from mysore with love...

A letter from Mike Hannum

2010-04-21T11:40:00.001-07:00

As most of you may know, Mike Hannum and his wife Erin are moving to Spokane! Mike is going to be building our mysore program and we are so excited to finally be able to offer you (for starters) morning mysore 4 days a week as well as plenty of other opportunities to be able to study with Mike. I asked him to write a short letter of introduction to help you all get a feel for these exciting changes:

For me Yoga has been an incredibly inspiring and healing journey. My enthusiasm for practicing Yoga and sharing it with others continues to grow with each passing day. This enthusiasm is born of my deep belief in its efficacy … these practices really are healing and transformative. They help keep the body healthy, the mind clear and the heart open. And if we take the teachings to heart, we will surely find Yoga extending off our mats and into every corner of our lives. Each of our lives is an indivisible whole. It is in this way that daily practice and our own highest aspirations can transform our respective lives in very profound ways.

Since I began teaching Yoga I have had the intention to find a home shala, a studio where I could offer a Mysore program and help build a vibrant community of practitioners. As my wife Erin and I start our drive up to Spokane, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to fulfill this intention at the Spokane Yoga Shala. We feel as though we are coming home and we appreciate all that you have done to make us feel welcomed. Special thanks go to Katie and Shelley for their ongoing generosity and support. I’m also grateful for all the opportunities that I have had to teach and build community in the U.S. (especially in Encinitas, California as Tim Miller‘s assistant), Europe and even, most recently, in Istanbul, Turkey. These opportunities have shown me what is possible. They have deepened my resolve. They have given me a taste of the joy and value of being in one place for a long time, of sharing Yoga with inspired people day in and day out and of living in harmony and awareness with others.

As a teacher my goal is to help students gain a deeper enthusiasm and appreciation for the practice. My role is to offer input, adjustments and support so that each student can cultivate self-reliance, self-awareness and a passion for the practice. The reason for this is simple: when we are inspired and focused we consistently do the practice in a safe, appropriate and non-obsessive way. “The practice itself”, to use Tim Miller’s words, “is the best teacher.” We each have to show up and do the work to receive Yoga‘s many benefits. Or, as Sri K. Pattabhi Jois always said: "Practice and all is coming". I look forward to sharing the Ashtanga Yoga practice with you and joining your sangha.

See you on the mat!!

Namaste,
Mike

Changes in May

2010-04-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone - May is a really exciting month for us because we move closer to our goal of offering mysore style classes six days a week which we have been working toward since we opened City Yoga back in the Steamplant Building 7 years ago and Twist downtown 3 years ago! Now, we know that not all of you are sold on the beauty and amazingness of the mysore style of learning and we know that it may never be for everyone - which is why we will continue to offer our led classes, and our Power Flow and our Metta Flow classes.

Another really exciting thing that is happening is the addition of two names you will see on our schedule; Charisse and Mike - it is a compliment beyond words that our little shala has attracted these two, it feels like that whole thing of the seeds being planted and growth and support happens and the universe is bringing together this team where more seeds can be planted etc...etc... Okay its early and I know you want to see this schedule so I'll stop. Here it is:

Mondays: 6-8am Mysore with Mike, 4pm Power Yoga with Margo, 5:40pm Ashtanga Prep with Katie

Tuesdays: 6am Ashtanga Prep with April, 5:40pm Metta Flow with Katie, 7:15 Yoga 101 with Charisse

Wednesdays: 6-8am Mysore with Mike, 9:30am Prep with Judy, 4pm Power with Betsy, 5:40 Prep with Shelley, 7:15 Meditation with Brett

Thursdays: 6am Prep with April, 5:40pm Metta Flow with Shelley, 7:15 Yoga 101 with Charisse

Fridays: 6-8am Mysore with Mike, 9:30am Prep with Katie, 4pm Power with Betsy

Saturdays: 7:30am Primary Series with Shelley, 9:30am Metta with Katie

Sundays: 7:30-9:30am Mysore with Mike, 4:15pm Prep with Karen, 5:30pm Restorative with Joanna

Manju Jois

2010-03-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

I should be doing marichiasana d or something right about now with you all down at the shala, but with two sick kids and Dan out of town I'm sitting here thinking about the past week and already starting to feel the post workshop blues... or maybe it's a yoga hangover - I'm not sure. I do know that it is really something special when we all get together and practice and it is even more special when the space is held by someone as gracious and humble and respectful as it was by Manju.

