have the chutzpah to put tuchas on the table. 38 m + 22 m

the inner self does not mince words, always cuts to the chase. for instance, today, moments after i am into the easy lotus posture i get these words clear and bright: shivaa, pesto, rudram.

here's the genius of the inner self. just as a seed contains the essence of a plant, its bare bone directive holds the key to a complete piece.

but i digress.

let me get back to shivaa, my sis on the spiritual path.


last night, as i was walking the stone path through shivaa's rose garden after yet another knockout meal for a sumptuous spiritual practice party with seven dedicated, determined fellow yogis, i was filled with a sense of awe for shivaa. she organizes this every two weeks. her emails are always a delight to receive, always pithy, to the point, sparkling with lightheartedness. we have a framework of must-do practices in a certain order and shivaa always looks for ways to refresh it, and it would take us up another ecstasy level. it's getting high without drugs.

and the food. i can't meditate right after i eat unless it's shivaa's food. somehow her food makes me satisfied but not heavy. after a meal at her table i am all fired up and ready to do the practices.

last night, among many yummy things, she created this pesto using roasted sesame seeds instead of pine nuts. it's genius because it's deli-sh at a fraction of the cost. in fact, i love it more than pine nuts. it's more aromatic and lighter.

it is shivaa who has made rudram, a major hymn from the vedas, the heart of our practice party. because of her generosity and efforts to convert a deteriorating videotape to dvd i get to chant it with my beloved meditation teacher on a high def monitor. i have to keep reminding myself that, even today, a seeker has to go deep into india to go to great lengths to find a brahmin priest who would allow an outsider just to listen in. but, there i am, sitting in the comforts of shivaa's sweet abode, chanting my hearts out. life as a couch potato seeker has never been easier. i am truly fortunate.

birthdays. shivaa makes sure everyone's birthday is celebrated with cakes and gifts. and, ever thoughtful, now she includes some wheat-free-gluten-free number. last night, for laura's birthday, there was a choc tiramisu and flourless choc tort. my discipline fell apart when it came to the choc tort. i totally od'd. and yet i was still able to chant with a fabulous lightness. go figure.

have i also mentioned shivaa has been beautifully managing parkinson's for over a decade? she was the first trial patient to have some electrical device put into her brain. apparently it has since been discovered that it shouldn't have worked because it ought to be in a different part of the brain. yet, it has been working for shivaa. shivaa likes to tell this story with giddy delight. there's a yiddish saying that goes: have the chutzpah to put your tuchas on the table. it's so shivaa.

neil says, shivaa is insisting we all get enlightened before the year is over. hey, i am all for it.