Road To Mysore

I just got back from 4 days of intense Indian traveling. Last Friday, Robin, Reema, Mani and I took the 9AM bus to Bangalore. We took the deluxe A/C bus that was really sweet and comfortable. I’ve never taken the bus to Bangalore so I was pleasantly surprised how smooth the ride was. We got to Bangalore early in the afternoon. Reema and I headed to Residency Road to attend to some business while Robin and Mani went to Mani’s sister’s house to pick up the car we were going to use in Bangalore. I got my business in order and we grabbed a quick lunch. After lunch, we headed to MG Road and Brigade Road where all the shops are. It was raining all afternoon so getting around was a pain in the butt.

At around 6PM, Robin and Mani picked us up and we continued to do more window-shopping. Robin needed to buy some soccer gear and a good backpack. I was getting tired, wet and sticky but we had other things we needed to do in the city. Reema wanted to do some Bollywood dancing and Robin wanted to hit a few bars. The next 3 hours was spent looking for a good Bollywood disco and a good bar…no luck. I was getting really tired and grumpy, Mani was feeling sleepy and Reema was tired too. Robin was dead set on finding a good bar to hangout in. At around 10:30PM, he gave up and we decided to grab dinner and head home to Mani’s sister’s house in White Field. We got to the house around 11:30PM and just crashed in our rooms. I was so glad that day was over.

The following morning, while everyone else was still asleep, Mani gave me a tour of his sister’s house…really sweet. It’s without question the best Indian house I’ve been in. The house had 4 huge bedrooms, the master bedroom had a Jacuzzi, the floors were granite and it was well decorated. The house also sat in 9 acres of land. We strolled around the property that morning. When we got back to the house, breakfast was being served. We had an all out Indian breakfast.

After breakfast, Reema and I wanted to spend a few hours in the city and then catch an early afternoon train back to Mysore. Saman, Mani’s sister said she would bring us to a forest 30 kilometers away where their Auntie lives. We decided to just go with the flow. At around 10:30 we headed to the forest. Indians are like Filipinos or vice versa, they love to stuff their guest with food. On our way to the forest, we stopped to get a smoothie, some ice cream and more junk food. When we arrived at their Auntie’s place, she served us more food. I love Indian food but I can’t digest Indian breakfast very well…too spicy early in the morning. I managed to eat a little at the Auntie’s place. I didn’t want to offend her by not eating. I was really stuffed and the bumpy road ride was not helping me digest the food I ate earlier.

Saman told us there was a waterfalls near by so we headed there. When we got there, we parked the car and hiked about 20 minutes. We were not planning on swimming but when we arrived, Reema said, “I’m getting in the water.� I wasn’t excited about getting in the car with wet clothes but the water was too good to pass. We jumped in and just sat on the rocks under the falls. It was like getting a massage but much better. It felt so good just being there, it made the whole Bangalore trip worthwhile.

At around 2:30, we headed back to Saman’s house. I’m glad I had an extra pair of pants so when we got home I took a quick shower and changed. When I got out of the bathroom, lunch was being served. I haven’t even digested breakfast and now I’m having lunch…oh well, worst things can happen. At around 4:30PM, Robin, Reema and I headed to the bus station. Robin decided to do some last minute shopping so I knew we were going to miss the 6PM train back to Mysore. We ended up taking a non-A/C bus at around 7PM. The seats were comfortable but as we headed back to Mysore, it started to rain. The bus was old so the rain was leaking through the windows. My whole right side of my body was wet throughout the 4-hour bus ride. For some reason it didn’t bother me that much. I was just happy to be heading back to Mysore. We finally got home around midnight and I knew there was no way I was getting up in time for the 5AM led class on Sunday. I thought I might as well practice at home on Sunday…it didn’t happen.

