Party Last Night

Pregnancy is endlessly fascinating and exciting to me. I love to be around pregnant women, talk about pregnancy, and continue my learning about it. Last night we had the blessing to celebrate our friend, Siri Narayan - as she has reached her 120th day of pregnancy. In yogic teachings, that is considered to be the time when the child's soul comes into its body and it is a time to honor the mother. We have a tradition of "120 day celebrations" that are this honoring of the mother.



Here's some pictures of the party we had last night:



We started in a circle, with music, chanting, and blessings for the mother-to-be. This picture shows Satvinder, me, and the guest of honor, Siri Narayan.



In this celebration, the community comes together to treat the mother-to-be as a princess, honoring her for bringing a child peacefully and lovingly to the planet. Gifts are given - and even sometimes foot massages!




We did henna - which was really fun. Here, Satvinder shows off her henna snake and Aletha shows her henna heart.



Siri Narayan got a lovely henna design on her belly.



I guess Nick was kind of worn out after getting a large henna monkey on his back.



This is my friend, Nirmal, and me. I wanted to include this picture so my far-away friends could see who I work with so much. We make a great team - and I really love working with her at Yoga Phoenix.



The kids came running up to me, saying,"Come quick! There is something really GROSS!" This bug was outside the ashram and the little girls were very excited about it.