Road To Mysore

Yesterday marked my first week here in Mysore. Has my stay here met all my expectations? I would say yes it has and much more. I love being here. This place is not perfect and I can complain about a lot of things here but I expected all of this...the pollution, being screwed by rickshaw drivers, no airconditioning, the poverty...the list can go on and on. But that is what India's all about and the sooner you get over it, the sooner you see what life here is really all about. Here's a short list of why I love being here:

1. I am honored to be in the presence of Guruji, Sharath and Saraswati. The thought of being here is enough for me. I never really expected much help from any of them because of the size of the class. I simply wanted to be here. I didn't even expect any adjustment on my first month. I thought I had to convince them that I was dedicated to the practice before I got any kind of help. On my first day, I got help from Sharath and Saraswati. Since then, most of the help I get is from Saraswati. She has taken me under her wing. She is constantly watching my practice. Today, after adjusting me in Mari A & B(like she always does), she told me..."Monday we do C".

2. I love the fact that by life here revolves around yoga. I don't have to go to work, I don't have to get on a car and drive anywhere, and I can sleep after practice or anytime during the day. I normally have a 2 hour breakfast, a 2 hour lunch and a 3 hour dinner. I'm learning to slow down here. Although I know I have held back a bit, I know I can give it everything I have every day. I intend to do that next week. I remembered in LA when I had to skip vinyasas because I had a whole day of work ahead of me. I no longer skip vinyasas here.

3. I love Indian food. I'm vegetarian(I try to be anyway) and most of the food here caters to vegetarians. I also love the thalis and the different kinds of food which I'm still trying to figure out. Mysore food is different from LA Indian food. I think that Nalpaks serves the best thalis. I'm there almost everyday. They're reasonably priced and it's a all you can eat thali. A thali by the way is a complete meal which has 3 or 4 entrees, desert, soup, chapati or puri, rice and whatever else they put there.

4. I love the energy in the shala and the history behind it. I'm so happy to be part of this Ashtanga/Mysore family.

5. I love my fellow yoga students. I've met so many cool people here from all over the world. I like the fact that I'm not the only one whose unemployed. Most of use here don't have permanent addresses. We're all gypsies in a way. I don't feel out of place here. I'm normal here.

6. There is no other place in the world where you can see very many advance ashtangis in one place. I've met a lot of senior asthanga teachers here. I'm impressed by the fact that they've been coming here every year for the past 10, 15, 20 years. I wish one day I can say that about myself.

7. I enjoy exploring the city, soaking in the culture and being part of India. I love going to the city and just walking around.

8. I pay $1000/month for rent only in LA. Here, I can spent could spent less than that in a month and live here like a king. Everything here is cheap. I feel like a millionaire here. Yesterday I picked up more drawstring pants and shirts and it only cost me about $5 to $7 each. The meals range from about $1 to $4. I eat a lot so for most people it would be much less.

9. I love the Indian family I live with. They have adopted my flatmates and I. We are no longer guest in the house. We're part of their family. Anita, our landlady serves us breakfast every morning(most landladies here don't) and chai in the afternoon. The first Kanada word I learned here is "saku" which means enough because if you don't tell Anita "saku" she won't stop putting dosas in your plate.

Last Friday was a led primary class. On Fridays there is only one class so the room is always packed. The class starts at around 5:20AM but the door opens at 5 and there are a lot of students just waiting to get in at around 4:45AM. I still haven't done a head count but I would say it's about 80 to 90. Anyway, when the door opened, I saw some open space on the front row and started placing my mat. As I was lying my mat on the floor an older lady told me that I was in Olaf's space. Apparently, there's a power line in the front row. I didn't realize that the old students all line up in the front. I started moving to the side to make sure I didn't get Olaf's spot. Olaf then arrives and introduces himself and told me, "Don't worry about it, we'll all fit. There's enough space for all of us." He was very cool about it but I was not particularly happy with the way that witch told me. I think they should put a sign in the front row saying, "For advance and old students only!!!"

Later that day I went to the internet cafe. I was sitting beside an unassuming yoga student. He was very friendly and he introduced himself..."My name is Peter".

Me: "Hi Peter, I'm Joey, where are you from."
Peter: "I'm from New Zealand, where are you from?"
Me: "I live in LA. Are you a yoga teacher"
Peter: "Yes"
Me: "Let in look for your name in ashtanga.com, are you authorized?"
Peter: "No, I'm certified but I'm not in ashtanga.com and I don't have a school in New Zealand. Those school are run by my students"
Me: "How long have you been coming to Mysore"
Peter: "Almost every year for the past 17 years"

I was a little embarassed because I didn't realize he was one of the senior ashtanga teacher but at the same time very impressed by the fact that he was very humble and not part of that "front row power line." What impressed me the most was that I have never heard or read his name in ashtanga.com, any blog or the ezboard. I also later found out that he covered Noah and Kimberly early this year. I never met him then because I was still practicing with Jorgen(my loss). I wish there were more teachers like him(low-profile and humble). I later heard from my fellow LA yoga students that he is an amazing teacher(really my loss).

I've noted a lot of yoga student here are sporting the Michael Jordan look(bald). I've been wanting to do it for so long. I think it would be very liberating. I brought it up at breakfast a couple of days ago and an Australian lady said she wanted to do it to. I told her that I would do it next week and that maybe we could do it together. I told her I needed a week to build up the courage. She agreed and said that she wanted to sit on it to. I'm definitely going to do it I just haven't set the day.

The whole LA shala crew is here now. This morning I saw Vincent at practice. He was the last to arrive. We all had breakfast and had a picture taken( 7 of us). Someone is going to try to send the picture to Noah & Kimberly. I'm so happy to have familiar faces around me.

Yesterday was the led primary at 5. It wasn't as full as last Friday because there is a led intermediate at 7. The room was actually quite spacious yesterday. I think I had about 6 inches(maybe 8 inches) between mats. Sharath led the class and Guruji just sat on his chair watching. I was in the front row slightly to the left of Guruji(the power line was in the next class so I wasn't hazzled about being in the front row). During class I would get a glimpse of Guruji falling a sleep. It was really amusing. The class went nice and smoothly and as usual I got some help from Saraswati in paschimattanasana but to my surprised it was Sharath who adjusted me in Mari A & B. Saraswati is good but Sharath is awesome. When he adjusted me on the left side of Mari B, he simply pulled my arms with ease and the next thing I knew my fingers were touching. I'm normally at least a foot away from touching. If I didn't get too excited, I think I have could binded. Anyway, just touching the fingers of my two hands was good enough for me. After class, I bumped into Sharath...he smile at me and said,"in B fingers touched, next week we bind". I could see he was just as excited as I was.

