Road To Mysore

Practice this morning was great. I was a little bit more focus. I think I’m slowly getting over the jetlag. I don’t feel as tired. I’m also getting used to the heat. The practice room is so hot; you don’t need to do anything to break a sweat. I was sweating before I started my first vinyasa. My body feels so open.

Luke teaches at Absolute Yoga. It’s a very posh yoga school. They provide you with lockers, towels, showers and yoga mats. It’s has a country club feel to it. It’s a great feeling to take a shower right after practice. The practice room has huge mirrors, which can get very distracting. The Mysore program is relatively new. Most of the students practice “Hot Yoga” also known as Bikram Yoga…that explains the mirrors.

After practice we headed to the food court. The school is in a huge mall and the food court is conveniently on the same floor. I’ve eaten in this food court after every practice. It’s has an amazingly huge vegetarian section. I spent less than $2 for a huge serving of assorted vegetarian dishes…unbelievable. I’ve been eating tons of food here but ironically have lost weight. I think it’s a combination of all the walking, the heat (I’m constantly sweating), the yoga and the food is very healthy…it’s been easy to digest.

After practice brunch has been a lot of fun. Today, a handful of Luke’s students and a couple of fellow teachers joined us. Two of the ladies had stayed in my apartment in Mysore so they knew whom I was. There is something very special about Thai people…they are very warm and friendly. I have particularly enjoyed meeting Luke’s friends and hanging out with them. I haven’t done a lot of sightseeing yet. I think I’ll do most of the tourist things in January on my way back to Los Angeles. Most of my activities here have revolved around lunch or dinner with friends, going to the mall because it’s so freaking hot and getting massages. Yesterday, I had a one-hour foot massage and a one-hour Thai massage for less than $10. I’ve been getting one every day.

I left Bangkok today at 1PM and an hour later arrived in Chiang Mai. I checked in my hotel and then went for a walk around the old city. I think I’m going to have difficulty getting around here…the street is small, narrow and all look the same. The lady at the hotel told me that I could rent a scooter for 200 baht a day…it’s very tempting. I know I’ll get lost but that would be fun. It may not be worth it because tomorrow I have my cooking class for most of the day, Wednesday is my day trip to the Elephant Sanctuary and then I head back to Bangkok on Thursday. Earlier this afternoon I paid a tuk tuk 120 baht for an hour tour of the city. I wanted get my bearings…it didn’t help.

My dilemma for tonight is…should I go to the night market, get another massage or sleep early…

My Thailand experience was amazing. I can't wait to go back. I'm already planning on staying there for a month next year. I don't know how I'm going to do it but somehow I'll make it happen. Aside from practicing yoga and eating, I did get to go to the Elephant Sanctuary, did a cooking class and visited the Wat Pho Temple. I didn't do a lot of sightseeing stuff. I told Luke I would do that in January on my way back to LA. I have a one temple a day limit...after that I'm rushing to the closes mall. It's so hot there that I'm constantly drenched in sweat. The mall is one of the few places to go cool off.

I left Bangkok last Sunday night. I wasn't ready to leave but I was looking forward to head to Mysore. My flight was delayed by almost 2 hours. They had us sitting on plane most of the time. Other than that, the plane ride was fine. A tip though for those who are flying through the Bangkok Airport. The food like most airports are crappy and expensive... go to the ground floor food court where the airport employees eat. The food is much cheaper and way better. I paid about 80 bahts and I was stuffed. Elle, Luke's friend helped me get settled at the airport since she worked there.

I landed in Bangalore at around 11PM and headed straight to Mysore. I arranged with Shiva to have a car pick me up. I was hoping to sleep on the ride to Mysore. I must have been too excited because I couldn't sleep. I got to my apartment at around 3:00AM. Shobha let me in and helped me get settled. I took a nice shower and tried to get some sleep...it didn't happen. At 5AM, I decided to head to the shala. I greeted Saraswati and asked her if I could practice...she said, "no problem"

Practice was great considering I didn't get any sleep. It was great to see a handful of familiar faces...Jarek, Neil, Axel, Gladys, Eva, James, Valerie, Blake, Ali and a few more. It was half full when I first set my mat up but midway through practice the room was full. I estimate there to be around 50 to 60 people. I expected there to be less.

