Yakyak's Nepalese Diary

Anne Clarke is fundraising for H.A.T.UK

2011-04-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

HART Update - The New Website is Up and Running

2010-09-19T05:16:00.000-07:00

The updated Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust website is now live. You can find it at www.hartnepal.org

If you would like to help the charity, please contact Barbara Webb via the email address on the website.

The photos are of the vet Dr Parsuram Phuyal carrying out a spaying procedure, assisted by Khageshwaar Sharma. A sterilisation programme is being carried out by HART to humanely reduce the street and community dog population to levels manageable and acceptable by the community. It concentrates on spaying bitches, working methodically through the areas that have been surveyed.

Any qualified vets and vet nurses who can volunteer their time and expertise are more than welcome. To find out more about this, please contact Khageshwaar Sharma, via his email address k.sharma@hartnepal.org

HART Update

2010-09-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

At the moment the HART website is being updated so please contact either Barbara Webb at barbara.webb@zen.co.uk or Khageshwaar Sharma at khageshwaar@gmail.com for further information. They are relocating premises and at the moment don't have either a telephone line or internet access in the new building so all communication comes from a nearby cyber cafe and may be a little erratic. Please bear with them during this transitional period!
The photo above (with the Annapurna mountain range in the background) shows dog catchers enticing dogs to inoculate as part of the anti-rabies programme

Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust

2010-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

HART (Himalayan Animal Rescue Trust) is situated in Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal in the foothills of the Annapurna range of mountains. Its purpose is to improve the lives of many animals in the region who are defenceless against the cruelties that man and nature inflict on them. HART uses a mixture of programmes; neutering, education, care in the community, mass vaccination days, campaigning, and others to achieve its goals. Although HART will do its best to help any distressed animal, the current work is focused on the dogs that live on the streets and whose numbers are regulated by the local authorities on poisoning days. The status of these animals varies between being owned and cared for by a resident, to being occasionally fed by well wishers, or being completely bereft of human attention. Finding responsible long term homes for unowned street animals is simply not possible, there are far too many animals and Nepal does not have a pet owning culture. HART is reducing the number of dogs by a neutering programme, improving their health through vaccination and treatment, and working with the local authority to stop the strychnine poisoning days. Volunteers are always welcome at HART. Veterinary skills are particularly useful, but IT, fund raising, teaching, and general assistance are also needed at the centre. Anyone travelling to Nepal could also be a huge assistance in taking donated medical supplies out from the UK. There is no reliable postal service and commercial couriers are too expensive to warrant their use. At the moment Pokhara is going through the last few weeks of the monsoon season and the team is engaged in recounting the numbers of street dogs to monitor the effect of the neutering programme. Hopefully the numbers will be significantly less but we'll keep you informed.

2010-07-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

There is now a new website to run along side the YakYak site called www.underthebodhitree.co.uk

This website sells Tibetan singing bowls, the same as YakYak, but also a range of other goods which I purchased on my trips to India and Cambodia. These include scarves, cushion covers, and silk bags. It is a very attractive, colourful website but I still haven't finished putting all of the stock onto it. It is a very time consuming job doing text and putting the photographs on. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks time it will all be finished and working for me.

Cancellation of Singing Bowl Workshop in Totnes

2009-10-29T01:01:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we have had to cancel the singing bowl workshop due to the fact that we did not get enough interest. We did need a minimum of 12 people and we didn't achieve this. It was hoped that people would book in advance, so apologies to anyone who was just going to turn up on the day. Hopefully, we'll be able to plan another one for next year. We will try and advertise the workshop a little more widely next time and generate a little more interest.

Playing a Tibetan Singing Bowl

2009-10-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am very often asked for instructions on how to play a Tibetan singing bowl properly. I think the secret is not to try and rush it to get the best results. You need to sit down comfortably and rest the singing bowl in the palm of your hand without actually gripping it with your fingers. Just cup it in your hand as any pressure around the bottom of the singing bowl will stop it from vibrating when played, so stopping it "singing". Hold the stick (or beater as it is also known) as you would hold a pen or pencil with your fingers half way down it, stopping at the groves in the stick. Using a wrist action (rather like a stirring motion) gently rub the stick along the very outside rim of the singing bowl. You do not need to hit the singing bowl first, this will create a distorted sound. Just gently, with a bit of pressure, move the stick along the outside edge of the bowl. You should soon begin to feel the singing bowl vibrating slightly. This vibration will build up to produce the resonance. Try and keep the stick at the same angle on the singing bowl as in the photograph. As you become more experienced at playing a singing bowl you will obviously produce a much more refined and clear sound than you will initially. Using the suede side of the stick will produce a deeper, smoother sound than using the wooden end.

