Dirty little secrets

No one takes pictures of themselves doing pasasana with their heels off the ground. Its like this dirty little secret. I think the people doing 2nd and 3rd try to move through pasasana, lest someone notice their heels hovering. Someone told me once that it takes a year to "get" pasasana. I can believe that. It is a very telling posture. You can read a lot about someones body based on their pasasana or their attempt at pasasana. Like an infectious disease, the ability to drop one's heels (or not to) does not discriminate who it may afflict. And so, here I find myself in day 3 of pasasana at AYRI in Mysore, India. Yesterday at breakfast, we were talking about getting pasasana from Sharath, and how it felt for the first time.

"It's like Sharath has approved your primary series." The guy across from me said with a huge grin plastered to his face.

I have used a western toilet my whole life, its my anatomy--my heels do not touch the floor. But I have a very flexible back! :)

Sharath helped me again today in pasasana. He let me lean on him while I got in the posture, then laughed as I rolled back in a little ball. Its all about getting your weight toward your knees and feeling like you are going to stand up. Its all about getting it.

Practicing at 5 am is really nice because you can pick a spot that you want. You can start when you're ready to. There is no talking. No chorus of "you come". It is just you and your breath. Tuesday, there was this incredible moment when the first person raised there arms over their head to begin the first sun salute of the day.

It is also nice because you get to chant the opening mantra together. Yesterday and today we chanted with Guruji, which was incredibly special. You come in, put you mat down and start practicing when ready. This is about 4:45am. Then around 5:15, you r ealize you are the only one jumping around on your mat and so you come to stand in Samastitih for opening prayer. After the prayer, everyone continues wherever they left off, and Guruji stands up on the stage staring at the hundred plus bodies performing postures that he has spent his lifetime practicing and teaching. Imagine pictures you have seen of the Virgin of Guadalupe. At times, Guruji has rays of energy shooting all around him, this is when looking at him is like staring at the sun.
Practicing at 5am is really funny because you get to see everyone post-kapotasana shuffling around like outdoor recreation time at a retirement center. As I sat drinking a coconut at the coconut stand, I saw a friend hobbling along the road. I don't have the best eyesight, but based on his hunch/waddle/shuffle I was able to deduct other like individuals and confirm that it was in fact, Colin. A girl next to me said "He looks like he's hurting!" I was thinking the exact same thing.

Back bends have been good, which everyday, really is a blessing. Not long ago, I did something that totally seized my back. I could barely move. Everyone seems to have an interesting ride at the beginning of 2nd series. Its like a kid sees a lincoln log cabin, knocks it down, and then puts it together again. This is your back.

Ha! Heels up! (see pic.)

A shout out to my homies who got new poses today (you know who you are)
And another to a lovely lady who now is the new queen of the stand up from back bends!

Here is a video of the coconut stand!

The Ladies' Holiday

I woke up this morning to a marvelous surprise--the crimson tide. What luck. All yoga traditions and many different cultures have their own policies with how to deal with the leaking woman. Among Ashtanga practitioners, you are supposed to take a certain number of days off per month. You take 3 days off for your period, everyone takes off Saturdays or Sundays (depending on whether you are practicing with Sharath or Saraswati), and everyone takes off moondays (days of the full or new moon). I've heard a few different theories about this.

1. A friend from New York told me that she never honors the 3 day vacation because she said the reason was Guruji and co. who are brahmins considered it "unclean". I'd believe this because it wouldn't be the first time I heard a culture with that sort of view... read more

2. Another theory is that you want things to go down and out and not in and up. In ashtanga practice there is a lot of in and up.

3. Sometimes you just need a break. You're tired, achy, your balance sucks. Who wants to do a headstand?

Anyway, I went to watch practice at the time I was assigned to practice (7:15am). I was up at like 2am, so I could have made it to the 5am to watch, but decided that Sharath might be like "Why are you here early?" Like I was getting to big for my britches. So I went at 7:15am. There is a little waiting room/mud room when you first walk in and all the students waiting to practice sit on the floor in there and watch people practicing. All you can hear is people breathing and the occasional "next!" or "next 7o'clock", or "you, come!". Finally there was no one left and Sharath came to the door and said "you, come!". I said "I'm not practicing today". To which he replied, "ladies' holiday?" I said "yes". He said " come back tomorrow". Now I don't think he meant come watch tomorrow because he seemed pretty perplexed that I was there. I guess the unclean theory isn't true.

Yesterday I packed my bag and moved out of the b&b, confident that I would find a place to cover the next two weeks. On August 1st, I'll be moving into Shelli's room which is in Saraswati's house. Its so crazy! Saraswati is Guruji's daughter and she teaches with them at the Shala. She had her own classes in said house until Guruji got sick. Now she only teaches at the main shala and so the house is filled with yoga students "in residence". I walked around the other day and you can hang out in the practice room whenever you want and all her pictures and stuff of the family are on the wall. So weird. This house is directly and I mean directly across the street from the Shala. I think (not counting the stairs), it would take maybe 7 paces. (I found this pic on the net.)

I dropped my bag at Alex's and went to meet up again with Murthy. He's the "needs" guy for AYRI. Basically you go to him with any needs you got and he helps you sort them out. I found a place maybe 4 blocks from the shala to hold me over until Aug 1. It will cost 3000rs which is about $75 for 2 weeks. Its not bad, not the greatest, but not dirty which is good. For those of you that can recall my Washington Ave apartment, you'll have an idea of what I'll be dealing with. The perks: its got mosquito netting on the windows, bedding, a lock on the door, a fan, a private bathroom, a western toilet. The cons: bucket shower, old smelling.

Yesterday I did this crazy "chakra breathing" meditation with this guy that the local students swear by. It was interesting, weird, and I felt like I huffed some nitrous for about 15 minutes afterwards.

This morning I tried to wash my hair with the bucket shower. Eh. Besides the fun feeling of being a baby in the sink, there's the ick feeling of standing in a flooded locker room.

Super cool things about India: easy and cheap to rent a scooter (but I have a wicked burn on my leg from the exhaust pipe). super cool and cheap clothing.