Road To Mysore

Tomorrow is the first day of Guruji's workshop here in LA. I'm looking forward to seeing my teachers:)

I don't know what I was thinking when last week I told Kimberly that if she needed any help during the workshop, I would help out. She said I would either watch the door or be incharge of the mat arrangement. She decided yesterday that I would do the mat thing since I'm familiar with how close the mats should be. We're expecting about 150 people tomorrow.

Kimberly said I should be at the venue at 5:15AM which means that I should wake up by 4:15AM and leave home by 5AM. Not a big deal since I woke up in Mysore at 4AM every morning. What I didn't realize is that tonight we spring forward one hour. So essentially I have to wake up by 3:15AM. I really need to think twice the next time I do any volunteering. It's already 10PM...I need to get some sleep.

I screwed up big time yesterday morning. I have no excuse. I woke up around 4:15AM hoping to be ready by 5AM and being at the hotel by 5:15AM like I promised. I did wake up around 4:15AM but I was moving in slow motion. Didn't sleep well the night before. Left the house around 5:10 and got to the hotel at 5:35AM. I was embarassed I was late. Everything was set by the time I arrived. I helped a little.

There was a lot of excitment yesterday morning. I have never practiced with so many people before. I think the shala in Mysore at it's max would take 70 students so practicing with 150 students was wild. When Guruji and family arrived, people were still registering so I had a chance to talk to Saraswati before practice. We said our usual hellos and how are you doing? Couldn't talk long because class was about to start.

I'm normally not a big fan of lead class but I had a great practice yesterday. I was just feeling the energy and excitement of the class. I had a T shirt over my sleeves shirts so I heated up pretty quickly. As usual, Saraswati came over to help me in Mari B. I was pretty close to the front so I got help from Guruji in Mari C. That is equivalent to the total number of adjustments I got from Guruji while I was in Mysore for 4 months. I just find it amusing because Guruji adjustments are hard to come by. Sharath came our while I was in halasana. He held my feet so my toes touched the floor. I hate this posture. It's even harder now because I put some weight on this tax season...what's new. When you have a big sexy belly like mine, breathing in halasana is difficult. I'm sure Sharath knew that because he had this mischevious grin.

After practice, I spoke to Sharath and he asked me how my knee was doing. I told him it's been much better. I got back the range and a little more. Padmasana does not look like a fantasy anymore. I told him how much I missed Mysore and how difficult it is to practice and rush to work after practice. He asked me when I was going back and I told him, "September". I honestly think I'll be there by August but September is definite.

I think that a traditional Mysore practice should be followed with breakfast. It felt so good to be with everyone after practice. I sat beside Karrie and reminded her that while we were in Mysore, she and her sister Rhonda would always order more food than they can finish. Vincent and I would always end up eating it. The joke was that Vincent and I should not order and just wait for the leftovers. Karrie said that she wouldn't order too much here because the prices in the hotel was nothing like the Mysore prices...she ordered a small stack of pancakes.True to form, Karrie did not finished her pancakes. I don't know why they always pick on me but when she was done with her pancakes, she asked Vincent if he wanted it. Without hesitation, Vincent said, "I'll take it" And right in front of my eyes the pancakes moved from Karrie to Vincent. I looked at Karrie in shock and said, "I can't beleive you didn't offer me any". Vincent just laughed at me and said, "Too late...ummm, this is really good" Later that day, Karrie sent me an email and promised that she will never withhold food from me again. Having breakfast with my fellow ashtangi is one of my favorite Mysore past times.

Today was much better. I woke up at 4AM and was in the hotel by 5:15AM. I was so embarassed yesterday, I didn't want to do it 2 days in a row. I was assigned to validate the parking tickets...if they can only pay me enough to validate parking tickets, I would quite my day job. Since I was early and the major crowd didn't arrive yet, I was able to speak to some of the my shala classmates who I've never spoken to. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were more people who had been to Mysore and those who haven't been are already planning a trip. I think about 50% of the students in the shala have been to Mysore at least once and some have been there more.

