Max in India

Journey of a lifetime

2010-11-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

What a journey since the last post! Let’s start with the most recent news, as you would see when you open your email account full of new messages!

Message 1: Wedding countdown: 2 days!

My parents have come Monday for their first time to India! It was almost surreal to welcome them at the Bangalore airport! For all my previous visits to India, I was only able to communicate with them trough Skype and through my blog. Being able to share what India is really about with them was really exciting. Furthermore, being able to share with them what has changed my life (Art of Living) is even more exquisite, since they have just started yesterday the Art of Living (Part 1) course in Bangalore ashram!

The wedding is only 2 days ahead, and preparations are well on the way. Whenever I invite people to the wedding, they all tell me they have already attended! This is because of the Mala exchange we did after Navaratri! The wedding Monday will be very special, and all the pictures and details will be on the next blog post, I promise!

Message 2: Navaratri 2010, Bangalore ashram

Mala exchange with Guruji after Navaratri!

Wow! Navaratri was mind-blowing. I contemplated for some time after Navaratri about writing down my experience, but the more I thought about it, I realized the big limitation of words. When it comes to describe such a subtle experience with the self, the deep meditations and the enchanting ceremonies that were performed, only somebody who has been there in person (forget the videos, too!) would understand. All I can say is that at my first Navaratri, last year, I took the intention to never miss this celebration. Well, this year again, I am renewing this intention and I am booking my return ticket to India at that time for sure! Come, you won’t regret it!

On a related note, I had the thought on the last day of the ceremonies last year that, should I get married in my life, it should be on that last day (10^th day of the ceremonies, which is considered an auspicious day to start new things in life). Well, so it happens that we did Mala (garland) exchange in front of Guruji and around 15 000 people this year’s 10^th day! Let me tell you it was magical, and I am very thankful that many of my Canadian friends were present that day (we finished with a party in the kitchen that night!).

Message 3: Canada VS India

The number one question I have been asked since I came to India, is where we will settle after wedding. “Good question” was my favorite answer, since I love to keep things open until the last moment (everything changes, isn’t it!). Since time is running out, we had to make a decision, Muthu and I finally decided that the most logical choice to start our new life would be to settle in … are you ready! … Canada! As much as I love India, it will have to wait for now. So much work is needed for next year in Montreal (in Art of Living), with Guruji’s visits for His birthday in May and for the first ever Guru Purnima in July. Also, it makes sense for me to start my career in Montreal and get paid around 7 times more than for a similar position in India! Already I have applied for 25 jobs in Montreal, including Facebook ! And it looks like our apartment is already booked! Also, Guruji is coming at the end of the month for a visit at the Canadian ashram. Muthu is already scheduled to teach the Art Excel course, and they asked for my translation skills. All is well!

Message 4: Advanced Course no. 9 with Rishi Nityapragyad

After writing this post, I have now completed 10 Advanced courses (Part 2, or the Silence course)! This course happened mid-September, where for the first time Rishiji came to Chennai to take a course! I was told that there are 3 people with whom you should do Part 2, Rishiji being one of them. I understand why now! Not only the way he presented the knowledge was very powerful and simple, his evening satsangs were rocking concerts! The presence this man has makes him look like a king, so much strength and love is pouring out of him. Somebody to meet in person, for sure. I will put the videos shortly on YouTube, but a search under his name will reveal so many already there. Check them out!

Attachments: Wedding invitation

For those in India, or even abroad, you are invited to our wedding in Bangalore ashram, on November 8^th, 2010.

One month in Bangalore ashram, clearer vision!

2010-09-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

One month! Almost. It seems like I spend less than one month at a time in an ashram! Some people go for couple months at a time, I seem to prefer going often for short stays!
So what happened during this last stay? It was an interesting stay in the sense that I did a mixture of many things. It started with a Teachers Training course, for the Know Your Child workshop, which is a 2 hour seminar for parents to learn more about their children. It is very insightful, and it made me realize also how we were as children and how much we used to live the knowledge, naturally! Don’t worry, I didn’t go all the way to India to do a 2-day TTC. The next 4 weeks were a pretty even mixture of Ayurvedic treatments and Seva with the famous Web Team.

Ayurveda first. I did an intensive treatment called “Sri Sri Netra Jyoti”, to cure any eye “diseases”. I used to have far sighted blurriness, with a power of -2.50 in both eyes (hence the glasses!). According to the beautiful science of Ayurveda, glasses (or specs in India!) are not the way to go for having healthy eyes. Being in general a science opposite to the allopathic medicine of the West, laser surgery is not an option! As in many Ayurvedic treatments, this Netra Jyoti treatment is very holistic, in the sense that it cures using natural ways (exercises, herbal medicines, yoga) over a period of time (opposite to instantaneous, i.e. laser surgery). OK, I already feel the impatience to know whether it works or not! Well, although I was skeptical after 2 weeks of intensive exercises and treatments (almost 1.5 hours of exercises and 2.5 hours of treatments, everyday!), my doctor measured my new power and said that it improved beyond expectations! I reduced one point, to -1.5 in only 2 weeks! Which is a lot, since apparently beyond the age of 21, he can only guarantee an improvement of 0.25 (after the initial 2 weeks). I believe my prayers got answered, thanks Guruji :) Now in order to achieve perfect vision, I believe another 3 months of daily exercises (45 min) along with the prescribed Ayurvedic medicine, carrot juice and raisins (yes yes, carrots are indeed good for vision, it is not a myth!) should provide long lasting results. It is a commitment for sure, but if that means good vision for the next 80 years of my life (thanks to yoga and meditation), I am all for it!

