Week 3 and 1/2: Getting Settled

I got an apartment! I really like the place. It is maybe a 5 minute walk from the Shala, as well as a lot of different groups of friends. It is in a big, well run building with a reputable landlord. It is all the way on the roof! The apartment is actually a (literal) one room studio with small kitchen area and bathroom (western). Apparently there is hot water on demand, and did I mention that it is on the roof with a killer view? A huge roof, mind you. I've got the place until September 14th, and after that who knows? I'm glad I found a place. I'm sure Alex is as well. I think I'll go buy her some chocolate.

Lunch at Rishi's again today. I love eating here. Rajini (the owner) cooks meals out of her house. So you just walk in and tell her you're hungry and she gives you what she thinks you should eat. It feels a lot like visiting a grandma. They always know best. But she also keeps track of my eating habits. Like, "you barely finished your food yesterday, I won't give too much spicy today. Better the cold salad and lots of chapatis." She also has a small Internet area with 4 computers. Its a bit less expensive here than Anu's.

Anu
Lunch/dinner buffet 100rs
Internet 20 rs/hour
phone 5 rs/minute

Rishi
Lunch/dinner (family style) 70 rs
Internet 15 rs/hour
phone 4 rs/minute

It doesn't seem like a lot, but it can be easy to spend a lot of money around here buying lots of little things all day long.

Practice was good today. Not as powerful as yesterday, but deeper. I go into the breathing in a really heavy way. After, I went to breakfast at Shakti to wish Stina fair well. She's had enough of Mysore for now. She's fairly new to yoga and came just for the experience. On one hand it can drive you crazy listening and seeing 100% yoga all the time, the lack of structure to the days, the endless discussions on what time is the best to eat in order to take a good shit before practice. On the other hand, it is absolutely inspiring to see the dedication and the practice.

Once I was talking to my cousin about how I did a lot of yoga, to which he replied, "I did a couple of poses once, but is so self-centered." I was so busy thinking about myself that I didn't even notice that before. He's so right though. For most people it seems that you cultivate an inner garden and then after it blooms, you take the flowers out. How nice to simply pack flowers in. I think that we get flowers all the time, but to really understand how special they are, we have to grow them ourselves.

Stina is always very concerned about me being in India. She says, "are you sure you're going to stay? You are going to have a very hard time." As much as it may seem that India and I don't mix, I feel like this place is only for me. It can be like a Disney World for yoga students. You can sit on the floor everywhere you go. Sometimes you can even recline. Everyone takes their shoes off at the door. You get to eat with your hands. Everything is super cheap. You can take classes in anything you want. Ayurveda. Chanting. Yoga books. Indian music. You can talk to anyone for hours and hours about yoga. You can meet people that don't say a thing about yoga but will change your life. Scooters are fun. Animals are everywhere. I get to live in my own private oasis.

Student rule regarding the reception of poses #248
Sharath only gives poses on Mondays and Wednesdays.

*shrug*

Always on the prowl for downloads:
Sun salutes and standing:
http://www.tevenei.com/yoga/img/astanga_A_1.jpg

Primary series and finishing:
http://www.tevenei.com/yoga/img/astanga_B_1.jpg

And of course, the post would not be complete without an image of a pose. This is from Advanced Series. Check out more stuff from www.absolutelyashtanga.com