Woke up around 6:30AM on Sunday. I was just too tired to practice. At around 8AM, I called Darine to confirm that we were leaving for Bandipur at 11. She said, “No, we leave at 9AM and we meet outside the shala. I tired to call you yesterday but you didn’t answer your phone.� Shit…I have an hour to pack, take a shower and have breakfast. In LA this wouldn’t be a problem but I’m in Mysore time and we tend to move slower here. I managed to make it to the shala a little past 9…the bus was still there.

We were suppose to be 12 in this trip but one didn’t show up. At around 9:45, we headed to Bandipur National Park…that’s what we thought. There was some confusion to which jungle safari we were going to so 3 hours later, we arrived at the wrong jungle park. We were all hungry and angry with the driver for taking us to the wrong park…not a very good combination. We called the retreat we were suppose to stay in and they talked to our driver. Our bus driver did not speak any English and the owner of the bus assumed we were going to the more popular jungle safari. What should have taken only 3 hour to Bandipur, ended up taking us 7 hours…we would have made it to Kerela in 7 hours. We practically lost a whole day. We got to the Jungle Retreat around 4:30PM…too late for lunch and too late for a trek or safari. We requested that we have dinner earlier because we didn’t stop for lunch and all we ate were bananas, cookies, chips and junk food.

Since we had time to kill, we checked in and some of us jumped in the swimming pool. The view from the pool was breath taking. We had the mountains as our backdrop. It nice to be in the pool after traveling 7 hours in the bus. At around 6PM, they serve us our first decent meal of the day. The buffet was sweet…it was a combination of Indian food and western food. I think I over ate…what’s new.

After dinner, the group met up with the safari coordinator and we decided to do the 6:30AM jungle safari. We were staying around 40 minutes from the safari site so we had to head out around 5:30AM. Wake up call was around 4:30AM. Not much happened that night because of the early morning safari. We all stayed in a dormitory room and the lights were out by 9:30PM.

The following morning we did our little safari. We were split into two groups since the jeeps can only take 6 people. The two groups took different roads. I was with Melody, Robin, Arnald (I didn’t misspell his name, his French and that’s how it’s spelled), Ben and Darine. We were hoping to see the tigers and leopards but all we saw were bisons, elephants, deers, monkeys and all kinds of birds. Riding through the jungle was fun but no seeing the tigers and leopards as a little disappointing. They say that you tend to see more animals in the summer because during the rainy season, the jungle is so lush the animals hide deep in the jungle…oh well, it was still fun anyway.

After the safari, we headed back to the retreat and had breakfast. The group was split after breakfast. Five of us wanted to do a 3-hour trek and the rest just wanted to hangout in the pool…boring. At around 11AM, Darine, Sydney, Neil, Arnald, our guide and I headed to the mountain. We trekked uphill for about an hour and a half until we hit these rocks overlooking the valley. If we had more time we would have attempted the peak but it would have taken us 3 hours to the top. When we got to the rock, we just hung out and enjoyed the view for about 45 minutes. On our way down the mountain, we decided to take a detour and head to the waterfalls. We were all hot and sweaty so we were just dying to jump into the water. It was so sweet to jumped into the cold fresh water. We were all tired and the water felt so good.

At around 2:30, we headed back to the retreat for lunch. The other group almost done with lunch when we got there. Lunch tasted sooo good after the trek. After the safari and the trek, most of us just wanted to chill before heading back to Mysore. The bus left Bandipur at around 6:30PM and we got to Mysore around 9:15PM.

It was all fun but after 4 days of traveling, I seriously need a vacation from my vacation.

Yesterday they announced that there would only be one led class today. There are less people now but still too many for just one led class. I decided to skip led class and do a Mysore practice with Reema and Ruby. I think I made the right decision...had a great practice today.

I read Vanessa's blog about the lady that refused to stop when Saraswati told her so. Thank God, I was not there to witness that. It's things like that which drives me crazy. I don't think I would have been able to maintain my driste if I had to witness that. I know it's not my business and I should mind my own practice. Can't wait for Sarath to come back and straighten her out...I know, I know...let it go...ok.

