Magic Afternoon, Saturday September 6, 2008

You know those afternoons or evenings that are just magical? You go to a restaurant and the food is good, the ambiance good and the company and conversation superb? I had one of those experiences today. I met Sarah (my new friend from Sydney) at the palace and took a tour. She didn’t know where Rashinkar’s was so I took her there so she could go mat shopping. I bought one myself (a Mysore rug) which I had embroidered with my name. It cost all of $9.

Afterwards we met Stuart (also from Oz) at the Metropole. I’d never been there for their lunch buffet and had heard great things about it. I wasn’t disappointed. I thought the food was superb!

But better than the food was the company. Sarah and Stuart had met only briefly but Sarah wanted to reconnect with Stuart so I set this lunch up to do so. I’ve gotten to know both of them within the last week or so but it seems like I’ve known them both for a lifetime. And it was one of those conversations that went deep, really deep really fast.

It’s such a pleasure to get to that level with people. Without all the bullshit. Just real feelings, real emotions.

All of us are on the same page. All of us want to deepen our spiritual practices, to actually find a guru (or teacher) that we can learn from and all of us are going to be making some changes when we get back home. We are all worried about being able to keep up what we are learning and fining most valuable in India. We’ve agreed to be a support network for each other.

It was time very well spent.

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.

First Drop Backs, July 24, 2008

Haven’t written in awhile. One day melts into the next and everything revolves around the practice. It’s such a unique experience.

My practices have been coming along really nicely. I’m looking less like a dead fish flopping on the shore during Chakrasana (a way to exit a posture you do lying on your back by lifting your legs over your head and pushing up so that you don't roll over your neck (in theory). I’m actually doing headstand in the middle of the room...today for 10 breaths. So, I’ll be ready in tomorrow’s led class. It’s been flowing okay, not as focused as I’d like but not totally unfocused either. And the BIG news!

Last week Sharath asked me if I’d done my backbends as he saw me getting ready to leave. “Yes”, I said confidently and went into the changing room. “Oh oh I thought, I know where this is leading”. The next day Sarashati hovered over me as I was doing my backbends and I ignored her. She just squashed me into forward bend afterwards and let me go. And then Tuesday this week Sharath asked me again if I’d done backbends. “Yes”, I replied with a big smile and tried to get past him. No such luck. He asked, “Who helped you?” “No one”, said I truthfully, to which he replied, “Tomorrow you wait.” Hmmmm.

Sooo, after doing my practice (I’m surprised I wasn’t a nervous wreck!) and finishing with my backbends I stood up to wait. Sharath saw me standing and came over. The dreaded dropbacks! I really never thought I’d be able to do these. These are when the instructor holds you from the front and you go back into a full back bend from standing after doing three half backbends. The thought of going back never particularly bothered me. I used to do backflips into the water all the time when I swam. But I was afraid of what the backbend would do to my low back; especially how it would feel when they jerked me up. But, wonder of wonders it felt good. Sharath was not impressed with my slapping my hands to my thighs when I came up, but I was totally impressed that I did it!!!

The other big news is that I learned how to make Jude’s chai today (see recipe at the side). For those of you who have not tasted, it’s the best chai on the planet. Made better by all of the great, fresh and very potent spices here. She’s told me how to make it before but this time she talked me through it so it’s embedded in my brain. I actually made it again this morning for a big breakfast that Joseph made. Dosas and fruit salad with a savory subgee and coconut chutney. Delicious! I made soy chai for Rachel (a vegan) which also turned out well. Joseph invited Basia, another senior teacher who is Polish / Canadian but has lived in Japan for the last 10 years. She’s now moving to Poland and Norway but travels quite a bit teaching. He also invited a woman named Katherine who is an academic from Oxford. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to speak with her very much.

Yesterday we all went to the Southern Star for the reopening of the pool. It had been closed since I got here for refurbishment. It’s nice to have a pool so close. It’s just as nice as Wind Flower, although the setting is not nearly as tranquil. I had a veggie burger (which tasted like curry) with fries. I also had a manicure, pedicure, brow shape and head and shoulder massage for $32 NZ!

I started another chanting class today. This one concentrates on specific prayers that Guruji wants the yoga students to learn. I don’t know what they mean but I was buzzing afterward. I loved it.

My yoga sutras class is getting pretty intense. We’re getting into some really interesting topics, like the cosmology of the universe. It’s fascinating, a lot like quantum physics. I’m reading two translations at the moment. Iyengars which is completely dry and a beautiful little book that I got for 30 rps at a local ashram. This is the one that Laxmish actually reads from. There are a couple of ashrams around here that have books. I’ll have to check the other out.

Between the yoga sutras, the two chanting classes and the back bends I’ve been in a really interesting head space the last couple of days. I go between being completely happy and content, almost blissful (wow, look at that cool butterfly kind of blissful) to wanting to cry for no reason. I guess my inner journey is starting in ernest.