The week is in a process of build up. The honors go to the Divine Mother today. They had a nine year old girl dressed up and decorated sitting in the middle of the stage where the statue (see pictures from yesterday) of the Divine Mother usually resides. The pundits (men in red) went through a two hour ceremonial process while she sat relatively still. I was surprised. The room was packed. You see Gurudev off to the left in orange. He sat even longer, since people came up to pay respects to him after the ceremony. A moment of humor was when Gurudev pulled out his camera and took two pictures of the little girl towards the end of the ceremony.
For me, the ceremonies are interesting, but not enticing. They are brilliant opportunities for people watching. I hand it to this culture that young, old, big, and small all sit cross-legged on the floor. Our culture might benefit from a bit of that practice. It is a reality check to haul yourself up and down off the floor, plus sitting cross-legged for a long time. I am slowly building up, but I have a ways to go. The proper sitting position is intense fitness, (yoga in the purest, basic movement.) You have to use your core muscles to balance yourself within the framework of your crossed legs, but the catch is the amount of flexibility needed to find the stress free point. In essence, you are strengthening and stretching while sitting.
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