Arambol
CHAPTER PREFACE:
A CHARACTER’S ACCOUNT OF ARAMBOL
“Arambol is a small town in Goa, India. Goa is known for its hippie roots, especially the town of Vagator (south of Arambol) and its Hilltop trance parties in the 70s.
Goa was a Portuguese settlement from the 1500s, so has had a lot of Portuguese influence including churches. So you’ll see Christian churches there in addition to Hindu temples. The weather is tropical, and it’s on the coast, so there are plenty of beaches and beach clubs in Goa.
Arambol, by comparison, caters more to a spiritual crowd, with an abundance of ecstatic dance and yoga and meditation courses.
Cows run rampant on the road, and sometimes you’ll get caught in traffic jams with 50 scooters around you. Chaotic but fun. I was eating a mostly sattvic diet there. Mostly vegetarian options, although there are still a lot of meat options like a nice butter chicken or tikka masala. I pretty much ate paratha and daal every day. I could write a dissertation just on Indian food, definitely one of the highlights. One of my favorite things to do in Arambol, after a surf, is to go to a live music performance at Twice in Nature. The whole community shows up, and it’s a really special vibe.”
ON THE WALL:
(ACTUAL BOOK TEXT)
Surya Namaskar
ॐ मित्राय नमः
Awaken me,
This God I look for in a dream,
Lustrous with light,
Golden, gives me color,
Everything I drink, eat, breathe,
All your love and affection,
I dare to consume fully,
Energizing every atom of
This world that darkly awaited you.
You illuminate my candles within,
Nourishing my deep worship
For the changing sky
BEHIND THE TEXT
“Surya Namaskar” means “sun salutation” in Sanskrit. This is a popular beginning sequence for any type of yoga practice (hatha vinyasa, ashtanga). It is, as the name suggests, done in the morning.
The first line is the Sanskrit mantra “Om Mitraya Namah” which aligns with the asana Tadasana - meaning “is affectionate to all.”
Each mantra aligns with a specific pose, or asana in yoga.
Buddha is described as The Awakened One. Though Buddha is more aligned with Buddhism than Hinduism, the two share many ancient texts and traditions.
This piece is a remix of the the words from the sanskrit mantras into a love letter to the sun.