Leaving Corporate America

“Constant practice alone is the secret of success.”¹

What is success? In life, in love, in careers, we all have our own understanding and definition of success. For myself success used to be equated to financial stability. It was important to me in those early years to stand on my own and be employed, climbing the corporate ladder and being showered with pay raises, bonuses, profit sharing plans and positive reviews from upper management. When I made the conscious decision to quit my job I knew I was most likely leaving all that behind.  I’ll be completely honest with you, everyday I weigh the pros and cons of financial stability with my current situation and time and again the current wins, but it is a continuous debate I have. That’s probably because my current situation is one influx, but after living abroad for 9 weeks this is what I have learned about myself, success to me is happiness and contentment of my mind, body and spirit, a balancing act between all areas of my life. So as of September 15, 2012 I began my year in pursuit of happiness.

With no real direction I had to think about the different areas of my life for which I had passion and use these passions as markers to begin my exploration:

1. Food, I love cooking, but I have always been concerned that if I took my passion for cooking and turned it into a career I would get burnt out. Not to mention I have no professional experience and my only semi-restaurant experience was being a counter server at the clam shack on Cape Cod for two summers in high school. So with that I’ve taken a chef’s assistant job at the Chopping Block, a recreational cooking school for the home cook.

“The yogi understands the faults of others by seeing and studying them first in himself. This self-study teaches him to be charitable to all.”²

2. Yoga, while my time at the ashram was challenging both mentally and physically,

it has been the one area of my trip I am constantly referring back to, whether in my writing, my personal thoughts or advice given to others. Therefore I applied and was accepted to the Moksha Yoga Teacher Training program. While I don’t know if teaching is for me, the spiritual and philosophical aspects of yoga have had such a positive effect on me. Therefore I want to dedicate my time and energy exploring these studies.

“He knows that his life is linked inextricably with that of others and he rejoices if he can help them to be happy.”³

3. Helping Others, traveling abroad gave me perspective that I was blindly unaware of prior to my travels. What resonated with me most was the fact that people were so enamored with the United States and the symbol of success and prosperity that it meant to them. I’ve taken for grated how much my homeland has provided for me. But on my return I was shown that while our country does provide many opportunities for some, there are so many others left behind. Equal opportunity has been a fighting slogan in our country from its origin. So cherishing that ideology I want to work in non-profit to help individuals in my community reach their goals and dreams.

“Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility generates power.”⁴

The year has begun, and with two of the three areas of my adventure underway I am learning new things daily. It’s interesting that I had to leave the country, entering a new world completely outside my comfort zone to prepare me for a year of challenges back home. While I’m surrounded by things I know, my experiences daily are so drastically different that I still feel like I am in a foreign country. I remind myself that if I could survive riding a bike through rush hour traffic in Delhi India, I can survive Chicago. For the time being I’m looking and applying for non-profit jobs and learning what it means to live on a tight budget. I know I will miss the financial comforts that came from my corporate job, living on a restricted budget will be one of my greatest challenges. I know it sounds spoiled and consumerist, but I recognize that I have been very fortunate to have lived the life I had. My restricted budget is to teach me that living within your means and not being consumed with wants will only help strengthen my ability to be content. I’m ready for the challenge and I have a feeling that the stories and struggles that come from it will be enlightening.

“Without experiencing human love and happiness, it is not possible to know divine love.”⁵

 

 

¹ BKS Iyengar. Light on Yoga. Harper Colins Publishers, 2008. 30.

² BKS Iyengar. Light on Yoga. Harper Colins Publishers, 2008. 27.

³ BKS Iyengar. Light on Yoga. Harper Colins Publishers, 2008. 32.

⁴ BKS Iyengar. Light on Yoga. Harper Colins Publishers, 2008. 29.

⁵ BKS Iyengar. Light on Yoga. Harper Colins Publishers, 2008. 35.

Voices In My Head

***Hi All, so there will be more Vietnam to come, I can’t not tell you how I may have gone a little over board when having clothes made for me in Hoi An or how a woman shoved meat skewers into my mouth, vegan doesn’t translate in Vietnamese. But I thought I would get some up to date blogs posted. So stay tuned.

