Tuesday September 16th—Encinitas-“God’s Hospital”

In mid September of 1976 I moved to Encinitas, and today I am celebrating my 38th anniversary of residency. I moved down from Santa Rosa to share a house with my old college buddy, Don, recently graduated from nursing school and subsequently employed by San Luis Rey Psychiatric hospital in Encinitas. When I arrived I felt sick, like I had the flu. Don took a long look at me and said, “You look a little yellow.” He stuck his fingers under my ribcage on the right side and asked if I felt any tenderness. I told him I didn’t, but if he was looking for my liver he would find it on the side because I have a physical anomaly called situs inversus—all of my internal organs are reversed. When he felt under the left side I winced in pain. Don said, “I think you have hepatitis—we need to go to the emergency room.” At the hospital they took blood and some x-rays that showed that my bilirubin level was off the charts and my liver was both enlarged and on the wrong side—I had hepatitis. The hospital told me there was nothing they could do for me, that I needed to take it easy and avoid things that were hard on the liver—alcohol, coffee, fatty foods, etc. So, my first month in Encinitas was spent in convalescence. Each day I would walk the three blocks to Stone Steps beach and lay in the sun for a few hours reading The Lord of the Rings. I had just enough strength to climb back up the steps and stagger home. During that month of convalescence I became extremely aware of the importance of the liver by living with one that wasn’t functioning very well. I became acutely aware of the all the foods I was eating and would instinctively avoid things that I knew I couldn’t digest—mostly fats and proteins. The thought of drinking alcohol sickened me. I ate mostly fruits and grains and vegetables, in limited quantities, and slowly my health began to improve. My stools, which had been a pale white color, began to normalize, and my urine, which had been brownish orange, returned to the yellow spectrum. Encinitas turned out to be the perfect place for me to go through my recovery process—there seems to be a healing vibration here, even now, in spite of all the changes of the past 38 years. I don’t remember who coined the name, “God’s Hospital,” but I think it’s a very apt name for Encinitas. Paramahansa Yogananda came here in the 1930’s when one of his wealthy devotees bought him a choice piece of real estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Self Realization Fellowship meditation gardens—just north of Swami’s Beach—are more than likely the epicenter of the healing vibrations of Encinitas. The Ashtanga Yoga system of Pattabhi Jois was introduced on American soil in Encinitas when Guruji first came to Encinitas in 1975. He liked it so much that he returned a dozen times to teach over the next 30 years. He often referred to Encinitas as his “American Home.” Pattabhi Jois’ son Manju accompanied him on that first trip to Encinitas and never left. There is probably a higher density of yoga centers in Encinitas than anywhere else on the planet. The only Jois Yoga Center that is still in operation is in Encinitas. A few years ago, at the height of his popularity, John Friend announced that he was moving to Encinitas as well to open a state-of-the-art yoga and multi-media center. He released a video that talked about the special healing qualities of Encinitas and the great lineage of yogis that have left their mark there—Paramahansa Yogananda, Pattabhi Jois, and Tim Miller! (Gotta love a guy who flatters you like that!) Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned for John. It’s a shame because Encinitas is a pretty special place.