Like many of you, I can't get in a morning practice during the school year, so the opportunity to practice four days in a row at the same time of day, in the morning was special and worth every ounce of energy it took to even show up. Manju's quiet presence during the mysore classes felt respectful of our practice - he was un-assuming and provided simple direct and firm adjustments to help us see that we could be feeling something new in a pose that we do everyday.

A big thank you to all of you who made the effort to be there for some or all of the week and of course deep gratitude to Manju - we look forward to seeing you again! If you want to post a comment of email me one we'd love to hear about your experience.

Encouraging words, parampara and more...

2010-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

Dr. MA Jayashree in Mysore...
Me with Lucy and Sharath in 2004, in San Diego.
David and Joanna last fall...
Lucy's dance teacher out in front there.
Shelley...
Darrel...

"There is no quicker way to stop someone from being successful than from helping them to think they can’t be. And there is no quicker way to help someone be successful than to help someone think they can be."

"Teaching people who are not struggling to figure things out is the easy part; the real teaching comes when we are put in a position to figure out how to provide that foothold for a student or learner who is struggling to get over a wall."

"The real teaching comes when we put our own frustration and doubts aside and stand firmly with our students, letting them know we will not leave them until we both figure out how to get over that wall. The real challenge to being a teacher is understanding what we do as a practice."

These three quotes are from my college rowing coach Jennie Marshall who rowed in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. I was so lucky to have Jennie as a roll model, and a mentor while I was in college and starting to think about the possibilities that lay beyond. She's still inspiring me to this day, her most recent achievement was getting her PhD and well I guess too her 200hr yoga teaching credential! Her quotes are from her blog Ordinary Olympian where to date she's only written a couple of posts (I keep checking for more)- but these lines really stuck with me and remind me how it important this all is - we are all teachers in one way or another, and I see people who doubt themselves, talk themselves out of sticking-with-this-ness everyday. I read somewhere recently and I wish I could remember where that said something like when we doubt something that means it is really starting to sink in, and the real learning is about to happen - it is right at this moment that we start to move away from pain and towards healing. Thank you Jennie for reminding me of my role in that special moment.

A quote and link from David's blog...

2010-02-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Grace found a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa last night, and asked me to read it to her. Hanuman, has been popping up a lot for me lately. When I was in India, Jennifer was on the lookout for this particular image of Hanuman, where he is tearing his chest open to reveal Ram. And we also found this Hanuman temple on one of the days we were out lost on the scooter. (The picture on top is from that temple). There was also this white guy who was one of the waiters at one of the breakfast places we frequented whose name was Hanuman. I can't remember what nationality he is, but Jennifer (from NYC) told me that his real name was like Mario or something, and when he was little his mom moved him to India with her and changed his name to Hanuman and he has spent most of his life in India. Which got me to thinking that we should change Angus's name to Hanuman because he's larger than life and such a sweetie - but then I realized that I love his name, and I didn't think Dan would let me.

So I was happy to read David's blog from last Sunday because the theme is on Hanuman and his connection to the breath in practice. He explains:

"In the Ramayana, it is said that all of the characters and events take place within the body, within a person's psyche. Ram is the Self and Sita is buddhi; the great intuitive intelligence. Ravana is the ego with its attachment to all the organs of sense (thus he has 10 heads). Symbolically the ego steals away buddhi the intuitive inner wisdom causing a separation between intelligence and Spirit. This split brings darkness and pain and a feeling of lost emptiness void of Self. Yoga practice leads to rejoining intuitive intelligence (Sita) with the Spirit(Ram). Hanuman, leader of the search, is the main instrument in bringing Ram and Sita together again; he symbolizes breath, an unswerving devoted ally and servant who helps rejoin Intelligence with Spirit." read more

You have to read the whole posting, and I recommend that you cut and paste it into a word doc and print it out when you have time to really sit with it.