Normally I don't stay for coconuts after practice but on my way out of the shala, Axel told me they were leaving today. I told him I would wait for them outside. I did the social thing at the coconut stand and caught up with a few people. When I saw Gladys, I gave her a hug and told her, "I can't believe your leaving today. I just got here."

She replied, "How did you know we were leaving?"

I replied, "I know everything." Axel was in her side just smiling. "We should have breakfast today."

We decided to have breakfast at Tina's. It was strange being at Tina's new place. I really liked the old place better but the food is still the say. I sat with Axel, Gladys, James, Valarie and Vivian. It's always great to see old friends...that's one of the things I enjoy about Mysore.

I couldn't stay long for breakfast because I hadn't had any sleep. I slowly made my way back home. I noticed that there were a handful of scooters at the Shakti so I decided to say hi to the Shakti girls...I didn't see any of them at practice that morning. I saw Satu and she told me she was leaving on Sunday for the US and Trish was in Goa. I had already spoken to Holly before leaving the US...she'll be here on the 10th which is tomorrow.

I finally got home at around 11AM, took a shower and crashed for two hours. The rest of the day I got myself settled...got a scooter, got my phone working, got some grocery and registered at the shala. Registering at the shala was a strange experience. I'm so used to seeing Guruji in the office, seeing him smile and say, "Where are you from?", filling up the registration and watching him count the money. I went to the shop and bought a rug while waiting for Saraswati. When I saw Saraswati, she told me to register with Raju, the shop guy because she was teaching a class. Registering in the shop with Raju was strange.

When I left the shop, I noticed that Guruji was at the office. I asked Saraswati if I could greet him. She said, "Go ahead." I went into his office and greeted him. I touched his feet, said "hello" and asked him how he was doing. He said he was fine and he looked fine. I don't think he recognized me but I didn't expect him to. I was just glad to see him. I was hoping to say hi to Sharath too but I haven't seen him yet.

Yesterday's practice was much better...it helps when you get some sleep. I should have slept a little earlier though because I didn't want to get out of bed. I had a long conversation with Saraswati in the middle of practice. While she was adjusting Jarek, she asked me if I was still staying in the same place and if I had a TV. I said "yes" to both. She told me that there was a Bollywood dance competition every Friday morning at 10AM in Star Plus (that's one of the cable channels in India). If I missed the Fridays showing, I could see the replay on Saturday. It's a funny conversation to have in the middle of practice but it's all good.

I headed to the city after practice to visit my Kashmiri friends. I was happy to see them and I hung out for a couple of hours to catch up. From there, I headed to the Three Sisters for lunch. I really love their food. I chatted with Harini during lunch but I must have stuffed myself too much because I starting to fall asleep. They told to go ahead and take a nap there but I had to have saffron lassi first...OMG, the best lassi...

I took a 15 minute nap and decided to head back to Gokulam. My sleep schedule is so messed up at the moment. I got home at around 3PM, took a shower and then passed out for 2 hours. I don't normally like to take naps late in the afternoon because it messes with my sleep at night. It's a good thing that it was a moon day today so it didn't really matter what time I went to bed.

Last night, I had dinner with Jarek and Dominique. It was great to hang out with them and catch up. They live in Mysore so they updated me with everything that went on the past few months. They're actually relieved that it's slowed down a bit. It was crazy at the shala a few months ago and they anticipate it to be worst this coming January to March. They don't plan to stick around for that. I'll have a bit of the chaos since I'm going to be here til mid-January.

Today I finally got to hang out with Elena and her son Dalton. It was nice to see her. Dalton is like a brother to me so he was telling me about his experience in Mysore. He is 13 years old...sometimes he acts his age but sometimes he acts much older. One thing is for sure though...he is so funny. Like most of the Italians I've met, he is such a passionate person. I was also happy to see Jillian who I met last year. She's been her since May and I can tell that she's feels more at home in Mysore. When I met her last year, she was here only for a month and she looked out of place.