This trip has been a totally different trip from the first trip. The practice has challenged me in ways I could never imagine. I seem to be getting into arguements I don't want to be in. Even if I've socialized less, they seem to find there way to me. Most days I've managed to be cool and quiet but some days I just want to strangle some people. We're all dealing with our own shit. Why do I have to deal with other people's shit too? A friend of mine once said that if your well grounded, other people's shit won't bother you...I guess I'm not that grounded after all.

There is a lot of talk about the asana practice but unfortunately that's only a small part of the practice. We all have issues/emotions/shit buried deep within us. The practice is just bringing it up in the surface. How we deal with it is really what the practice is about. It's like everyday layers of conciousness is being peeled off. I seem to be seeing things that were always there but I never realized it was there. Nothing seems to be what it is or was...not sure if I'm making any sense. I wish that I only had to deal with my own shit but maybe dealing with other people's shit is part of the whole deal. If I were grade myself on how I'm doing...I'm barely passing but I think I'm heading on the right direction. I believe my asana practice will help me get through all this.

Next week, N & K will be leaving Mysore. Last Tuesday the current LA crew had lunch with them at the Green Hotel. They have a really busy schedule so it was great to just hang out with them. We met up at 1PM and left the Green Hotel around 5:30PM and headed for Misty's(Bengali desserts). We stayed at Misty's until 7:30PM and decided that we should end lunch. I have never had a 6 1/2 hour lunch. We talked about a whole range of things which I'm sure I shouldn't mention here...oh well. Kimberly convinced me to start Sanscrit chanting with Jayashree this Monday. I'm taking a break from Kanada class and hopefully focus on Sancrit. Let's see how that goes.

Early morning safari with Darine, Melody, Arnald behind me, Ben and crazy Punjabi Robin. No tigers and leopards in sight...oh well.

Lots of Bisons...still no tigers and leopards. We saw one wild elephant, lots of birds and deers. It was still nice to be in the jungle.

This is not the wild elephant we saw but they had tame elephants we could ride on. A few of us wanted to ride the elephants but most of the group wanted to head back to the lodge...maybe next time.

Our guide saw this chameleon on the side of the road. He just picked it up and showed us. So this is how it looks.

Trekking with Niel, Arnald, Darine and Sydney. We trekked uphill for about an hour and a half. We didn't reach the peak but we had a good view from where we were. I enjoyed the trekking more than the safari.

Darine and Arnald chilling at the top. Life doesn't get better than this.

At the top...out of shape yogis. This is what happens when you practice ashtanga yoga.

There is no better way to end a 3-hour trek...yes!!!

All good things have to end. At the lodge with Robin, Sydney and Melody. We're waiting for the bus to take us back to Mysore. The same bus that took us to the wrong jungle. This time it only took us less than 3 hours to get home.

From left: Robin, Mani, Saman, Mani's Aunty and Reema behind.

There's nothing better than getting a natural massage/jacuzzi...I love the water. That's Mani and I.

It took us a while to convince Robin to jump in. He didn't want to his jeans to get wet. That's Robin and Mani.

Mani's family - from left: Saman (Mani's sister), her husband and Mani's father and mother.

Saman's house (Robin's sister)

Saman preparing us more food...non-stop eating.

More of the house

King Robin sitting in the swing at Saman's house.

Ever since Sharath left, there has been a huge exodus of students. When the door opens at 5AM, there are only about 30 people. I think in total, there are only about 75 students in the shala. There are more people leaving than there are arriving. By next week, I know of about 10 more students leaving. This afternoon, I said my goodbyes to N & K. They took the 2:30 Shattabi Express to Bangalore...it was fun hanging with them.

The good thing about all the students leaving is you get your choice of prime real estate. I've secured the same spot I had last year. I know I'm suppose to practice non-attachment but as long as that spot is available...I'm taking it and if somebody gets there before me, I'm beating the shit out of them...just kidding:). I'll find another spot.

