After visiting Pashupatinath Temple I was privileged to be introduced to Dasanudas Hari Das Baba, their family friend, who is a cave-dwelling local guru. He lives next to the temple in this cave that is no more than a few meters squared. Ten years is the dedicated time that will be lived here before returning to his ashram in India.
Seen on my forehead is a tika. The tika is a mark created by the application of fragrant paste, such as sandalwood or vermilion on the forehead. This is done as a rite of passage on special religious occasions depending on regional customs. It is also a welcome and expression of honor for guests.
Yoga, although coming from Hinduism, at its core is not a religion. For myself, as a baptized Catholic during my childhood, I grew into adulthood as a believer in all religions as a whole. I am always happy to participate in different religious customs due to the positive intention behind them. I am happy to have the intentions behind the application of a tika by Dasanudas Hari Das Baba. I feel blessed by him.