It just takes a bit of practice!

Tibetan Singing Bowl Workshop in Totnes

2009-10-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

David Bradley and I are doing a Tibetan Singing Bowl Workshop in Totnes on Sunday 1st November.

The main theme of the workshop is "Discover a Sense of Wellbeing through Chakra Balancing and Meditation Using Tibetan Singing Bowls". It is being held at Open Space, Arcturus, 47 Fore Street, Totnes. It will run from 11.00 to 4.00 p.m with 45 minutes for lunch. It will start with an explanation and history of Tibetan singing bowls David will be taking a guided chakra meditation. We'll be demonstrating a sound bath which will also be a chakra balancing. These are just some of the things we'll be doing and if it's anything like the last workshop, it'll be very successful. We both put a lot of energy into these workshops and everybody says that they have enjoyed it.

YakYak Goes to Glastonbury

2009-10-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

Last Last weekend I attended a Mystic Fayre as an exhibitor which was held at the Assembly Rooms in Glastonbury (pic on the right). What a fantastic event. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and the room had a very good feel to it The event was a success for me, I didn't take very many singing bowls as I thought that there as so many shops in Glastonbury selling them anyway. I took cotton shirts & trousers, also woollen hats, most people wanted to buy singing bowls though. The room it's held in is a very unique space, apparently built in 1864 on the site of the White Hart Inn's old stables. Graham Robertson the organiser, is a really friendly person who runs this event every month. He obviously does a very job at it too. I will certainly be going back to Glastonbury again if they'll have me back!! I also did a Tibetan Singing Bowl workshop while I was there, which appeared to go very well.

Tibetan Singing Bowl Workshop

2009-09-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

The singing bowl workshop in Pulse Cafe went well, I was very tired at the end of it. Trying to keep people interested for three and a half hours is very tiring. David was very good, he is extremely good at public speaking and always seems to be able to fill in any silent gaps with something worth listening to. We hope to put together some more singing bowl workshops in the future. I'm in the process of adding some beautiful textiles to my website, bed covers and wall hangings from Jaipur, India. Everything should be on there in a few days time. I'm going down to Glastonbury in a couple of days to exhibit at a Mystic Fair which takes place every month. Singing bowls will of course be on sale as well as the winter woollens, the Himalayan hats and the cotton Grandad shirts. Fingers crossed that the weather will be good, it does make a lot of difference to how well an event goes. The weekend after I will be in Leyland, a Mind Body Spirit Festival that I always attend, it is quite a small event but so well attended. I will be doing a Tibetan Singing Bowl Workshop, I'm looking forward to it although this time, David won't be there to help!

Tibetan Singing Bowl Workshop in Todmorden

2009-09-10T23:27:00.001-07:00

YakYak is running a series of Tibetan Singing Bowl workshops, the first one in Todmorden, Lancashire at Pulse Cafe in Water Street on Saturday 19th September. The workshop can be described as "Exploring & Developing a sense of wellbeing through meditation and Tibetan singing bowls. A workshop on meditation and chakra balancing using Tibetan singing bowls.
It will run from 10.30 until 3.0 pm and costs £25 which will include lunch.

The session has been organised by me and my friend David Bradley. He has been running workshops since 1991, using meditation and creative expression to help people access their imagination. David has also been using Tibetan singing bowls as part of the programme and is currently running workshops at Bradford Cancer Support and for the Teenage Trust at St. James hospital, Leeds. That is David in the photo, he is not a native of Lancashire, he comes originally from New York and spent many years living in a Buddhist community in America.

We hope that this will be the first of many singing bowl workshops!

Kathmandu and the Quest for Singing Bowls

2009-04-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I returned from my most recent shopping trip to Nepal. A fairly successful trip apart from the fact that I was hampered by the 16 hours of power cuts they are now experiencing. I did manage to buy some lovely singing bowls despite the lack of electricity which makes seeing what you are looking for so difficult.During my stay in Kathmandu, I visited New Futures orphanage which is just outside the city. This orphanage has at the present time about 20 children, (see photo) some of them disabled. The little girl at the front of the group has in fact quite recently been given an artificial leg as she had to have her leg amputated some years ago.