The mystical WebTeam, the day of the lanch of the Global Website

Seva now. I got the unique chance to work with the famous Web Team which is building the new Global Website of Art of Living(.org) ! Under Guruji’s guidance, the team has to create a unique website that represents the activities of Art of Living all over the world. When we know that we are in over 150 countries, and that in every country so much is happening, that is quite a challenge! Right now, there must be hundreds of local websites, in so many languages with so many activities going on (Courses and Seva projects). All this will be unified into one website, which has been already launched a week ago. There is so much work left to do, such as integrating payment systems for courses, and translating the interface in so many languages. If you are a web techie, or a good content writer, or a translator (to mention only a few), contact me and I will gladly put you in touch with the team here in Bangalore! Go check the new website now! www.artofliving.org

Celebrating after the launch with Pizza and Cake!

That’s all for now, I am going to Chennai tomorrow until Navaratri (Oct. 8th – 17th), which I title the best event (or celebration) in AOL ! Next: organizing the upcoming wedding and planning our lives, that sounds amazing, and lots of Seva as always :) Jai Guru Dev!

Max in Bangalore

2010-08-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Max is indeed back in India, so it is time to resume the blog with the new adventures that are bound to happen in the next few months! For the sake of the time lost, let’s recap the last 8 months. Lots of school work (especially physics!), where I just graduated from Software Engineering last week. There has been some Seva organizing courses in Montreal, and of course spent a lot of time with Guruji who blessed us with 2 visits in Montreal and with Guru Purnima in Hartford.

At Guruji's feet during Teachers Refresher Meeting in Hartford

I could write a whole post on Guru Purnima, but it was a wonderful experience. I got to see all the friends I have made over the last 4 years (already!) in the Art of Living. We had great time and other than partying, I was blessed with learning the Guru Puja from Bhanu Didi herself! Guru Puja is a hymn that we chant to honor the lineage of Gurus that have come to spread the knowledge, and chanting the Puja brings good vibrations in the environment and calms the mind. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate the 4 years in Art of Living than by doing Guru Puja during Guru Purnima!

Morning power-walks with Swamiji!

For these past 8 months, I have been 10 000 kilometers away from my dear fiancé! Although we are both very thankful to have met in modern times (big thanks to video chat on Skype and cheap calling cards, without both my bank account would be empty now!), it is nice to be back together now that I have graduated! Fun time ahead with the wedding in Bangalore ashram schedule for November 8^th (everyone should mark their calendar and if abroad, schedule holidays and book flights now!).

Guruji meeting all the course participants on Guru Purnima day

Before I left, I realized just how much people love me! I had parties with both Art of Living family and my family. For Art of Living party, we had “Dine with Max” and “Bowl with Max”, except Max was an hour late thanks to some problems with finding a “parking spot” for the Bixis (bikes) Simon and I rented! Bowling was hilarious, and believe it or not I won the first game with lots of spares and zero strikes! In Blainville where my parents live, they have invited not only my grandparents as I expected but also all my cousins and uncles and aunts from both side of the family! We enjoyed eating corn outside and finished with some lovely sweets. My sister, mom and dad had prepared a beautiful presentation of my life story and what was to come (trip to India and wedding!). My mom (who has not done the course yet) even presented the Art of Living saying that it is people who are smiling! :)

Before the flight to India, at Montreal airport

I am now in Bangalore, India and I have a great time so far. Life is good in ashram; it is great to be back “home”! I was a little confused with the jet lag in the beginning, but now I just completed a Know Your Child TTC which is very insightful for parents to get to know more deeply the behavior of their children. I am starting today some Seva with the webteam which is in charge of the International websites of the Foundation.

I will upload soon the pictures on Picasa! Keep reading, more stories ahead now that I am back in India! Never a dull moment, I promise!

2,5 kilometers high in the French Alps!

2009-12-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

What a day! I didn't go snowboarding for the past 2 winters, mostly due to AOL activities. Which is a bit sad, since I was 4 years old when I started learning skiing (thanks mom and dad!). Well, to catchup the time lost, what a better idea than to go in the French Alps! Couldn't find any reasons not to go, so I talked to my neighbor (another Maxime!), and we found a beautiful ski resort an hour away only! When we arrived in the area, we couldn't see anybody on the slopes! We realized only until later that they were skiing just one kilometer above..! For those concerned about our safety, although we went off-piste all day in almost vertical slopes, my friend and I didn't break any parts of our skeleton! My feet were hurting because I had all my snowboarding equipment, except the boots :) But the weather was really nice, and I warmly recommend anyone to go try it at least once ! Enjoy the pics!

French Alps Snowboarding!