Voices were pounding in my head, news feed after news feed all the reporter could do was talk of death, remembrance of those we had lost and constant cut ins with presidential address updates. More images, the President speaks, and then we jump back to the morning news show and some man is jumping around with the newest dance moves, while everyone else is painfully trying to imitate him. My head was spinning; this was my introduction back into US news and television. I’d been home for a week but my assimilation process was a slow one. When I walked off the plane in Los Angeles and through customs I wanted to kiss the ground, what can I say being abroad has both negative and positive affects on your beliefs of you own country. But reading the customs sign Thank You and Welcome to the United States had me brimming with joy. When the customs agent asked, “why were you traveling in India, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam?” I smiled and said, “I was trying to figure out my life.” Ok yes the smile held a hint of sarcasm and my response earned me a confused look, but then he said, “welcome home,” and it felt so right.

So after the tearful embrace and love from my parents and Lulu I was whisked home where I enjoyed a veggie meal and after 30 hours of travel and very little sleep I fell into bed ready to crash for what I had hopped would be about two days worth of shuteye. Lying in bed wide-awake at 3 am I realized it was going to take time to adjust. So after a week of very little interaction with the outside world I decided to watch my favorite morning news show, Good Morning America with my favorite morning news anchor, Josh Elliott, he is just so dreamy, gotta love those really tall men. Dreamy-ness aside, I was overwhelmed by the images, sounds and entertainment. As I tried to process the fact that my travels had sealed me in a bubble of protection from all things US, my protective layer was now popped. First realization, I’ve missed a lot; see, I used to have a reputation of being the entertainment queen, ask me a question about Hollywood I could tell you who, where and when. Now I was at a loss, but the weird part was I wasn’t that concerned about getting caught up. Instead I became completely overwhelmed with questions of my own unsteady future, as well as images, media reports and social media updates of injustices of the present. While abroad there were many behaviors I experienced that I had to accept because this was “their” culture. Well honey not anymore this is my culture and I was blatantly aware that everything was wrong. All of this culminated into a completely irrational battle of wills in my head. As I drove along trying to process all of these emotions and thoughts I realized I was surrounded by silence, there was no honking, no chaos, and no people. I realized that I while the chaos of the streets, sounds and experiences of South East Asia were gone, I now was facing a new chaos. While the world around me was no longer new and unknown, the chaos was now in my mind and I didn’t know if there was anyway to be free of it.

At that very thought, I realized that the chaos in my mind was all self induced. A major theme in the yoga philosophy is to gain purification through the mind with the right attitude. In yoga attitude is acceptance, and a major part of acceptance is that we need to understand and accept what we can and cannot control. I cannot change the world around me; I cannot change the way that my neighbors treat their neighbors (figuratively). All I can change and control is myself. So first things first, maybe limit my television news time. While I can’t become ignorant to what is happening in this world, I can be more particular about where I get my information from. Second, I can take a breath, relax, and maybe take another breath, and then smile, because I’m home.

 

Sapa Enlightenment

I don’t know whether it is the fresh mountain air, the energy coursing through my veins from the exercise of the hike or just the majestic waterfall in front of me, but all I can do is smile and enjoy everything that surrounds me. It was a moment of peace heightened by my euphoric state of mind. As I was taking in the view I realized that there seems to be some amazing order to the way in which I planned my travels. With each destination I’ve learned something new that benefits my experience in the next country.
I am amused by how in love I am with the surroundings of Vietnam. I can’t help but wonder if there was a greater power who helped in designing my itinerary to get me to this point of elation. India showed me chaos and garbage that has yet to compare to anything I’ve ever experienced. Thailand showed me the kindness of scam artist and taught me to be polite but not naive. Thailand also taught me to book my room ahead of my arrival, even just by a day or two so that you are not bombarded and overwhelmed by the chaos at every airport, bus station, train station and port, by people trying to lure you into their hotel, dive shop or taxi. Cambodia taught me that a smile with a no thank you is all you need, and that the begging is apart of the countries struggle.

Therefore life in Vietnam has been easy. While my time in Sapa was surrounded by local village woman trying to hoc their wares, I realized that again they are just trying to make a living. It’s funny, they have the same speech planned out for every tourist they meet. I heard it over and over again I begin to wonder whether they just have a script to follow or whether they actually know what you are saying. But it goes like this, “Hello, what is your name, where are you from, did you arrive to Sapa today?” No matter who you run into this is the routine. While I was hiking alone I would be approached by these woman asking the same questions and I would answer and then as they continued to walk with me. I explained that they are more then welcome to join me but I had already done all my shopping and therefore I was not going to buy anything else. There responses varied from “But you haven’t bought anything from me” to “ok, maybe you buy something later.” And yes while this is more of a hindrance then anything else you can’t let it affect you. You can either play along and interact with them or you can firmly say no thank you and continue on.

