I've been keeping a secret.
A week or so before we were set to leave for India, Don and Renee shared with us the exciting news that they would be tying the knot on the trip. The upcoming wedding has been the subject of lots of enthusiastic discussions and planning as we've traveled - so much so that I think the rest of the members of our group were as excited as the bride and groom about their upcoming nuptials. The promise of a wedding to celebrate and the re-affirmation of the power of love to transform us added an entirely new dimension to the trip. Many activities during our day in Jaipur were divided between sightseeing, shopping for souvenirs, and doing various wedding preparations.
At the museum in the City Palace, which also had a large gift shop of traditional handicrafts, Renee bought her wedding dress. (Don't tell the groom who wouldn't see it until the wedding ceremony, but the "dress" was actually a beautifully-embroidered dukha, a long tunic-like shirt worn over pants. In Indian culture, red is the color traditionally worn by brides, but pink and orange are colors that signify good luck and prosperity.)
Our hotel in Jaipur was breathtaking. A "historic hotel," it was once a wealthy home during the British occupation, and it is still imbued with the opulence and grandeur of wealth, plus the rich sense of personality of things that are very old. Everywhere you looked, its cream-colored walls disappeared into gables and columns and pavilions. Around seemingly every corner was a serene courtyard, often with a white marble fountain or a stately, shady tree in its center. There were niches and alcoves decorated with stained glass or pristine bowls of water on which blossoms of assorted colors floated. After our exhausting day seeing so many great sights in Jaipur, it was soothing and restorative to return to its calm seclusion.
But the activities were far from finished, not by a long shot. It was time for the bachelorette party.
While the men contented themselves with a yoga practice followed by a puppet show of traditional Indian marionettes in the central courtyard, the women took over the gabled pavilion alongside the pool. There, we took turns having our palms and arms decorated with henna by two local women experienced with this Indian wedding tradition. According to custom, the artist who painted the bride hid the groom's initials among the flower-and-vine motifs on Renee's hand. Historically, the groom wouldn't find them until the wedding night.
The thick, wet henna was applied through tubes, much like those used for decorating with cake frosting. For a couple of hours while the henna was drying, our painted hands smelled deliciously of cloves and we had difficulty unscrewing the cap from the wine bottle!
When the henna dried, it became crusty and began to flake off, especially where the skins wrinkled with movement. At about that time, we again departed the hotel and accompanied Renee and Don en masse to a jewelry emporium to buy their wedding rings. And everywhere we went in the jewelry store, we left a trail of henna flaking off...
Then it was time for dinner, a delicious meal served, as usual, in family-style, and (as usual, it was more than we could eat. After dinner there was live music and dancing by women in be-jeweled gowns and veils that glittered when they twirled.They performed with one, two and even three silver water urns balanced on their heads!
To see pictures from our trip, please visit the Inner Connections Yoga Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=270483&id=294275506729
About Inner Connections Yoga
Inner Connections Yoga, in Castle Rock, Colorado since 2002, is a place where the ancient traditions of Hatha yoga are brought into the experience of our modern lives. John and Jeanne Adams, the studio owners, help their clients to unite the interconnecting aspects of body, breath and spirit, and also connect yoga enthusiasts in a supportive, friendly community. Every year, Inner Connections leads a group yoga trip to an international location. Past trips have included Brazil, Fiji, Honduras and Costa Rica. For more information, please visit www.InnerConnectionsYoga.com.
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