Today's class was much smaller. Probably between 120 to 130 students...still more than normal. I had at least 3 adjustments from Guruji and some from Saraswati and her daughter(I think it's Shamila or something close). I struggled in halasana again and at one point I had to tell Shamila to let go of my feet. She said, "Breath deep". I told her, "My stomach". She smiled and said, "I know". The highlight of the practice though was my 3 Guruji adjustments...that's more than my cumulative total.

After practice, I chatted a little and then went straight to work. The venue is located between my apartment and work so going home was not an option. No taking a shower was also not an option. I've done that before...it's an overrated experience. On my way to work I stopped by the Westwood Recreation Center and paid so I can take a shower...money well spent.

I have a lot to blog about but haven't had the time. I've been so tired by the time I get home. Waking up at 4AM and sleeping at 10PM takes a toll on your body. I felt it at practice this morning.

It's 11PM now but I can't sleep. I think it's a combination of the coffee I've been drinking and the discussion I had with one of the managers today...the bitch was very condesending. I try not to bring work home but I'm a little upset about the incident. Tempers are short at this time of the year and everybody is worn down...10 days to go.

Yesterday I got to the hotel early and since it was quiet, Luke and I had a little chat with Kimberly. I learned a few new things that day. Luke said something about chataranga. Kimberly corrected him and said, "No, in ashtanga you don't do chataranga. Chataranga is an asana which you hold. Guruji always says, "chaturi" which is position or a count. We do not hold chaturi like we do in other asanas. Kimberly wanted to make sure we didn't use the term chataranga when we ask questions at the conference tomorrow.

Since Kimberly was in a teaching mood, I asked her to explain the theory behind the touching of Guruji feet 3 times and touching the forehead after touching the feet. I've always known that it was a way of paying respect to your teacher but I know there was a deeper meaning. I hope I get this right, I don't think I can explain it the she did but this is the general idea.

In India the feet is considered very dirty(in most cultures for that matter). That's why when we're sitting on the floor in an Indian household, we're not supposed to straighten our legs and extend our feet. It is considered rude. Our legs must always be folded. But when you are a guru or a wise man like Guruji, the feet and the dirt on the feet symbolizes wisdom. That's why we touch the feet, then touch either our eyes or our third eyes so we can take some of that wisdom to open our eyes. She explained it really well...I hope I did some justice.

A couple of weeks ago week, I begged Kimberly not to feed us to the "dark side". She politely said that the "dark side" did not make an offer to take over the shala. We all later found out that there are 3 different groups who want to take over the shala. One of those groups are teachers from the "dark side". There is a generally concensus in the shala that most of us do not want to have anything to do with the "dark side" in any shape of form. That has really freaked me out because I just move to Silverlake and I'm not exactly ready to move again. There are a lot of dedicated ashtangis in Silverlake and all we're hoping for is to have a teacher who is dedicated to Guruji and teaches the way he does. We were even willing to settle for an authorized teacher but even that is not available. Everything looked dim until today. I found out one of the groups are dedicated students of Guruji. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping the "force" will overcome the "dark side".

The past few days, I've had the chance to talk to the other students in our shala. We never really get the chance to meet or talk because we're always rushing to get to work. I found out that about 50% of the students moved to Silverlake specifically to practice with Noah & Kimberly. It was nice to know that I was not the only crazy person to do that. Some students drive pretty far just practice with them. I also found out that one of them bought a house to be close to the shala. I find that pretty wild but not surprising. Now that I think of it, nobody really comes to LA and say, "I would love to live in Silverlake." Most people don't even know where it is. I personally prefer the westside. It's going to be sad to see Noah & Kimberly go. I already know a handful of people leaving because they are leaving.