Later that afternoon, I met up with Holly and Satu at the Cafe Day. Holly had justed arrived. I haven't seen Holly in about 2 years but I talk to her regularly when she's in the US. I'm so happy she's here. I currently have a few old friends at the moment and Satu is leaving on Sunday. It is more grounding to be with old friends as oppose to meeting new ones. The old friends may come and go but you know your paths will always cross in the future. I've met a few new people since arriving here but experience has taught me that most of them I will never see or hear from when they leave.

Oh, I almost forgot. A funny thing happened to me yesterday afternoon. I went to Anu's to get a banana smoothie. As I was parking my scooter, I passed a young man. He was leaving Anu's then he suddenly turned back. He walked towards me, took his hat off and said, "Joey?". I was a little shocked because I have never seen this man before. I said, "yes" and he smiled and started talking to me. I was a hundred percent sure I had never seen him so I just stared at him confused while he was talking to me. I finally told him, "I'm looking at you but I am sure I've never met you before." He said "yes, I'm Anthea's partner. I've seen your pictures many times. I recognized your face." I was pleasantly surprised because I haven't heard from Anthea for a very long time. I met Anthea on my first trip to Mysore and even met Gee through her. I still keep in touch with Gee but I haven't gotten an email or spoken to Anthea since then...she's from my original crew. Paul showed me a picture of their baby and told me that she was arriving in a few weeks. I'm so happy, I'm going to see her again. Anthea and Simon had rented this apartment when they first arrived. It was because of them, that we got to know Shobha. It's going to be interesting when she comes to visit this apartment. It's so different from when they first occupied it. When Simon left Mysore, Anthea and Gee left this apartment and rented another apartment.

Today, Jillian accompanied me to Elena and Dalton apartment. When we got there, I said, "I know this apartment. This used to be Anthea and Gee's apartment. We had some great memories here. Mysore is such a small community...most of the apartments are recycled.

This past week has been a strange week. I don't know why but I didn't sleep well for about 3 nights. I would be in bed early but I was constantly in and out of my sleep. I stopped the chai which is difficult to do because it's always in your face and taste so good. I slept better last night and I've been napping during the day...what a luxury.

I finally saw Sharath last Thursday. We were gathering outside the shala in the afternoon to go to the Krishna Temple. I waved and he said, "hello" He said, "When did you come." I responded, "Last Monday. Congratulations." He smiled and said, "Thank you." It was a very short conversation. He was ready to leave so I didn't not want to prolong the conversation. I have not seen him since.

I finally unpacked all my bags a few days ago. I don't know why but I was not in the mood. I'm normally unpacked and settled within two days from when I arrive. For some reason I kept delaying it. I still need to organize my room. My things are currently occupying two rooms. Eventually, I'll have everything in one room.

I had lunch with Russell last Sunday. It was great to see him and hang-out with him. He showed me his new office and his new place. The office is well decorated and currently has 40 employees. It's capable of having about 200 employees. He is doing really well but working way too hard. After the short tour, we headed to Fabindia and then to Fab City. It was amusing to see him drive his Toyota Corolla around the city. He told me that his investors don't allowed him to drive a motorcycle. I told him that I would make sure that he takes time off from work...hopefully he'll find his way back to the shala.

I've also been playing tour guide to a couple of Anne's students from Portland. I normally don't do that kind of stuff anymore but Anne's a good friend and she asked me to look after them. It difficult to show two people around because I can only take one person on my scooter so I've been forced to either walk or take a rickshaw. They're pretty much settled in and know a lot of the important places. They'll be on their own soon.

I started chanting class with Jayashree and Narasima yesterday afternoon. I haven't practiced since I left last year. It was great to pick up from where I left off. I'm hoping to do a meditation course with Narasima next week.

It's been raining here everyday. Once in a while, we'll get a glimpse of the sun but the rain always comes back. It's forced me to stay home a lot. I'm watching at least one movie a day...sometimes two. I'm not a home body so I'll still venture out once in a while and head home all wet...oh well. It's better than staying home all day.

Practice in the shala has been great. It's still relatively quiet. I've been impressed with how Saraswati has handled the room alone. She is constantly helping somebody. There's normally 5 or 6 people waiting for dropbacks...she's get's to everyone. Inspite of everything, she never forgets me. I have so much respect for her.