Nature walk in Aix les Bains

2009-11-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not on an Advanced course, but still I am wonder struck how a nature walk can be so beneficial to the morale!! Today was a holiday in France (Remembrance Day), cutting quite beautifully the week into two! After indulging in a long morning practice, watching knowledge and eating pizza for lunch (gotta feel the opposites, right!), I looked outside and decided the next course of action would be to take a long walk. I'm glad I listened to my legs, which brought me to far reaches at the feet of the gorgeous mountains surrounding the cute little town. And the word are not strong enough, the scenery is really breathtaking and give you that strong "in the present moment" meditative experience! Enough said, I let you admire the pictures of today and all of those I took in France so far. I hope for you guys in India you can get a glimpse of fall! Next time, I might give a try to these famous thermal baths! Let's see :)

Aix-Les-Bains & Le Bourget

Lyon Weekend

Update! After this enlightening walk, I decided to make a second recipe of Dal. I cannot pinpoint the exact improvement between nothing burnt, salt(!) or tomatoes, but I have to say in all modesty it was sooo tasty and yummy!!! OK, maybe because I made it with so much love :0)

Lyon la Belle

2009-11-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hi folks!
I am overdue for an update, and I'm afraid it shows the low activity happening in France!

Nonetheless, what's new? Well well, after being to Lyon several times for transit, I finally got the opportunity to not only be in Lyon for a while longer, but got a 5 star tour of the majestic city (nothing to envy with Paris I tell you!) with Dikran and Evelyn. I got to see lot of buildings (Dikran's passion!) dated for centuries with the Romans! It makes me think of Asterix and Obelix! He was an excellent guide, and everything was walking distance. And somehow, everything was accessible for free! No tourist trap. Good, I don't like tourist traps!

It started with a nice meal at an Indian restaurant. Do I need to tell you how much I was craving Indian food?! You have to know, in France, Indian restaurants are scarce. Also, most of the restaurants are non-veg. And not to mention the price in Euro! Bottom line, I had enough of pasta-pizza-sandwich! Perhaps my expectations were too high, but the quality and quantity for the price didn't leave me satisfied (I am spoiled with my Chennai experience!).

I had a plan B in store! I asked Evelyn, who happens to be from Mumbai (how convenient!), to teach me how to prepare a delicious Indian dish called Dal (lentils). And since there is no Indian store in the vicinity of where I stay, I was brought to Madras store (yes yes!) in Lyon and got all the spices for a Cooking 101 class! After hours of hard work and good smells, I let you admire the results of the cooking class (for this one, I don't have any credits!):

It turned out the salad was more yummy than the Dal. Evelyn did a big exception to allow me to be in the kitchen, she normally doesn't let anymore breath down her neck! She promised next time I come over to cook another dish, but ALONE this time!
I didn't wait more than one week to put this beautiful wisdom into action. See for yourself my first chef-d'oeuvre!

I have to say it was a first attempt, and maybe I needed to add more colors. I realized only later that I forgot one crucial element in all the Indian dishes: salt! Yes, I ate without salt! I'm happy to be still alive! At least, the next time I can only improve with salt (!), more veggies, and a little less burnt rice :) I will not publish the recipe yet, just give me one more month of experimenting and when I come back to India in December I will teach them how we prepare a real Dal!!! Until then, keep eating well, and send me some good recipes for me to experiment, in the comments below!

P.S.: I certify that my first dish was edible!

Germany Guruji Gratitude

2009-10-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I'm the luckiest person on this planet. Seriously. I've been traveling abroad for the past 4 months already, getting a great work experience on one side, and getting to see my worldwide family on the other side. I've been in France, India, Bahrain, and this past weekend Germany, and the constant in these four countries is that I've made new friends that are vibrant of energy and full of wisdom. If it wasn't enough, I got to see Guruji more than I ever did, to the point that there is almost no longing anymore !! When I see him in my mind I think : "Hey what's up? I'm here as well, nice to see you, thanks for coming"! It is amazing to see the scale of the movement He created, and now when I tell people that we're in over 153 countries and its aim is to create one world family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam), I can really feel it and speak from experience. The bottom line to all the good things that are happening on the path, I've found, is that whenever we put a strong Sankalpa (intention) on something good it often manifests. Although my intention of staying in India didn't work, it made me discover my European family!

This past weekend, I took the train to Lyon and met 2 awesome teachers, Ryan and Mariette, who are creating havoc in the universities for "le stage YES!+" (it's good that they keep the name intact, as I was fearful it would be translated to Oui!+). The 7h road trip back and forth to the German ashram was great, exchanging guru stories and talking about many interesting subjects, deep and light, such as cheese for instance. I almost insulted the French heritage when I asked my coworkers where I could buy cheddar! With their variety of 400 cheeses, asking for an industrial cheese is certainly not the best way of creating good inter-cultural relations :) I shall know better !

Diwali at the German ashram

First impression: I'm freezing ! I might have been spoiled going to Chennai in term of weather, but even for a Canadian it was freezing cold during the Maha Kriya (in Germany, Maha is closer to 100, not lakhs of people!). We have to open windows for fresh air during the breathing! I didn't get an opportunity to visit the grounds (mostly consisting of the Black Forest), but the building itself is very nice. We improvised our accommodation in the basement where we found a warm empty room for the future Ayurvedic center. I might have a chance to see more of this ashram this coming weekend as Guruji is coming for Satsang again!! It's too much :D

To finish, I cannot but give you the link to what Antoine wrote about the course he is currently teaching in Iqualuit, in Canada. Bawa even couldn't resist putting it on his blog, so make sure you read it! Yes yes, go read now :)

Jai Guru Dev!