I met Gene from San Francisco yesterday. His been convincing me to go to Guruji's workshop in San Francisco. I'm thinking of going for a day or two. The only thing really holding me back is that I want to spend as much time I can with my LA teachers before they leave. I don't know when I'll get to practice with them again. I know I'll see Guruji and family in August. I'm having such a great time in this workshop so going to San Francisco even for one or two days would be fun. Much to think about...not a bad problem to have.

Today was the last day of Guruji's workshop in LA and we were all feeling it. Waking up at 4AM every morning and rushing to work is not easy. I'm tired but I can't complain...I had a blast. It was not like the Mysore experience...very different and strange. I don't even know how to explain it. Personally, I think it had more to do with paying my respects to Guruji and family and supporting my LA teachers who worked so hard to up this all together. The energy was great but nothing really compares to being in the Mysore shala. I have to admit, I enjoyed the social aspects a lot. I finally had a conversation with people I practice with everyday. We all know each other by face but rarely or never speak to one another. It's like we've been emotionally and spiritually connected for months or for years and now we're physically connected. It felt like the connect was finally complete. It was pretty wild.

This morning's practice was pretty good considering how I was feeling this morning. I got to bed around midnight and woke up around 4:45AM. I think my emotions and adrenaline just took over. I was practicing beside Luke all week and since I got in late this morning I was beside people I really didn't know. In Mysore, I practiced beside Avi everyday and we drew from each other's energy. When you practice beside somebody everyday there is a certain level of comfort, especially when the mats are pretty close. The people beside me today were cool but I didn't feel a connection. I don't think I'm making any sense so I better move on.

Normally, after uth pluthi, we would do a vinyasa and end up in samasthiti. I enjoy the closing prayer as much as the opening prayer. Throughout the week Guruji skipped the closing prayer so I was expecting it today since it was the last day. He caught a lot of people by surprised because almost everybody jumped through and layed down. I think the closing prayer was a good way to close the workshop.

This afternoon we had a conference with Guruji at the Silverlake shala. Kimberly and Val both looked good in their saris. You never no what you'll get from Guruji's conference. Most of the time Guruji doesn't say much but today I was pleasantly surprised. He said a lot of good stuff, a lot I've heard already while I was in Mysore. I'm too tired to recall the main topics...maybe tomorrow.

After the talk we paid our last respects and I took a lot of good pictures. I took a classic picture of Guruji with Noah and Kimberly. One of these days I'm going to learn how to incorporate pictures in my blog. For now, your going to have to take my word. Luke said he would teach me. Probably after tax season.

I don't know what particularly happened last weekend but at some point I just stopped "crying" and decided to just let everything go. I've been hoping that something good will happen with the Silverlake shala situation but I don't think it's happening. I'm resigned to the fact that after N & K leave, most of us will leave the Silverlake area...including me. I've decided to move on and put my own destiny in my own hands.

Today, I started the process of preparing for Mysore. I've set the departure date to August 2, 2005(a month earlier than I initially forcasted). I thought about leaving in the first week of June but I would be working with a very tight budget. I don't do well with tight budgets. I called my travel agent and she told me to email her an itinery. It looks like this:

Los Angeles to Bangalore - August 2, 2005
Bangalore to Cebu - December 6, 2005
Cebu to Los Angeles - January 7, 2006

I'm seriously considering skipping Cebu and just spending 5 months in Mysore. The last time I spoke to my mom and dad, they both asked me the same question, "How do you like your job?" They're still hoping that there son will see the light and stop this non-sense Mysore business and get a full-time job like the rest of society. Sometimes talking to them is like talking to a wall...they hear but do not listen. I cannot imagine ever going back to my old life. I don't know if I can take one month in Cebu...all the nagging and "What hell are you doing in India looks". I know it will upset them if I skip Cebu altogether. I have a lot to think about.

