Dawn under full moon, Lake Tahoe
Last week on a meditation retreat I was inspired to swim in Lake Tahoe at dawn under the full moon. Joined by my friend Christy (if she hadn’t said yes to my invitation, I might have slept in instead!), we braved the cold water to fully immerse ourselves. It was interesting to have an hour-long meditation period to explore our cold bodies as they slowly warmed up.
It reminded my of several times I was fortunate to be in or near other sacred waters in Asia. Lake Manasarovar, at the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet, is one I sat near or dunked in.
Varanasi, India
The Ganges (Ganga in India) is probably the most sacred river in the world; its headwaters are at Kailash. Indian pilgrims bathe in it in various cities along its course.
And the Sun Kosi, which I kayaked in Nepal, also feeds the Ganges. This man was at our take-out, where there was a temple.
Full moon or not, I may make it a tradition to bathe at dawn in Tahoe at our annual summer retreat!