So my travels have led me to a more calm place. While the occasional bump in the road has taught me many things, I have to wonder whether I would be having the same experience in Vietnam had this been my first destination, because guess what I am in love. This country is so spectacularly beautiful and the people are wonderful, inviting and kind. I am so grateful for all I’ve learned along the way because even if my time in Vietnam is seen through rose colored glasses, I’m just thrilled that I can say that I’m enjoying my time here.

All My Bags Are Packed… But I’m Not Sure

So my travel time has come to an end and I’ve been trying to process my feelings. I’ve really been all over the board of emotions. Pure elation at the thought of seeing my family and friends. Feeling their hugging embrace, I’ve missed hugs. Seeing my beautiful baby Lulu whose face is on every iProduct screen I own. And of course the creature comforts that the US holds, hair products, bagels and tofutti cream cheese, the cold bite of autumn air that indicates a change in seasons.

But my travels have changed my life, I left as a cautious, high maintenance by choice woman and I’ve laughed in the face of bed bugs, cockroaches, muck slick streets and who knew, but I may be the better for it. A deeper analysis of how this has affected me is to come but for now I am most focusing on the transition.

Life is about to change and while in Hoi An I was slapped in the face by everything that I had left behind and everything I was hoping to change. Its truly my fault I stated to think about bills, mortgages and money and then came… resumes, cover letters, applications, searching, searching, searching. I screamed at my self “WAIT, your in Vietnam and your consuming your time with all of this.” So I am obviously having a internal struggle. Half of me is frantically racing through employment listings trying to find the perfect future for myself and the other half of me is shaking her head fuming because I am waisting what little time I have in my last week focusing on the future and not being present.

What is a girl to do. I know I am about to face a huge transitional shift between this leisurely life of travel and exploration to a life of income, mortgages and calendar updates and I don’t know what to do. While I am anxiously awaiting wearing a pair of jeans and some type of footwear other then my rusty now dusty Keens, I also feel the anxiety boiling in my stomach fearing, “what if I’m not happy?” Life on the road has not been easy, but its been the most rewarding time of my life. How do I transition that feeling of fulfillment into a life dictated by “grown-up affairs”.

I read through my notes from the ashram and found this little quote from Mata Ji ” Does wealth lead to security, no, those who are wealthy have the most to lose. The baker gets a good nights sleep because he has nothing to lose.” Yes while I know consumerism and business would laugh in the face of this philosophy it actually made me smile. I knew right then that money can’t dictate my life. Yes while I need some to survive, and I’ve made financial commitments to people and institutions therefore I need to uphold those contracts, I can’t let money be the reason for work, career and life. It has always stressed me out, and I just want t good nights sleep. This may be naive, but right then and there I shut off all my searching and headed into town to enjoy my last few days. 

And so here I am, I am freaked out about heading home, while a loving embrace will make tears spill out of me, I also have no idea how this transition is going to go. While I don’t think this trip was a way to run away from my past. It was a way to leave it all behind and get perspective. The perspective I got was life changing I just don’t know if it translates in to US living. So there you have it, I will walk on the plane with excitement that keeps me from sleeping, but anxiety of what lays ahead. I just need to remind myself to “be the baker.”

