Today I woke up feeling queasy yet determined to explore Chennai with Jess. Even if you have a master game plan in India, things never pan out how you think it will.
Jess and I decided to take a tuk tuk down to Marina Beach and kindly requested that our driver take us there. We were informed that he 'needed' us to stop at another place on the way, but today I was adamant I would get from A to B with no in betweens. So off we went. I was sitting in the back of the rickshaw with several thoughts racing through my mind:
1. I have a feeling we're not going to Marina Beach
2. My rickshaw driver has suspiciously bloodshot eyes
3. Chennai seems even more relaxed about their driving or
4. My driver is a little mad and likes to drive, at times, on the wrong side of the road.
As these thoughts are running through my incredibly over active mind we weave out way through narrow streets and I know we are getting closer to the beach as the smell of fish becomes stronger from men and women selling it on the side of the road. We are in the midst of the pulsing rhythm and noise that makes India, India. Number one on my panic list (noted above) was apparently uncalled for as we arrived at our destination*.
Marina Beach is not like any other beach I have seen. The sand stretches as far as the eye can see and carts, food stalls and mini carnival Ferris wheels are scattered all over the sand. After making our way down a line of stalls laid out in the sand we decided to head back to our driver, albeit somewhat reluctantly...we havn't paid him yet, and I didn't fancy our chances of doing a runner in this town. We would have gotten hunted down for sure.
After an appetizing (but incredibly spicy) lunch we made our way to Ramakrishna Mutt. This is a pink Hindi temple where people are free to explore the grounds and meditate inside. There was also a super cute book store where I purchased a book called 'Silence as Yoga'. I was happy with my find and here's why. Silence and stillness are such an important part of my day. For many years I felt uncomfortable in silence and often had the overwhelming urge to hum or click my fingers or ramble on about nothing, simply to fill the silence with noise. While I occasionally have these urges today, on the whole I welcome silence and enjoy the stillness and peace it offers. Being in such a noisy and happening city has meant that I have had to take time out every day. Going to temples allows me to relax and sit in silence. Even when there is noise about me, I am learning how to create a silence from within and in a country like India I think it is essential for my peace of mind. It's about staying in the present moment and remaining calm despite the fact that my rickshaw driver is stoned out of his mind, despite the fact that we're doing a U-Turn in fast moving traffic, and despite the fact that at times other people's actions make me want to crawl safely into my snail shell. Silence can be found amidst all the chaos that we call life, that is if we choose to seek it.
'Silence, the great unseen power, the miracle of life, works upon our character with strange contrast. At times it overwhelms us with its oppressive stillness, and again it falls upon our heart as a shower of refreshing raindrops on a sultry summer day. How often silence acts as a tonic, invigorating and reviving our dull spirit. Then at other times its effect upon us is like that of a narcotic, putting our life's energies into a state of morbid sleep. All great forces of nature work in contrast.'
Silence as Yoga - Swami Paramananda
*For your information numbers two and four were later verified and this, therefore, cancels out the need for number three.
1. I have a feeling we're not going to Marina Beach
2. My rickshaw driver has suspiciously bloodshot eyes
3. Chennai seems even more relaxed about their driving or
4. My driver is a little mad and likes to drive, at times, on the wrong side of the road.
As these thoughts are running through my incredibly over active mind we weave out way through narrow streets and I know we are getting closer to the beach as the smell of fish becomes stronger from men and women selling it on the side of the road. We are in the midst of the pulsing rhythm and noise that makes India, India. Number one on my panic list (noted above) was apparently uncalled for as we arrived at our destination*.
Marina Beach is not like any other beach I have seen. The sand stretches as far as the eye can see and carts, food stalls and mini carnival Ferris wheels are scattered all over the sand. After making our way down a line of stalls laid out in the sand we decided to head back to our driver, albeit somewhat reluctantly...we havn't paid him yet, and I didn't fancy our chances of doing a runner in this town. We would have gotten hunted down for sure.
After an appetizing (but incredibly spicy) lunch we made our way to Ramakrishna Mutt. This is a pink Hindi temple where people are free to explore the grounds and meditate inside. There was also a super cute book store where I purchased a book called 'Silence as Yoga'. I was happy with my find and here's why. Silence and stillness are such an important part of my day. For many years I felt uncomfortable in silence and often had the overwhelming urge to hum or click my fingers or ramble on about nothing, simply to fill the silence with noise. While I occasionally have these urges today, on the whole I welcome silence and enjoy the stillness and peace it offers. Being in such a noisy and happening city has meant that I have had to take time out every day. Going to temples allows me to relax and sit in silence. Even when there is noise about me, I am learning how to create a silence from within and in a country like India I think it is essential for my peace of mind. It's about staying in the present moment and remaining calm despite the fact that my rickshaw driver is stoned out of his mind, despite the fact that we're doing a U-Turn in fast moving traffic, and despite the fact that at times other people's actions make me want to crawl safely into my snail shell. Silence can be found amidst all the chaos that we call life, that is if we choose to seek it.
'Silence, the great unseen power, the miracle of life, works upon our character with strange contrast. At times it overwhelms us with its oppressive stillness, and again it falls upon our heart as a shower of refreshing raindrops on a sultry summer day. How often silence acts as a tonic, invigorating and reviving our dull spirit. Then at other times its effect upon us is like that of a narcotic, putting our life's energies into a state of morbid sleep. All great forces of nature work in contrast.'
Silence as Yoga - Swami Paramananda
*For your information numbers two and four were later verified and this, therefore, cancels out the need for number three.
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