I aim to collect some books and games fort them to take out on my next visit. Unfortunately you can't export clothing to Nepal, even if it is for a charity. The Nepalese authorities think that you will be selling it in Nepal!!

I have included a photograph of a Tibetan Buddhist monk who was talking to Tok, my singing bowl supplier while I was choosing my singing bowls. He seemed to be very impressed by my choice of bowls! He is of the Kagyu tradition, where I believe they do still use singing bowls as part of their puja and meditation in Nepal. Tok also supplies monestaries with various objects such as statues, objects for puja, and singing bowls amongst other things.

I also spend some time in India, in Delhi and Jaipur, looking for some nice textiles. I was lucky enough to find a wonderful workshop weaving and producing the most wonderful bedspreads, wall hangings, scarves, and many other fabulous textile products. I will defiantely be going back there. Jaipur is a fabulous place, and a visit to the Amber Fort is a must.

The Next Trip to Nepal

2009-02-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

After a very busy time before Christmas which included the Manchester Christmas Market, such hard work being outside for 35 days without a break, it's now time for another buying trip to Nepal to stock up on singing bowls and a whole host of other things. Friday 13th March is the day I leave for Delhi, (you can aalways get a seat on a flight on that day!) 4 days in India, then leave for Kathmandu. I'm really looking forward to visiting the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre again, I've managed to collect some money for them since the last time I was there. I'm also looking forward to visiting all my friends in Kathmandu, Tok the singing bowl man is one of my best friends. (That's him in the photograph above). Not only is he an extremely nice person, he sells the best singing bowls in Nepal!!
Before I go to Nepal, I've got an event to attend in Newark next weekend, a Mind Body Spirit event which is usually well attended. Fingers crossed that next weekend is no exception!!

Lincoln Mind Body Spirit Winter Event

2008-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

The weekend of the 8th and 9th November was the Mind Body Spirit event held every year at Lincoln Show Ground. I am usually a stall holder at this event, and I was there last weekend. It was fairly well attended, considering the "credit crunch", and some familiar faces were there, both customers and other stall holders. The singing bowls sold well as they usually do, next year I intend doing some singing bowl workshops so that people can understand their origins & how they are made. There are a lot of romantic "fairy stories" about singing bowls which are spread by unscrupulous sellers, there is no magic about them. The bowls I sell are just wonderful handcrafted objects, hand picked by me in Nepal, and when they are played correctly, produce rich harmonic sounds. Some people need a little extra tuition with their bowls to achieve the best sound.
My friends Nicola and Tom from Spiralling had a stall there this weekend, their young son Cian was also with them this time. Nicola is a very talented person, she is a qualified teacher, and a sound therapist amongst other things, and Tom apart from having a "day job" is a very special musician, he even makes his own flutes. They sell Guided Meditation CDs and musical instruments, Nicola also does sound therapy at most events. They can be found at www.spiralling.co.uk

The photo at the bottom shows me in jeans and red cardi about to demonstrate to one of my customers the correct way to make a singing bowls really sing. Unfortunately, a few people initially can only make it make it groan!! All it takes is a little bit of practice and patience.

Ilkley Complementary Medicine Festival

2008-10-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, 25th and 26th October, I had a stall at the Ilkley Complementary Medicine Festival, selling singing bowls, incense, tingsha cymbals, and a few items of clothing. I am in the process of putting more clothing items on my website, www.yakyak.org.uk I took some hats and scarves to sell and was hoping for a cold snap that weekend. It's always well attended, and I usually see some familiar faces. One of my favourite people there is Steve Avian who has been teaching yoga for the past 12 years and has 30 years experience of actually practicing yoga. I managed to get remember to take my camera this time and get a photo of my stall and a few of Steve. He is based in Sheffield and his website is www.shamayoga.org.uk

