Scooter Update, August 23, 2008

I've now taken two trips to and from the Southern Star by myself. Well, I followed Joseph on his bike yesterday (I went so slow he commented that we could have parked the bikes and walked there faster). And today Christian drove with me on the back because I'm not ready to take passengers. But I came back by myself both days. Scary but exhilarating!

August 21, 2008

Feeling much better today. For the most part, this hasn't been the greatest of weeks. Bylakuppe (the Tibetan settlement) was so disappointing, followed by the Royal Walk. Two Indians came to speak with us at Alia's one day during breakfast last week and told us about this walk they have developed showing us "the unseen Mysore". They were so cute, software engineers, originally from Mysore, that now live in Bangalore. They wanted to create this walk to show off the city they are so proud of.

It was okay. The best part about it was seeing the Sanskrit College where Guruji taught and Jagn Mohan palace where he and Iyengar learned yoga from their guru, Krichnamacharia. The rest I could have lived without. I did learn some interesting things about Hinduism though. But after blylakuppe a morning in Mysore city dodging cows, their dung and listing to the noise did me in so much that I declared to everyone who would listen that, "I hate India!" The day really went downhill from there.

The other thing that's added to my malaise is the fact that the people that are here now are a very different vibe from the older students here around the birthday. The energy is very different. And, quite frankly most are pretty boring. I haven't had many interesting conversations since last week with either new or old people. Thank God for Christian and Eva, they are at least keeping me sane.

The bright spots of my week have been my practices...amazing to say the least. Like Christian said today, my base line practice exceeds my best practice ever at home! I'm going truly deep in forward bends and twists, back drops rock and my jump throughs and backs are even getting pretty good.

I also finished my TM class. I've kept up with my twice daily meditations even between the instruction days and I've really enjoyed them. I feel so peaceful and serene afterwards. It's the only meditation I've ever done that I've been able to stick to.

The other two things that have lifted my spirits include the fact that I remembered that I have a bunch of books on my iPod and have started to listen to them. Barbara Kinsolver, oh to write like her! That's made me feel more normal.

But, even more than that is the fact that I rented a scooter! I picked her up yesterday and rode here on roads without traffic for about 45 minutes. Traffic is chaos. There are no stop signs. You beep to signal that you are approaching a crossroad. You beep to signal that you are coming up behind someone, you generally beep to signal anything and everything. The only rule seems to be, if you see a gap go for it! It's like driving in Boston on steroids...except you don't have the luxury of a car around you...just a scooter. Luckily you can go faster than the rickshaws and there aren't that many cars on the road. The busses give me a bit of a fright though.

I didn't have a chance to ride today until late and by that time I'd almost talked myself into turning it back in...but I made myself get on it and ride. I felt confident enough to go down Contour Road along side of my neighborhood and then...up the main road, past the CRAZY traffic circle and up to the roadside helmet place. For $7 NZ I got a helmet that, according to Christian, makes me look like Schultz from Hogan's Hero's (EXACTLY the look I was going for!) I think I'll be confident enough to ride to town by Monday for chanting and philosophy class. It just gives me such a sense of freedom. It rocks!!!! It's also a real challenge to be able to ride in this craziness. It's chaos, but at least it's not aggressive chaos. Om Shanti.

Please do not wash the hands in the plates, Bylakuppe, August 16, 2008

Please do not wash the hands in the plates
Originally uploaded by kim.smith61

View pics here.

Today we (Julian, Christian, Eva, Ida and myself) went to Bylakuppe, the Tibetan refugee camp about 2 hours outside of Mysore. I should have gone with my first instinct and left very early in the morning to beat the tourists and to see if I could catch the monks chanting. I've heard different reports: they chant at 5AM, they chant at noon, they chant all day long at the university. Whenever they chant I didn't hear them. It was okay, but really no more than a tourist destination. I would have much preferred to be there by myself or with 1 or 2 others listening to the chanting.

We did see two cricket games though; monk against monk...well the first was really monklettes (junior monks). Christian even bowled for a bit.

The highlight for me was going to the university (in search of chanting). We only heard one but it was kind of cool though because it was off the beaten path. The stunning thing about all of Bylakuppe was the lack of litter. It was very clean. Refreshing.

Got some cool pictures from the moving vehicle again, but the funniest one was in the restaurant we ate at: "Please do not wash the hands in the plates." I'm still struggling to figure out what that means!

Flute Concert

These are a few pics of a flute concert in the shala last week. The first is couple are Christian and Leilani (from Hawaii) with the crowd and the shala in the background.  This is the room where I practice every day.  It's a room that's become very important to me. 