Later that afternoon we had our first conference. They said that there hasn't been a conference in more than a month so the whole shala was there. Here's a quick list of the topic which were discussed:

1. Uth Pluthi is important because in this posture moala banda is engaged. Important to practice moala banda because it's used in pranayama. Much of the discussion was centered on this topic.

2. Breathing deeply is also important. Not to control breath while practice. Breath smoothly and consistently while practice. In time the breath will be longer.

3. Someone asked about the other forms of yoga. Bikram...joke. One week, two week, two month teacher training also a joke. We learn to teach from experience. It normally takes 5 years to get past the first series and the advance students normally have been practicing for 10 years or more.

4. Shirsasana...90% of the weight on the forearms. Somebody complained about having neck problems. Guruji also a said "Read about Shirsasana in the Yoga Mala 10 times first before ask question."

5. Practice, practice, practice...all is coming(he repeated many times).

There were other topics discussed but these are the ones I remember. After the conference, everybody lined up to pay there respects to Guruji. I've seen many people do it after class but I felt awkward because I haven't been here long enough. They would bow down, touch the feet a few times and then put there hands together. I decided that it was time for me to do it. I've been here 10 days already. I did it but still felt a little awkward doing. I guess the first one is always the awkward one. After that, a few of us had pictures taken with Guruji. I now have my first picture with the man himself. I think Guruji enjoys having his picture taken. He has such a beautiful smile. He also enjoys getting hugs and kisses from all the women(who wouldn't, lucky man).

Later that night, a few of us went to Annie Pace house for a kirtan. I've only been to one before this so I don't know much about kirtans. The house was full about 20 to 30 people and when I arrived they had already started singing. Annie was playing the harmonium and doing most of the singing and Auntie(I think she was Annie's teacher) was on the drums and sometimes on the harmonium. In the begining I just sat back and listened. Annie has a real nice voice and looks pretty Indian for an American. I think she even speaks Kanada. I wanted to sing but the words were just too difficult to read. At the tail end of the kirtan, Victoria(from Colorado) helped me get into one song. The lyrics were pretty simple but a lot of fun. It was mostly hari hari, hari hari, boom boom, hari hari, ah ah ah ah. That's the only line I remember because we kept repeating it. We also kept shouting "jai" after every song too which means victorious. I think I was the only who didn't know that because I had to ask in the middle of the kirtan. There was no sense in me shouting something I didn't understand. It was a lot of fun. I'm definitely going to be back next Sunday.

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn't stop thinking of which of my things I was going to leave behind. Earlier that day while I was hanging out in Shiva's office(he converted the garage of his house into an office, it's a few houses from the shala) I notice a few metal boxes. These boxes contained personal belonging of yoga student who are coming back. I know I've only been here for 11 days but I'm already on planning of coming back. I thought there is no sense in me bringing back everything LA. I've already decided that I will be back around the same time next year. I know if I work my ass out from February to August 2005, I could be on a plane back to Mysore by September. I know that at times I'm very fickle minded but I know deep in my heart I'm coming back. I feel at home here.

This morning's practice was pretty good. I made the extra effort of going through my practice taking slow deep breaths. I tried to breath as smoothly as I can. I remembered Guruji saying...breathing, breathing important. I moved extra slow in my practice. I was concious about everything. I was really happy with myself. It was a really nice and easy practice. I think I'll do that more often.

Today was the first day of my ayurvedic massage class. It's going to be for 7 days, 3 hours/day with Sashi. He is a young Indian man with very good energy. We started with the head massage while sitting on a chair and then the back of the legs. Ayurvedic massage uses a lot of fast strokes to create friction. They also use a lot of thick medicated oils. We used a different oil for the head and the face. The table was pretty high and not adjustable. My whole body mechanics was really different. I'm trying to keep an open mind but I really prefer slower strokes. We're going to learn a whole routine in the next seven days.

I was going to shave my head bald this week but my massage teacher asked me to keep my hair this week so it will be easier for the person practicing on me. I'll probably do it next week. Christine from the LA shala is a hair dresser and she'll shave it for me.

This morning I hit my first wall. I was hoping that the pain in my knee would go away. I started really well and it didn't bother me until I got to the second balancing posture(I know, I know, I know...I should know the name of the posture by now... but I don't). I lost my focus and started practicing very gingerly. I told Sarawasti while she was adjusting me that my left knee was hurting. She said, "no worry, move slowly". I was so angry coz my body has been opening in ways I've never expected and now I have to take a few steps back. Saraswati also assisted me in Mari C. While she was doing it, Sharath said something. I think he wanted me to stay at Mari B but she ignored him and just continued.

I bumped into Peter after practice and I told him about my knee. He told me not to worrying because we all go through that. He said to move slowly, take your time and not to push too hard. I've watched Peter practice many times and he moves so slowly and effortless. He never muscles his postures. It was nice to hear that from Peter, because you know his been there and done that. He is so sincere when he talks. He has no ego...very rare, even in Mysore. I really regret not practicing with him in LA.

I also talked to Olaf at Tina's after breakfast. I told him about my knee and asked him if he knew about this ayurvedic oil Saraswati was telling me about. He wrote it down for me but wasn't sure if he spelled it right. He also assured me that it also happened to him and everybody else and that it would go away in a few weeks(I was hoping more like tomorrow). He also told me that his wife always reminds him of a quote from the author of "The Prophet"(I forgot his name)...

"Pain is the shell covering of understanding"

I really like that. I really need that now. I'm going to take that with me.

My knee is feeling much better now. It still hurts a little but I've gotten over the set-back. Talking to Peter and Olaf has really helped. I've accepted that this is just part of the process. Peter and his girlfriend(I think it's Hojung) leaves Mysore today. They have both watched over the LA shala crew the past couple of weeks. I am sad to see them go. Peter has influenced me in ways I could not imagine. It's not what he says...it's more about what he doesn't say and doesn't do which makes him special. I understand now why the whole LA shala loves them so much.

Yesterday's practice was ok. Its was my 6th straight day and I was just looking forward to getting a rest day. I haven't had 6 straight days of practice since leaving LA 2 months ago, so my body was just feeling it. There were 2 led classes so the room was not too full. I was in the second class at 6:30 which Sharath led. Sharath help me in Mari B and I binded my hands on the left side(I'm still excited about that). I was a little protective with my left knee. He didn't let me do Mari C which I expected. I was tired and I just wanted to close my practice.