On tour around the globe

2009-10-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

India - Chennai

I spent a memorable last day in Chennai. We had a nice Satsang-Guru Puja where I met for the last time most of my friends. Anjana pronounced a nice good bye speech and Vivek played a beautiful bhajan. I was touched by the warmth of everybody, and I hugged them all on my way out. We then headed over to my place for a nice little party where they bought a cake for me! Since everybody was hungry, we went to my favorite restaurant to have my last Punjabi feast (this is where I had my first feast as well!), and thanks to the Grace they kept the restaurant open just for us!! Since my flight was only at 6 AM, I was amazingly surprised that a few of my friends stayed up and accompanied me to the airport until the very end. That is dedication! It was hard to say bye to them, but I finally made it to the plane.

Bahrain - Manama

I had a one day stop over in Bahrain, and it was the most well spent stop over! Not bad as it could have been the most boring stop over have I not thought of contacting my Middle Eastern family! One seva warrior, Vijay, was my guide for the whole day. He cooked me delicious dosas after I finished my practice, to make me feel at home ! I then had a feast for lunch with amazing teachers and volunteers at Bhramara's house, who marvelously combines being a teacher and a pediatrician. They did an amazing job at marketing my visit since close to 50 people showed up for an evening Satsang at their center, all this on a business day (it should be illegal to work on Sundays!). They put me on the chair to give a Bawa style Q&A, but immediately I thought that since they are lacking all the YES!+ fun there, I led a few of our best YES!+ games ! The energy went to the roof, people from all ages where running around the room. I then shared my experience with AOL and from Navaratri. Finally, to spice things up, we had a flat tire right before going to the airport. I was lucky it was night time (no traffic) ! Below is a picture in front of the Grand Mosque. It was empty as we came too late. Nonetheless I was able to sneak in and take some pics that I will upload soon!

France - Aix Les Bains

I immediately went to my apartment located in what resembles the Laurentians in Quebec, a community called Aix Les Bains (famous for its thermal baths). The city is quite pretty, and extremely calm. When we talk about the opposites being complimentary, that is a perfect example!

At work, we went to play Laser tag, and it was very exciting! Our team won easily both games, and it was an excellent workout! We then proceeded to a typical French restaurant. It was priceless when I asked the waiter to give me a vegetarian meal. He exclaimed: "what does vegetarian people eat!". I have 3 months to become an expert cook. Otherwise, I'll be eating lots of sandwiches and pizzas (bread and cheese are king here)!

I have yet to connect with the Satsang group in Lyon. I am planning to go this weekend, and I just learned today that Guruji will be in German ashram for Diwali celebrations! Destination: Germany!

Twinkle from the master

2009-10-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

Got back by train to Chennai for a few days stop before going to France. I wonder if the ride was only by train, or if it has been for the last 10 days of Navaratri? It's too soon to tell!

Where to start? It would be easy to describe what happened, but it wouldn't give any justice to what actually happened. For instance, if I tell you we have been sitting with 40 000 people for 6 hours straight listening to loud music and chanting in a language nobody knows, that we have been walking many times under heavy monsoon rain, that I have lost my sandals, that we had to queue for meals or anything all day, would you be interested in coming next year?? I don't think so! Then what makes it so special? It is hard to explain, so to make it easier let me recount briefly how I felt during these 10 auspicious days.

We started with an amazing Advanced Course with the John Osborne, a long time devotee and one of the best teacher made from USA (besides my first Part 1 teacher, Priti). He had mind-blowing Q&A sessions, and his Satsangs were out of this world. I was hoping to learn from him how to sing since we have the same deep voice, but it will have to wait..

It was my 6th Advanced course, and most likely due to the time of Navaratri, I had such a deep experience. I was so much in the present moment that I had to remind myself of where I came from and what I was doing next after the course!! I never felt like that so strongly before. Also, I was more able than ever to have a say on my thoughts, whether I would act on them or not. Thoughts always come (unless you meditate all day!), so for me to have that heightened state of awareness was truly delightful.

All the poojas were very powerful, and even though I didn't understand most of its significance, the effects on the body and mind were easily observable. It was a privilege to see Guruji so often (3 times a day!). I even got a twinkle from him on my before last day in Ashram. I got my dose for the year :)

Lots of people I met in ashram were asking me if I was the author of the blog "Max in Chennai", or "Maximiji"!! I was happily surprised to be recognized by so many, and I didn't suspect that this blog would help to make friends :)

Enjoy all the pics I took from the ashram for Navaratri celebrations along with the first ever wedding I attended to, which is Rasmin's.

I'm leaving now for France (stop over tomorrow in Bahrain all day ! :-).
Lots more to come soon! Jai Guru Dev!

Bangalore Navaratri 2009

Rasmin's wedding

Navaratri, here I come!

