...Devi Durga is known as the Invincible One, the Mother of the Universe. Lord Shiva called Ma Durga by 108 names in order to please her. Each name represents a quality that she possesses.

...Shakti Peeth, or “Seat of Shakti”, is a sacred place of eternal power— a significant shrine or pilgrimage destination — where a part of Devi Sati’s body, or a piece of her jewellery, fell to earth. Shakti refers to the Goddess worshiped at each location, all being manifestations of Sati; later known as Parvati or Durga.

...Goddesses come in all forms and sizes from the fair-skinned and demure Gauri, with curvaceous hips and full breasts, to the ferocious emaciated crone, Chamundi, who lives in the cremation grounds with ghouls and predatory animals like jackals and vultures.

...The unique part of the Nepal TTC is the Philosophy on the Road module where students visit sacred sites, centuries of Buddhist viharas and Hindu temples, hang prayers flags, have darshan with a priest and visit the cremation grounds at Pashupati.

Fear manifests in many forms, whether it's an insect phobia, things simply not being the way someone thinks they should be, self-loathing issues, or the fear of death – all these have occurred on my yoga retreats have inspired me to look deeper into the psychology of fear.

The Mountain Path. I get up early after a noisy night of surreal dreams, eat an iddly breakfast and take a rickshaw to the Sri Ramana Maharishi ashram. It’s a beautiful morning to climb Arunachala.