Summer is on its way out- although it does not mean an immediate cooling. The temperatures have been see-sawing these past few weeks- sudden outbursts of thunder and streaks of lightning light up the sky leading to a great downpour of that sweet nectar from the gods- rain, rain, do not go away- Chennai needs you every day!
So I had a great birthday celebration at the Paradise Spa in The Dune hotel just close to Pondicherry- http://www.thedunehotel.com/ Check out their website and the Spa
What an experience it was! I went there with a friend whom I met a few weeks ago from Detroit who is also a Virgo! We decided to spend the day just relaxing and taking in nature in all her glory- this hotel is an Eco-Lodge Resort with a great beach front- so the first sense they were serious about their philosophy was that we could not drive our car into the resort- their desire to maintain the eco-sensitivity of the resort meant that their liquid gas equipped mini vans would transport us from the front office to the spa area or the rooms if you are checking in.
The Spa is mainly an Ayurvedic Massage Centre with a doctor who provides a treatment plan based on your health needs. I opted for the Magic Water Treatment and was I in for the treat of my life! What an ethereal experience it was! I told the French woman who was the guide for this water experience that I did not swim, was terrified by the prospect of drowning on my birthday and not sure that this was a treatment for me! Amazingly, Veronique was calm and assured me that drowning was not on her agenda and to just trust that she would create an experience that provided a spiritual and meaningful journey for an hour as well as some relief for my shoulder pain. She promised to do the physical requirements like placing floaters on my thighs- I suppose a reassurance for a skeptic like me that all precautions were taken.
She asked that I keep my eyes closed during the entire session- she needed to know that I did not have problems with water entering my ears and that I did not want to be dunked. I decided to make the best use of this hour by just letting go of my inhibitions, my fears and trusting the universe to give me an experience that would truly make an imprint not to be forgotten. The first few minutes (don't quite know how many!) I was still attempting to figure out if I was really safe in her hands. Soon I was relaxed, not tense and floating in my own world!
Veronique does various acupressure techniques as well as Shiatsu, stretching your limbs under water- which in itself is so relaxing and calming. I almost felt like I was just in another world, being transported like magic- suddenly I would feel the bright light that was so warm and soothing- I learned later that she would take me to the edge of the pool where the sun was shining!
The water was always warm and her ability to create an experience that was heavenly filled with happy memories, was what made this hour so incredibly out of this world. All I heard was the rustling of the leaves surrounding the pool and felt the cool breezes and occasionally some birds chirping. After the hour, she wakes you up slowly and works for another half hour to get you stabilised - meaning getting grounded after floating for an hour! I recommend this experience to all my friends who enjoy getting in touch with their inner selves in a serene and totally peaceful manner surrounded by nature.
My friend had the herbal scrub, steam bath and massage- Kim thoroughly enjoyed the experience as well. After lunch, she decided that she wanted the magic water experience and came away with similar reaction. I decided to check out the psychic reading- so something similar to the Tarot cards- but Angelic cards! I had to write down 4 questions that I would read aloud one at a time and 3 of the shuffled cards were read by the 'shaman' as answers to my questions? A different experience and I had a fun time and ended up buying some crystals to support various possibilities. I can just hear you skeptics saying what the heck is all this about?!! It was my birthday- so I just decided I was not going to let my pragmatic, questioning side rear its head for a while! We ended the day with a dinner at a French restaurant in Pondicherry.
Do you ever wonder about people you meet and what the connection may be? Strangely, I was introduced to a woman who lived in KCMO a few years after I left that town, has 2 daughters who live in NYC like mine do and who is divorced! Isn't that unusual- wow! She is also loves wine- gosh, this is so unreal! She lives on the 6th floor of this older gorgeous building and has a view of the Adyar river and so much greenery that is part of the backside of the Theosophysical Society- so will probably be protected from new construction and clearing of trees that seems to be the fate of urban growth.
We are meeting tomorrow for my first experience at a nightclub in Chennai! Amazingly, bars have to stop serving liquor at 11.00 p.m! So it sometimes feels like I am living in the Bible belt of the Midwestern states where blue laws used to dictate what you could buy or not on Sundays!
My work on gender balance has given me some food for thought- I am working to get women in the lower eschelons of Indian society to feel empowered to fulfill their potential- so I am so shocked to find that many middle class professional women are stepping out of the workforce or not seizing the career opportunities offered for cultural and familial responsibilities!
One of my colleagues who had a potentially great career opportunity in the US had to pull back in order to take care of her ailing father-in-law while her husband continues his work in the US- When will we see the value of women and the potential drain on the GDP as competent, intelligent and smart women leave the workforce to take on responsibilities that do not require the level of skills that they possess- seems to be more of a way to perpetuate cultural stereotypes of a woman's 'place'. It is also a sign that Indian society needs to improve services for the aged and critically ill people so that we do not succumb to an internal brain drain of women who end up as caretakers only.
So much more work to do- and so little time!