Last Monday, I finally did my first Sanskrit chanting class with Jayashree. Kimberly asked me the following day if I liked it. I told her, "I don't love it but I don't hate it either." It's a lot of work and it's really exhausting. Since there were a lot of advanced students last Monday, we chanted from 4:30 to 6PM. After the first hour, my throat was dry and my legs were numb from sitting on the floor(my ass was hurting too).

The following day was much better because I wasn't totally clueless and most of the advance students were not there so the class was catered to us. Jayashree is an awesome person and she has the most beautiful voice but I'm still trying to figure out why the hell I'm attending this class. I've taken K's advice and I'm committed to attend everyday (Mon to Thurs) for at least one month before I jump ship. I can see why I took Kannada class...I use it everyday and it makes the locals smile when I try to talk to them in their language but I'm still not practicularly sure of what use the Sanskrit chanting would have. I trust that somewhere down the road, it would have some resemblance of a practical purpose...maybe not.

I remember N telling me that when he first met K, they were doing some Sanskrit chanting. He was so impressed and mesmerized by the way K chanted. Maybe if I become a pro at this, I could impress the women...ha ha ha.

Bollywood Review

I'm still at my Bollywood movies and I'm enjoying it more and more. I finally got a good copy of "Lagaan"...Aamir Khan is the bomb. My two favorite B-movies is "Lagaan" and "Dil Chata Hai" and Aamir Khan is in both of the movies. I really enjoyed this movie and it stirred up a lot of anger since I grew up in a country which was colonized for over 350 years. I'm sure my ancestors had to go through the same things these people did. I've been told many times to just get over it but it's not that easy. It's deep seated in the subconcious...there is still a lot of anger. Shobha has many times reminded the western yoga students that they were slaves of the British even if it's been awhile since the British had left. I think thats why the British are only given 6-month visas to India.

I also watched "Main Hoon Na" with Shah Rhuk Khan and Susmita Sen...she is to die for. The movie was a wannabe James Bond movie. It didn't have the best story but it's definitely worth watching Susmita Sen dance.

Yesterday I finished "Veer Zaara" with Shah Rhuk Khan and Preity Zinta. The story is really good and I highly recommend it. The story is about an Indian Army pilot falling in love with a Pakistani girl. It's not as simple as that but that's the main plot.

Oh shit...it's 4:20, it's time to head for chanting class.

I got through the first week of Sanskrit chanting. I’m beginning to enjoy it but I still don’t know why I’m doing it…I may never know. I think Jayashree is an amazing person and a great teacher. She is very grounded and has the patience of an angel. She truly loves what she does. That’s why I’m so drawn to her. I can’t explain why I seem to look forward to going to class. It’s really tiring and at the end of class my ass always hurts. There is something about Jayashree’s voice that wants you to stay. I can think of a million more fun things to do but I’ve chosen to go to chanting class. I still don’t know what I’m mumbling about and I’m tempted to get a book so I won’t be so clueless. A part of me would rather remain clueless and just feel the words in my heart. I think I’m going to remain clueless before I start analyzing and breaking down the words. I’m lucky that the book that was recommended to me is out of stock.

I was tempted to practice at home and skip today’s led class. Saraswati asked me last Sunday where I was last Friday. Telling her that I decided to practice at home because the shala would be too full was not an option. I told her I was not feeling well…I basically lied.

Earlier this week, Saraswati told me while she was helping me in Mari C that her arms were hurting. She was very apologetic about not getting me deeper into the posture. I asked her if maybe I should just proceed without her help. She said, “No, you wait for me.� She refuses to use a little pain in her arm as excuse to stop her from helping people. In spite of that she still drops back a lot of students who are twice her size. I realized that missing led practice because the shala is so full is not a good excuse to skip led class.

The past few weeks I’ve been going back and forth on where I was going when the shala closes in October. I went from going to Kashmir to Varanasi to the Maldives to Rajastan to Kerala to Sri Lanka to Pondicherry to who knows where. I’ve decided to go to Varanasi with Sydney and I think Rebecca will be joining us. The plan is to fly to Delhi from Bangalore. Stay a day in Delhi and another day in Agra to see the Taj Majal. Then take the midnight express train to Varanasi. We plan to stay in Varanasi for 6 to 7 days before heading back to Delhi…stay another day before heading back to Mysore…wooohooo!!!