Second major decision of the week has been my accomodations in Mysore. I've decided to rent a house in Mysore for a year and most probably longer. I'm going to become a Mysorian...ha ha ha. Sent Shobha(Simon Automatic's landlady) an email this morning asking her if I can rent her place in June. I need to make sure nobody gets it. Housing in Mysore has become a cut throat business. If you find something decent, you better grab it quickly. It is a trend among returning students to lock into a place for a year or two. If I wait until August to find a place, Shobha's place would have been taken and all the other good places. I spoke to Kimberly and asked her if she could bring the money if I closed the deal. She said, "No problem". When I figure the time zone difference, I hope to personally talk to Shobha. I know she'll give me priority. We got along pretty well in Mysore and I would visit her even after Simon left.

I needed a little icing on my cake so I decided to treat myself to an after tax season treat. I decided to do two days of Guruji's workshop in San Francisco...Woohoooo!!! Tentative dates are April 21 and 22 or April 24 and 25. I'm still ironing out the details but it's a done deal. The only thing that was holding me from going to San Francisco was that I wanted to be in the Silverlake shala for the last 3 weeks. I've been holding on to it as much as I can. I going to miss it but I need to move on and just let go...I'm ready.

It's sad that the only two good ashtanga teachers in LA are leaving. Guruji confirmed what I already knew in last Thursday's conference. Guruji had talked about how important correct breathing is in the practice. Somebody asked, "How do you learn or how do you know if your breathing is correct?" Guruji's answer was simple, "Kimberly and Noah, you come...they will teach you." He continued, "Tim...Miller... Encinitas...also" There were a handful of other astanga teachers in the room(slap slap slap...some people need a dose of humility). I remember a few years back when I practiced with this ashtanga teacher in the westside. I had been practicing with him for a few months and I told him that I was going to San Francisco for a few days. I told him I didn't want to miss practice while I was gone and asked him who he would recommend. He answered, "Here at 'Blank Blank' we do things differently, don't really recommend anybody?" My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I had heard...arrogant bastard. Too bad I didn't get to see his face when Guruji recommended Noah & Kimberly...ha ha ha ha.

I'm really tired right now and I'm ready to go to bed but I have to say something...anything. Today is my first year blogging anniversary. I can't believe I'm still blogging. I know I've said this before but I never enjoyed writing as a child. I think part of it is that I could barely understand my penmanship. I'm a decent typist so blogging works for me.

A lot of things are happening this week. This Friday is the end of tax season. I will be officially unemployed again...Wooohoooo!!! My friends think I'm crazy because I'm one of the few people who celebrate when I'm unemployed. I'm taking two weeks off and then I'll look for more per diem work. I may have something set up on May 1. For some reason I don't care if I get work or not. I feel confident I'll find something. I think it's my faith in the universe. About 7 years ago, I met a guy who was unemployed and he said that the universe will provide for you. You just have to believe it. Back then I thought that guy was f@#$ing crazy. Now I seem to be that crazy guy ...what happened to me?

This Saturday is the official shala party. N & K are opening the shala from 11AM to 4 PM for all the students to drop by and hangout. The shala doesn't close until April 30. N & K will teach the last class on April 22 and from April 25 to 30 it will be open for Mysore practice without a teacher. I know the students are organizing another party before they leave. No date or venue has been set.

Yesterday I got all my extensions out. I spoke to the tax partner and asked him if he needed me to come in today. He said they were good. So I was happy to end my tax season a day earlier. It feels good to be unemployed again. I have the rest of this week off and next week.

I'm been talking to a friend of mine and her company needs some help but they might need me next week. I think I can talk them into letting me start the week after. San Francisco next week is a done deal, I'm excited about that. I have my interview with my friends company tomorrow. I'll know more later today about the job. I'm having dinner with her. She's a little worried that I might get bored because it's really brainless work and I'm over qualified. I told her that for the same amount of money and a 10 minute commute, who cares. I'm not looking for a carreer. I just need to make some money to get back to Mysore. The easier the better. Cross your fingers, I hope I can pick up this gig. I really don't want to do the 1 hour commmute to Brentwood anymore.