Homecoming

2010-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

It is so good to be home!

Be positive in a positive way...

2010-02-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

So most of you know that I decided to come home a week early. Just after I'd been gone for about two weeks everyone at home started sort of reaching their maximum limit. Lucy had to have a tooth pulled, all three kids sequentially got some sort of stomach bug - Dan's parents tenure was over and Dan had a 5 day stint on his own coordinating babysitters, school, activities - oh yeah and his job - until my mom was to arrive. I have to say Dan never once complained and when I suggested coming back early he really wanted me to feel free to not do that, but if I was to decide to come back early he would not try to stop me. It was an easy decision for me to make - I had originally made my plans around being at the shala for exactly one month, and this change would short me of six practices, which I felt fine about - but what I had a harder time letting go of was one more week of class with Jayashree and Nirasimhan. We attended class four times a week, and usually the first hour was with Jayashree chanting the Yoga Sutras and the second hour was discussion with Nirasimhan. Last week during class Nirasimhan in reference to one of the sutras said that as people learning and adjusting to the most positive aspects of what our society has to offer we should try to "be positive in a positive way". He said that in our hearts we know what is nurturing and healthy for us, and that moving in that direction is positive. What being positive in a positive way means is say for example you decide that you are going to try to get into shape, and that your goal is to run in Bloomsday, but you complain every day that you have to go out for your training run - you still do your run, and you still start to get into better shape, but the over-all impression experienced and imprinted on your body/mind is not positive in a positive way.

Later that day Dan sent me this quote from Melody Beattie:

"Your security doesn't come from trusting others. Your security comes from trusting and cherishing your own heart. Don't let life shut you down. Open your heart as often as you need, your heart can be trusted, don't doubt it. It will inevitably connect you to what is true."

Now you all know me well enough to know that I don't get into the new-agey-its-all-good-even-when-its-dysfunctional-yoga-bs and no one has ever accused me of being overly positive about anything. (In fact last night someone asked me what was my favorite thing and least favorite thing about India - and I totally drew a blank.) But this little bit of wisdom is starting to make a lot of sense to me. Especially as a mom, or a parent, I've learned that trusting intuition, or following my heart is everything. Making the decision to leave everyone and go to India for a month to experience first hand the total departure from my regular life, and total immersion into yoga WAS absolutely nurturing and healthy for me as a person, as a yoga student, and as a yoga studio owner AND making the choice to leave a week early was also absolutely nurturing and healthy for me as a person and a mom to get back here to my little family.

So what I didn't mention is that after catching my heels in urdvha danurasana that day as Sharath predicted, not the next day, but the day that was my last practice at the Shala, I was doing my primary series practice and had resigned myself that I wasn't going to be getting any intermediate series postures especially now since I was leaving early, and was totally okay with that, and putting even greater emphasis as I had been doing the whole trip on open up my back, continuing with my focus of offering my heart upward with every utkatasna, warrior, updog etc... So I did my back bends, and then my drop backs and as I was dropping back I was walking each time my hands closer to my feet hoping to be just that much more open for when Sharath dropped me back, and when I stood up the last time he was standing there and said, "you take pasasana?" And I'm like 'yeah right without you telling me I just thought I'd start intermediate today', and said"no", so he say's "you do pasasana", of course all primed and ready for the deepest backbending of my life and I've to do another asana - and so it goes right? So it is really through these asanas the physical experience of which allows us to play out our deepest inner battles. Sharath even said that in conference last week, how important asana is in the 8 limbs to purity the body/mind through activating the agni which burns, destroys toxins allowing the breath and blood to circulate through. For everyone, especially as we age this is an incredibly amazing tool. So next time you drag yourself out of bed to get down to the Shala at 6am know that you are doing something so positive, nurturing and healthy for yourself - and you can make it even more so by simply acknowledging that if only just in your head as you turn your alarm of and put your feet on the floor!

And also cross your fingers that we get Jayashree and Nirasimhan to Spokane on their next trip to the US!

Friends...

