Vrindavan

| jenlabreche

Vrindavan was filled with beauty and chaos. Throughout the day and night there were so many things happening. My senses were inundated with smells of chai, burning ash, incense, flowers, delicious food being made at all hours of the day, and garbage.  Sounds of monkeys fighting, honking horns, people chanting, bells, and laughing children. The feel of satin scarves and beautiful rosewood Malas, combined with visions of cows wandering into stores to be fed breakfast, the brillant gopi skirts, flames at the aarti on the Yamuna river, and the smiling eyes of the open Indian people.

One morning we went to the Ashram of Neem Karoli Baba in Vrindavan. It opened my heart to tears of love and joy. I brought my friends Srutih, Carol, and Jana there with me in my heart as I walked in.  I fed the baby cows with everyone, and then sat and meditated in the room where Neem Karoli Baba stayed. I am new to meditation. There I was, calm and grounded. I saw visions of blue water everywhere like the Pacific Ocean was all around me. I didn’t want to leave that room. That morning something shifted. I was open and present with myself in a way I never had been before. I’m not a person that believes in gurus. I believe in myself.  In that place I could feel the overwhelming love and acceptance of a light being, and the love that oozes everywhere in that city.

There is so much more to say about Vrindavan… Amazing women, monkey stories, Krishna temples, camels, pigs, and Kirtan dancing…but this will do for now.

Rishikesh 

| jenlabreche



Rishikesh was beautiful. The mountains, trees, birds, Hanuman statues, and the beautiful Ganga right outside our window. I went to see the Beatles ashram with some friends. It was abandoned with beautiful vines growing everywhere. We started singing “Hey Jude” as we wandered around the grounds. It was a magic ghost town. 

I walked up and down the streets full of vendors and sugar cane entrepreneurs, shopped and took everything in while relaxing into this mountain town. 

When I went to the sunset aarti we found out that the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers were granted the same legal rights as human beings that day.  Here is a link for more information:

That was amazing news! https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/ganges-and-yamuna-rivers-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-beings

The devotion and love all the people in India have for the Ganga is beautiful to observe. This river gives them life and so much more. 

The sunset that night was spectacular. I was so happy to be with my pod of friends enjoying the magic hour and sending offerings of flowers and light to the Ganga. This aarti was relaxed and intimate and the ritual of rising with the sun with devotion and saying goodnight to it as well slowed down time. 

Also, there were lots of monkeys up in the mountains. One followed us into our room at the ashram. I freaked out, but in a very quiet way.  “Katie, there’s a monkey in our room…Katie….Katie…what do we do?!”

 Then we just screamed and waved our arms and legs really loud and he made off with my conditioner that was by the sink.  He was gone as quickly as he came and we weren’t trapped in our room with a monkey at the only exit. 

I respect and fear monkeys now. Especially as we traveled on to Vrindavan next. There the monkeys were crazy and ripped off sunglasses and stole bags of souvenirs in exchange for juice boxes. They are incredibly smart.

Watch out for monkeys.

Clement Town

| jenlabreche


In Clement Town I met my kid Sonam, who our family sponsors to live at the hostel, as well as go to the Tibetan School there. He is quiet, funny, and loves basketball and is full of life. It was the best showing Kai and Story the videos of me meeting him. He is beautiful. We did yoga with the kids, and I taught part of the yoga class! My first one and I was so scared, but I did it! I’m glad it was with those kids and the wonderful people in my group, they were so forgiving and kind.  They also feed us amazing food and chai and we hung white boards in all of the classrooms at the school.  It was a beautiful time to be with the Tibetan people. I was smiling so very big there. It was also a welcomed calm and quiet place filled with peace. 

Hardiwar

| jenlabreche

After Agra I got pretty sick on our way back to Delhi and then traveling on to Hardiwar on a plane, bus, and rickshaw.  But in Hardiwar after a very long sleep….this day was great. We had a beautiful puja outside and put offerings into the Ganga for love and peace.

US Supreme Court

| jenlabreche

I stayed in D.C. a few days after the Women’s March to see all these amazing places I have read about my whole life. Somehow I had never made it to the US Capitol until this month. I always wanted to go, but the travel plans never materialized until now when my heart said, “Go! You have to stand up for everything you believe in, and you have to go to Washington D.C.”

I was making my way over to the Library of Congress to meet my friends, when I saw the Supreme Court building right next to it.  I knew I had to go there instead. Walking inside the marble halls was amazing. You can stand by the opening to the courtroom as long as you want, and I did. The minute I stood still taking it all in, I burst into tears. The emotions flowed through me. The gravity of this space was overwhelming.

This room, those chairs and all the chairs in it changed me, broke my heart open even more. I marched down Pennysyvania Ave up as close to the White House as we could get  a couple days before to stand up for women’s reproductive rights and our freedom to have control over our own bodies. I marched for every woman.  I marched because every  human is legal. I marched because racism has no place in our country. I marched because climate change is real. I marched for my LGBTQ family and friends. Don’t put another white man in that vacant chair that does not stand up for all of us. 

If you ever find yourself in Washington, which I’m sure many of you will go to stand up and resist this new administration, because they are bat-shit crazy. Be sure to put the Supreme Court on your list to see. It will change you forever. It will give you the strength to resist and fight for freedom and truth. This country is beautiful and we are the ones who created it. We are the people standing up. History is moving fast right now. We will be reading about these times for years to come, and I want to be an active participant.