A few people have been asking me if I was planning on doing any bodywork while I was here. I really had no intensions of doing any here because the tables here are either too high or too low and not adjustable. Leanne from the Chandra house told me that I could get a custom made table. She referred me to a place close to the shala, so Rema and I checked it out. They really don't make massage tables here. What they can do is make a single bed higher so I don't break my back. Sara my flatmate said she'd split the cost of the table with me since she's also a massage therapist. The whole thing will cost around 2,600 ruppees(about $60). I thought about it last night and decided that we'll place the order later today. We should get it in 3 days.

I've also decided to get a cellphone here. A lot of the people I hangout with have cellphones and getting a hold of each other is really difficult. I tried to resist getting one but once your used to having a cellphone, it's really difficult not to have it. Even in India. It's going to cost me about $40 for the phone and I'll just pay for the minutes.

Last night was Rhonda's birthday party. We celebrated it at the Green Hotel. She's part of the LA crew so we were all there. Phil(I think his from England or somewhere close, Simon(England), Maura(San Diego), Anthea(Scotland) & Janet(Calgary) also joined us. Dinner was served at around 8:30 so we were all starving by then. Janet sat beside me and I enjoyed talking to her. I later found out that Simon was an ezboarder and has a blog too. I convinced him to hook-up his blog to ashtangi.net and he said he would. The whole blog world is getting really small. Simon told me he got a room in the Chandra House because someone else cancelled. According to him that someone was Lisa. Lisa, I wish you were here with us. A few weeks ago Maura made a comment in my blog and said she was arriving in Mysore on Oct 7. I wasn't sure if she was the same Maura at dinner so I asked her. At first she wasn't sure but later remembered she made a comment in someone's blog. I was glad she was the one because I felt awkward asking her. I also convinced her to start a blog and she said she would. I think I should be promoted to Head of Marketing for Ashtangi.net-Mysore Office(ha ha ha, hari hari, boom boom).

I met Sarah & Richard a few days ago in the internet cafe and found out that they have a Mysore blog going. It's a really good blog. If anyone is interested it at www.sarahcase.net.

Yesterday was a much needed rest day. I still woke up at 6AM because it's my nature. I'm a morning person. Had breakfast, checked my mail and just hung out. It was a nice slow morning.

We later had lunch from 1PM to 4PM. I don't remember the last time I had lunch that long. It was a strange lunch because there we so many sections to it. I had a late breakfast so I wasn't very hungry. Lunch was at the Green Leaf and started with Sara, Vivian, Rema and I. Simon was there so we joined him. Sara and I started with soup, special naan and rice, Rema started with desert and Vivian had a thali and palak paneer. I wasn't planning on eating so much but since there was a lot of food I started trying everybody's food. Here in Mysore, we share each others food and nothing goes to waste. An hour later, Vincent arrives and join us. He had a thali and help finish the food that was already there. I think we were all full when Vincent suggested that we have desert. When it comes to desert, it's not difficult to convince Rema, Sara & I(I think we should all form sugarholic anonymous). Greenleaf has the best sundaes so chosing what to order always takes forever. By 3:30PM Rhonda and Kerri arrives and joines us. Rhonda was there to meet Vincent for some scooter lessons. She's planning on getting one. Lunch officially ended at 4PM. I never knew lunch could take so long.

After lunch we all went our seperate ways. Rema and Sara came with me to get my mobile phone. We went to 2 different carriers and when I settled on which phone to get the girl told us to wait 20 minutes because someone is bringing it over. In India, 20 minutes could mean 30 minutes or 2 hours. We decided to hangout for 30 minutes at the Cafe Day which is right above the Green Leaf restaurant. The Green Leaf, Cafe Day and the Reliance Webworld(internet) are all in the same building in Kalidasa Road(20 minutes from the shala walking) and is a major yoga student hangout area. I think Cafe Day has very good coffee and pastries. Reliance Webworld has one of fastest internet connections and has airconditioning too(a luxury and rare in Mysore). When we went back to the mobile phone place, the phone was still not there. She told me there was a lot of traffic. Mysore is not that big so I couldn't figured out why it would take so long. I was asked her if it was coming from Bangalore(sarcasm). She was so sweet and just smiled. We waited another 30 minutes before the phone finally arrived. After all was said and done, it cost me 4,600 ruppees($100) for a mobile phone with 900 minutes, good for 2 months and it took two hours to get my phone. Whether you like it or not, India teaches you how to slow down and be patient(not one of my better virtues).

The other day, I bought the ayurvedic oil for my knee. I showed it to Sharath and he said it was the wrong oil. I had to go back and get the right one. I finally got it but was too tired to place any on my knee last night. My knee is not bothering me as much anymore and it feels better but they recommend that you use it daily.

This morning's led class was at 5AM. I first woke up at 3:30AM and since it was still early I decided to just lay in bed. I later woke up at 4:40AM and by then I was freaking out. I rushed to the shala and got there a little past 5 and missed the first Surya Namascara A. The room was pacted so I ended up practicing in the waiting room with 6 other people. My mind was not really in the practice this morning. I was just going through the motions. I hate getting to class late because I need the time to ground myself before I start practice. My practice today wasn't great. It was just one of those days where my mind wasn't there. I expect days like those so it didn't bother me.

After breakfast we went to the Green Hotel for the farmers market. We got there around 10:40AM. We found out that organic market opens exactly at 10AM and by 10:15 the good stuff is already gone...oh well. I guess we'll come earlier next time. I still got some raw honey, mango preserves and some whole grain and sprouted bread. The bread and mango preserve looked so good that we ate it there. It's hard to find good bread here. It's mostly naan, chapati and roti.

Yesterday's practice was amazing. My practice last Sunday was terrible and the night before I didn't sleep well so I was really surprised on how focused I was. I was moving through my practice with so much ease. It was ridiculously easy. I felt like the "bomb" after. My knee is also not bothering me anymore. Even Saraswati said, "very good", after adjusting me in Mari B. I love days like this.

My practice yesterday definitely carried over today. I still felt like the "bomb". Sharath helped me out in Mari B and I binded on the right side for the first time. I didn't bind on the left side this morning because I put some ayurvedic oil on my knee and my arm kept slipping. I forgot to bring a towel. Sharath said, "no oil before practice...wash oil, get thin towel" Today could have been the day where I binded both side but I've binded the left side many times so I'm cool. Sharath also helped me in padmasa. I'm not there yet but now I can get my left heel on my right calf. I'm slowly inching my way up. Only in my wildest dreams did I ever expect the things that are happening to me right now. I know Sharath & Saraswati are just as excited as I am. I see it in there faces. I've learned to just surrender myself and trust them. They have not disappointed me. I think it's when people try to resist them is when people get hurt. I love being here. After I did Mari B, Sharath let me do Mari C. Saraswati has let me do Mari C a few times but now I know I'm officially in Mari C. I still have a ways to go in binding Mari C but the thought of graduating from Mari B is just exciting. I've only been here less than 3 weeks. I don't want to imagine what's going to happen after 4 months.