After practice while we were having coconuts, Saraswati came out and asked us if any of us had left money in the shala. She was holding around 20 rupees. I joke and said, "It must be mine." She said, "No, it was left in the back of the shala, you were in the front." We all laughed. We got to chat were her a bit and asked how Guruji was. The family wants to go to Florida next year but it will all depend on how Guruji is. At the moment he is fine and wants to teach the led classes but they want him to rest. She mentioned to us that next year she will not allow Sharath to travel. One of the yoga students asked, "Will he listen?" She replied, "Of course, I am his mother. Next year I will travel and Sharath will stay in Mysore." We had a good laugh.

The moon day this week is on a Friday which means it's time to travel. I've been wanting to go to Ooty all these years. I decided that it's going to happen this weekend. We leave on Thursday after practice and return on Saturday night. We've been warned that it might be raining there too but I'm ready to get out of Mysore. We've already arranged a 3 hour horseback ride around the area. I intend to ride even if it rains...wish us luck.

The rain has not let up. It's more consistent than it was a few days ago. I haven't seen the sun the past few days. Southern California could use the rain we have here. Staying home is starting to get old.

We've been advice not to go to Ooty today. If it's raining in Mysore, it's probably worst there. We'll be all stuck in the hotel. Our choice is simple...get stuck in a hotel in Ooty or get stuck in our apartment in Mysore. We're stubborn...we'd rather get stuck in a hotel in Ooty. I'm praying that we'll get a break from the rain tomorrow so we could ride horses to the Toda Village. We're off to Ooty at 1:30PM.

Today's lead class was great. I actually like the pace of Saraswati's lead class. I think it's a little slower. I still prefer Mysore practice though.

Yesterday, a bunch of us went to the Three Sisters for lunch. I love the food there. The downside is that I eat more than I need to. Renee and Tanya want their last lunch to be there this Tuesday...they leave on Wednesday. They're a blast to be with. I'm going to miss them.

After lunch we headed to chanting. Mirjana wasn't supposed to join us in chanting but told me she wanted to come. I asked, "why? you were never interested." Her response was, "peer pressure." I said, "who's pressuring you?" She said that everyone is going and that even if she's not interested, she feels that she needs to experience it too. I was a little bit surprised since none of us has ever convinced her to come. I said, "Well if you feel that much pressure, you might as well get it over with. Do one class and if you don't like it, never return. At least you can get it out of your system." So she joined us last night.

After class, I asked her how she liked it. She was a little overwelmed with the chanting but said she enjoyed Narashima's lecture. The chanting is definitely overwelming the first month so I wasn't surprised by her response.

I remember a lecture we had with Narashima a year ago about the student-teacher relationship. He said that not everybody will gravitate to the same teacher. The students that study with them have been students in the prior life and will continue to be students in the next life. Studying with them has been a natural evolution for me. I have realized that it's not for me to convince others to study with them. Their students in the past life will find them in this life.

I was raised Roman Catholic and was taught that there is no such thing as past lives...it's either heaven or hell. I don't know when it happened but at some point in my yoga practice...past lives and future lives mades more sense than heaven or hell.

A few weeks ago I was speaking to Joyce. She's also Filipino. I asked her what her parents think about her being in India (she's been here since I left Mysore 15 months ago) and practicing this yoga. Her response was, "My parents think I'm going straight to hell!!!" We both had a good laugh and I said, "I guess I'm going to be hanging out with you in hell."

Our trip to Ooty was fanatastic. We could have used a little less rain though but it was still worth it.

The ride from Mysore to Ooty took 7 hours...a lot longer than I anticipated. We were supposed to leave Mysore at 1:30PM but the bus arrived an hour late. It was a nice "luxury" A/C bus. It's was not very far but the roads were narrow, terrible and we were going about 10 kilometers an hour...give or take a kilometer or two. We got to Ooty around pass 9PM. It was dark, raining and we were starving. We headed straight to the closest restaurant and had the worst dosa imaginable. We were too tired to complain or find something better...it served it's purpose.