2010-02-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Jen, Phil, Fiona, Me, Jonathan, Vanya, Andrew, Elena, Susie at Santosha's
Fiona, Me, Jonathan and Mikoto
Andrew and Jennifer
Elena in eka pada sirsasana
Lissa and Adam
Lakshmi, Shobha, and Randy
Jennifer (on left) at our Gita class
Fiona and Andrew - four of us in a rickshaw.

So I think I mentioned earlier that I was lucky to have fallen into the "right" crowd. What an awesome group of people, very fun and kind, earnest about practice, and dedicated to exploring how the ashtanga lineage can impact their lives. I think I said too that we all sort of arrived in Mysore around the same time, which means that we pretty much practiced at the same time. So we also often eat at least one meal together. I will miss them, and look forward to our paths crossing again which I think that in the Ashtanga world is quite likely.

Warning: This blog is coming from my soapbox...

2010-01-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

At Nandi
Tea stall at Chamundi Hill...
This is the priest at the Nandi at Chamundi Hill - he blessed this string and then tied around our wrists.
We are inside of the cave where Swamiji is praying, and again blessing us - this family is coming in to pray, the little girl above is the same from the previous post photos. That is her brother looking at me.
School girls waiting in line at Chamundi Temple.

So I mentioned this in an earlier post but today it really came back to me while I was practicing because I noticed my friend Jon, who starts after me, when he was finishing because he went up on the stage I think so that Sharath could help him in sarvangasana. It jarred my memory that since he is doing everything in the series up to Marichiasana A, he does not do backbending yet. I think it is standard that you don't start working on urdvha dhanurasana even in a modified way until you can bind in Marichi C ( I don't know that this is some sort of actual benchmark, and I'd be inclined to think that it is probably different for different people, but unless we are in a led class it seems pretty standard). And it is hard for some people who have come here who when at home do backbending, they feel like they aren't being allowed to do something they can do and probably like to do. Personally I am experiencing the same type of thing - in my case it is just a few poses later - and I was prepared for the fact that when you come to Mysore for your first time it is standard practice to do primary series for one month before being given any postures from Intermediate... and because I am really a two year old at heart, or maybe because I spend so much of my time around that concrete thinking age group - I want to know why???

Then today in our philosophy class Nirasimhan said that learning and knowledge is sequential, and that reminded me that yoga is a science - and one that has proven over hundreds of years to work. It is a science that works to eradicate disease in the body through the elimination of toxins and to rid the spiritual heart of unhealthy ego addictions that manifest in emotional pain. In yoga you work with your body to heal your mind, and your mind to heal your body through the different practices. And these practices are specific and though you can read about them in a book the ideal situation is that you learn from a teacher who themselves have experienced the learning place that you are at. And if you are a teacher you should teach what you learned from your teacher, and if you decide to tweak some things here or there in my humble opinion, the closer you stay to the backbone of whatever particular technique you are teaching the greater the results your students will yield.

The yoga sutras talk very specifically about 3 major components of a successful endeavor into the science of yoga; tapas, svadyaya and ishvara pranidanani. In conference this past weekend Sharath brought up svadyaya in particular - which translates to "self-study", and which does not mean study the parts that your self wants to study, but it means do what your Guru told you to do - and Guruji used to say "Good student telling once..." which boils down to you and I taking responsibility for our own learning and doing the best that we can. But following the words of a teacher takes the guess work out of it which in turn creates space for reflection because you are not getting caught up in what I do which is ask "why" all the time!