Leaving me alone with my thoughts could be very dangerous. Yesterday, as I was walking home from the Green Leaf to the shala, a thought ran through my head. I know I'm coming back next year and hopefully the year after so why not get a house here. A few of the regular students here have locked into there houses for at least a year. A handful actually call Mysore home. Annie's place rocks and I know she's not letting go of it. As I got closer to the shala, Shiva past me and I shouted, "Shiva I have to talk to you." I was just too excited about the thought. When I got to Shiva's office, I sat down with him and told what I wanted. Shiva is not only a house hunter. He's also money changer and now a property manager. He maintains a lot of the houses and apartments for yoga students. He later showed me a 3 bedroom house which was huge. It has a lot of potential and I'm considering it. I have 4 months to look for a house or apartment so I'm taking my time. I feel at home in Mysore. I've decided to make it my winter home. My hope is to work my ass out from February to August and be in Mysore the rest of the year. I really love being here.

Last night Simon cooked dinner for Vincent and I. He barely moved to his new home and he had all the stuff for cooking. Simon loves to cook. Vincent and I don't cook much so we pretended to help out. Simon did all the work, we helped clean. The food was great and healthy. It was the first time I had brown rice here. They never serve brown rice in restaurants here. Vincent and I decided that we would go to the market in the morning, drop-off the ingredients for Simon before noon and come back for dinner. Simon just laughed.

This whole emailing pictures is a very tedious and frustrating procedure. This morning I tried to email some pictures. It took me forever to do it and even after I did it, I wasn't sure if the person receiving it got it. I had this thought of incorporating pictures to my blog but it's not going to happen. I'm not technically equipped(in every sense) for that kind of endevour. I also don't have the patience. Oh well.

Today was the last day for the ayurvedic massage course I took. I'm glad it's over. I have mixed reactions on the class. I really like our teacher. He is very interesting and he has good energy but I'm not a big fan of ayurvedic massage. There really wasn't much I could take with me in my practice.

After class, I rushed to Gokulam to get my new hairdo. I was really disappointed because the place where most of the yoga student get shaved was closed. I tired another place close to my house. He wanted to charge me 100 ruppees when it's normally 20 ruppees. I don't like getting screwed. Tomorrow and Thursday are moondays so a bunch of us are going to the Tibetan monestary. I guess I'll have to wait until Thursday to get my new do.

I finally got my new "do" yesterday morning. I really wanted it the other day but the barbershop was closed so when I found out it was open early in the morning, I jumped at the oportunity. There were 3 barbers at the place and 30 minute wait. I watched the three barbers work and could tell that it won't matter which one I got. I could tell they were good at what they do. Waiting was the hardest part because I have attachment issues. Once we got started, I was cool and felt safe. My barber was good. I never felt like he would cut me. I paid 20 ruppees and walked out a happy camper. Now I don't have to comb my hair and shampoo it(ha ha ha, hari hari, boom boom) but I have to put sunblock. I never knew my head could be so pale.

After the haircut, I met up with the Simon, Stephanie and the LA crew at the Chandra House. Simon our English friend look the time to stoop down and hang-out with his Angelino friends. We were all so honored. I asked the girls if I now look like a "stud" with my new "do". They all said "yes" and then started laughing. Nobody takes me seriously.

We hired a van to bring the 8 of us to the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe. We had yesterday and today off so we were planning to sleep there overnight. The 2 hour ride there was terrible. The rode was bumpy and there was way too many people squashed in the van(8 of us plus the driver and Krishna our guide). I think we would have been more comfortable if we were only 6 since it didn't cost much to rent the van. Anyway we got there a little after one and visited a settlement. We walked around and checked out the university and the temple. I was tempted to get one of those red robes since with my new do, I could easily blend. I bet I could enter restricted places and not get caught with a red robe and my new do. I felt one with my brothers. The details in the temples were beautiful. We took a lot of pictures, listened to some chanting and took a moment to meditate and feel the energy.

As we left the temple, Stephanie's sandals were stolen. At first she blamed me for hiding it but it was actually stolen. She talked to one of the monks and he told her it happens frequently. We thought it was a little ironic that people would be stealing sandals in a Tibetan Monestary. So Stephanie had to walk around the grounds barefoot. There are parts of the grounds which was muddy so Stephanie jumped on my back and I had to carry her across. She's not exactly a tooth pick like Lara Flynn-Boyle. She's 6 feet tall and I had to manuever her through a narrow pathway. I'm was glad that part was over.

Once we got to the van, we drove around and got Stephanie sandals. We then checked out the hotel we were supposed to check-in. I think the Lonely Planet guide was designed for hardcore backpackers because none of us wanted to stay there. At that point, we all decided that we would go home that night. It was around 3PM when we checked out the guest house so most of us were cranky and starving(not a very good combination). We then grabbed a quick lunch of vegetable noodles in the nearby canteen. When your hungry anything tasted good.

After lunch, we all agreed we wanted to go shopping. The women went wild like they always do and I got a cool Tibetan shirt. The highlight of the trip was the debate. At around 5:15PM, we headed back to the another temple(the Sara Mey temple) to watch the debate. We weren't sure where it would be held so we walked around a bit and asked a couple of monks who didn't speak any English. We later found out that the debates started at 6 in the courtyard. We took a lot of pictures in the courtyard and waited. At around 5:45 droves of monks started entering the courtyard. It was a sight to see all these monks dressed in marroon robes carrying square pillow walk into the courtyard. By 6PM the whole courtyard was a sea of monks. We saw two western monks. The debates were really interesting. Some of them where going at it one on one and the others were in groups. The person asking the questions would stand up and as he ends his question he would do a dance-like clap. The person answering was seated on the pillow. I took some really good pictures. At around 7PM we headed back to Mysore, stopped by for some dinner and got home by 10PM. It was a long and tiring day but witnessing the debate was worth the whole trip.

Today was just a chill day. Went to Nigrilis Supermarket to get some basmati brown rice. I decided to cook my own rice since all they serve here is white rice. I got one of those scrubbing rocks for my nasty feet, special feet lotion and other supplies. I haven't worn shoes here since I've arrived so my heels are all cracked up and nasty. I soaked my feet on warm water for 20 minutes, washed it and then scrubbed my heels with the rock. I dried it up and applied the special lotion. My feet are better now but I will do it again tomorrow. Tomorrow I have a scheduled massage with the famous Harini of the 3 Sisters. I'm looking forward to that.