2009-09-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

Less than 3 hours before I set foot on the Mysore train to Bangalore, reaching early morning the ashram! I still have no confirmation of my hotel booking, so I called the ashram to enquire whether I was on their list to learn that the Advance course for Internationals (I'm a local now, no?) only starts on the 20th. So what's happening tomorrow then? Well well, they told me we have a day trip planned to Mysore. All good, but I've been there (all I remember is the amount of delicious food I ingested.. that's the correct word!) and I want to be in ashram only! Well well, apparently Guruji is coming with us on this expedition!! With only the International crowd? Awesome! It has its advantages to be both International and Local I tell you :) Let's see what these 9 days of Navaratri are all about, and I'm sure I'll have a lot of storyline material when I come back on the 30th. I promise I'll take as much pictures and videos as possible. But that's for you guys I'm doing that, as for certain it will be an experience lived beyond the five senses ...

Why do we work?

2009-09-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

To make money. Isn't it so? And what do we do most of our life, other than sleeping and eating? We work! Nothing bad with working for money, it should be that way but often we mix our heart into work (oh this is my dream job!) and our intellect in relationships (I do this for you, you do this for me!).

I've always been amazed by this circle of life. Some call it the rat race. We go to school first and foremost to be a good employee so that when we finish school, we can have a good job (meaning good salary). In turn, we hope this salary will give us comfort: a good house to sleep, good food to eat and whatever is left normally goes toward acquiring material possessions in order to keep ourselves "happy" (next post..) and the economy going, so that others also have a good job. Isn't interesting to observe that when the economy goes down (i.e. right now!) that people's life and happiness take a big hit? How limiting is that! We want a good economy so we can live comfortably. So that we can enjoy our weekends and our 2-3 weeks yearly vacations. Why do we call these weeks vacations? Because it is during that time we can actually do what we have been postponing the rest of the year. And why are they so important to us? Because work generates a lot of stress. We take this vacation as a way to evacuate stress. So out of 52 weeks, we spend maybe 5% of the year attending to our well being (mental and physical). And for quite a few young adults, it means going to Cuba, have alcohol and hopefully meet our soul mate :)

Now, let's do some math. Let's say you just graduated from a good university, and earn 50k (which is a pretty good amount!) within the first few years. What happens to that money? If you are in Quebec:

Revenue: 50 000
Income taxes: 13 300 (link)
Pension plan/ employment and health insurance: 3 000
Apartment in Montreal (1000$ a month): 12 000 (all inclusive: electricity, taxes, etc.)
Car (500$ a month): 6 000
Food (vegetarian! 300$ a month) + restaurants: 4 000
Clothing (men!): 2 000
Furniture/technology equipment: 3 000
Connectivity (TV/Phone/Internet): 1 200
Holidays: 2 000
Misc / punctual expenses (gifts, weekend trips, etc): 2 000
Expenses: 48 500

And I am not including any student loans that might still be pending!
Wow! All that work and you can hopefully finish the year with a beautiful 1 500$ that you will want to put in your pension in prevision of your retirement! And that is if you got lucky (no major house / car repairs, didn't lose your job or house as many people did in the US!). Many actually finish the year with a negative balance (as their credit cards can attest!). Does it make sense? Working 40 hours a week time 50 weeks: 2 000 hours worth 2 000$? Is our time and energy so cheap? Could we use these 2 000 hours in a better way? I have an idea.. :D

Change of plans!!

2009-09-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

As everyone in Art of Living especially have experienced, no matter how well your plans are thought of, they just keep changing by themselves! And when you wonder why it didn't happen the way You wanted it to happen, you often come to realize that it was for the best! At least, that has been my experience for the last 3 years!

OK, why am I talking about it, just shoot and tell the big story you would say! Well, I've been planning for 3 months different ways to get time off work for Navratri. I already took 2 days off for Blessing course, and I was crossing my fingers to attend at least the last 3 days of Navratri. Now, this week I get an email from my CEO which indicates a complete turnover [please fasten your seatbelt if you are not in India!]: he is repatriating me to France to finish my internship there (Oct-Dec)!!
I am wonderstruck, as it meant no Navratri, and no more Indian experience! Well, after 24h of storm of emotions (Ashtavakra experts, you know!), I finally get to talk to my boss only to be reassured once more by Guruji's grace: he told me to take 10 days off and then come back to France. In other words (in my mind at least!), you go to Navratri for the 9 days and come back fresh to France!!!

So, in short, I will continue my internship in a different location (which is very nice as I saw on my previous visit!). I hopefully will be able to teach in France as well, which should be doable sine Spencer will be only one hour away!

I will have to say good bye for now to the amazing people I met in India, but that is not until I finish this weekend's DSN course (amazing teacher who went to Iraq to teach during the war!). And not until I finish with Navratri either!

I don't want to write the conclusion yet, but as I expressed many time here in this blog I felt very grateful all that time I've been here and I will take another Sankalpa (intention) to come back here ASAP! I have proven to myself I can be at home anywhere in the world, expanding my friend's circle more than I ever did, and India is surely a very nice place to make it your home :) Let's see what plans Guruji has left in store for me!

Maximiji got engaged!