It's 7AM right now and I'm normally praciticing by now. It's a nice feeling not having to rush to practice today...ha ha ha. I have a lot to do today though. I need to prepare my tax return and calculate estimated payments for 2005. This is the first time I've been an independent contractor so no withholding taxes and self-employmentl taxes have been taken from any of my paychecks. It's really deceiving because I receive these relatively huge check but I know that about 30% to 40% will have to be paid to Uncle Sam every quarter. It will be difficult to part with this money today:( I think I'll be paying at least $5,000 today...painful, equivalent to a 5 months in Mysore...really painful.

Yesterday I finally got a hold of Shobha. She told me that she committed her place to somebody from October to March but I can get it from June to September. N & K will get her the money when they get arrive in June. They have the option of staying there if they like the place. I think their standards are much higher than mine. K is worried about the dog barking at night. I'm a deep sleeper so I don't think the dog will bother me. I got an email from Simon and he said it didn't bother him at all. He said the dog stopped barking around 8PM. The other people getting the place in October isn't a done deal yet. It was all verbal and he did not pay for the place in advance. If I can convince Shobha to let me rent out the place for the year or indefinitely then I have a home. If not, I have 2 months to find something else. My goal when I get to Mysore is to find a place to rent on a yearly basis. I think most landlord would prefer to have a permanent tenant so I have a good chance of getting it permanently. Most places have been empty since Guruji left for the world tour so if they have somebody renting permanently they don't lose money while Guruji leaves for his next tour. I hope that's still fresh in their minds.

Off to practice...ciao.

This morning was officially my last practice day with Noah & Kimberly. Next week the shala will be open for "open practice"(no teacher). They teach their last class this Friday. I'm going to miss the last two days of practice with them because in about an hour I'll driving up to San Francisco to be with Guruji and family. I have mixed feelings about not being with them for the last two days. Part of me wants to hold on to the LA shala as long as I can. I love the space, my teachers and my shala mates but this is my way of moving on. I know Vincent is cancelling his class in Long Beach this Friday to be with N & K on the last day. There is going to be a lot of crying on Friday, especially with Vincent. I think I'm done crying.

I'm looking forward to seeing my fellow bloggers, ezboarders and Mysore friends tomorrow. San Francisco here I come....WOOOHOOOO!!!!

I left LA much later than I expected...around 11AM. I don't know what I was doing but I just couldn't get everything together. I wanted to leave before 10AM but it just didn't happen. The drive was hot and tiring. At one point I had to stop and took a 10 minute power nap.

I got in San Francisco a little before 5PM...shit, what a city. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful city but driving is as confusing as hell. I couldn't wait to park my car and just walk. I either screwed up big time or Yahoo maps gave me the wrong direction. I was driving around for 20 minutes looking for my hotel. When I found Fourth Street, I couldn't get on the street because it was a one way street. I ended up driving another 10 minutes and still couldn't find a way to get on Fourth Street. At one point, I was so frustrated, I made an illegal u turn on Market just so I can get on Fourth Street. So now my car is park in the hotel and hopefully, I won't have to drive until I leave. I'm going to either walk, take a bus or hitch a ride until I leave.

I checked in at the Mosser Hotel and got the cheapest room possible. The room is clean but very small...it works. For some reason I expected it to be cooler. It was relatively warm last night. Since I had no airconditioning, I kept the windows open hoping it would get cooler in the morning. I think it was the angle of the room but I didn't get any of the cool air coming in. I did not sleep well last night. I woke up a couple of times and at around 3AM, I was just waiting for my 4AM wake-up call. Got up around 4AM and was ready by 5AM. I was lucky Gene picked me up this morning. I really had not desire to take a bus or walk at 5AM.

We got to the Regency Building and was greeted by John, Heidi and Bhavani. It was nice to see familiar faces. The room was huge, about twice the LA site. There was a lot of space between mats. Gene warned me that the room would be cold so I wore sweat pants instead of shorts. The room was not as cold as I expected but much cooler than in LA. I finally met Neti and his wife before practice. It's nice to know I can place a picture of his face the next time I read his blog. I also had the chance to chat with Jennifer and a few other people I met in Mysore. It felt strange to see them in the US.