Last Friday, there was 2 led primary classes. The first class started at 5AM and the second one started a 6:30. I overheard that about 20 new students enrolled last week and only a handfull of students have left. The past few weeks I've seen a steady flow of new faces. I would estimate the head count to be about 100 students and it seems much harder to get rooms, apartments and houses now. The ones that are available are a little farther from the shala. I'm lucky I'm only 2 blocks from the shala.

Friday's practice was good until we got to Mari B. I had easily binded the right side of Mari B, last Tuesday so I expected to do the same that day. Since it was a guided class, I had to rush into the posture. I got into the position and waited for Sharath to come over. I relaxed, took a deep breath and slowly folded forward as Sharath was helping me bind. All of a sudden as my hands were ready to bind, I heard a "crack". It was pretty loud because I looked at Sharath and asked him, "Did you hear that". He said, "Yes". It was my left knee. The strange thing is that it didn't even hurt. We continued to do Mari B with my foot on the floor instead. I continued with Mari C and then he told me to just sit and wait for the closing sequence. I haven't done backbends here since I arrived so I was excited to do them. I also did some headstands which was weird because my bald head on the floor felt strange. I normally can come up on headstand on my own but that day I just couldn't. I think it was a combination of having a bald head, not doing it for a while and rushing to get up. I'm lucky that Saraswati always looks after me so she helped me get up. It was nice to do the whole closing sequence for the first time since getting here. After class, I tested my left knee and it felt slightly sore like the first time but I had no problem walking so I just went on and about my day.

I went home, took a quick shower, had breakfast and prepared to go to the 3 Sisters to get the famous and acrobatic ayurvedic massage from Harini. My appointment was at 1:30 so I wanted to be there by 1PM. I like to have 30 minutes to ground myself before I get a massage. The 3 Sisters are in Laxmipuram which is closer to the city and the old shala. It's also not a very good part of town. The place is pretty much a dump but I think that's part of the ambience. Vivian and her daughter came wiht me because they wanted to have lunch there. The food is great at the 3 Sisters and they literally serve the best lassis in town. I was looking forward to this massage because everybody I've talked to said they loved it. Harini was running late so I just hung out in the small waiting room/dinning room. I could feel my knee starting to stiffen from practice this morning and sitting on the floor was getting uncomfortable.

Harini eventually was done with her client by 2PM and she led me to the "surgery room" as they say she often calls it. I told her to be careful with my left knee because it was now feeling really sore. She asked me what happenned and I told her Mari B did it. She then gave me instruction on how to put on my g-string and told me to start by lying face down. I did my thing and laid down on this thinnly cushioned oily floor(not the most comfortable place to be...it was actually disgusting but I wanted to keep an open mind). She oiled my body and started running her feet through the length of my body while holding on a rope close to the ceiling. Her feet worked like her hands and she did a lot of acrobatics with it. She even did some detailed work with it. She is a very instinctive bodyworker and could easily find your knots or coconuts(that's what she called it). Half of me enjoyed the massage and was impressed with her level of skill and acrobatic moves but the other half does not enjoy all the oil and the amount of pressure she used. I've always believed that there is a thin line between therapuetic pain and just painful. A good therapist works on that edge and resist on crossing that line. She actually enjoyed crossing that line and it became really unpleasant because the body automatically cringes and defends itself. I think halfway through I just wanted it to end but did not say anything because I wanted the whole experience. Maybe if my knee weren't so sore, I would enjoy it a little more but for now I won't be getting another one anytime soon.

Vincent and Simon met me at the 3 Sisters for lunch. We had lunch at around 4PM so we were all starving by then(I'm always starving so that doesn't really mean anything). The food was great but the lassis were even better. Simon and I had the banana lassi and Vincent had the saffron lassi which was just as good. After lunch we went straight to Simon's house to meet Kenny and Anthea(both from Scotland). They went to see Simon's place because he has a 3 bedroom apartment and they've been looking for a place to stay. Vincent and I tried to broker the deal but they just ignored us(nobody takes us seriously). They decided to take the two rooms. We just hung out at there when Shannon, Rhonda and George arrived(part of the LA crew). Simon's place is centrally located so it's become hang-out central. We decided to call it a night at around 7PM and we all went our way. When you wake up at 5AM in the morning, 7PM is considered late. I was asleep by 9PM.

I slept quite soundly until 1AM and then I had to go to the bathroom. I slowly started getting out of bed when I felt my left knee had painfully stiffin. Walking on my left leg was flat out painful. After that whole production, I went back to bed to try to get more sleep. I could no longer bend my knee and when I would move my leg in certain ways, I was in absolute pain. I stared at the ceiling all night thinking of the worst case scenario. The thought of having to leaving Mysore early would be devastating. It was one long night trying to sleep with the pain, going to the bathroom again, reading to past the time and praying for the sun to rise. I just wanted to cry.

Later that morning, I limped through the house and did my daily routine. I tried to call Rema(she's a homeopathic doctor) all morning and asked her if she had anything to reduce the pain but I later found out that she was in Bangalore and she turned off her phone. I hung out with Shannon, that morning and she gave me some Aleve. I think the Aleve help because after I woke up from my nap that afternoon the pain had significally subsided. I knew that by Sunday my knee would be much better but I decided to give it another day's rest. Sunday is another led class and we tend to move quickly through the posture but I knew it would not be good for my knee. I was tempted to practice but I think detachment is part of the practice so I just slept through.

By Sunday morning my knee was much better. I over-reacted. I spoke to a few advance students and they told me to get use to the pain, it happens to all of us. I now remember someone telling me a story about a conference in the shala a few months ago and one of the older students asked Guruji,"When will the pain go away". The whole room laughed because I think the answer was the pain never goes away. I spoke to Sharath before the conference on Sunday and told him I just wanted to rest my knee. He was so cool about it and he even gave me some Chinese gel he got from the US to apply on my knee 3X a day for a week. He said my knee is just opening and I should be alright in a few days. I know I will. The conference was great that afternoon and we covered a lot of topics which I'll talk about in my next blog(I getting too tired). I took some great pictures of Guruji, Sharath, the yoga students and the shala.

Later that night I dropped off some pictures I took of the kirtan in Annie Pace's house. I spoke to Annie briefly about my knee. She's been coming to Mysore every year for the past 15 years and she's been through it all. She told me that my body is just opening and realligning itself. She also told me that a few days ago her shoulder shifted and she couldn't even lift her arm to brush her teeth. It makes me feel better that I'm not in this alone. I'm glad I talked to her that night.

This morning's practice was great. It was nice to just get back on track. I moved slowly and carefully. Sharath and Saraswati were really cool and understanding. Sharath helped me out a lot today and assured me...all is coming. I know that but I still like hearing it. I look forward to practice everyday...I just can't wait for the sun to rise.

