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!
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!
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