One of the koi ponds in Swamis
I have had a bad cold, which has slowed me way down, and therefore, I have a chance to write about the beautiful garden I went to see in place of Lotusland.
As you may know, my plans for Lotusland went down like tomatoes in a hard frost, after speaking to some unhelpful vagrant who answers the phone there.
Instead, my friend Jennifer and I made our way further south to the Swami Meditation Gardens. Swami’s was started in 1937 by Paramahansa Yogananda, a world famous guru of Kriya Yoga. Yep, yoga and meditation was as popular then as it is now with the Hollywood crowd.
Swami’s also sits right on the famous Encinitas surf break.
The surf below Swamis. Note the many surfers in the water.
Imagine my delight: this garden combines my three favorite things, yoga, surfing and gardening. What could be better?
The day I went to Swami’s it was 78 degrees. The crystal clear sky was the exact color of Jennifer’s car, and the tide was very low. I sat in one of the many corners of the garden created specifically for meditation, cradled in lush green and cool shade.
And meditated my way right into a fantasy of living in Encinitas.
I would wake up in the morning in my little beach cottage. I would hop on my beach Cruiser
My bike Gerard Butler.
(Gerard Butler) and ride downtown for an early yoga class. Afterwards, I would have coffee or breakfast at Café 101. Then I’d ride Gerry home and pick up my surfboard. I would slide my board into Gerry’s cool surf rack and cruise down to the beach for some surfing. After and hour or two of catching waves, I would pedal Gerry over to the Swami Meditation gardens for a little communing with my third eye, and finally, I’d bike home for a nap. I would wake up, shower, and get dressed up.
Me and Jen's Karmann Ghia. She doesn't have a name for it yet. I want to call it "Mine"
Jen would pick me up in her turquoise Karmann Ghia and we would drive down to the Beach House for a Hawaiian ahi & king crab stack and a basil pepper martini while watching the sunset.
Yes, when my brain is not bouncing from subject to subject, mired in useless bits of information and endless lists of tasks, life can get prettygood in there.
Back to reality.
Swami's is a fun place to visit if you are ever in Encinitas. It lies at the south end of town and it’s not very big, so go eat at Café 101, and then walk off your breakfast at Swamis. You might even have a vision.
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