkala. I had such an amazing send off. All the gorgeous friends I'd made from Skyline, Rex's travel planet and possibly the best beauty therapist in the world - Reji - where there to wave me off. Even my 'adopted' brother, Vinod, came with me to the train station despite the fact he would potentially feel the wrath of his boss for skiving. And possibly the kindest man I've ever met, The Councellor, took time out from his meeting at the council and turned up at the train station to say goodbye to me too. To say it or rather I was emotional would be an understatement.

In true Indian style Vinod escorted me across the train tracks (who needs a bridge when you can just cross the tracks to the other platform) to the platform where my train was due. We sat down and smoked a cig together and that's when it started. It all got a bit much for me and I started crying. Poor Vinod looked so uncomfortable and I swear from the look on his face he was contemplating throwing himself on to the train tracks - anything to avoid a tearful female!

The thought of my tears bringing Vinod to actually consider death as an alternative to me weeping was enough to make me pull myself together. However when I boarded the train is was a slightly different matter. 'Great' I thought 'I can cry at leisure now!' And cry I did. In fact I wept most of the way the Madurai.

To start off with it was mainly over a guy I'd spent alot of time with while I was in Varkala - which just goes to show that at 34 I still have the ability to behave like a teenager and completely justify my behaviour at the same time. Not sure which I should be more concerned about; the fact that I can act like a teenager or that I can completely justify every single one of my actions whether appropriate or not.

I was half way to Madurai when I suddenly realised I was sobbing over a guy. Mildy mortified with myself I decided to go the whole hog and cry about everything and anything I could think of - in for a penny and all that. Not sure if anyone else has this (maybe it's just me) but I actually have a file in my brain, an index if you will of things I can cry about. I whip it out when necessary.

So that's what I did. Out came the crying list. I cried about the fact I was leaving so many friends behind in Varkala, what a great time I'd had, all my friends are married/coupled up and I'm not, I'm turning 35 on 12th April (pls note), I found my first grey hair, a dog nicked one of my fav Haviana's while I was sunbathing, my rucksack is too heavy, I've lost so much weight my knickers no longer fit me (tears of joy in that case!) and the man in the bunk above me was snoring. I sobbed for Great Britain. And that's one of the things I like about India. When you're sad no one comes near you. I think the fact I looked like I'd gone 10 rounds in a boxing ring with Mike Tyson may have deterred people from approaching me. No matter. It suited my mood - to be alone, crying.

I arrived in Madurai a new person - albeit slightly puffy around the eyes. Refused to pay 20 INR for a richshaw 'I'm a seasoned traveller' I thought 'I will walk'. 20 minutes later it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't know where I was going, it was 5am and my legs were about to buckle under the weight of my rucksack. Ate humble pie and hopped in the back of a rickshaw, arrived at a guest house where as soon put my bags down in my room the guy started trying to sell me some weed...welcome to Madurai..think I might like it here!