So this practice is a formula, and the sequence of postures in their order, under the guidence of a teacher who has an understanding of the bigger picture is an incredibly powerful platform for us to aquire knowledge about ourselves. So in my case the focal point of my time here on my mat has been a majorly renewed appreciation and a healthy respect for the brilliance of the Primary Series, and if I got one and only one thing out of this experience it is to not skip poses - even if you are short on time, or you practice once a week. Yup, that's what I think. I miss you all and will see you soon! Love, Katie

Chamundi Hill

2010-01-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Today was the moon /rest day so we decided to go up to Chamundi Hill. Chamundi Hill is where the Chamundeswaari temple is, which is a huge temple for the Goddess Chamundi, plus also a few other smaller temples. It is a big tourist spot, and even though we left Gokulum at 7:30am there were still several 100's of people there when we arrived. Lots of buses and field trips, mostly all Indians, few westerners were there. Chamundi is an aspect of Durga or the goddess energy - she is one the more fierce of the female goddess having slain some demons to achieve her popularity. We drove the scooter up the road, and Fiona and Andrew took a rickshaw. There are two ways to get into the temple, one is the free line which wound all the way around the temple, and the other was the paid line which was much short - so we paid 20 ruppees to go into the temple and waited in a line for maybe 20 minutes, went in and got blessed by a priest in there (no cameras were allowed). It was really chaotic - and people like us who didn't know what to do were probably part of that problem - there were lots of kids, families etc. The priest stay behind the partitions and you can hand them offerings like money, or flowers and they seem to be constantly involved in performing tasks having to do with Chamundi who is back some ways sort of through smaller and smaller door ways if that makes sense.

We made it back down to town for lunch, and then back to Gokulum by 2pm - which sort of ended up being our day.

Tomorrow we have led primary at 6am - I know that some of you are reading my friend Jonathon's blog - and maybe you read what he wrote on his last post that he "loves the led classes because Sharath walks around teaching and Saraswathi adjusts"... hmmm - he and I must be in different classes! The led classes here are my least favorite - and I really have to practice my yoga if you know what I mean in order to even go to practice my yoga! As I mentioned in an earlier post which was I think after I'd been here about a week - and at the time I'd still not gotten one adjustment, nor had any interaction with Sharath or Saraswathi - you remember - well I still have yet to get adjusted in any postures. Now that said every day one of them helps you after you've done drop backs with the 3 drop-backs hands crossed over chest, and then the attempt to grab your ankles deal - and on Thursday after Sharath helped me with this he held his forefinger and thumb together in front of me about an inch from each other indicating the distance my fingers where to my feet and said, "on Monday you take your ankles". And so it goes...

So I have more to say about that, but this post is already getting kind of long and I need to read a little and go to sleep. I hope you enjoy the pictures and you have a wonderful weekend.

Much love...

Ritual

2010-01-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

this is an edited version of the "sponge bob" post from last night.

"To our ancient mother, India – origin of civilization long before our written history dawned, abode of the noble ones (aryas), land who brought forth an endless stream of sages and liberated ones (rishis), who produced the manifold sciences (vidyas) and the language of wisdom (sanskrita), and who does not cease to provide paths for those who dare. May there dawn a new age that reveals again your original splendor. "

This is the dedication to Gregor Maehle’s new book on the Intermediate Series that I brought with me. I love this but if I was to write this I would change the last line to “May there dawn a new age that reveals your effulgent spiritual knowledge to all."... or something like that - because all you need to is come to India and you will see the original splendor is a living thing here - it's in other places maybe that I hope will learn from this place and integrate it's bountiful offerings.

Everywhere you look there are offerings, in sight, smell and sound, little details everywhere depict the stories of luminosity and divinity - and in nooks and crannies, in the weirdest dirtiest places you will find a statue of Ganesha, or a few flowers, a little spot for puja. The "call to prayer" coming from the mosque nearby is eerie sounding, and well... loud, way louder than the Rocket Market, and at 5am no less, and not to mention the other morning a band of kirtan carolers complete with cymbols were strolling down our street at 5:30am, singing a song to Sita and Ram. As a child here in India you would be as familiar with devotion, ritual and the teachings associated with spiritual knowledge as my kids are with Sponge Bob,the Disney princesses and how to work On Demand!

