Ma India

The power just turned back on so hopefully I can write a bit before it goes off again. There is a shortage of electricity in this state - maybe in the world, but at least here there are scheduled "non-power" periods during the day. So hi! Sorry for taking so long to get in touch. Wow - so many things have gone on for me. For one thing as predicted my luggage which at the last moment I decided to check did not in fact make it onto my flight in Paris. I of coarse hopefully waited until there was noone left at the baggage carasel hoping that there might be one more bag they forgot to put on - but alas no - it was detained for some reason in Paris along with 10 or so other unlucky people's bags. So anyway I've been wearing the same clothes for the past four days or whatever it has been. So not only clothes but right, my yoga clothes, mat etc... as well. No problem (insert head bobble) Randy - my friend whose house my taxi dropped me off at in the wee hours of the morning lent me a mat and a rug - but I declined to borrow his tight black bike shorts --- 

Randy's house (a yoga student who has lived here for about 7 years) is like a 3 minute walk from the Shala. If you know mysore it is on Contour Rd. just down from the traffic circle. Okay so Randy fed me more than once already and has been a total lifesaver - lending me a misquito netting, cover and things like that for my bedroom - more on that later - you need to know the important stuff right - like what about the shala!!

So here is the thing - I don't want to get into to minutia about what is happening in there, and if Sharath helped me in this pose or if I did this or that or you know what I mean but I will probably on occasion throw in a couple things like that:

• I've had two practices so far yesterday was wednesday here and was mysore and I'm in the last group starting at 7am 
•  yesterday I walked my hands to my feet in backbending first time ever and had the most amazing practice - felt like a million bucks, with every inhale looked up directly at Guruji's huge portrait on the stage
  
• today was led because tomorrow is a moon day
• I was in the second batch and I think there were probably between 70 to 80 people in my group - so I am guessing that in Sharath's group at this time there are between 120 to 150 people here, and there are more than that because Saraswathi has a group that meets after Sharath's - and that is also not including people who practice at some of the other shala's around here (more on that later)
• after thinking that I was pretty cool yesterday with the touching of the feet and all as it goes I was knocked humbly on my arse today by the 2 hour led class. I will just say this and you will understand - in utplitihi I was up longer than I ever hold utplitihi before Sharath even said "one"!!! I am so grateful that tomorrow is a moon day and saturday is off - so I can recover and have a little better start to my week on Sunday.
• I'm going to start a Gita class today that meets tuesday /thursday for a month
• I met Arich(sp?) and Vivian today from the Bandha Room in Olympia - they are students of Davids - I ended up next to Vivian in the led class.

I miss you all and will put some pictures up hopefully when my power chord arrives. xo