Practice was great this morning. I enjoyed the energy. I got help once from Guruji and from Sharath. Saraswati never forgets me, even in a room of over 150 people. She came over and helped me in Mari B just like she always did in Mysore. I'm so blessed to have teachers who care. After practice, I had a short chat with Saraswati and her daughter. They were pleased to know that I drove all the way from LA just to be with them.

After practice, Gene introduced me to his teacher, John. I absolutely enjoyed talking to him. I've never practiced with him but I can tell by talking to him that I would enjoy practicing with him. He kept telling me to bring Gene with me to Mysore. I'm working on that. I also hung out a bit with Bhavani and Johnny S...really enjoyed their energy.

Tonight I have dinner with Cameron and "World Famous" Julie. Looking forward to that...

Just got this hot out of the press. I needed to share this to the world....Woooohooo!!! Much has happenned since my last blog entry and "World Famous" Julie has talked about it already. This is more important though. Here's the email I just received.

Hello Everyone --

Great news from the Shala! Noah and Kimberly have
struck a deal with someone who will be taking over the
lease and keeping the morning Mysore practice intact.
(While it's not completely finalized, all that's left
are the formalities, so it's looking very very
positive.) Part of the deal is that Noah and Kimberly
will be back for two months every year; in fact, they
will be back in October, then again next March. A
teacher has already been lined up for May through
mid-July (many of you know Maia, who used to fill in
at the old Shala), and the goal is to bring in
qualified teachers whenever possible. The new Shala
will be called Yoga East, but for us morning Ashtangis
that's one of the few things that will change; the
transition should be as smooth as possible. The new
owner is a longtime, loyal student of Noah and
Kimberly, Peter Conn. He stepped up at the last
minute, after other proposals fell through. Noah and
Kimberly feel that it's pretty much an ideal
arrangement, and I agree! Obviously we no longer need
to find a new space or form a coop, but when there is
no teacher we may still need to take on some of the
duties of an open practice. Peter intends to have a
sliding scale of monthly fees, depending on whether
there's a teacher or not. He plans to add classes
during the rest of the day and on weekends, and would
love to hear from any interested teachers,
Ashtanga-based or otherwise. There are many other
details to be ironed out, and Peter is busy working on
that, so he asked me to let all of you know what's
happening, so we can get some relief from our
collective anxiety! I'm sure there will be more
information to come, but for now -- let's just be
happy that something worked out at almost the last
possible moment. And feel free to spread the word
to people who are not on this email list.

I'd like to send my personal thanks to Peter for
stepping forward, and also to all of you for hanging
in there during this whole nerve-wracking process.

Got back from my San Francisco trip early Saturday afternoon...what a trip. When I got home I passed out for two hours. I was just exhausted. I'm getting too old for this. I had a great time though and I would do it all over again.

Thursday night I had dinner with Gene, Cameron and Julie at the Herberviore. The food was great and the company was even better. I met Gene a few weeks ago in the LA Guruji workshop but it was the first time I met Julie and Cameron. I knew that Julie and Cameron have known each other for a while so I was a little worried that I would be out of place. It was cool though once I met them...a little strange to meet fellow bloggers in the flesh. The conversation revolved mostly around ashtanga, blogging and my shortcomings with the computer. I promised them that one day I will learn how to post pictures in my blog and maybe installed a counter...hopefully in this lifetime. I did manage to email them some pictures today...Wooohooo!!!(baby steps).

Dinner ended early because we all wanted to get to the Regency early to secure prime property. I got to my hotel room which is as big as some people's walk-in closet and watched a little TV before trying to go to sleep. I only slept for 4 hours the previous night so I was hoping I could do better that night. It didn't happen. I was awake all night. The bed was comfortable but the room was just too warm. The electric fan was blowing warm air and I couldn't sleep. I think at around 3AM I got about an hour's sleep before I had to wake up and prepare for class. Gene picked me up around 5:10AM and we got to the Regency around 5:20AM. My adrenaline must have been pumping because I was wide awake.

