What is so special about souvenirs?

They light up the mind and refresh our memory every time one dwells on them and last like a storybook of one’s life.
As I reflect on two such souvenirs recently and vividly, I relive them and the picture is as glowing as on the screen of life as when they happened. They are still the epitome of splendor which enraptures my mental datebook.

Though at both places, rain clouded the day from the heavens above to the ground below, it seemed to light up the atmosphere into a spire of beauty in these magnificent centers and nature and my soul became one with each moment.

Yogaville, tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, sheltered by the magnificent mountain range and forests whose pure energy reflected the deepest cradle of union between the spirituality of tribal people of the jungle, to the various sophistication of religions and philosophies, like a rainbow, discover that truth in one.

How could my heart find more beauty than to join the body, mind and spirit in yoga, in such a place?
Again, a week later, I traveled north to the charming town of Walpole, New Hampshire, and the incredible studio of Josephine and Bryan Russell. We experienced the oneness which emanated in the atmosphere and encircled the crowd of wonderful students who came from great distances to take my workshop.

This lovely state made the very essence of yoga a vibrant force of peace and love. It is as though the millions of trees in these incredible regions tune into the wonder of nature and of man and how they open up the door to deep inside wherein lies the story of life itself. Why with every pulse beat of my heart am I able to awaken the creation of YUG and let that energy permeate my whole existence?

I cannot thank deeply enough all who invited me to teach and those who came to take my classes, for together we can open the doors so that we see more clearly the wonder of life, the wonder of yoga in all things.

~ Tao

Bonus: Tao talks with Dr. Sanjay Gupta:

 Tao Porchon-Lynch, Master Yoga teacher, 93 years young, synthesizes the most positive aspects of Indian, European and American thought. The daughter of an Indian mother and a French father, who spent the first twenty years of her life in India, Tao is uniquely equipped to spread yogic insights, originating in India, to Westerners seeking enlightenment. Tao has trained and certified  hundreds of yoga instructors, since founding the Westchester Institute of Yoga in 1982.  Tao has over 70 years of yoga practice and more than 40 years of teaching yoga to students in India, France and the U.S.

Having studied with Indra Devi in Pondicherry and BKS Iyengar in Pune and Mumbai, Tao learned how to tap into the incredible power all individuals possess but only few can access. She has made twenty-five pilgrimages to India with her students because she believes that such visits offer enlightenment about the true spirit of Yoga. Tao continues to teach workshops  at many yoga centers, including the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Integral Yoga Institute, both in Manhattan and Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, Va. 

Tao has recently published her first meditation book, Reflections: The Yogic Journey of Life. This wonderful book includes several guided meditations, and when paired with the music CD by Valerie Romanoff has Tao’s lessons and words of wisdom coming to life.

For more information, visit her website, www.taoporchonlynch.com.

~

Editor: Kate Bartolotta

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