I had this conversation yesterday:

Yoga student: "I really came her to practice with Sharath. My teacher said that Sharath would be better for my practice because he can get me deeper into the practice. When Sharath comes back, I'm going to ask Guruji if I can practice with Sharath. I'm sure he'll understand."

I'm still learning the art of keeping my mouth shut. I didn't do a very good job yesterday. I was too much in shock and my jaw just dropped and I said, "Your going to tell Guruji you want to practice with Sharath? Maybe you should ask Sharath if you can practice with Sharath and spare Guruji from the details." I know, I know...I should have taken a deep breath, closed my eyes and bit my tongue. I am a weak man. I must be clueless but I'm still trying to figure out how Guruji is going to understand that.

Yesterday’s practice was the worst practice I’ve had on this trip. I made the mistake of eating ice cream the night before…when will I ever learn? Midway through my Suryas, I felt it and started to get nauseated. At that point I wanted to just stop my practice. I went to the backroom and took a few moments hoping it would pass. I felt a little better but still felt sick. I decided to force myself back to the mat and I continued to practice very slowly…it was painful. I eventually finished practice. There must have been something in the air that day because almost everybody I talked to had a terrible practice. I’m not sure if that’s supposed to make me feel better. What does somebody else’s practice have to do with mine? Not only was I not feeling well, I was also really tired after practice. I normally don’t take naps during the day but I ended up passing out from 11AM to 1:30PM. I woke up just in time to meet Sydney for lunch at Geeta’s…that’s life in Mysore …yoga, sleep, eat, sleep and then eat again.

No ice cream for me last night. I had no intention of making the same mistake. I had a much better practice today. That’s the thing about this practice…when you have a terrible practice, you can always expect a great practice the following day. There were no major break through but I felt really good after. That’s all that really matters anyway.

Last Sunday, Reema and I were invited to have lunch with our Kashmiri friends. I don’t recall exactly where they lived but it was a good 25-minute scooter ride from Gokulam. I’ve never been to that part of town so it was really cool to just scooter around. During lunch, we got into talking about Kashmir and how beautiful it was. I’ve never been to Kashmir but I’m told that a lot of beautiful scenery filmed in the Bollywood movies are in Kashmir…yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve been watching too many Bollywood movies. I am obsessed about visiting Kashmir next year. Reema tells me that there’s a war going on that it’s not a good idea from to go there. For some reason, I still want to go. I would rather risk going to Kashmir than watch a horror movie…figure that one out. My Kashmiri friends tell me that I should stay at least 25 days if I decided to visit and that from May to September are the best months to go. I’m shooting for September 2006…maybe that would be a good incentive for me to work a little harder when I get back to LA.

A few days ago, we finally booked our tickets for Delhi…woohoo. We’re flying Air Deccan from Bangalore to Delhi on October 21 and will fly back to Bangalore on November 1. We paid a little over $200 for our round trip tickets. We plan to stay in Delhi for a couple of days, take a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and then take the midnight express to Varanasi and spend 6 to 7 days. I have this feeling that Delhi and Varanasi is going to be something like Mumbai. I hope I don’t get too overwhelmed. It’s going to be complete chaos. So far it’s Sydney, Rebecca and I. Morag is still trying to decide between Goa and Varanasi. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about the future but I’m really excited about this trip. Later this week, we going to decide on which hotel we’re going to stay in. The good thing about Mysore is that a lot of the students here have traveled all over India so it’s easy to get recommendations.