Yesterday I had lunch with Vivian, Lori and Annie Pace. Annie is leaving for the US this Sunday so I wanted to make sure I had lunch with her before she leaves. I like hearing stories of the old shala and the old days. Annie "holds court" every lunch at the Dasaprakash in the city, close to Gandi Square. Lunch is exactly at 12:30PM and by 12:35PM she starts lunch with or without you. We ran a little late because Lori had to pick-up something in her house. When we got there by 12:40PM and she had already started eating lunch.

I asked her a lot of questions about the old school and Guruji. Annie is as old school as you can get. It breaks her heart when she sees Western yoga students dressing inappropriately. It is a reflection of Guruji and she obviously has a lot of respect for him. During lunch I asked her,"Is this riata?" She said,"Yes" Then I said, "How do you eat it?" She said, "You don't" That whole exchange threw me off so I asked her to explain. She said, "Raita has raw onions and she doesn't eat onions and garlic." She continued to say that,"Guruji and the family are Brahmins and Brahmins don't eat garlic and onions. It is disrespectful to eat that while you practice in the shala because you smell like onions and garlic and the smell is offensive. She eats Dasaprakash practically everyday because it is run by a Brahmin and the only thing that has onions is the raita which she absolutely avoids." I didn't know this but I later found out that it's in the "Yoga Mala". I really need to read the that book more and also remember the sanscrit name of the asanas.

I also asked Annie to explain some of the thing which were discuss in the conference last Sunday. Guruji does not speak a whole lot of English and you have to read between the line when he gives an answers. He uses a lot of metaphors and his answers are mostly in Sanskrit. We're lucky Sharath interprets most of the answers and Annie explained then to me. Here's a quick rundown of the last conference.

1. Somebody asked about the meaning of "yoga" since there seems to be many definitions. Guruji said something like "many definitions, same meaning. One God good, two gods trouble" There was a short exchange between Sharath and Guruji because we didn't understand what he was talking about. Sharath continued to explain in a form of a joke and it goes like this.

There were 3 people who fell on a big well. A Catholic, Muslim and a Hindi. The catholic said, "God help me" and God helped him out of the well. The Muslim said, "Allah help me" and Allah helped him out too. The Hindi said, "Ganesh, Krishna help me". Ganesh told Krishna to help him and Krishna told Ganesh to help him. They went back and forth until the Hindi drowned.

Annie continued to explained to me that Ganesh, Krishna and all of the different Hindu Gods are basically the same God but different aspects.

Guruji also talked about the bee looking for honey in the desert. The bee does not go to the desert to find honey. He goes to the forest to find flowers. I think it's has something to do with going to the right place or doing the right thing to find God. You cannot find God if your drinking, doing drugs, smoking, eating unhealthly food or partying all night every night. This is how it was explained to me and how I understand it. Don't quote me.

2. Somebody asked Guruji if he could recommend another book aside from the "Yoga Mala". Guruji said, "Do you read Sanscrit?" Everybody laughed. He continued to give a long list of books to read in Sanscrit. Sharath told us that the "Yoga Mala" references a lot of other books. Guruji said, "Read Yoga Mala, once, twice...NO!!!...ten times" That always makes everybody laugh.

3. There was another questions asked regarding how we acheive detachment through practice. Answer was "Practice, practice, practice...all is coming" He mentioned something about a candle light which is covered with 5 shells. The light cannot be seen because it's covered and as we practice, one by one the shell will break until the light will be uncovered. I think that's related to my left knee pain. It's also related to the, "Pain is the shell covering of understanding" quote.

There were more topic which were discussed but this is what I remembered.

One more thing...Annie Pace is going to have a workshop in Berkeley and North Carolina this year. She has an amazing ashtanga practice(one of the few certified women) and she is also an amazing person. I would love to practice with her one of these days. If your in the area...go for it. I think the schedule is in ashtanga.com.

Last Tuesday evening I was invited to John's 50th birthday celebration(from England). John arranged his a party at The 3 Sisters at around 6PM. It was a perfect place to have a party because we were in a small rectangular room sitting knee to knee on the floor. It was a nice and cozy party. There were about 20 of us. As we entered the room, John gave each one of us a neclace of flowers and placed a red kumkuma on our forehead. A lot of the women looked good all decked out in there saris. After dinner one of the 3 Sisters performed an Indian birthday ritual. They had candles, incense and were singing and dancing to John with 5 other female yoga student. I didn't understand why the Sisters insisted on have only 5 women at a time in the ritual but there was a reason for it. The party ended about 8PM which is pretty late for us yoga students. There was too much food and I particularly ate too much. You know you've eaten too much when you taste dinner again during practice the following morning. Not a good idea.

Practice the following day was pretty good. My knee is still a little sore but feels much better. Binding on Mari B on the left side is not a problem but binding on the right side is now nowhere close. I think when the soreness eases up I'll get back my range. It's like I have to take 2 steps back before I can go forward again. This practice is really testing my patience and so far I'm just rolling with the punches. It was only last week when I binded on right side and now it seem like I've never done it. I'm also starting to get my backbends back. I didn't do any on my first 2 weeks. It was always shoulderstand and then padmasana. I got my headstand back too. Doing headstands with very little hair is a strange feeling. I'm slowly getting used to it. It's like your used to the extra padding on the top of your head. My hair is growing back quite nicely though. I don't think I'm going bald again anytime soon.

Yesterday I was dummy for the Thai massage class. Kerri, Rhonda(the 2 sisters from LA), Vincent(still from LA) and Maura(from San Diego) are taking a Thai massage class with Enzo. The class started last Monday and ends this Friday. Enzo would demostrate part of the routine on me while the rest of the class would watch and then the class would work on each other while I waited. I was supposed to join this class but I decided to hold off on taking any classes after I took the ayurvedic massage class a couple of weeks ago. It was too soon and a little disappointed with the class I took.

Anyway, I partially regret not taking the class because Enzo is a really good bodyworker and he leaves for Thailand at the end of the month for 6 weeks. The moment he started working on me, I could instantly tell he had the touch. Five minutes into the demo, I knew he was good. Most of the yoga students rant & rave about Harini but I think Enzo is much better and Sashi is nowhere close. Enzo and I agree on one thing...we're not a big fan of ayurvedic massage...it's just a glorified swedish massage using excessive medicated oils.

Enzo is very instinctive. He knows where your edge is and never goes past it. I've had a lot of Thai massage before in LA(at least 12 times) and he is by far the best I've had. He knows how to connect with his client and is very passionate with his work. I knew midway through the demo, I wanted a full session with him. I scheduled one with him today at 5PM.

