Where it all began

I had been telling myself privately for years that I would never visit Tibet given the political situation there. That was it, a closed argument and it didn't seem like the situation in Tibet was going to change any time soon. Then one night about four years ago I happened upon a documentary showing on ABC1 which was all about the annual festival of Saga Dawa at Mt Kailash, western Tibet. The stunning imagery of vast sweeping plains, huge mountains and the incredible festival itself which culminates in the raising of a massive prayer-flag pole just captivated me. I made an immediate decision there and then that I had to go to the world's holiest mountain at Saga Dawa, the festival that commemorates the Buddha's birth, death and enlightenment. My last overseas trip had been in October 2001, not long after that fateful day in September; my sister and I were going to Pune in India to study Iyengar Yoga at the source, Mr Iyengar's school. Many friends and family were nervous about us going at such a tense time in world politics but we were determined. We ended up having an amazing, safe two months of yoga immersion, but that was my last time overseas and it was very much a time of intense focus upon yoga, I was now ready for something new, something to perhaps enhance my practice of yoga.  It would be four years later before I made it to Tibet.