Yesterday at 10:30AM, Ari, Ruby, Reema, Natalie and I scootered to Balmori River. I had never been there so I was really curious to see what it would be like. The ride to Balmori was very pleasant. It was a nice change from the hustle and buzzle of Mysore City. It was a good 30-minute countryside ride. The air was fresh and we had endless rice fields on both sides. It was a hot sunny day so we took shelter in an abandoned temple and just hung out there. There was a young Indian couple that took refuge at the temple too. I think we were invading their space. We decided give the some privacy and check out the river. We were looking for a spot to dip our feet on the water and maybe some shade…no luck on the shade. I am sucker for water so I decide to get in the river. I convinced Ari and Reema to join me. I found a great spot in the river where I could get lay on a rock while the water flowed on my back. We had some junk food and had a little picnic on a huge rock along the river.

At around 1:30, we decided to head back to the city for lunch. The junk food was not enough to keep us there. On our way back to our scooter, one of the watchmen asked us if we wanted to visit the ashram close by. We were too hungry so we told him we would visit the ashram some other time. We decided that the next time go back we’re going to pack a full lunch. When I got home I told Robin that we went to the river. He told me to be careful because there are very strong under currents and a few people have died in that river. At one point a current was really strong and I was struggling to grab a rock. I wish I knew that before I got in.

I must have gotten too much sun the day before because I woke up really exhausted this morning. I was struggling to get out of bed but I forced myself and headed to the shala. It took me a good 20 minutes before I could start my practice. I was hoping that once I got through my suryas, I could shake out my fatigue…that didn’t happen. I was going as slow as possible. I kept telling myself to just take it one posture at a time. I got through the standing postures when finally my body just said, “NO!� I took my mat and headed for the back room and just laid down…I felt defeated. The sun must have drained most of my energy. As I left the shala, Saraswati asked me if I was alright. I told her I was very tired and that I could not continue. She said, “Go home and take rest.� That’s exactly what I did.

Reema and Natalie

Endless rice fields

Hanging out at the temple. Natalie, Ruby and Ari are leaving this weekend. I'm going to miss them. Natalie heads back to Singapore while Ari and Ruby are travelling around India for 3 months before heading back to London.

Abandoned temple

Reema and Natalie again, enjoying the view

HELP!!!!

The air is definitely fresher in this part of town.

The "Path"

A day in the life of a wannabe yogi. Yeah, that's me!!! I love the water...can you tell?

I couldn't convince Ruby to get in the water. At least she dipped her feet in.

I have never been interested in knowing my future. I’ve always believed that my future was in my own hands. A few days ago when I had lunch at Sandia’s, everybody on the table raved about this palm reader they’ve been to. They (Elena, Ari, Ruby, Katia and Peter) said that this palm reader was very accurate. When it was time to ask questions, they had no questions because they had already been answered. Natalie and I were the only ones on the table who had never been to him so we decided to get an appointment. Payment is donation basis only so if it were all bogus we wouldn’t have to give him much.

We got our appointment at 5PM yesterday. We met at the Manjula’s house (she’s one of the palm reader’s student and our interpreter) at Laksmipuram close to the old shala. I went first and I showed him my right hand. Natalie was smart enough to take notes for me since Peter had said that he wished he had a tape recorder when he had his reading done. Here is a summary of what he told me:

• The next year is a good time for me to either switch jobs or change the nature of my work. I thought this was interesting because when I get back to LA, I need to decide on whether I should go back to the Brentwood accounting firm or find a firm closer to Silverlake or even move to New York. Personally, moving to New York next year is a little too soon. I was thinking closer to 2007 but you’ll never know.

• He said that Saturn is my planet (not sure what that means), my good colors are blue and black, my number is 7, sapphire is my stone and my good day is Saturday. He suggested that I pray to whichever God I pray to on Saturday.

• Making money will not be a problem for me and that I manage my finances pretty well. I thought this was interesting because he could always say this to everyone but he told Natalie to be careful in her spending. Natalie admitted that she did not manage her finances very well.

• My fortune line has a cut in the middle, which means that when I almost reach a goal, I abandon it. This is partially true. I think it’s also the nature of an Aquarian.

• After 2007, I would change country. I don’t know where he got that from but I’ve been getting information on New Zealand. I found out that there is a shortage of accountants there. I plan to visit New Zealand on September 2006 just to get a feel of it and maybe the following year move for a year. I really believe that in the next few years I will be living in another country. I never told him that so I was pleasantly surprised when he said it would happen.