Photos of the singing bowl workshop Patan, Nepal

2008-10-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

YakYak prepares for Ilkley

2008-10-21T00:18:00.001-07:00

This weekend, 25th & 26th October, one of the best Complementary Medicine festivals of the year takes place. It is held at the Winter Gardens, Ilkley. I have been attending this event as a stall holder for about the last 3 years, it is held twice a year. I take a good selection of singing bowls amongst other things, which are very popular at these sort of events. People actually come especially to find me now. Word has spread that my singing bowls are hand made using traditional methods and have a resonance that mass produced (or badly made) singing bowls just do not have. I travel to Kathmandu three times a year to buy my stock, it is all hand picked by me. Every singing bowl I buy has been hand beaten from a piece of alloy, and I play each and every singing bowl before I decide to buy it. Singing bowls are used by complementary therapists, people who meditate, some people buy them just because they are a hand crafted item that looks nice, and musicians are fascinated by them. Quite a few of my regular singing bowl customers are musicians. I will also be taking Tingsha cymbals, prayer flags, Buddha statues, lots of incense, some Thangka paintings, and a selection of my Himalayan woollen hats (the type that has ear flaps and fleece lined, they are very popular).

Have a look at my website www.yakyak.org.uk (festival diary) to see the other events I attend throughout the year.

Helping the Animals of Kathmandu

2008-10-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

My last trip to Nepal was the most difficult yet, both physically and emotionally. Constant power cuts in Kathmandu, strikes, demonstrations. Everything I buy is handmade, the singing bowls particularly take ages to make. How can the people in the workshops see what they are doing if there is no power, how do these people who struggle to scratch a living manage in already difficult conditions? This trip was the usual frantic daily rush around the streets of Kathmandu, trying to get everyone to finish everything on time, it never goes according to plan. And then there are the dogs.

I made a couple of trips to the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, as I usually do. This time it was particularly upsetting though. I went out in the animal ambulance with Dr Kiran the vet, and Khageshwaar Sharma the manager of the centre. We were going to visit one of the brick factories just outside Kathmandu, to speak to people and get more information about the condition of those poor donkeys that the factories use to transport bricks. They overload these poor animals until their backs and legs are so badly damaged that they can no longer work. They are then put in the back of a truck, taken out onto the ring road, tossed out onto the road and left to die. I don't want to write anymore about this because I have seen these poor animals and it's heartbreaking to even think about it. Anyway, the KAT Centre aim to try and help these donkeys by offering veterinary help and hopefully putting together an education programme.

On the way to the factory, Khageshwaar noticed a dog on the side of the road, lying in a puddle, seemingly unable to move. We stopped to pick the dog up which was freezing cold and covered in mud, also seemed to be paralyzed, and put her in the back of the ambulance. She had insects of every description crawling all over her, her eyes were covered in a jelly like film and blood red, it was only her neck and head that she seemed to be able to move. I love Nepal and have some fantastic Nepali friends but when I see something like this it makes me feel very angry and upset to see an animal that clearly is in distress just ignored. I know that it could just as easily happen in any country in the world, people just walk past animals or humans in trouble. Couldn't somebody have just lifted her from the side of the road, out of the water and the danger of traffic?? She must have been in the same spot for ages, there were people walking past her. I know that there is the danger of rabies in the Kathmandu valley, but this poor little dog certainly had no fight in her, so she wouldn't have done anyone any harm.

We were nearly at the brick factory so we drove on. We didn't find any donkeys as apparently in the winter they are sent back to India as they are only required for a limited number of months a year, so these poor animals have to endure that journey too. It is so that the brick factory owners don't have to feed them when they are not required.

Dr Kiran and Khageshwaar dropped me off in Thamel which is where I stay in Kathmandu and they carried on to the KAT Centre with the dog in the back. (See her in the photo above)Khageshwaar phoned me later that evening to inform me that in his opinion, there was no hope for the dog, he didn't want to leave her overnight in the condition she was in. He said that the best option for her was euthanasia. I agreed with him, there is no other option when an animal is partially paralyzed, seemingly blind and very probably her condition was viral and untreatable. In Nepal, vets do not have the diagnostic equipment or the types of drugs available to vets in the west. Unfortunately, she is not the only dog to be found in this sort of state in Khathmandu, there are thousands and thousands like her. If anyone reading this would like to help the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre in their very good work, have a look at the website www.katcentre.org.np

Anyway, we are going to carry on the work as far as the donkeys are concerned, I am trying to raise money for that project at the moment.

Next week I am exhibiting at the Ilkley Complementary Medicine Festival, it's a lovely event with a good crowd of people. I always manage to raise some money for KAT!