The Mists of Pokhara

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need”

~ Tao Te Ching

Somewhere between simple and complex

lies the meandering path

leading to the epicenter

of every sentient being’s core.

Journeys as old as time

without beginnings,

without endings,

peaceful rivers flowing into eternity.

A morning bell pierces

the slumbering silence

of kindred spirits

from places far away.

Practice, practice, practice,

letting go, letting go, letting go,

holding on, holding on, holding on,

to the notion of letting go.

Letting go of doubts and fears,

vanquishing voices who whisper…

“not good enough, not strong enough”,

revealing potency that has always been there.

Relinquishing desires that dwell in our darkness,

cleansing body, mind and spirit;

nourishing a hungry soul,

embracing the vastness of empty awareness.

Wang, shang, ksang, sang, Wang shang, ksang, sang

becomes the galloping train

disappearing into that dark tunnel,

destination the light within.

Nocturnal messengers call my name

and so indelibly dapple my dreams,

shedding skins that fit no longer

while seeking clarity in the mists of Pokhara.

Copyright © Henri Ferguson 2004

All rights reserved.

I just spent 5 weeks in Nepal, most of that at a yoga teacher training retreat in Pokhara, an 8 hour mountain bus ride (not for the faint of heart) west of Kathmandu. White knuckles at times but scenery that made it well worth it.

Many hours of yoga on a terrace surrounded by the Annapurna range with 8000 meter peaks of the Himalaya. An introspective exploration through the lens of self scrutiny makes for life altering, mind-body shifting awareness that only this kind of experience can deliver. Physically demanding, spiritually challenging and a peeling back emotionally, leaves one rather naked like an open book.

“Wang, shang, ksang, sang, Wang shang, ksang, sang” these are words from a Chakra meditation and would be chanted repeatedly so fast that it totally sounded like a runaway train. Perhaps “you had to be there” to really get the gist; suffice it to say it works. This has been an amazing journey of shifts that have enriched and altered my life in many ways, the mists of Pokhara.

Written January 3rd, 2005