Back to the Motherland

I am in India and happy to say that I, along with all of my luggage and my sanity, have arrived in Mysore intact! The journey is long but worth it. I basically use the time in transit to sleep (a lot), take tons of vitamins, hydrate, eat light (if at all), watch a movie or two and I arrive feeling rested and ready to go. After 16 hours on an airplane I was relieved that my driver was the rare kind whom did not play Bollywood music to a defeaning level. Instead he blared Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA". Listening to that while driving on the opposite side of the road, dodging cattle and Mack trucks alike, smelling that sometimes good/sometimes awful India fragrance, whizzing past coconut palms I can only say that I felt enveloped in a warped but happy parallel universe.

At 6am local time I arrived at Geetha's house where she greeted me with a bear hug and "welcome home". I did my practice in my room this morning since I barely missed the shala class and it felt great to move after all that traveling. It was warm and inviting (did I mention it is 95 degrees here today and super humid). After Yoga and a shower I felt myself teeter on the brink of starvation when my self proclaimed Indian mother greeted me with a delicious breakfast of roasted semolina with vegetables and pineapple. Delish and healthy, of course. I absolutely feel like I am at my second home here. The 2.5 hour drive alone reminded me how amazing it is that I have a month here to be nothing but a student of yoga and of life. I am ready to relish every moment and learn as much as I can.

So far nothing out of the ordinary to report unless of course you count the zillions of little things that you can only see in India as part of that category. Women riding on motorcycles side-saddle in their saris, people carrying brings on their heads, the harmless chaos at the airport baggage claim, kids chasing your car with flower garlands they hope you will buy......etc. It never ends.

I am off to continue my assimilation into life in a foreign land. Peace and Love to you.

India Part Three!

I am making my third trip to Mysore, India in 10 days! I am thrilled to be a student at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute once again. To be with my amazing teachers, Guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (93 years old), his daughter Saraswathi, and his grandson Sharath  is a huge blessing. This experience is only a car ride, a 13 hour flight to Dubai, an airplane change, another 4 hour flight to Bangalore, and then a 2.5 hour car ride away :)

I am now in the midst of what I call "Pre-India Chaos". I seem to be drowning in a to-do list a mile long, another list of all the items I need for a month in a 3rd world country, my regular teaching jobs, and the desire for some QT with my adorable husband before I jet out of this place on our first anniversary!!!! Yes, he still loves me despite this. 

Following my arrival in Mysore comes the "India Chaos". This is actually when all the fun begins. The mixture of cows and other farm animals in the road, stares at my curiously platinum hair color, noise from the neighborhood TV's during Bollywood shows, bucket laundry, dirt roads, and the zillion other things that push your nervous system to its limits are not for the faint of heart. I wouldn't change it for anything. In the midst of the swirling I am studying daily with my Guru, learning the roots of Sanskrit, and most importantly, being taught by the life surrounding me. In the west we strive to be in the moment for a glimpse at a time, but in India they actually LIVE in the now. Time stops. After all, where else is there to be but HERE and NOW? People enjoy cooking for hours, having chai each morning, and engaging in meaningful conversations with strangers on the street. It teaches me that life is not the to do list but the amazing things that occur when you leave the list behind and allow yourself to stop doing and start existing! 

Priceless.