Today marks my first month here in Mysore. So much has happened this past month, it's hard to imagine what lies ahead the next three months. I've definitely have had my ups and downs but I think I've have more ups. As far as my practice is concerned, I've accomplished more than I've ever imagined and if I left here now, I would have no regrets. I don't know what the next 3 months have in store for me but whatever it is, is only going to be icing on the cake. Here's a quick rundown of some breakthroughs in my practice:

1. Never in my wildest dream did I think I could ever bind in Mari B in such a short time. I've done it in both sides too but lost the right side since my left knee shifted. It's still slightly sore but I know it's only a question of time before I get it back again. I've done it before so I know I can do it again.

2. I use to need help binding Mari A but now I can do it without help. I'm working on trying to bind much closer to the shin as oppose to below the knee.

3. I could never keep my right palm flat on Utthita Parshvakonasa so when I did it last week, I was ecstatic. Vincent said he thinks I've lost some weight and I'd like to think so too. That means my stomach is not blocking me from putting my palm on the floor. My hips are opening up too, so that helps.

4. I'm still not touching the floor on reverse Uttihita Parshvakonasa but I'm about an inch away from the floor. Before I arrived, my hands was nowhere close to floor. I know before I leave I'll have it on the floor. I just know it.

5. Before my left knee shifted, I had a close encounter with padmasana. I lost it for now but I know I'll get it before I leave or at least come closer.

I know I'll have more disappointments the coming months but it's all part of the experience. I'm not even worried about it because without it, I can't appreciate what I have now.

I haven't blogged the past few days so I just wanted to update what happened the past few days.

Last Thursday evening, I had my full Thai massage session with Enzo. It was everything I expected from a bodyworker. I love his passion for Thai massage. He has his heart behind his hands when he works and you can feel it. I decided that I wanted to learn some Thai massage from him since my experience in that modality is limited. He normally wants a minimum of 2 students per class and charges 4,000 ruppees each. When I was a dummy in the last class I noticed the class would have to stop because people were taking notes. I thought that if I were in a class like that I would go ballistic. I'm a visual learning and after a demonstration, I don't waste my time with notes I will never read. I rarely opened any of my massage manuals. I want to get my hands on and feel the technique. Like in ashtanga, my bodywork is 1% theory and 99% practice. I told Enzo that I would pay him 8,000 ruppees but it's going to be a one on one class with me bringing a different demo body everyday. The class would move much quicker and I will get more personally attention and practice time. Enzo agreed and is excited too because he can tell that I'm a very serious bodyworker and his never had a student like me. Yesterday, I paid him the full amount and we start our first class on Monday from 11AM to 4PM.

Last Friday was party night for us yoga students. The party was held at one of the yoga student's house close to Laksmipuram. Fridays are a big deal here because it's the only time we can sleep late. It was a beautiful house and it was well decorated. We had three DJ's, Nic(from Wales), Juan(from Texas) and my good friend Simon Automatic. They were all good DJ's but I think Simon was the best(I'm a little bias). The dance floor was rocking and it surprised me to see the most reserved people dance there hearts out. These yoga students can dance. We also had a chill room where we could just hang out and chat. They also placed big mats on the garden so that those who wanted to get some fresh air. It was a great party and some of the students mentioned that we should do it more often. I left at around 10:30PM but they said that it went on until past 2AM(way past my bedtime).

Saturday was the big day for the Dasara Festival. Dasara is a week long celebration which culminates with huge parade on Saturday. I initially wasn't planning to go but a big group from the shala decided to go so I joined them. I'm not one for big crowds so I should have followed my first instinct. We got there at around 12PM and had to wait until 2PM for the parade to start. Aside from the elephants, there really wasn't much which interested me. There was a lot of drum beating, dancing, customes, floats, animal parades and etc... By 3:30 I was just dying to get the hell out of there. I left the stand and tried to get out the back side but they wouldn't let me through. I saw a couple of westerners on the street so I followed them(even bigger mistake). We walked with the parade hoping to find a break in the crowd(there was none). I walked with the parade for 3 kilometers and there was just no way to get out. I eventually found a restaurant to hang-out and was trapped there until 6:30PM. I got back to Gokulam at around 7:30 because the traffic was just too bad. I should have just waited in the stands because the rest of the group got back sooner than me(dumb ass).

Today's practice wasn't that great. I felt tired and I just wanted to get over it. I expect days like this so I didn't make a big deal of it. I'm not a big fan of led classes and on Sundays the primary led class is at 5AM. I did stay to watch the led intermediate class though. I wanted to take pictures and I did get a few good ones. This is the only led intermediate class every week so a lot of people watch this class to see the more advance students practice. There are about 20 students in this class including Annie, Olaf, Rolf, Kristin, David and Mitchell(they all have amazing practices).

During the class, Sharath came to the lobby area to see who was watching. He noticed a student who was practicing last month and asked, "Where have you been?" She said, "I'm practicing now with so and so(I forgot who she said). Sharath said, "You no take pictures" so she sat down. Sharath continued, "You no stay" so she left. It's pretty clear when we first register that they request that we do not practice with other teachers while we're practicing with Guruji. I can't seem to understand why anyone would go to Mysore and practice with anyone else. I thought it was a little ballsy(I'm not sure if that's a word) for somebody to come to the shala who is studying with another teacher.

Guruji really has a sense of humor. In the intermediate led class today he calls out Sarvangasana(shoulderstand) and counts...One. Then walks into the men's toilet. Two minutes later he comes out of the toilet...Seven. Everybody in the lobby area starts laughing. Twenty seconds later...Eight...Halasana...

After the intermediate class, I hung-out outside the shala. I was talking to Autumn(from Santa Barbara, I'm not sure if I spelled her name right...oh well), she was part of the intermediate class and has a beautiful practice. She told me that her mom, Ann has been following my blog because she hasn't been emailing her mom enough. I told her she should start her own blog since she's been here since June and won't be leaving till early December. I think I can convince her and maybe this time Julie will give me my commission(ha ha ha, hari hari, boom boom). Before I forget, "Hi Ann, thanks for following my blog:)" (Autumn thought it would be hysterical)

Today was supposed to be conference day. There was no annoucement but it was assumed that there would be. I think some people knew for sure that there was none but some of us where told that there was so we went to the shala. When we got there, we found out there was no conference so about 10 of us just hung-out around the shala. As I was about to leave, Saraswati came out of the house and started talking to us. She doesn't speak English very well but I always enjoy talking to her. She told me that her other house close to Tina's will be finished in March and that she would be renting it out for 10,000 ruppees/month. I told her I maybe interested in renting it for one year before I leave. Shiva hasn't showed me anything resently so I've been actively looking myself. The only property Shiva showed me was a big three bedroom house for 7,000 ruppees/month plus he wanted a 50,000 ruppee deposit and 30,000 ruppees to furnish it(too much for my blood). She told me to look at it in January before I leave and by then it would almost be finished.

