Sorry I missed you in Ubud, Jacq. I am in Mysore practicing with Sharath until the beginning of February. I’ll be teaching in Ubud again from February to September or October in 2016.

The vega bars are here: http://ca.iherb.com/Vega-Sport-Protein-Bar-Chocolate-Mint-12-Bars-2-14-oz-60-g-Each/57595

They are good, though one complaint I have is that they are too sweet.

I very recently discovered another kind of bar which I like better than the vega ones and will purchase more of in the future:

https://gomacro.com/shop/product/protein-purity/

Jacq

Thanks for your comments, Quinn.

A month after the incident, I now have little doubt that I would go backpacking alone again 🙂

I do take issue with some interpretations of Patanjali’s Sutras: In my opinion, of the four types of so called “interfering thoughts”, “Memory” and “Imagination” are actually functional abilities that we are privileged to be endowed with. While some may consider them to be obstacles to “correct knowledge” and ultimately to liberation, I feel that without them we would quickly find ourselves in a lot of trouble.

Through the appropriate use of my faculty of memory, I can learn from my past, in order to make appropriate decisions about the present and future. If I use my memory to recall the experience of a previous bear encounter, I can use that memory to make appropriate decisions about any present or future situations that might also involve a bear encounter.

To that end, if my memory of a previous bear encounter informed me that the risks and dangers of that situation where the bear encounter occurred are greater than the benefits I gain from that situation, then I might make a wise choice by avoiding such future situations, or at least preparing differently for them.

Similarly, imagination can also be a very useful tool. If I am contemplating entering into a particular situation, I can use my knowledge of the various qualities and aspects of that situation to predict with some degree of probability, what may occur in that situation. This involves the use of imagination, which may then help me to decide whether or not to enter into that situation, or how to prepare for it appropriately if I do choose to enter into it.

I think the key is the key is to use use memory and imagination in a functional way, that helps us to best take care of ourselves and prepare for what we are going to encounter appropriately, while avoiding the dysfunctional reactive samskara/sankara patterns that both memory and imagination can bring up in us.

I really enjoyed reading your article and your honesty of how each moment was. I just wanted to mention that this reminded me of the sutras 1.5-1.6 where it discusses the five kinds of interfering thoughts, imagination and incorrect perception ( if you want to term it that way). The way we may imagine something may not be the reality of how it is actually precieved or felt in that moment when an incident such as your bear encounter happens. I found alot of reflection here at the end of your article when you thought to yourself that solo backpacking won’t happen again because of the possible dangerous situations that can occur solo. But don’t you feel that this may be your imagination kicking in again. Seems to be that you really enjoyed your time immeresed in the forest alone without the company of human interaction. Loved your read and hope you can share more!

I don’t know of Jay Griffiths, but I will definitely look her up – Thanks for the recommendation!

I am also drawing more inspiration from pantheists, ecologists and naturalists than I am from so called “traditional” Yoga and Buddhist philosophy these days. There is an evolving synthesis of the two fields happening in my thinking right now.