Saw Julie and Cameron so I placed my mat on Cameron's right side and Gene was on my right. I think Neti was on Gene's right and Neti's wife was behind him. Saw Anne from Mountain View and chatted with her before Guruji arrived. I told her I had to check out of the hotel by 11AM and asked her if I could park my car in Mountain View and drive back up with her to San Francisco. I was not willing to pay $20 or $30 for parking anymore.

Class started and I was feeling pretty good. I was a little worried that I would not make it through the whole class with only one hour of sleep. I was fine. A thought did occur to me during practice. I know that Julie and Cameron had read my blog entry the day before. I was bragging about how Saraswati usually helps me bind in Mari B. I thought, "What if she was all the way to the other end of the room and she or Sharath could not get to me today. They would probably think I was just talking shit (something I occassionally do). How embarassing." Well it didn't happen. At the tail end of Mari A, she was behind me ready to help me bind Mari B and she even stayed a little longer to help me with Mari C which I still can't bind...close call.

I know I talk about all the adjustments I get from either Sharath or Saraswati but I'm also aware that in essence it's only icing. The attention and adjustments are great but not necessary. I know I can still have a good practice without them. I think I get a lot of help from them because they know I appreciate everything. I don't take anything for granted. Practicing with Guruji and family is not a right but an honor and priviledge. I am always thankful and happy to be in their presence.

After practice, we all got to the end of the line to get a group picture with Guruji. Julie posted it in her blog. I will do the same one day. I spoke to Sharath, Sharmila and Saraswati briefly and told them I would be driving back to LA the following day. I wish I could have stayed for the following week but half my heart is in LA. I want to be there before Noah & Kimberly leave.

Had breakfast with Gene and then headed to the hotel. I got my things together and checked out around 10AM. Headed straight to Mountain View to meet up with Anne and Einar. When I first saw Einar, we said the same thing..."it was strange to see each other outside of Mysore for the first time." He had to leave ahead to prepare for his artshow. I waited for Anne to get ready and checked my emails. That was when I first read the news about the LA shala being bought by one of the students. You cannot imagine how releived I was when I read the news.

We then headed back to San Francisco to pick up Anne's friend, Cindy. On our drive up, Anne and I discussed the types of ashtangi as described by one of the senior teachers. There are said to be generally two types: the light ashtangi and the dark ashtangi. The light ashtangi are very analytic and technical. They know the names of all the asanas, they read a lot of yogic scriptures, have many answers to all yoga questions and even more questions. The dark ashtangis are obviously the complete opposite. They subscribe to the concept of 99% practice and 1% theory. They do not get caught up with too much theory. The only theory that works is...if it feels good, it must be good. Everything else will fall in place. Practice, practice, practice...all is coming. Neither one is better than the other, they're just different.

So we then pick up Cindy and headed for Greens for lunch. We had reservations so we got a sweet table overlooking the bay. As we sat down and started talking, it was completely apparent that Cindy was your typical white ashtangi. I on the other hand is an extremely dark ashtangi. Throughout lunch, we did not agreed on anything. Surprisingly, we did not try to kill each other. We actually got along pretty well inspite the fact that we were totally different. The teachers she liked, I hated with a passion and vice versa. I think Anne was pretty nuetral. She has both dark and light qualities. This dynamic resulted in an interesting lunch. We tried to convince Cindy not to go back to work but it didn't work.

After lunch, I could feel my adrenaline coming down. I asked Anne if we could find a Starbucks so I can get a frappucino. One thing I learned about San Francisco is that there are a gazellion Starbucks but no parking. We would pass a Starbucks and the try to find some parking but by the time we found parking, we were 10 blocks away. We decided to settle on a parking spot and walked 10 blocks to the closest Starbucks. From there we headed to hang out with Einar at the art gallery. Einar was busy preparing for the show so I just walked around and pretended I understood art.