From OM to Oh My God

India Please Let Me Leave… that is all I could think as I over heard a woman say that she may change her travel plans as the pilots of King Fisher airlines were on strike. I leaned over to my friend and said, “Oh dear God, my flight is on King Fisher tomorrow. But in this new state of calm I am not going to worry about what I can’t change.” I also hadn’t received any email notifications as of that afternoon telling me anything about my flight status. So with that I pushed out the worrying thoughts and decided to focus on my last night at the Ashram.
The next morning presented another bump in my travel plans. Because of the “orange man Pilgrimage” the taxi would not be picking us up at the Ashram, rather we would have to trek our stuff over a mile through the crowded, slime slicked streets of Rishikesh, across a swinging foot bridge to the other side of the river where our taxi driver would meet us. Luckily four of us had teamed up for this adventure so I wouldn’t be alone. We also hired two men to carry our bags as the streets were literally shoulder to shoulder packed with teenage boys all vying and hassling us for photos. If you’ve never been to India you may not know that I am a superstar in this country, probably the equivalent of Reece Witherspoon to you USA folks. Actually anyone with white skin is a photo magnet. I was sitting in the Ashram waiting for lunch one day when an old lady sat right next to me, I looked at her quizzically making a note that there really wasn’t any personal space in this country, especially since the four other benches where wide open. Then her daughter walked up and said “can she have a photo with you?” I smiled and said yes, which is what I tried to do for women and children who requested photos, but the orange teenagers became a problem as they were constantly taking our pictures without our permission. Eventually they started to get physically pushy as well, and that is why I was very concerned about following my luggage through the crowded streets while keeping my head down to avoid the photos.
Well I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the sign in the distance as we were zig zagging our way through the streets, “Leave Sooner, Drive Slower, Live Longer.” As with everything in India it doesn’t totally make sense but you can’t help but smile. So as I climbed into the taxi dripping with the humid air that hung thick in the sky, I was ready to do all three of those things.
After being dropped off at the airport with one of my four travel companions I headed straight for the King Fisher desk, where I was told my flight was indeed cancelled. I was told I would be reimbursed for the fare and that was all that they could do. I stared at the guy yelling in my head, “you have to be f-ing kidding me! No wonder this country is a complete mess you have no customer service, I just want to leave, you can’t just tell me I am SOL and abandon me here in the middle of f-ing nowhere India!” But instead I looked him straight in the eye, and said “please sir you have to help me, I need to be in Delhi tonight and I don’t know what else to do, is there anything you can do to help me, I don’t know who else to ask.” I guess my Karma was cleansed when someone stole my new flip flops from outside the dinner hall at the Ashram days before because he became possibly the most helpful person I have met in India. He got me on the flight that my friend was on and with that I said good bye to Rishikesh.
I think I have Delhi International Airport PTSD because I was a panicked mess when we landed, I was supposed to figure out how to get back into the airport where my hotel was located with no real instruction even though I had emailed the hotel numerous times. This effort again led to a little triad in my head, some yelling on a cell phone and as I struggled to hold back the tears the second most helpful man in India got me to where I was supposed to be. (The picture to the left is the view from my hotel of the international check in desks.) So when my alarm went off at 3am, for my 3:30 check in, I was bouncing with energy and excitement to get the hell out of India.
Don’t get my wrong, as you’ve read time and again, India does hold a special place in my heart, but boy does it do an amazing job testing my patience. I will always think of India as a relationship with a hormonal teenage daughter (mom maybe you can relate!) One minute we are best friends and life is smooth sailing, the next we are both in tears of the floor and I don’t know if I will ever survive this relationship. Well I did survive and as I wandered my way around a crowded Bangkok market, I realized that by going to India first every other minute of my trip is going to be a walk in the park.

Two Weeks To Enlightenment?

As my time at the Ashram comes to an end I am trying to find words and meaning to describe the experience. My sister and I were skype-ing earlier this week and she said “are you having fun?” My reply was, “yes of course, I mean it’s not like cocktail party fun, but I’m enjoying myself.” The slight reservation you may hear in that answer is that while at times I was completely elated and energized, there were other times where I was overcome by emotion. When you are left alone in silence with your thoughts you may be amazed at what emotions come forward.
We were taught that yoga is a way of life, through the physical and mental practice you find balance with the ultimate goal being self knowledge which is called enlightenment. My physical practice while being here has improved. I had taken about a six month break from yoga prior to coming to India; running was my priority when it came to exercise and I never found a yoga studio I was drawn to. Naturally thanks to my amazing genes (wink, wink dad) I am as stiff as a board, but practicing twice a day has really helped. I’ve also noticed that with my morning pranayama practice (breathing) and stretching, sun salutations and asanas (poses) I’ve found a very gentle yet extremely effective way of waking myself up. I have not had coffee in almost three weeks and I have had no need for it. But, sorry mom, the 5:30 am wake up call is just not my thing, I am so grateful that that will be ending! My goal is to practice everyday on my own, it will take commitment and time, but I would hate to see this wonderful base that I’ve started be wasted.
The mental practice of yoga was so much more then I ever expected. I came to the ashram wanting to find a stronger physical practice and work on meditation with the hopes of calming my mind. What I got instead was a spiritual awakening, I know what you may be thinking, no I won’t be chanting “Hare Krishna” any time soon, although wait until you hear some of the other chants I’ve learned! But in all honesty, thinking about my spiritual beliefs and what relationship I am looking for with God and religion was the furthest thing on my mind. While I feel that this door has just barely been opened through this experience, I am excited to explore these areas and spend time figuring out what I need for myself when it comes to a spiritual practice.

