Author: admin-ashrita

I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive. I was finally en route to the Wat Pa Luangta Yanasampanno Forest Monastery in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, better known as the Tiger Temple. It is a Buddhist monastery which cares for orphaned and injured animals, especially tigers. The place is unique because it allows visitors to hold…

During the three weeks I spent in Bulgaria recently, I got into the daily habit of taking a dip in the freezing cold Black Sea. I mainly did it just for fun, but the cold water seemed to help my muscles recover from my heavy training workouts. I would usually be accompanied by one or…

It wasn’t until I started practicing that I realized how hard hopping on one leg can be. After about 100 yards of the awkward activity, your hopping leg tires painfully and you desperately want to put the other leg on the ground. I guess, unlike flamingos, human beings are meant to support themselves on two…

I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand a few nights ago, and seeing all the motorbikes reminded me of an incident that happened the last time I was here. I was the tour conductor for a large group on our way to Southeast Asia and we were in Bangkok for a one-day stopover . I wanted to…

Doing forward rolls has got to be one of the most effective overall exercises ever invented. It works all the major muscle groups of the body and is especially beneficial for the neck, shoulders, forearms, triceps, abdominals, quads and calves. If it weren’t for the minor drawback that doing even a few rolls makes one…

I’m on an extended tour of Turkey and Bulgaria with many of my friends who are students of Sri Chinmoy. In the evenings we often get together and put on skits about inspiring topics. My friend, Databir, frequently directs these amateur performances and he is phenomenal. He can put together an entire production, from writing…

Lately, I’ve become somewhat of a lemon expert, but in a peculiar sort of way. You see, unlike most connoisseurs, the taste of the lemon doesn’t concern me in the slightest! It all started when I was training to break the speed record for peeling and eating a five-ounce lemon. For weeks I searched though…

A couple of days ago, I visited an orphanage in the Bulgarian countryside. I went with some friends who are part of Kids to Kids, a humanitarian organization that arranges for kids in different countries to exchange paintings, and for fortunate kids to donate toys to those who are less fortunate. A professional magician and…

A few days ago, I celebrated the new year by trying something totally new and different. I’m currently staying in a hotel on the beach in Varna, Bulgaria with some friends. The other day we noticed a couple of Romanian tourists splashing around in the waters of the Black Sea. There’s nothing unusual about that…

I’m not one for a whole list of resolutions but there is one thing that I’m determined to do this year. I have decided to set aside 10 minutes a day to offer gratitude to God for His Love, Guidance and Protection. Recently my spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy, recited an aphorism which really struck home:…