Our Pagoda Journey - An Inspiration

Greetings!

GCC member Kaitlyn here all the way from Mumbai, India! I cannot believe time flew by so fast that we are already halfway done with the cricket season. This journey has been life changing and I am thrilled to share some experiences with you!

All of us have been working non-stop, everyday to help make season 6 of Extraaa Innings T20 the best one yet. On our off time, however, (during the mornings of single match days) we have been trying to sight see throughout the beautiful city of Mumbai.

We were recently blessed with the opportunity to visit Global Vipassana Pagoda. The Pagoda is a monument here in Mumbai, used as a center for meditation and to express gratitude to Gautama Buddha for his practices and teachings. I personally have never been introduced to the ideas of Buddha, or the practice of meditation, so it was such an eye-opening and inspiring experience for me.

We all had to take off our shoes to enter the huge dome, which can hold over 8000 people! It is actually the world’s largest stone dome that’s built without any supporting pillars, just individual blocks of sandstone weighing about 600-700 kg each! We were informed that the last remains of Buddha himself are actually at the very top of the dome. After touring the inside of Pagoda, we were met by a native woman who explained the construction history of the monument, as well as the things that are taught there. We were allowed a 20 minute meditation session, but unfortunately had to cut our visit short as our call time to the Sony set was unexpectedly moved an hour early due to a huge Bollywood star guest appearing on the show that day. 

IPL Cheerleaders BriAnna, Kaitlyn (Me!), Katlyn, Lauren and Morgan

Lunch was another great adventure - we ate at a traditional Vegetarian Thali restaurant and it was an experience of a lifetime! Vegetarian Thali is a plate that consists of about ten small vegetarian dishes and breads. The servers continually come from all directions, handing us different breads, pouring different sauces and filling our dishes - whether you want more food or not! It is a very traditional way of Indian dining that seemed like pure chaos, but was most definitely a dining experience that we will never forget! 

Even though it has only been 4 weeks, I have learned so much more then I could have ever imagined! With such a busy schedule, I look forward to taking some time to myself to experiencing some of the meditation practices I have been introduced to on this latest trip. As for the Bollywood guest star that appeared that day, it turned out to be much more than a "movie star" fiasco. His visit had another impact on my life that I cannot wait to introduce you all to his campaign. Needless to say, it was a day of harmony and inspiration.

See you soon and keep watching!

Love,

Kaitlyn 

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