Home cooked Indian Meal!

It is so, so, so hot. This week it is 100 degrees plus. Midday you can’t do anything, but go back to your place and rest with the fans on. All the stores close from 1 to 3 p.m. as no one can move during this time. I am literally dragging myself from noon to 4 each day. The heat is just too much right now.

Practice was at 4:30 a.m shala time, which is 4:15 a.m. I have to stop and figure out shala time, as the clock is fifteen minites fast.So when Sharath says, “You 5:45!” that means you are on the mat no later than 5:30. We are down to one led class now. People are leaving each day to go home or on with their travels. Laksmi showed up at 4:10, so I ran to the shala to get a space. Luckily many people decided to practice at home, since Sharath was not teaching, so I got up on the stage. Very nice and my splinter didn’t bother me too much. I’m soaking it again as I write this. I can’t find the splinter, but feel it.

We had lunch today at Sandhya’s. She is this amazing woman and a fantastic cook. You have to call by 9:30 a.m. that morning to reserve a spot. We got there at 1 and we were the first ones. Ina bout 15 minutes at least 30 people were packed in her house. Julia, Lara and I went. Mags was with us, but was not having a good time at first. She was hot and hungry and let everyone know this. She has discovered, Jaqari. It is basically brown sugar and all the restaurants keep it on the table in a little metal pot. Mags found to one day at breakfast and now holds firm in her 2 year old ways to have little nuggets of Jaqari. Like it’s on the table just for her. Deciding not to ruin the 30 people’s lunch, we gave her about a ¼ teaspoon full and luckily Sandhya brought out a chapti for her. She took it off the table and went and sat on one of the mats in the next room. She was quietly easting by herself and then a group of Japanese yogis joined her for lunch on the floor and all was well.

We are going to spend our last week here eating at Sandhya’s and Nagarntha’s house. It is amazing food and we pay 100 rupees for all we can eat. Not that our yogi stomachs can hold a lot, but it is sure worth the price.

It’s amazing to hear the stories and lives of the yogis here. One yogi, Lars, is here doing his thesis on Ashtanga yoga and why and how people ended up here. When you listen to everyone it’s a mixture of everything. Some people are just trying to find themselves, so they are here for 3 months, then stay on another month and another. Then they move on. Many people leave here and travel on to Goa, Thailand, Nepal, Bali, Europe, Japan. It is amazing to listen to what everyone is doing and where they came from. Many are yoga teachers, others are bohemians really, just traveling around the world doing massage,  teaching yoga workshops, anatomy, ayurveda classes and book themselves all over the world. Two women have been here in Asia for 10 years, living all over and working as marketing/media consultants. Another is Native American, living off tribe money and is here practicing then traveling around Asia. A couple of them definitely come from families with money, as they are here practicing for an indefinite amount of time and traveling in between their months of practice here.

It’s all very interesting how and why people got here. Most of the certified and authorized teachers are very different from the others who come and go here. They are all very grounded, mostly in their late 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. They are very quiet, calm and keep a low profile. You never really see them out at the restaurants too much and seeing them here is really catching them at practice or an occasional drive by from them on the scooter. All of them are very very good people inside and out. Most of them have a home base where they have a shala or a home in one country. They make their living off teaching yoga in their shalas and through their workshops, traveling around the world teaching. Not a bad gig to see the world.

Sharath’s words from 2 conferences ago are staying in my mind these days. “If you don’t have patience, you won’t be able to do Ashtanga. Practice and patience, then all is coming.” Patience is with me now as I near the end of this trip, my practice has really blossomed here. I see the benefits of doing Ashtanga 6 days a week. I am stronger, leaner and have much more energy on a regular basis. I have seen people doing 3rd and 4th series here and it is a bit difficult. I understand clearly now the reasoning for being able to do each pose before you can move on in the Ashtanga series. Your body has to be able and ready to do a pose in order to do the next pose or future poses. It all makes sense now. Being stuck in a pose allows you to get to know your body and what it needs to do to get into that pose. Once you figure that out, it becomes easily achievable and then you move on.

Patience as he says. There are 6th series and he is the only one doing 5th and 6th series in the world. It takes time. I’m bringing this up today because not only do I see the need and reasoning for patience within my practice, but I have brought that patience into the other areas of my life too. Especially with Ms. Smiling, happy, jaqari eating Mags. 2 year olds can be a handful, but I am just breathing and practicing my patience with her. This lets her figure things out too within herself and mind. It’s been good for both of us.

I hope everyone is well, we leave in 10 days now. Mags has settled in nicely now, we will see how her re-entry to the states will be. Her favorite saying these days is, “Bye Swami” and waves as our rickshaw driver pulls away.

Namaste.