So was enlightenment obtained, no, but we were taught that to obtain enlightenment one has to have complete self knowledge. The ultimate goal through the journey of life is to obtain knowledge of the self, so I have a ways to go. Humbly I smiled the first time I heard our teacher Mataji explain self knowledge, because I believe that this trip is the start of my journey for exactly that. So while enlightenment wasn’t obtained in my two week stay, I do feel as if I am on the right path. Through philosophy class I have been given many ideas and thoughts to play around with in pursuit of my own journey.

In the end I realized that while I may have had some restless nights due to my hard bed, the food may have been lack luster, and naturally I wanted to cry when my alarm went off in the early dawn. All of that is so much more than many people ever have in India and even back in the US. I like to joke about my living conditions because I’ve been so blessed to live a very comfortable life. But so many in this world have so little. Seeing these images reminded me of how grateful I am for everything I have been given. One step to knowing yourself is to accept all that comes to you with grace (prasada). So with grace I accept what I’ve learned about myself and I head out to my next destination to continue this process and maybe get one step closer to enlightenment!

I Bathed in the Ganges River

I drenched my head in the Ganges River! Every night the Ashram holds a evening ceremony and celebration called Ganga Aarti. Aarti is an ornate lamp lined with dozens of flames. The nightly ceremony is a way to give thanks to the blessings bestowed upon us that day, as well as symbolically offer light back to God. That is why people make flower offerings with a candles which they set into the river.

We were required to go to this ceremony every night come rain or shine. So routinely  every night I would attend clap along to the music and people watch. But on the last night something changed, I became choked up on emotion I hadn’t expected. Whether it was my exhaustion from all India has to offer or the realization that it was time to pack up and leave all that I was just becoming accustomed to and the friends I’d made, I was surprised by my emotion as I interacted with the lights, music and other students.

Once the ceremony was over I went to buy a small offering to place in the river. First I let the cold river water wash over me. Indians believe that the Ganges River can cure all ailments and by the end of my India stay my body was telling me it was time to leave.

So I let the water wash away any pain and then I made an offering thanking God for a truly memorable India experience and then asking for a quick and easy exit out of this trying country. (PS the hand in the offering photo is not mine, don’t worry mom no new tattoos just yet!)

The Beatles Ashram

Follow me on a walk through what is known as the Beatles Ashram. It is said that the Beatles stay at the Ashram turned out to be one of the groups most creative periods. They wrote about 30 songs, some of which became part of the album “The Beatles” (aka The White Album) and others appeared on “Abby Road.” You can read the full history here “The Beatles in India”.

Now the Ashram sits alone, entwined with decades of jungle growth. As we walked up to the locked front gates we were amazed that the loud streets of Rishikesh had faded into a erie silence. 

On the other side of the gate was a man sleeping, when we woke him he asked for 50 rupees per person as an entry fee. He then told us to watch our step as we climbed the hill deeper into the jungle.

We left the path and entered into the auditorium which is now a makeshift museum for travelers art and words. As we walked around the room admiring the works we couldn’t help but get the creepy sense of bad energy which quickly washed over you. I felt like I was in the beginning of a remake of “Blair Witch” Indian Ashram style.

But the property is quiet and remote, a nice change from the Ashram we now call home. I would love for them to restore this area to its former glory.

Self Imposed Restrictions

I’ve tried to set some rules and limits for myself to help me better immerse my mind, body and spirit into this experience while at the Ashram:

1. No iPad for videos or iPod for music

2. During Monday through Friday eat only the meals provided by the Ashram

3. No snacking on stash of Lara Bars and Mojo Bars in suitcase

4. Limit internet time and don’t use Facebook

5. No missing any class, especially the 6 am class unless severely ill

By day five my energetic high that I blogged about had faded into the night and my alarm woke my grouchy self. Even the early morning chanting and yoga couldn’t relieve the grouch inside of me. Breakfast was the same old pile of yellow curried grain, and while the flavor isn’t bad, its definitely not a recipe I’ll be asking the chefs for. So after my philosophy class, I came back to room with one thing on my mind, Mojo. Taking out a Mojo bar, I slowly unwrapped the wrapper as if I were Charlie from Willy Wonka and this was my chocolate bar with the golden ticket. The first bite was so wonderful, I felt as if I was at a weight loss camp and I had snuck a Snickers past the counselors, devilish success. Of course all of these restrictions are of my own doing and everyone else is doing what works for them. But as I enjoyed every delicious bite of salty, sweet, crunchy goodness, I looked over my list to see what other self imposed restrictions I could break. Nothing looked as inviting as maybe a second Mojo bar, although I resisted.

After our 4:30 yoga secession I went back to the stash and enjoyed a cherry pie Lara bar and smiled with every bite.

Saturday morning I woke with ease having earned a extra thirty minutes of sleep. Our class flew by and then we were free. I was so ready for a break from the Ashram, and I would start with a breakfast that didn’t contain dinner from the night before. We headed through the alleyway of Rishikesh to a restaurant called The Office, I’m still not quite sure why, as the interior doesn’t resemble an office, but I couldn’t focus on anything but the most amazing Chia I had ever had. The seasoning of ginger, cardamom and cinnamon fused together so well, nothing like the Chia in the states, it was a truly heavenly experience. And then I was delivered this:

I know what your thinking, “No! Why would you eat fresh fruit” because look at it, how can you say no. That combined with the fact that fellow yoga students have been eating this for a week made me know I was safe. Fresh fruit toped with yogurt (curd), honey and musili. Heaven, and the grand total for this amazing meal 100 rupees, about $1.75.

We spent the day walking the crowded streets of Rishikesh trying to avoid the guys in orange. They are young men, who make a yearly pilgrim through Rishikesh collecting water at the Ganga river which they carry back to their home where they will pour it into a fountain for the God Shiva. The streets are crowded with them shouting, chanting and blowing whistles. That mixed with the other shoppers, cows and motorbikes makes it hard to contain the inner calm I had worked so hard on at the Ashram. We walked up to Laxman Jhula which is the town north of Rishikesh known as the backpackers area. We stopped to enjoy a refreshing coffee frappe and air conditioning, taking a break from the heat and honking that seems to have followed me from Delhi with vigor. By the time we started to walk back to the Ashram, a man who had been hassling us to buy his postcards got the harshest no that has come from my lips yet. I immediately felt bad, knowing that he was just trying to make money and persistence probably works occasionally, but my calm had officially cracked and I was ready to seek refuge away from the India I know so well.

We ventured out one more time that night for dinner and I enjoyed a Paneer Butter Masala and Garlic Naan. While I was craving Paneer (Indian cheese which I actually first thought was tofu) I was unfortunately rushed through my meal because we had to get back to the Ashram before the gates closed at 9:30 and I knew being locked out would seriously break my sanity. But through this day away from my routine I realized I still have much to work on, but now I know testing my inner peace in India is the best test I think I can do.

Starbucks You Need a Chai Lesson!

I’ve found a new treat that tastes nothing like the chia that I could never enjoy back in the states. Masala Chai, is a tea drink that most Indian’s have every morning and around four in the afternoon, and oh is it wonderful. We found the perfect chia at a cafe called The Office. Needing the recipe I got a full how to:

Masala Chai

serves 1 glass

Ingredients:

-1 cup milk (can substitute milk with skim, soy, almond, etc. although it may effect the flavor)

– 1/4 cup water

– 2 tablespoon sugar (adjust according to personal preference)

-1 tablespoon black tea (Indian Darjeeling is best, must be loose tea)

and either

– a pinch of Masala Tea Powder

or (my preference)

-2 pieces of cardamom

-4 black peppercorns

-A finger nail size of ginger

1. Using the fresh ingredients, rather than the tea powder, grind the cardamom, peppercorns and ginger roughly with a mortar and pestle (I prefer this rock method better)

2. Add all ingredients into a small sauce pan and place on the stove alternating between high and low heat

3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 4 minutes stirring occasionally. The Chia should start to turn coffee brown color, and you should start to smell the cardamom and other flavors.

4. Once done, pour the tea into a glass through a strainer so to remove the tea and other solid pieces. (At this point you could add the sugar if you want to control how sweet it is.)

5. Enjoy