I called our hotel the moment we arrived and told them that we had just arrived. They told us that they had a power outage and recommended that we find another hotel in another part of town or check in with candle lights. We were too tired to find another hotel so we told them we were coming. Once we got to the hotel, a old man let us in our rooms and told us we should have power in the morning. We never registered. He just let us in our rooms which was fine because we didn't want to deal with anything else.

We woke up the following morning with still no power. We headed for breakfast and was told that the power should come in later that morning. It was too cold to take a shower without hot water so we opted to shower after the 3 hour horse ride we had previously arranged. I figured that I'd take a shower in the rain.

After the breakfast, we headed to the Fernhill Palace where our horses were waiting for us. Mirjana and I got the two big horses while Martha got the small one. I don't know why they just didn't give us 3 big horses. It made sense though to give Martha the smaller horse since she's the lightest. We started the ride around the Palace grounds and slowly made our way through the countryside. The countryside was absolutely beautiful...rolling hills, forest on one side, tea plantations, potatoe and carrot field and a smal stream flowing through. The first hour it drizzled and then it stopped and the fogged cleared a bit so we could enjoy the scenery. The last hour just poured and we were drenched on our horses...it was actually a lot of fun.

The cool part of the ride was that the guide actually let us trot and canter. It was Mirjana's first time on a horse so when we started trotting see was constantly banging her ass on the horse. The guide later told her, "Madame you ass will hurt. Stand on the saddle and go up and down." She eventually got it the hang out it but we knew it was too late...she was going to feel it later.

I have never riden a horse for more than two hours so on the third hour I was getting tried. My inner thighs were getting sore because of all the trotting and cantering we were doing. It was such a fun ride that I would have wanted to do it again the following day. The girls though wanted to do something else.

We went back to the hotel after the ride...thank God, the power was back on. It was great to get a hot bath after getting rained on and feeling cold...Ooty is in the mid fifty degrees.

We then headed to town for lunch. We found a great India restaurant in town. It was our first good meal since leaving Mysore. It felt so good. We walked around town for an hour and at around 5PM, I decided to head back to the hotel for a nap. The girls went to see the Botanical Garden and the Thread Flower Museum...too tired for that.

When I got to the hotel, I passed out and woke up the following morning. I didn't even bother to get up for dinner. I was too tired to bother. My inner thighs were so sore. I slept so well that when I woke up around 3AM, I didn't want to get out of bed. I eventually stood up around 6AM and walked around.

We didn't do much on our last day since we arranged for a car to pick us up at 1PM to bring us back to Mysore. After breakfast, we took a twenty minute bus ride to the Dodabetta Junction. From there we hiked 3 kilometers to the Dodabetta Point...which is supposedly the highest point in South India. It probably would have been scenic but the fog covered everything so we didn't see much.

We left Ooty at around 1:30PM on Saturday. I didn't realize that there is a short cut from Ooty to Mysore. It only took us 3 1/2 hours to get back. The big buses can't take this shortcut. If I only knew this, I would have taken a car to Ooty and skipped the bus experience. Obviously the bus was much cheaper 170 rupees per person but the car was only 2,000 rupees which is about $50. We got to Mysore by 5PM. It was a much more pleasant ride back...oh well, you take the good with the bad.

I had a great practice this morning...my muscles felt loose, my body felt light and my mind was at peace with everything. It was such an easy practice. There must be something special about the space we practice on. It's doesn't matter if it's Guruji, Sharath or Saraswati teaching...I will always love this space. My mind is so at ease and focused when I'm here. I'm not even going to try to figure out why.

As I lay in the back room after practice I realized how much garbage I left behind in LA. I don't notice it when I'm there working hard but there is so much unnecessary bullshit that goes on the workplace. Why do I even bother with it? Yes, I do need the money but I don't really need that much. Mysore life is so simple...we do our practice, have breakfast and then go home and rest. At some point in my life, I'm like to walk away from my chaotic life in LA. I don't know when that will happen...hopefully sooner than later.

When I walked out the shala this morning, the sun was out and the skies were blue...no sign rain. It's been a while since I've seen the sun this bright...it's going to be a beautiful day.