2009-09-01T03:43:00.001-07:00

... not quite, although that is what a new participant thought when I co-taught my first YES!+ course with Muthu last week ! Ouf, the "Swami" title is still holding for now :)

It has been an amazing week (is there any way to have a dull week when it is filled with YES!+ vibrant enthusiasm?). I realized even more how much knowledge this course contains, and that if you just take one single point and practice it daily it is enough to "save your mind". Teaching this course taught me that I had just began to learn, and that much more is to come on this beautiful journey called life.

We had yoga on the beach at 5:30 on Saturday morning, just before sunrise. It was my first yoga on the beach, and I have to say that I want to repeat this unique experience ASAP! Luckily I am here for 4 more months :) On the last day, right after the course, the participants were challenged to make a food carnival where they would make profit selling the food. Muthu wanted us to come at the "peak" of the event to see how well they did. The problem is we arrived past the peak, with no food left for hungry me to eat :P Fortunately, my "fasting" paid off with long Kriya :)

I am slowly getting Indian, having rice and dahl for breakfast, occasionally not wearing any seatbelt or helmet, dealing with auto-whallas by ending my sentences with "nan" (and slowly losing my proper English vocabulary!), sporting sandals even for work and having great faith in the Divine for everyday challenges! It is amazing how in Quebec we "fight" for having 2 official languages, when there are so many here! One early morning I was riding behind someone on a bike when he asked if the roads where all empty like this in Canada :) Finally, I learned my first sentence in Tamil this week, with great effort. Guess what it is? Hint: we are supposed to use it sparingly with only our dear ones ..

On top of the world!

2009-08-25T00:01:00.001-07:00

That is the feeling I get when I meditate at Sumeru Mantap, which is the old meditation hall (before Vishalakshi Maptap). It is said that many Rishis have meditated there in the past, and no doubt your mind goes blank the moment you sit there for meditation. You feel the whole word belongs to you, and since I just finished the most amazing course called Blessing course, I felt immensely free. What is the course about? I didn't have the impression I was on a course until our beloved teacher Pankaj said "the course is now over, you all go bless as many people as you can" ! It was purely 4 days of deep rest for your mind (it is amazing how my awareness was heightened being at the ashram, where I was catching almost every single thought !). Not only rest, but also a big celebration every night with Guruji. I was wishing I had already learned Tamil since there was a 1000 people Tamil Advance Course and most of the discussion at night was in Tamil! There was Ganapati celebrations (see Bawa's blogpost about it) with about 4-5 thousand people dancing and singing! The YES!+ participants from Chennai (we had 3 courses) all came on Sunday to the ashram, many for their first time! It was my first train ride experience in India, and being in Chennai it takes about 5 hours during the night to reach Bangalore so it was pretty effortless (compared to flying from Canada!) to sleep in AC2 sleeper class. My master plan of being close to Bangalore Ashram finally got implemented :)

Last night I sat on my first course with Muthu and we had so much fun with the group. About 30 new participants and they were all smiling, no exception! Could it be otherwise?? Let's see if they all did their homework tonight.. :)

Bangalore Aug 09

Triple B - Biking, Blessings, Bangalore!

2009-08-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tired of paying (and mostly dealing) with auto-whalas, I took the matter in hand and did an extensive research about acquiring a bike. Knowing the license might be an issue, since I can only drive cars, I asked many people and the common census was to keep some money with me in the event an officer would stop me. Hence, I did my first biking lesson last Sunday with my roommate Bastien, who owns a nice Royal Enfield Bullet (the best brand apparently you can get here). Within less than an hour I was happily shifting the first 3 gears in an uncrowded road! The bike was pretty heavy, so any imbalance issue at low speed would be quite a challenge!

A week later, after more research and contacting sellers, I made the math and for the next 4 months (including the monsoon period!) it seems simply not worth to spend that much money and most importantly, to risk my life! I love the peace of mind taking a rickshaw gives you, especially when I get to meditate in the traffic. That is the best "be in harmony with your environment" situation I can find!

Speaking on environment, I am leaving by train in a few hours to the best place in the world, which is of course our beloved Bangalore Ashram! And I heard Guruji cancelled his trip to Pakistan to be there this weekend! What a combo :) I will be doing for the first time the Blessings Course. Possibly the best weekend so far!

Stay tuned: next week I am scheduled to start co-teaching my first YES!+ course with Muthu. As said before, never a dull moment in Chennai!

Guruji is next door!

2009-08-12T11:18:00.001-07:00

I was barely finishing my evening Padmasadhana-meditation that I receive (another) SMS from our YES!+ group:
"Guruji in town & in AVM gust house. So get ur folks & pass on msg 2 ur grp."

The good news is that the venue is 2km or 70 rupees away so I barely have time to exchange name with my auto-driver and talk about His Holiness to him that I see myself at Guruji's feet with less than 10 people in the room, with the usual blank state of mind ! Fortunately I had asked my first question to him in 3 years a few days back (see post)! All the volunteers were well dressed and smiling as usual, sharing with me the conversation they had with the Master. His sister Bhanu Didi was there, along with Rishi Nityapragya (great video). What more can you hope for and where else in the world would you be?

Jai Guru Dev!

A job for everyone!

