Goa

About Yoga: do Indians really practice it today?
If you attend a yoga course in India, most probable 90% of the crowd will be Westerners.
It seems that middle-class Indians would rather go jogging than perform asanas. But there is a strong culture of Yoga in ashrams and in places like Rishikesh or Mysore. For example, it is possible to study Yoga at University and to get a Phd. Surprising? But Yoga over here is a science which includes the physical postures we know but also moral values, philosophy, Âyurveda, meditation...Yoga started 5000 years ago with the Veda civilisation in India. At that time the aim was to meditate and only sitting postures were mentioned. The export of Yoga to
the West in the 19th century put an emphasis on the asanas and on the health benefits. But in India, it encompasses so much more...

If you are interested the documentary “Yoga unveiled” gives a very good overview of Yoga history from the Vedas to Hot Yoga :)

Spiritual names: Sunshine, Lotus flower, Sky, Truth...so cute. But be careful, one of the most praised spititual name in India is...ta tam... Lovely Cow!

La vieille ville de Goa: un peu d’histoire
Qui l’aurait cru? Au 17e siecle, la vieille ville de Goa etait un centre economique majeur qui dépassait Lisbonne et Londres en population. Des 200,000 habitants, seuls 1500 survécurent aux épidémies de peste et cholera. Aujourd’hui le site est classe au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco. Seules des églises demeurent, traces du passage des Portugais et des multiples ordres chrétiens. Dans la basilique Bom Jesus, le nombre de visiteurs indiens etait impressionant. Sourire face a Jesus enguirlande de fleurs éclatantes oranges ou jaunes. La cathedrale Se est la plus grande d’Asie et reflete l’importance de la communaute chretienne a Goa. L’eglise de St Francois d’Assise, vide mais avec de beaux restes de peintures, souligne que le monde d’hier, tout comme celui d’aujourd’hui etait étrangement multiculturel. Souvenirs de Lisbonne et une pensee pour Luis en ces lieux bizarrement familiers ou seuls les saris flamboyants nous rappelent que nous sommes en Inde.

Why some Indians have curly hair?
People always tell me: “I like your hair, where are you from?” and the answer France does not satisfy them :). Of course I always mention my Senegalese roots. Because of the slave roads, some Africans stayed in India and surprisingly some Indians in Goa have curly hair....of course, nothing like my dear Afro!

Silence
But why on earth did we hear some Hindu-tyrolian music at 5.20am in a village full of sleepy people on holiday? Is it because of Dilawi, the hindu Christmas? Or was it you Angelo?? We’ll never know but for sure the most precious thing in India is ... Silence :)