Items related to Dancing in the Bamboo Forest: A Travel Memoir
Is compassion retained when pushed to the brink?
Does honesty remain when fear and uncertainty seep in?
Does generosity still exist when resources are exhausted?
When lost, is God still there?
Does honesty remain when fear and uncertainty seep in?
Does generosity still exist when resources are exhausted?
When lost, is God still there?
India lived in me as a dance. A dance that resonated with movements from a deep-rooted connection; a dance that swayed my hidden dreams to the surface, reminding me of how I used to see myself; a dance that moved a healing energy through my body. I woke up. (From the preface.)
After attending a yoga teacher training course in South India, Djahariah Mitra found herself unable to return to her ordinary life that had left her empty and still. She ignored her return ticket and took a leap of faith. She embarked upon a journey through ancient temples, lush mountain retreats, ashrams, and nightclubs, finding freedom while feeling lost, encountering joy within chaos, learning patience amidst paradox, and revealing the deep inner turmoil of someone seeking balance, all through the lens of yogic philosophy.
This intimate memoir gives readers a remarkable perspective of a woman traveling alone, striving through challenges, embracing a vastly different culture, and ultimately finding a profound connection with her own family history, a courage to see her true self, and a passionate sweet love that rocks her heart.
When you are open to the world, the world opens to you.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Author:
Interview Excerpts:How much research did you do before traveling to India? I read plenty of advice for women on how to not be harassed as much. That was my main concern traveling alone. I also planned my first entry to be at an ashram that would provide a soft landing and give me time to acclimate. I listened to everything local women told me and respected cultural expectations. After the initial culture shock I quickly found my feet and felt more free to begin to explore. I chose each place for the few cultural, historical, or spiritual interests to visit. That was just the springboard, my real education came through the people I met who I tried to give a voice to and share their perspective along the way. They provided my research. I rambled.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
The hardest thing for me is not having the time to write. As a single mom of a pre-schooler it is challenging finding not only time but energy to let the brain relax and be creative. For me, writing requires hours of sitting in one place, focused and uninterrupted (other than by my own procrastinations). I think the ebb and flow of the creative process is hard-- one moment you are flowing and the next you are stranded on a sand bar until suddenly the tide comes in and you flow again. But you know something is happening in your brain it just isn't communicating with you yet. That's where the uninterrupted time is necessary because if you jar the brain out of the space of invisible rumination it stops and you lose whatever may have come. That frustration is the hardest thing about writing.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
The joy I feel writing is what makes it easy. And I decided long ago to not aspire to be more than I can be as a writer, I don't pressure myself to write like authors I admire or even come close to their brilliance. This freedom to accept how I write and like how I write makes writing feel easy.
What are you reading right now? Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?
I'm reading Martha Gelhorn's Travels with Myself and Another. Authors that have always stayed with me are John Steinbeck, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, V.S. Naipaul, E.M. Forster -- there really are too many. I am drawn to poetic writing where the words themselves evoke emotions, you feel you are participating in beauty by reading them.
About the Author:
What is the hardest thing about writing?
The hardest thing for me is not having the time to write. As a single mom of a pre-schooler it is challenging finding not only time but energy to let the brain relax and be creative. For me, writing requires hours of sitting in one place, focused and uninterrupted (other than by my own procrastinations). I think the ebb and flow of the creative process is hard-- one moment you are flowing and the next you are stranded on a sand bar until suddenly the tide comes in and you flow again. But you know something is happening in your brain it just isn't communicating with you yet. That's where the uninterrupted time is necessary because if you jar the brain out of the space of invisible rumination it stops and you lose whatever may have come. That frustration is the hardest thing about writing.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
The joy I feel writing is what makes it easy. And I decided long ago to not aspire to be more than I can be as a writer, I don't pressure myself to write like authors I admire or even come close to their brilliance. This freedom to accept how I write and like how I write makes writing feel easy.
What are you reading right now? Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?
I'm reading Martha Gelhorn's Travels with Myself and Another. Authors that have always stayed with me are John Steinbeck, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, V.S. Naipaul, E.M. Forster -- there really are too many. I am drawn to poetic writing where the words themselves evoke emotions, you feel you are participating in beauty by reading them.
My favorite place as a child was the library. I consumed books like candy. My father installed a large bookshelf and mounted wall light next to my bed when I was 8 so I could spend hours every night reading. As I got older I decided to spend more time out in the world living rather than inside a book. I wanted to write but felt I didn't have enough experience to share.
At age 11, while taking a cold bucket bath in Indonesia, I was terrified as I lifted my towel and found a coiled snake sleepily looking up at me. I leapt over it, rushed across the hall to my room, flicked on the light and was literally shocked as my wet hand met with the electrical current. From then on, I was hooked on travel.
I chose the degree of World, Arts & Cultures at UCLA as a continuation of my interest in the cultures of the world and as a catalyst to travel extensively and live in different countries. Money ran out often throughout my wanderings and my list is left unfulfilled.
After my Masters Degree from NYU, I was searching for an anchor to balance what I was doing in the world and how to understand it. Along my path of outer experience I came upon yoga and found my inner experience. I became a teacher and infuse my writing with a yogic perspective.
I live in NYC because it's the place I feel the most like I could be anywhere in the world depending what part of the city I decide to walk into.
I took a hiatus for a few years to have my son which has been the most challenging and rewarding and overwhelming and instructive thing I have ever experienced. He is my light.
At age 11, while taking a cold bucket bath in Indonesia, I was terrified as I lifted my towel and found a coiled snake sleepily looking up at me. I leapt over it, rushed across the hall to my room, flicked on the light and was literally shocked as my wet hand met with the electrical current. From then on, I was hooked on travel.
I chose the degree of World, Arts & Cultures at UCLA as a continuation of my interest in the cultures of the world and as a catalyst to travel extensively and live in different countries. Money ran out often throughout my wanderings and my list is left unfulfilled.
After my Masters Degree from NYU, I was searching for an anchor to balance what I was doing in the world and how to understand it. Along my path of outer experience I came upon yoga and found my inner experience. I became a teacher and infuse my writing with a yogic perspective.
I live in NYC because it's the place I feel the most like I could be anywhere in the world depending what part of the city I decide to walk into.
I took a hiatus for a few years to have my son which has been the most challenging and rewarding and overwhelming and instructive thing I have ever experienced. He is my light.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDancing Tree Books
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 0996087605
- ISBN 13 9780996087605
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages304
- Rating
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Dancing in the Bamboo Forest: A Travel Memoir
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Dancing Tree Books
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ISBN 10: 0996087605
ISBN 13: 9780996087605
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