• The thing that blew me away is that he told me that 2 years from now I would get married and eventually have 3 children (2 girls and 1 boy)…I thought I was a hopeless case. I really have doubts about the whole marriage thing. I’ve never looked at myself as “marriage material� and I tend to want to be very mobile. If it does happen, I would return to Mysore and either touch or kiss his feet. I honestly think it’s a long shot.

He said other things that I will not share. After that it was Natalie turn and I took notes for her. Natalie seem pleased with her reading. We then headed to the Pizza Corner to meet Ari, Ruby and Reema…bad yogis. The pizza there is not great but decent. We chose that place because it was close to the Lido Theater. The movie we were watching was starting at 7:30PM and we wanted to be close by.

This was the second time I’ve been to a movie theater in Mysore so I knew what to expect. I normally don’t like seeing Bollywood movies without subtitles but “Shalam/Namaste� just came out two weeks ago so it was not available in DVD. As expected the movie theater did not have any air conditioner and the seats were not that comfortable. The seats did recline though. I got the whole gist of the movie but I was a little frustrated because there were portion in which I wish I knew what they were saying. It was very an entertaining movie and I can’t wait to get the DVD. It did not feel like a Bollywood movie for the following reasons:

• The storyline was very western. The setting was in Melbourne and the couple decides to live together before getting married.

• This is the first Bollywood movie in which they actually kiss. Most of the time they just pretend to kiss and never really lock lips.

• The movie was only two and half hours, which is really short for Bollywood standards...normally at least 3 hours.

• They wore mostly western clothing.

Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed it and Preity Zinta is still the bomb. The movie ended around 10:10PM and we scootered our way back to Gokulam. I don’t normally scooter that late at night in the city. It was a really pleasant and a different experience. I’m so used to riding through the city with all the traffic and chaos. The ride back was very calm and peaceful…it had a very different energy. I particularly enjoyed the ride pass the Mysore Palace and up the road to Devarajas Road. I didn’t feel like I was in Mysore. It felt like another place and time…weird.

Yesterday I paid for my third month to Guruji. I can’t believe it’s already been two months…3 more months to go. So much has happened the past two months. It’s hard to imagine what the next three months has in store for me. This trip has been a much deeper trip than the first in very many levels. I’ve learned so many things about myself that I never realized. Last year traveling around India was never an option. All I wanted to do was stay in the confines of Mysore and practice at the shala.

One of the older students once told me that the practice should not be limited to the four walls of the shala. Experiencing India is a much bigger part of the practice. She continued to say that Mysore (especially Gokulam) does not represent India. I thought a lot about what she had told me and decided that I would try to make some side trips. Ironically a few days later the announcement of shala closing in October came out. Normally I would have been disappointed that I would miss two weeks of practice at the shala. Instead I was really happy about getting the chance to travel north to Varanasi and Delhi…the universe has spoken. If you asked me last year if I was planning on going to Delhi, I would have said, “Are you f@#$%^& crazy?� I remembered writing on my first trip how I hated Mumbai and had no desire of ever going there again. I think I’m going to have to eat my words. India has so much to offer, it’s ridiculous not to want to visit all these places…Mumbai including.

This practice has given me and continues to give me a different perspective of life. I’m slowly trying to get away from my “ivory tower� and experience the “real world�. It’s always nice to feel safe and secure but without danger life wouldn’t be worth living. This practice has taught me how to face some of my fears and if I continue to do the practice I’ll hopefully face the rest of my fears one day at a time…all is coming.

Last Sunday I said goodbye to Ari and Ruby. Last Saturday I said goodbye to Natalie and last week it was Gabrielle. It’s always hard to say goodbye. I don’t think I’ll ever get use to it.