2009-08-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

Something that has struck me since I am in India is the amount of people doing a variety of jobs. Last night, we did a "Smile Chennai" campaign in a mall in order to raise awareness about YES!+ to the youth (even though we are supposed to avoid public areas due to swine flu, Seva never stops!). We took an elevator to get permission to flyer in the mall, and to my great surprise there was a man sitting inside the elevator who's sole purpose was to press the buttons of each floor. I was probably in the most modern elevator of Chennai, and yet one man per elevator was going up and down the whole duration of his shift, with only a water bottle at his feet. Same goes for the watchmen rotating 24h/7days to open and close the gate at my apartment building. Same goes in the restaurants where often there are more employees looking at you then people eating the food! Is there that many people in India? :)

We had another great week (has any week been below average!?) filled with daily Satsangs and Guru Pooja (ceremony to express our gratitude for everything). Speaking on gratitude, that is the overall feeling that is floating with me all the time. I learn so much every day. For instance, I led my first 2 long Kriyas along with my first YES!+ upgrade this weekend. Over 30 participants attended the upgrade and their learning in just one day was tremendous. It is amazing to see the transformation happening in each of them, and that sense of non-doership where it is all happening through Guruji is just incredible.

He just finished the temple's tour in Tamil Nadu, and I found on the Wisdom from Sri Sri blog many Youtube videos of His tour. A must check (although some talks are in Tamil, I recommend this video in particular). It was great to meet Him at the first temple, and the crowd was respective to Indian standards (around 4-5 thousand people!). 90% of the talk was in Tamil though, speaking on subjects relevant to the locals (on agriculture for instance).

What's next? We have 4 YES!+ courses at the end of the month right in Chennai! One is at 6 in the morning, unheard of for me! My plans to go to the ashram for the Blessings Course (very exciting!) are still holding for now, let's see if anything changes!

To my great surprise, I found out that there are salsa dancing lessons happening at the apartment on Thurday's nights! I'm happy that it is the dance I know the most, and I have to say it is quite interesting to see how the lessons are conducted here (barefoot and funnily here there are more men than women attending!).

Finishing on a quick health note, for those who were worried about last night's earthquake in Asia, only my coworkers reported they felt the vibrations.. and no swine flu in sight :) Body and mind are in sync

Guruji is in town!

2009-08-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

We just finished another amazing (how else can it be!) YES!+ course, my first complete course ever in India and it went super fast! The belongingness among the participants was really high, and we had great energy every single night. To top it all, we got to see Guruji yesterday night since he had just landed in Chennai for his trip across Tamil Nadu named Spiritual Re-awakening tour (see the Chennai Online newspaper). Less than 100 people gathered at the last minute to see Him, which is pretty rare in India to have such a small attendance! Thanks to that I got to talk to him about my future plans and he agreed to them (becoming full time after my studies are done). He said: "What are you stuying?" I said "Software Eng." and then He said "Hann OK" :) I posted the pictures in the YES!+ Chennai album. As if it wasn't enough, I am leaving now on a bus trip to see Him again tonight for a Maha Satsang at the first temple of his tour. I'll keep you guys updated with all the news and pictures !

Party At My Place

2009-07-25T01:12:00.001-07:00

Finally, after 3 weeks in Chennai (already!!), I had my first Art of Living party at my palace! Nikita told me to expect only 10 people out of the 50 she contacted, so I was fairly confident that I could handle it.. only to find out that more than 30 people showed up! And to top it all, I was blessed by the presence of an amazing Swami who teaches the best Sri Sri Yoga courses. All at my "flat" :)

We had Satsang and the energy was quite high! No neighbors complained, but the security guards were quite amazed by the influx of people .. :) Everybody said how nice the apartment was.. I guess I have some good Karma in store! We are all quite excited for the YES!+ course starting Tuesday, it is going to be a blast. Right now we are at over 60 people and expecting to reach 100 by then. It is amazing the Seva that is happening here, doing intro talks everyday non-stop. Also Guruji is coming in this state - Tamil Nadu - early August for a visit of temples. This might be my chance to catch him since this weekend's plans changed because of the visit of great teachers here in Chennai. So tomorrow after Long Kriya a day full of activities / carnival is on the menu.

Youpidouwa!

I Luv India!

2009-07-21T02:17:00.001-07:00

With the help of the amazing YES!+ gang, I have been having an awesome time in Chennai! I was concerned about the food in the beginning, but thanks to my new family I have been so well taken care! From delicious Punjabi food (butter naan, paneer and daal) to homemade South Indian food (iddly, sambar), to fruit shops (jughead milkshake being my favorite!), my appetite is quite satiated. As for the rickshaws, I have now my regular driver in the morning at a good fare. Amazing how everything gets taken care of!

There was the famous YES!+ upgrade on Sunday, following from the last course so it was nice to see all the course participants again. Next: Bangalore ashram on the 26th to meet with Guruji, so my plans for next weekend are already made :) Simply put, I have no time to be bored and that's perfect! The days are too short, not just because of the latitude..!

Work wise, things are going smoothly, awaiting my CTO's arrival next week. The team is great, but I miss half the lunch's conversation because I don't know Tamil yet. I only know how to say OK (and apparently the way I say it, also means "to smile" haha! So.. Smile, OK ?!).