Here, these simple acts are tokens of devotion and aids to meditation which can be performed by anyone of any age at any time. Last night Jennifer told me that Richard Freeman used to talk about reaching down for flowers and offering them up toward the heavens during utkatasana in the sun salutations, she was using this beautiful image to try to help me understand how to extend my chest upward, not just in utkatasana but throughout, so this morning every warrior, or upward dog was an offering of my heart, and the physical action required, the energetic action, was profound. I finally started to feel like I was coiling my spine, and really lifting, and that my head was extending rather than falling back onto my trapezious muscles. It became part of the ritual of my practice - and it was much more than deepening my back bend for the sake of having a deep backbend. It was just like lighting a stick of incense, or singing a beautiful song, or placing flowers in a bowl of water, each successive time recalled my mind to the thought behind the act. Even in a busy day this simple method is especially accessible for the beginner or those who don't know what to think of God or spirituality talk. Thank you Ma India for this teaching.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

2010-01-25T05:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Jennifer! Thank you for being my yoga sister, my teacher, my friend and now my chauffeur!

Monday Morning

2010-01-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

the steps and door into the shala
the gates at the shala
woman making chai at Sandhya's

Today is Monday - 4 days of mysore style before another led class (I much prefer the mysore) and 4 days of Jayashree. Jennifer rented us a scooter and yesterday we made our way all over so we now have much more independence - though it is a little frightening. The driving here is a bit wild, whole families are on a scooter (even little babies). Yeah, car seats are pretty much non-existent from what I can see - well few people actually drive cars. There are many things here that are different, but mostly just a different take on the same theme, however one thing I've noticed here in India is that lougie hauking - hawking? - anyone know how to spell loogie hawking? - in public doesn't seem to carry the same social stigma here in India as it does in the US. It's interesting. Well off for a bucket bath and then to shala for practice. I hope you are all having a nice warm Sunday evening. Thanks for all the comments - I appreciate hearing from you. Love, Katie

Old Shala and conference...

2010-01-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is sort of an addendum to the last post - which is sort of out of order if you are trying to follow what is going on. Because today is your Friday night, so Saturday morning here, (no practice day) and our marathon chanting day was Thursday. Yesterday after the led class, we did some errands and I did some quality skyping with Lucy and then Jen and I went to Sandhya's in Laxmipuram near the old shala for lunch. Some of the photos from below are from Sandhya's place - the food was amazing and it was nice to meet with Fiona and Andrew and also meet Chris from Scotland and a few other really nice people. One woman named Christa from Orlando is six months pregnant with her first child, she is looking amazing, and has a beautiful practice but I recognize all too well that sort of tired-but-managing-look, I think it would be hard to be here and be pregnant, but that is just me - over being pregnant-anywhere.

So anyway we stopped by the old Shala on our way back (pictures above). When Jen was here last it was at the old shala so she was a little sentimental and showed me the famous "stairs" where you would wait for your turn, and she talked about where Guruji would come out and sit for conference - it is all really amazing to see, and to think about how fancy and huge the new shala is - how this one man taught for the majority of his life in this teeny tiny place with a handful of students - and it reminded me of conference last weekend with Sharath that I didn't really write about.

Sharath started off by saying he was going to tell us how his Grandfather made Mysore a famous yoga destination. He briefly told us the story of when Guruji met T.K.V. Krishnamacharya at a yoga demonstration in 1927 and how Ashtanga Yoga came to be what it is today. He talked about how important vinyasa is, breath, and how this practice is so much more than just asana. He talked about practicing the yamas and niyamas and that people think they understand yoga just from taking practice from this or that teacher without really applying themselves for many years to daily practice. He said that dedication is the most important aspect. He said many people think they know what yoga is because they do a teacher training program, and now they teach yoga, but they don't know what yoga is. He quoted a sutra at this point I think, though it might have been from the Pradapika but from my memory it was this:

Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated for a long time, uninterruptedly, with earnest devotion. (Sa tu-dirghakala-nairantarya-satkara-adara -asevito-drdhabhumih) Sutra 1.14

This section of the yoga sutras right now is my favorite, because a few sutras later it talks about having faith - or in sanskrit sraddha - which I believe is Sharath's daughters name. In one of my sutra books it says that the faith Patanjali is talking about is "provisional, flexible, undogmatic, open to doubt and reason. True faith is not like a picture frame, a permanently limited area of acceptance. It is like a plant which keeps on throwing forth shoots and growing. All we require, at the beginning, is a seed." (Swami Prabhavananda) And the seed need be nothing more than a feeling of interest in the possibility of living a more meaningful life, a more deeply connected or integrated life, encompassing all aspects of who we are; our physical bodies because we live in this body and our relationships to ourselves and everyone/thing we come in contact with because we do not exist in a vacuum.