It’s my third week of chanting with Jayashree and I still can’t figure out why I’m doing it. I am getting better at it thought and my ass doesn’t hurt as much at the end of the class. I’ve been tempted many times this week to skip a day or two. So far I’ve been good about not missing class. I know if I start skipping class, it would only be a question before I decide not to attend permanently.

Jayashree said a few days ago that if you tried too hard and strained in learning it is not good. She said this because one of the other students was talking about how stressed he was about learning the chants and that he was actually chanting in his dream. I don’t remember her exact words but she said something like if you can’t get it today, you’ll get it tomorrow. If you can’t get it tomorrow then you’ll get it the day after or the day after that. There must be no stress in learning. Only learn with ease. This is why I like Jayashree so much. She loves teaching so much; she does want us to worry about anything…just practice with ease and enjoy it. It will all come with time. I think that’s why I still go to her class. I don’t see the sense in chanting but I enjoy being around her energy. I wish I can be as grounded as her…maybe one day.

Last year I missed the whole NFL season. Yes, I am a big Miami Dolphin fan. I was really lucky last year because the Dolphins went 4 and 12 (that means they only won 4 games and lost 12). I expected to miss the season this year because they only show cricket and soccer on cable. Ari told me before he left that he had seen NFL games on cable. I say said, "No way!!!" He told me to check for the listing of espnstar.com and bingo. I got to see my first NFL game yesterday morning. It was the Sunday night game on ESPN...NY Giants at SD Chargers. I can't believe I watched NFL in India...wooohooo!!! The only problem is the game started at 6AM Monday morning and I don't finish practice until 7AM...oh well, at least I have something to look forward to every Monday morning. I need to check and see if the Dolphins are playing any Sunday night game. They're 2 and 1 and are on top of their division...sweet.

Oh I forgot to say the last time I blogged that a few days ago was exactly a year ago when I first set foot in Mysore. I first set foot on September 23, 2004. Four days ago was my first year anniversary...if there's such a thing. What a difference a year makes. I can only imagine what the next year has in store for me...wooohooo!!!

Saraswati made me do drop backs yesterday and today. I think she's decided that it's time for me to do drop backs. I've done drop backs before wi th other teachers but N & K never gave it to me and I've never asked. I don't believe in asking for asanas. I'm quite happy working on the asanas I have now. I also have no desire of being a teacher so there's no sense of urgency.

I actually have a decent back bend so with a little help, I can easily get up. Dominic gave me dropbacks when he covered for N & K and W use to do it with me when I was still living in Florida. I've done it so many times before but since I haven't done it lately I always get confused on whether I'm inhaling or exhaling when I'm dropping back.

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy dropping back while I can. I expect Sharath to take it away when he returns. I've been here long enough to know that nothing is official until Sharath say so. I've seen Sharath takeaway asana so many times even if it was given by Guruji.

One day last month, Saraswati told me at the end of practice, "Tomorrow you do budjapindasana." I nodded and smiled at her and thought, "Holy Shit, I'm in trouble." The following morning while Sharath was helping me with Mari C, I told him, "Saraswati told me to do budjapindasana." He turned to Saraswati and talked to her in Kannada. He kept saying, "beda, beda, beda" which means "no". He turned to me and said, "Not yet." That's exactly what I expect so I just smiled and nodded. A few minutes later, Saraswati passed by and said, "Friday, you try." Sharath shooked his head and repeated, "beda, beda, beda" Saraswati is a very strong willed lady and I knew that she would remind me on Friday to do it.

I really felt bad because I didn't follow her. She has always looked after me. After class, I approached her and told her that if I did budjapindasana Sharath will be angry. She just looked at me and said, "You just try." I nodded and said "OK".

Outside the shala, I could stop thinking about the following days practice. One of the certified students told me to do it if Saraswati was in front of me and if she doesn't remind you don't do it. Let Sharath and Saraswati work it out. As long as Sharath knows your not asking for the asana you'll be fine. The following day Saraswati did not say anything and hasn't said anything regarding budjapindasana since. I know she wants me to move on faster in my asana practice but I'm really in no hurry. I don't want to have a false perception of where I am in my practice.