August 15, 2008

I haven’t written in awhile because I’ve been sick. I started having a really bad asthma attach last week sometime. I should have done something about it but didn’t. It got really bad on Sunday and Monday’s practice was horrible. I had to take 3 - 4 breaths between each pose. I tried to skip drop backs but as I was going into forward bend I heard Sharath say, “You! Get up” There was no doubt which “you” he was talking about. It was okay, but Monday and Tuesday I could barely breath. I didn’t go to practice at all Tuesday or Wednesday and I finally broke down and had Joseph get me a corticosteroid inhaler. That immediately cleared my lungs up...and 5 minutes later I started to sneeze. I got a really bad cold.

I started my Transcendental Meditation class with Narasimhan on Monday and got my mantra. How exciting!!! I’ve been given a mantra by a real Indian guru. I’ve been practicing all week long and I have to say it’s the best meditation I’ve ever done. It’s easy to keep the mantra in mind and the meditation style itself is dead easy. I love it.

Narasimhan is so knowledgeable and such a sweet soul. We actually practice in his bedroom. Full of storage boxes, books, papers, etc. He lives like and absent minded professor. Gotta love it. Authentic India complete with monkeys in the trees outside.

I had to stop on Wednesday though. I’ll pick it up next week in the morning.

I started to feel better yesterday so I went with Hernan (his last day was yesterday) and Christian to Das Prakash Hotel for lunch (the biggest tali I’ve ever had!) and to Vinay’s yogic supplies for Hernan to check out some gear for Purple Valley. Were were going to to by the old shala, but couldn’t explain what we wanted to the rickshaw driver. Another time.

Pics below: Christian and Hernan at lunch and random street pictures driving around Laxmipuram.





I made my first attempt at making halva from Jude’s recipe for Christian and Eva last night. It turned out great! What’s not to like though, ghee, sugar (jaggery actually which is much better for you than sugar, sultanas and spices). We had that and a big fruit salad. No practice for me as I’m on “ladies holiday” so I stayed up late!

Today is India Day so everyone is off work. Big shopping day though, of course. I’m steering clear. One of Christian and Eva’s flat mates is from Mexico and made an awesome Mexican mean. Home made corn tortillas, guacamole, salsa and refried beans. Sooo good. Tasted like home. Wherever that is. That distinction is becoming less and less clear these days.

We go to Bylakuppe (Tibetan settlement) tomorrow which should be fun and interesting. Stay tuned for more pictures.

Met some really cool people at breakfast this AM at Santosha. I’ve spoken to Lisa before. She studies with Dr. Kumar and lives in Tucson. She’s a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner. There was a couple she knows from Tucson now living in NY. She’s a lawyer and he’s a chef. Both Vegan. Started talking to them about Veganism. I got so emotional chatting with them I almost started to cry. I still feel like crying. I’m not sure what that’s about.

Misc Pictures

Laxmish (my sutras and chanting teacher who is just so adorable you want to put him in your puja room and chant to him!) in traditional garb and then getting ready to ride!

Also a grand opening ceremony for a new Ayurvedic centre setting up just down the street.

3 Sisters, August 8, 2008

Today I had an experience to remember. I went to the famed 3 Sisters for a true, Indian Ayurvedic massage. They used castor oil which is designed to take heat out of the body and lubricate the joints. It’s thick and sticky! More about that in a minute.

Raju took us over to Laxmipuram where they are. It’s close to the old Shala so we visited it and took our pictures in front of the original Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute.
Jude had taken me before and given me the run down so I gave Ida a bit of a tour. We then went to Vinay’s yogic supplies and I got another rug (great for my protruding cocyx in Navasana) and the cutest little clay Ganesha statue. Then on to the 3 Sisters.

Me in front of original shala.

Hirini, Nagaratna and the third one beginning with an S. They are a bit of an institution in the Ashtanga community and we had to do it at least once. It is traditional Indian. Laxmipuram is certainly not as affluent as Gokulam and there house and shop are in a very non descript street complete with cows picking through rubbish. The house is a traditional house which means the doorways are only about 5 feet high. The house was dingy buy very clean, if you can imagine that (see below).

The massage itself takes place in what looks to be an old garage with a wooden door facing the street (secured by putting an old fork through the lock). It’s got a cement floor and walls and a bamboo roof. The roof is disguised with cloth and the massage area is very tidy albeit bare. On the cement floor lies a 1/2 inch thick grey rubber matt covered with a thinner orange mat. You lay on these naked except for a loin cloth they fashion out of tying a string around your waist and draping a piece of cloth that’s similar to 2 feet of toilet paper between the front and back. They proceed to apply the castor oil onto you and then start massaging you...with their feet! They balance themselves by hanging onto a rope. Hirini is a large, strong woman and you can feel the energy coming out of her feet! The other one (the one beginning with an S) is much smaller. They work on you at the same time and they go quite deep. They then flip you on your sides and on your back and work you head to toe.

