Road To Mysore

Last Tuesday, I went to Barath Travels to pick-up my airline ticket. It was the first time I took my scooter to Laksmipuram. Vincent would be proud of me. I have moved my departure date 10 days earlier. I now leave Mysore on January 21. I was supposed to leave on January 31 and arrive on Feb 2.

A couple of weeks ago, a former co-worker told me that they may need some part-time help for this coming tax season. I emailed my boss and he told me he could use me starting Feb 1. It was hard to pass up the opportunity and since my driver's license is expiring on Jan 28, I wanted to leave earlier. I like the thought of having a job waiting for me when I arrive. I've been unemployed for more than 5 months already and my funds are slowly dwindling. I don't love being a tax accountant but I like the fact that I will always have a job from Feb 1 to April 15. So now I have less than a month to go before I head back to the real world and leave this paradise I call Mysore.

After picking up my ticket from Barath Travels, I decided to drop by the old shala since it's just a block away. Sharath had told me last Monday that Guruji is always in the old shala every morning from 10:30 to 11:30. I knocked on the front door and asked Guruji if I could see the old shala. He let me in and told me to go ahead and look around. I like the fact that he let me wander around the shala while he sat in the living room talking to his friend. I walked in the main practice room which is about 1/5 the size of new shala. I think the room can only take 12 people at a time. There were a lot pictures on the wall. I recognized a few of the western students. David Swenson had more hair and Tim Miller looked much younger. The carpet was old and moldy. I think they were the original carpets. I then walked up the legendary stairs to the finishing/changing room. The room was about the same size as the shala floor. It was nice to just wander around and take pictures. I have always wanted to be part of the old shala so being there was the next best thing. These rooms are part of ashtanga history and just being there was special.

This week has been a great practice week. Having Guruji, Manju, Sharath and Saraswati at the same time on floor has increased the energy of the room. There are more eyes looking at you and more adjustments to go around. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier but I sort of changed the approach to my practice. I think the fact that I'm leaving soon, I've felt a sense of urgency. I've accomplished everything I've expect to accomplished and more but I think it's human nature to even want more. I've always started my practice with 10 Suryanamaskara A but now I'm doing 10 B's too. I've adapted a give it everything you've got attitude. I've also been holding my postures much longer and doing 2 or 3 extra backbends. By the time I'm ready for savasana, I just pass out. I'm told I snore but I already know that...oh well. I'm so tired after practice that I end up taking a nap.

Everybody here knows that Sharath will eventually run the shala. He has been authorized by Guruji to give or take away postures. Since coming back last Sunday, his been taking away more than giving. While Sharath was in Goa, Guruji gave some postures to one of the advanced students. When Sharath came back, he went after that student and made it known that any additional postures should be cleared through him. He kept telling the student, "Why are you in a hurry?"..."Posture incorrect"...I haven't seen that student back in the shala lately. I hope she doesn't take it too personally. I think Sharath was just trying to get a message across at her expense. Matt Corigliano(Dominic's son) told me he never asks for postures. The more you ask for it, the more you won't get it. I think patience is a big part of this practice and a lot of students come here with a false impression of how advance they are. They've been doing 2nd or 3rd series postures at home and when they come here that's all taken away. Noah & Kimberly has always told the LA crew, "When you're in Mysore, you're all beginners." I'm so grateful to them for preparing us for Mysore.

When Sharath was gone, Saraswati told me to do navasana even if I normally stop at Mari C. I know you're not supposed to do navasana until you get Mari D. I did navasana while Sharath was gone but knew better not to do it when he came back. I'm really in no rush and I'm more than happy to stop at Mari C.

This week Saraswati reminded me to do navasana after she helped me with Mari C. I told her that Sharath said "No" because I had asked him earlier in the week. Saraswati insisted, "You do!" When she walked away, I tapped Sharath and told him that Saraswati told me to do navasana. He just smile and said, "Yes, you do" Nothing here is official until Sharath says it is. So I'm back to doing navasana after Mari C but I'm aware that he can take it away anytime. I think he allowed me to do it out of respect to his mother but I don't think that's normal procedure. I really don't care either way. I'm happy where I am right now. I just don't want Sharath asking me, "Why are you in a hurry?"

Yesterday one of the advance student was practicing his backbends from a handstand. I think it's also called tick tocks or something like that. He was grunting and muscling his way through the posture. The whole shala could hear him. All of a sudden, we heard a big crash, slam and bam. He fell flat on his back. Sharath from the other end of the floor shouted, "Be careful...don't break the floor." The whole shala had a laugh and then Sharath came over to help him out. That's a good Mysore lesson... don't take you practice too seriously...