It is amazing how easy it is for us in Canada to buy things online. I realised that fact even more today, for example buying 10 books on Amazon costs a good 130$ of shipping fees. I'm thinking of starting my own exchange business since I have received a few requests about importing Apple computers on my next trip! I'll probably need one myself since my good old Toshiba "died" right before going to India :)

Finally, at the general demand, I created 2 more albums on Picasa.

Chennai - General

YES!+ Chennai

YES!+ in Chennai

2009-07-13T02:19:00.001-07:00

I got my first opportunity to assist on a YES!+ course, right in Chennai!
The plan for the weekend was to attend a coworker's wedding, but it involved an 8h train ride. For some reason, I stayed in Chennai and I'm glad I did!

I got in touch with a volunteer on Saturday, and immediately he told me about a special YES!+ course held for creative people that was happening in Chennai. He said I should come for the last day (Sunday) of the course. Little I knew when I got there that I would be sitting in front of 40+ people with 2 amazing teachers! I said previously that I was missing the AOL family, right? Well, I just made a heap of new friends ready to make my Chennai experience an unforgettable one :) I was told none of the 3 YES!+ Chennai teachers are in town, and that they need a lot of help. Great, I guess I was sent to here for that specific reason!

Day at work in Chennai, India!

2009-07-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

After a week full of exciting travelling and amusements (flying over the Alps in France, volleyball at the beach in India!), back to business! Or rather, a new experience of working abroad in a different culture!

Only 3 days in India so far, already had to bargain a few things, ate delicious Indian food (spicy!), went to the beach and travelled around the city on the back of a motorbike! The other 180 days remaining sound quite promising I can say..! Incredible India!

The thing I miss the most (other than not having an operational cellphone yet, my bike and running water that you can drink!) is the family in Montreal (both mom/dad/sister and Art of Living gang). It is now more than ever that I realise the importance of being in a Satsang everyday as it was the case in Montreal.

I almost spoke more French in the past week (both in France and in India) than I ever did in 2 years in Montreal! I met pretty much all the French expats that live in Chennai :)

Ahh les Francais! My 2 roommates are great, they were both there at the airport Saturday morning at 5 am, now that is a warm welcome! They even dressed "à l'indienne" (see the small dress on the left, that is Bastien and Julien is on the right)! When the only downside is that I have to force them to health healthy meal at night, what is there to complain? The apartment is simply gorgeous and spacious, and there is a park nearby that I have yet to visit (Nageshwara Park). I didn't try the swimming pool either, went to the beach instead yesterday :)

The ride to work is anywhere between 10-20 min (by motorbike, apparently slightly faster than by car since you can sneak in between cars!) See the proof on the right..!

I will upload a few pics soon (not much to see from my trip in Paris, I did most of the sight seeing in a Mercedes so if you want to see the Eiffel tower, it will be really small!). I honestly preferred Chambéry to Paris, but that might be because I didn't have much time to visit (one night) and that I was probably in a big tourist trap area (expansive restaurants/shops). Other than that, I enjoyed flying with Gulf Air. I counted 2 other white people on the flight from Bahrain to Chennai, and I saw them yesterday near the beach!

In transit over Bahrain

2009-07-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

At the airport, waiting for my connecting flight!
India, here I come! :-)

Update: I reached Chennai, off to sleep in the Palace :) More updates coming shortly, along with pictures!

Paris à vélo!

2009-07-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

Since my flight for India is Friday in the morning in Paris (3-4h away by train from Chambery), it made sense to spend the night before in Paris. I will be going tomorrow afternoon and will bike around the city for the first time! Stay tuned..!

Update: just arrived in Paris! It's quite hot and crowded .. :) Here is the first pic! More to come as soon as I'm done exploring! The TGV ride was blazing fast, and I enjoyed talking to an Italian woman finishing her medicine studies! She now knows everything about the power of the breath.!

In the air over the French Prealps!

2009-06-30T04:47:00.001-07:00

After the first day in the office, the CEO comes to my desk and says: "I want to show you something.." so we left work early for some unknown adventure. I was secretly hoping that it wasn't going to be a pub with the"diots" (French sausages!) they recommended me to try.

I was quite pleased to learn that he wanted to show me the gorgeous French Prealps from the air! I was less pleased when he told me he was in training to get his flying license.. until I saw that his instructor was accompanying him :)

You can see all the shots in the Picasa album I recently created, with all the photos since the journey started!

France

Chambéry

2009-06-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog, Max in Chennai!
The journey has already begun .. in Chambéry, France!

After an easy flight to Lyon, I got to my room last night at Art Hotel in Chambéry. This city is beautiful, south of France surrounded by "pre-Alps" mountains! Too bad I am not staying there for my internship, it would have been really nice! Although the plenitude of restaurants, it is challenging for a vegetarian to eat here, and it is amazing how everybody seems to be a compulsive smoker! So hum!

First day in the "office" today, and we spent a good time at the beach eating our "dejeuner" (lunch). Ah les français! The weather is still hot like before I left in Montreal. I think it is a good warm up (!) for Chennai!!

Tomorrow the CTO from Toronto is coming, so I should be getting more work done before my flight to Chennai on Friday, where I will reach my Palace!

Stay tuned, I'll post the pictures shortly :)