what to do when you aren't being a pretzel--paint!

This whole week has been a blur. Between visitors and -- and I'm not sure what, I don't really remember what I did yesterday. I forget how intense practice is here. I think that oh it is just a couple of hours, but when I am ready to start winding down by 3pm, I see that even if I don't notice it, I'm working very hard.

Besides morning asana practice, cooking meals, running errands, etc., I am also taking painting classes. Here is my article on my experience for the September issue of Living Mysore Magazine. It hasn't been published yet...

Besides the freshly baked breads and massive coffees, breakfast at Santosha means dining in a room surrounded by beautiful traditional Mysore paintings where Hindu deities dance and recline in colorful backdrops sprinkled with 22-karat gold leaf detailing. I see a poster on the wall indicating that, yes, I too can learn to paint in this unique style. Count me in!

Classes begin two days later on Monday. I'm given all the supplies I'll need to begin (a pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser, and drawing pad), chai, and apple muffins. Anand, our teacher, draws a one petal lotus and instructs me to fill the page with the same. After the ninth or tenth try, he laughs a bit and gives me something else to sketch. Just like this we learn, line by line, detail by detail, until we are ready to learn something a bit more challenging. I now know that when we say "Mysore style" it isn't just asana practice but painting too. And even without my yoga mat, I see that this too is a yoga practice. "You see him?" Anand gestures to Tomasz, the owner and chef extraordinaire at Santosha. "You should see him before painting! Any person," Anand continues. "After ten paintings will become much calmer."

Can painting really make such a difference? Can it really teach us as much about ourselves as our asana practice? As my friend and I learn to draw the more challenging hand and feet variations and I throw down my pencil in frustration, I see how similar the two practices can be. Anand puts his hands on top of my head and takes them away as if he touched a stove, "So much heat! Be cool." He smiles. As lotuses, hands, feet, and flowers slowly unfold on our notebook pages we see that like asana practice, things come slowly, slowly.

Painting classes with traditional Mysore painting master, Anand, are offered on an ongoing basis. The average time to complete a basic painting is about one month. All levels of students are welcome to attend. Classes are held Monday through Friday at Santosha between 12 and 2 pm. If you are interested in attending a class, simply show up during class hours to talk with Anand.

Visit Santosha's website for more information on painting classes and other events.

Full Circle

About one year later I am again sitting with Kate in front of a computer listening to php fetch css go in one ear and out the other with one foot here and the other in India. Bless her patience. My flight to India is almost a day away and I want to give New York a big squeeze. I feel unprepared every time I say goodbye and one part empty one part giddy as I stand on street corners alone.

I'm all packed up and ready to go and worrying about the silly little things instead of the big ones. Maybe they seem easier to fix or maybe those are the things that make something special. I'm stepping cautiously and feel like Bambi learning to stand and the rug gets pulled out from under me and I stand and then a rip current pulls everything away but I'm still there in shallow waters watching my belongings dragged out to sea. A little sadness tugging at the bottom left corner of my heart, a little happiness and excitement pulling up the top.

I was hoping to post a picture of me happily perched in pasasana or karandavasana as a "final project" or something to punctuate my time in New York, but instead we'll all have to settle for the intangible glory of tears and toil and little glimpses of liberation.

As I savor the last few moments with my closest friends (and a few tears) I can smell the masala in the distance and can't hardly wait to shed this skin.

Mysore tips from my first trip 2007

Mysore Travel Tips

This is by no means a definitive list, but it does include all those little things which I had no way of knowing before actually being in India.

1. Floss. I haven't gone looking for it, so I can't say for sure if it is always in stock, but who wants to go out and buy floss? Just bring some with you!

2. Ladies, don't expect to find undergarments to your liking in the shops here. Bring bras that you like with you and if you aren't a fan of the granny panty, you ought to bring your own undies as well. That said, there is a jockey store on Devarajurs Road...

3. Did I mention grapefruit seed extract? Yes? Well go buy some right now!

4. you might miss magazines. there are local india mags, but I know I'd like to get my hands on a NY Times or Discover Mag, or Rolling Stone. Anything! Even if it was three months old. My recommendation? Bring em with you!

5. you can find tampons here at the local grocery store called Nilgiris, but they aren't organic (if you're into that sort of thing).

6. vegans: you need healthy bacteria in your belly. plan on either eating curd or taking supplements (but you'll need to bring them from home).

7. You'll be really happy if you bring veggie bars like the ones by odwalla or the green veggie powder you add to water. Yes, there are veggies here, but I know a lot of us are craving more!

8. join facebook. just do it. I didn't want to either, but it is a great way to keep up with people around here. emailing can be so tedious!

9. I can almost guarantee that at some point, you will have diarrhea. better not to think about it too much.

10. You'll start to miss variety if you don't bring plenty of clothes. The paper bag look doesn't work for everyone.

11. Mysore is a lot like life. It is part what you make of it and part what it wants to give you.

12. Try to bring clothing that has lycra or something like it. From hand washing and no dryers, you'll find most of your clothes will grow, grow, and grow.

13. Avoid talking politics. Yoga, that is. Some people are open about different views and opinions, but you might catch yourself with your foot in your mouth.

14. Almost everyone gets sick within the first 2 weeks. See Anu and Ganesh. They'll make you food that will help you feel better.

15. Bring or buy mosquito repellent. why suffer?

16. Lots of people have wifi at their houses and in local restaurants. You might want to bring your laptop. Plus you can use it to watch movies! Its like college all over again!

17. Bring loads of yoga clothes.

18. Bring lots of things to make yourself feel fresh. I didn't really bring anything. You can buy a lot of stuff here, but not necessarily things that you like and you don't want to spend your trip here feeling like you are camping!

19. Buy electrical adapters when you get here. A simple one costs 12 rupees at Loyal World.

20. Seriously consider how much you need your jeans. You'll be hand washing them.

21. If you are picky about toiletries, you should bring your own.

22. Pack grapefruit seed extract

23. Don't under any circumstances hand over money for a room until the said space is EXACTLY how you would like to live in it!

24. Only pack shoes that slip on and off. It is better if they don't have backs because you will be constantly taking them on and off everywhere you go.

25. Savor your last shower before heading for the airport. It might be some time before you have a shower like that.

26. Bring toilet paper, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer. Toilet paper is available in mysore, but you might want to have an emergency roll on you, just in case.

27. Nobody gets shots. Really.

28. It is really easy to get a car to pick you up from the Bangalore airport. The guy Krishna that they list on the ayri website really will arrange this for you.

29. Take the flight with the shortest layover possible. It is ok if you arrive in Bangalore at a weird time like 3am.