At around 6PM, we headed off to pick up Philippe and Cindy. On the way, I passed out in the car for 15 minutes. The lack of sleep was starting to get to me. We then headed to the Elephant & Castle for some drinks and met up with the rest of the crew. We didn't stay long there and proceeded to the Millennium for dinner. Anne didn't join us for dinner. She had to head back to the art show. For dinner, we had Cindy, Philippe, Julie, Cameron, Gene, Augie and I. It was really fun to get to know everybody. Spending time with Julie and Cameron was really strange in a good way. Being bloggers, I think we all have a natural connection or familiarity...don't know what the right word would be. After dinner we headed to a bar close by and met up with Neti, his wife and some other ezboarders. The internet is an amazing thing. It brought all of us together and to meet everybody in the flesh was surreal. I thanked Cameron for bringing us all together.

Cindy, Philippe and I didn't stay long. My lack of sleep was catching up on me. We took a cab and met up with Anne at the art show. We hung out a bit and then headed back to Mountain View. I crashed at Anne's place that night but thanked them and said goodbye before going to sleep. I wanted to leave early the following morning and I didn't want to wake them up. I woke up at around 6AM and headed back to LA at around 7AM.

I was suppose to start work again next week for my friend's company doing compliance audits. It would have been a sweet gig because it's about 10 minutes from where I live. The whole deal fell through today because of the whole independent contractor vs employee status BS. The work would have been relatively easy. So now I'm back to square one...not exactly. I could go back to the accounting firm in Brentwood. They left the door open for me. I have to see what my options are in the neighborhood before I consider going back there. Working for that last firm was pretty cool but I just don't want to do the drive. If nothing happens in this area then I guess I'll have to go back to the westside. Tomorrow I have an interview with a headhunter 15 minutes from where I live. Hopefully they'll have something in the neighborhood.

Practice the past few days has been terrible...no focus, no energy, no desire...you name it. It was really strange to finish practice last Monday, not seeing either Noah or Kimberly. I should start getting use to that.

My right shoulder and wrist have also been bothering me all week. Coming down to chatuwari and up to urdhva mukha svanasana, has been difficult. I feel like I pinched a nerve. I don't have any strength on my right side. I feel like my practice is falling apart. I hope I get back my right arm back tomorrow.

Yesterday, I met Maia. I actually saw her in Mysore but never met her. She arrived sometime in December. She practiced with us yesterday. She starts teaching next week.

I got in the shala early this morning...around 6:30AM. Noah was still in the middle of his practice when I arrived. Normally, around that time he is closing his practice because he starts class at 7AM. A few of us arrived and just stood there and watched him practice for about 15 minutes. He must have been doing some 4th series. He has such an amazing practice. In 4 months in Mysore, only Rolf and Olaf came close to having an asana practice like that...and there were a lot of heavy hitters when I was there. Watching Noah practice is a jaw dropping experience.

It was hard to start my practice but I eventually got around to it. I just wanted to sit and watch. I was worried that I wouldn't have any strength on my right arm. After my first surya namaskara, I was happy to know I got my arm strength back. This was the best practice I've had since coming back from San Francisco. I know I'm always going to have ups and downs in my practice but the downs can be very frustrating.

Later this morning I had an interview with a headhunter. I was hoping he would have something close by. He offered me a position in South Bay. I said, "No, too far." I told him I have something in Brentwood if I was desperate. I think I caught him by surprise. He didn't expect me to turn him down. Driving is a big issue for me. I love to drive but driving far for work is not my favorite past-time. If nothing comes up in the next few days, I'm going to have to call my headhunter on the westside. Part of me is feeling really lazy...I just don't feel like working yet. I think I need a vacation from my San Francisco vacation...ha ha ha. The other part of me feels that I need to make as much money as I can. I leave in about 3 months and I seriously need to get off my fat ass and start working. Lets see what happens...