After this is all over they take you to their bathing room.
It too is rather dingy but clean. There’s a cement box in the corner with a fire burning below heating water in a compartment above. You scoop it out with a bucket and add enough cold to it to make it acceptable. To get the castor oil off of you they apply a nut powder paste which looks like chocolate. It’s almost as sticky as the oil, but it does the trick. Then they rinse you with hot water. I thought it would feel very weird to be bathed by two women I didn’t know, but it actually felt quite normal.


Afterwards we stayed for lunch. Delicious! I had three chapattis, two helpings of delicious potatoes, 2 helpings of green beans and some other concoction of something yellow that almost tasked like egg and cooked celery.



Don’t know if or when I’ll do it again, but I’m glad I did. It really was an experience and they are all delights!

Breaking News...I bound in Supta Kurmasana by myself for the first time! August 6, 2008

Best practice ever. I went very deep in my and my Janu Sirsanas and Marichyasanas and back bends (5 in total with the first three and the last two only dropping to my head and not all the way to the floor). Drop backs felt good. In fact I had time to do a few half drop back by myself before Saraswati came to help. The big news...I bound in Supta Kurmasana by myself for the first time! I was so happy I could have sung! My feet are not yet crossed but I can put my head to the floor within my feel which is pretty exciting. I also managed to get my hands all the way to my face in Gaba Pindansana for the first time. Wee ha!!!

Went to a new philosophy class downtown with Jayashree and her brother. Sorry, don't have a link but they are both very learned scholars and friends of Guruji's. She chants and he explains. Wonderul people with warm, open, loving hearts. He is starting a Transcendental Meditation class on Monday which I'm going to attend.

Got a ride on the back of Hernan's motorbike. I met him a few weeks ago with Rachel. We shared a table at Tina's cafe. He's from Spain but grew up in the UK. He owns Purple Valley in Goa. Nice guy. After class we hung out at the pool where he bought me lunch. Never really thought of Palek Paneer as pool food, but this is India. After a quick coffee (tea in my case) at Barista he headed to a massage and I to chanting with Laxmish.

Chamundi Hill through August 4, 2008

Not too much to report. We’ve got a new house mate, Julian. Originally from Montreal but now is in DC working for the IMF. He’s got a PhD from Berkley. A real slacker! :)

The day he arrived (at 3AM) was the day the outgoing Ida, who found a beautiful and much cheaper place right be the shala, and I decided to climb Chamundi Hill.



Click here for more pics. We walked up in silence as pilgrims are meant to do. I think we were the only ones in silence. Everyone’s cell phone seemed to be blasting an FM radio station with Bollywood music. Julian decided to join us to keep awake. Pretty hard core as it’s about 1,000 feet elevation gain. And it was hot. Felt good to do some aerobic exercise though. My calves are still feeling it. The only part of my body not worked by my Ashtanga practice.

Luckily I knew what to expect. The place was a dump with tonnes of monkeys running around. The temple was exceptionally crowded as it was the day of the eclipse. They take this stuff very seriously. We were all advised not to travel or eat during the eclipse as there were “much poisons in air”. Of course a lot of us did and by God, I don’t know if it’s the power of suggestion or what but a lot of us also got sick, including me. For about 24 hours afterward I was really fluey.

As a result I had the most horrible practice of my life on Sunday. I dragged myself through it and couldn’t even go into backbend. I got so nauseous I came back down. I think Sharath knew I wasn’t feeling well because he just left me alone. Monday’s practice was much better. My drop back rocked! Best I’ve done yet. Today’s practice rocked. I’m up to 5 backbends. According to Sean my chiro, the first three are for warm up and the last 2 really open up your chest and shoulders. It seems to work. No compression in my low back, now I’m feeling it in my mid back. Today’s practice was awesome. Nice, even breath and I was able to get really deep. Drop back sucked though. First one by Saraswati in awhile and I think I was nervous. Still can’t do shoulder stand to save my life. Simmi was next to me during finishing poses and the dear, sweet woman she is offered to help me. Tomorrow is her and David’s last day. It’s sad, I haven’t gotten to know them well, but they are both so beautiful, inside and out. Can’t wait to visit their shala in Adelaide.

They days seems to flow one into another. Practice, sutras or chanting class, followed by pool


or reading with the occasional hanging out at the coconut stand.
Have started cooking myself lunch on non pool days and I’m really enjoying seeing what I can create. Yesterday it was tofu stir fry with Okra (ladyfingers is what they call it) and tomato. The day before it was a wonderful concoction of kohlrabi, sliced tomato and avocados (which are beautiful here!) with a bit of lime and salt sprinkled over it. I love eating simply and my routine seems to be working.

Breaking news! I’ve found what looks to be a really good source of protein powder with added herbs. All natural and highly filtered whey powder, so I’m less concerned about a protein deficiency.

Tomorrow I may hitch a ride with someone to Jayashree’s brothers downtown for chanting class.

Anyway, that’s all the news that is news in Gokulam.