Following Amma on the American Tour, 2012, Seattle

Mata Amritanandamayi, known fondly as Amma which means mother in Tamil and Malayalam, has been touring America for many years. Her first stop was in Seattle on the west coast.

I flew in early to sightsee beforehand.
The programme was held at the Regency Hyatt in Bellevue, Greater Seattle. Amma had flown in from Japan via a short stopover in Sri Lanka, where they prayed and held bhajans on the beach near the hotel. I was very happy to hear this, as Sri Lanka desperately needs a lot of prayers to pull it out of the darkness.

We are requested not to take photos of Amma, so I will provide some links to give you a flavour of the events with a few of my own snaps.

I loved the venue. Amma's staff were welcoming and friendly. It was a small crowd compared to her tours in europe. I joined my first retreat with Amma here, and it was wonderful. The retreat programme started one evening with a short meditation with Amma, and she then welcomed all of us with darshan and a big hug. This went on until 5am! On leaving the hall, one of the devotees asked Amma to dance, she replied "tomorrow". She was giving love to all of us every moment. We lined up to touch her hand as she left the hall and followed her out to the lift. There was a yoga class at 6.30am and meditation at 7.30, but to be honest, I had to have at least a couple of hours sleep before getting up in time for breakfast and the Swami's talk at 9am. Amma came back into the hall around 10am after the talk. Nothing in the programme is mandatory but all the events and especially being with Amma is so inspiring and magical, I participated as much as possible. This includes doing a little bit of seva(selfless service). I helped with a bit of vegetable chopping and preparation. The team in the kitchen are so lovely, it was a pleasure to work with them. They work long hours throughout the day preparing delicious vegetarian meals for us. All the work on the tour is done by Amma's devotees, some by volunteer staff touring with Amma, and other duties by local devotees from her Seattle group.

On the second night of the retreat, after giving darshan(Blessing), Amma got up and danced. This was enthralling. As if she didn't give enough for us, she gave some more and captivated us with her divine playfulness-and the time was around 3am. It was so worth waiting up. with all the excitement, it took me some time to go to sleep.

During the retreat, we had a Q&A with Amma, a bhajan class which was beautifully instructed by one of Amma's devotees, awesome bhajans with Amma, and one evening we received blessed dinner prasad from Amma directly, followed by ice-cream and chai.
Throughout the programmes, there were stalls offering delicious snacks, juices and beverages, lovingly prepared by Amma's devotees. The indian snack bar is popular with their masala dosa, puri, pakoras and chai, and the best american home made pizza. Then there's a snack bar offering a selection of freshly baked cookies and cakes, some gluten and vegan also. And not forgetting the healthy burritos and wraps. With Amma's programmes, you have to have a strong will not to over eat! All monies earned from sales go to Amma's numerous charitable humanitarian work.


On the retreats, you can have Amma's darshan and hug everyday of the retreat, then there's Devi Bhava on the last day which is a public programme and you can get another hug! I made the most of it- I appreciated every hug from Amma. Later on the american tour, when there were large crowds, it didn't seem right to get one more hug as I had so many by then. Amma's Darshan is a powerful experience, it's good to sit close by Amma afterwards and meditate for some time.

I cannot begin to comprehend the physical toll on Amma, sitting in the chair all day and night, without a break, giving herself completely to everyone, listening to our problems, comforting us, blessing us, uplifting us. On top of this, at the same time, she's also advising her Swamis, staff and devotees who come to her with all sorts of questions and concerns, sometimes she's on the phone to her ashram in India, her colleges. I don't suppose Amma sleeps. We are all struggling to stay awake in our chairs, we feel aches and pains, we get hungry and get tired. She remains sweet and fresh, relaxed and loving, no sign of impatience or stress. Being with Amma is a special blessing, the energy at her programme is indescribable. I have been completely overwhelmed, and felt a heart opening, expanding blissful experience. It was a treat for me to attend this tour. I know I would love to do this on a regular basis.

Amma's visit to Seattle, amritapuri website.

Old footage by Oasis TV, snippets of Amma in Seattle
https:https://www.youtube.com/watchv=99YKaFjaprE&feature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9EPrZoVmes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1H0_9UGWfw&feature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p187Fm0E53E&feature=relmfu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG150XjQ28c&feature=relmfu

See www.amma.org for information regarding Amma and her centers and ashrams.