We chatted for a while until Sharath came out and joined the conversation. The next thing we knew we had a mini-conference outside the shala. Sharath is very friendly and it's not hard to talk to him but it's hard to get him for a long period of time because his always rushing to his next class or doing something. We found out that he wakes up at 2:30AM every morning and practices for two hours and then prepares for the 5AM class. Guruji no longer wakes up to assist him because he hasn't been sleeping well lately. That explains why he sometimes sleeps in class. Give the man a break, his 89 year old. Sharath sleeps at 8:30 every night and takes a two hour nap in the afternoon.

Saraswati told us a story about Sharath when he was 11 years old. Sharath was in Los Angeles with Guruji and he cried because he didn't want to practice. When he got back to Mysore, Saraswati scolded him and after that he practiced everyday.

Sharath told us that in the older days, Guruji would be carrying a stick during class. He would just whack you if you were doing something wrong. It really makes us realize how spoiled we are now.

Another story which I thought was interesting was one day Sharath was practicing his backbends. He thought he could go deeper and so he tried. Then he heard a crack in his back(just like I heard a crack on my knee). Guruji had already scheduled a demo for Sharath the following day. Sharath did the demo and after that couldn't get out of bed for 15 days. It's nice to know that even Sharath has to go through some pain in his practice. It's like what they say...the pain never goes away. I think I'm getting use to that thought.

We all hung-out with them for about an hour and talked about all kind of things. It was very informal and we were able to ask all kind of things. Sharath like his grandfather has a sense of humor. He told me this morning, "Next week you do intermediate class" I think Saraswati is the mother of all the yoga students. She is very nurturing when she talks to you. This was by far my favorite conference because it wasn't about students asking questions to a teacher. It was about people just talking. We were lucky today.

This week has been a very draining week. Wake up at 4:30 every morning, practice by 6, breakfast at 9 and rush to Enzo's at 11AM and head back to Gokulam by 4:30PM. By the time I get home I'm just exhausted. My Thai massage class is really exhausting. I have a new found respect for Thai massage. It's much harder than I expected. It's literally a workout all by itself. The whole body mechanics and transitions is so foriegn to me. My class starts at 11AM, then I break for lunch at 1PM and get back to class from 2 to 4PM. Since it's a one on one class, I do all the work and I don't get any work on me. At the end of each class, I just literally collapse on the mat and rest for a few minutes. I've learned a lot the past few days but what I learned the most is that I have more to learn. I've worked on the floor before when I did my Shiatsu class last year but Thai massage is so much more physical. I'm trying to enjoy the class but it's really hard to because the ashtanga practice really takes a lot from you. Enzo warned me about getting drained and all that but I did not have much of a choice. I would have wanted to waited a week later but his leaving for Thailand for 6 weeks this Monday.

Today we finished the last part of the whole routine. Tomorrow, I'll review the last part and then work on the routine from begining to end. I know I won't remember the whole routine but I think I have about 60% of it. The good thing about doing the class now is that I have 6 weeks to practice on my own before Enzo gets back. I think I'm going to take a advance class with him when he gets back. Tomorrow is also the last day of my class so I'm looking forward to slowing down next week and have a more social life.

Last night I had dinner with the LA crew, Simon Automatic and Ric(from Australia) at the 3 Sisters. I went straight from my Thai massage class because I was already in Laksmipuram. It was Kerri's last night in Mysore. She heads back to LA tonight and will arrive by Friday. It was a nice quiet dinner. Maura(from San Diego), Enzo and Hojung dropped by to say goodbye too. Kerri is the first person in our circle to leave. I'm sad to see her go but I know I'll see her in LA. Kerri said she had a great time here and that Mysore has met all her expectations and more but it was time for her to get back to her two children. She did say that she was going to come back next year too. I think most of us here feel the same way.

In my first few weeks here in Mysore, Vincent dubbed me the "welcome committee". I have been too exthusiatic in making new friends and meeting everybody. Last night, that all changed. It just recently occurred to me that amongst the people I hang out with, I will be the last one to leave. I now understand why some people here are not too friendly. Saying goodbye could be a very difficult thing to do. Next week, Shannon leaves and maybe even George. Ric leaves in two weeks too. I don't know how many goodbye dinners I can take before I breakdown. I told Shannon that when I leave, nobody is going to say goodbye to me. That's a very depressing thought. She said that they will throw a welcome party for me when I arrive in LA. That's really nice but I think leaving Mysore at the end of January alone is still depressing. I know I'm thinking way ahead of myself here but in 5 days we're going to have another goodbye dinner for Shannon. Maybe being too friendly here is not a very good idea. I don't want to be dramatic but it's something I've been thinking about.

Today is a slow day in Mysore. I'm glad my Thai massage class is over. I enjoyed it and learned a lot but it just took so much from me. The thought of not having to practice and not going to Thai massage is just priceless. Life in Mysore is slow and should be...no rushing around.

I got to Tina's for breakfast this morning at around 9. I had the famous fenugreek rotis with tomato chutney and tried the badam milk(I think it's almond milk with spices). The fenugreek rotis are the best.

In the middle of breakfast, I witness a brief sexual encounter. A fly lands on our table and a few seconds later, another fly lands on top of the other fly. I was actually surprised to see one fly banging another fly in the middle of the breakfast table(at least someone is getting laid). This went on for about 10 seconds and then they just flew off. As I looked up, I noticed that Alexandra also witnessed the whole show. When we looked at each other, we just laughed guilty. The rest of the table had no clue what we had just witnessed. I guess you notice a lot of insignificant details when your not rushing around town.

After breakfast, I headed to the city to pick up a shirt I had made at Rashinkar's and printed out some of the pictures I've taken. I thought of walking around the market but the city can be very intense and after an hour or so you just want to head back to the safety of Gokulam. I eventually found my way to the Greenleaf for lunch and joined Joey(from England), Saskie(I think she's Swiss or some European country) and Simon. Saskie really impressed me during lunch because she would speak to the waiters in Kanada. She's been living in Mysore now for 2 years so she knows her way around. Joey teaches at Hamish's shala in London and has a great practice. I watched him practice last Sunday during the led intermediate and he finished the whole class. I think his going to be authorized by Guruji when he leaves. He's only 23 years old and has been practicing for 6 years.

This week's practice hasn't been all too great. I've been holding back because of the Thai massage class. I cannot afforded to get wasted because I had 4 hours of bodywork ahead of me. This week, I plan to give it everything.