He said this with a smile on his face, “without true dedication, it is very difficult to understand yoga.” People like to pick and choose which aspects of yoga they "like" and they have an aversion to really dedicating themselves to one system or one teacher and taking practice daily, making the time for it, and allowing the transformation away from self-limiting, pain inducing patterns - it seems they think they know better. It was in some ways gratifying and reinforcing to listen to Sharath, but for a moment it made me sad that the whole commodifation of yoga thing is such a huge movement. And being a yoga studio owner am I just playing into all of that, and should I even be teaching yoga at all, and I really shouldn't be doing teacher training - ahhhhhhh! But then I remember the old shala, and Sharath's grandfather getting up and teaching everyday for 65 years or more, and that handful of dedicated students who got us to where we are today - got me to be sitting here in Mysore, India taking practice everyday, and I think of all of you back home coming to the shala, as often as you can, taking practice with pure intention and good hearts and the ripple effect of what your practice has done for your bodies, your minds, your relationships with your children, spouces and friends andI know a seed has been planted and in that I have faith and in that I am so grateful for.

Chanting and more...

2010-01-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Lots to tell... yesterday was another marathon day here in Mysore. After a nice practice we ate breakfast at Vivian's which is two doors down from our flat. I sort of have this little "clique" that I'm in. I had heard that it was kind of "cliquey" here so I decided to join one right away - no, just kidding. My theory is that people who arrive around the same time sort of gravitate toward each other because a.) you are lost and alone half the time so you recognize the same in another and naturally gravitate toward each other and b.) once you sort of have your group of friends you don't have that same lost and alone look about you and new-comers are less likely to gravitate your way. So anyway we sort of have this group Jonathon and Susie from Charlotte, NC, Vanya who is Swedish, but lives now in Canada, Michoto who is from Japan, Fiona and Andrew from New Zealand, and of course my flat mate Jen from New York, and Jen from Charlottesville. So also because we arrived at about the same time, we have basically the same start time for our practice, so we see each other every morning and so most of the time when I say "we" that is often who I am referring to because we also often meet for at least one meal per day.

So we had breakfast together and then we all went on our merry way to varied classes and appointments. Jen, Fiona and I shared a rickshaw over to Dr. Jayashree's house. I think I mentioned last week that we had registered for this Yoga Sutra class at the shala, and since we were also doing the Gita class we were maybe not going to also try to fit in with Jayashrees' schedule - wrong! Normally the class is one hour of chanting and one hour of philosophy - but this thursday it was two hours straight of chanting - we did all four chapters of the Yoga Sutra as well as some of the Shantih mantras. There were about 20 students sitting on the floor of her small room that was sort of a living room / office, some of them were already very competent at the chanting, she calls, we respond - and there is a booklet to follow along with. During the class I think both Jen and I silently resolved to convince the other that this was more important than attending the sutra class at the shala and since we were in agreement it was a done deal and we realized we would be eating the 700 ruppees we had to fork over to the shala for the other class. It is just too much of a special opportunity to miss - her teaching style, which is the tradional method of teaching yoga philosophy is called Sruti Parampara, where over time, the ear, tongue, and mind are refined and purified and the Sutras are committed to memory. But it is more than that, it has to do with her voice and just her. So we will be going to her class Monday - Thursday from 11-1pm for the rest of our time here. I feel so incredibly lucky.

So then, hop back in rickshaw and go straight over to James' house which is not in Laxmipuram, but is Saraswathipuram (sorry about that misinformation). No food, no nothing, luckily we still had a little water. This is now my fifth class, and we are about 3/4's of the way through the 2nd chapter. The major themes at this point as I understand them are that Krishna is telling Arjuna that he must know his dharma, and that he is a lucky person because his dharma is the best dharma of all, which is to fight for... dharma. And the one who can see opportunity within adversity is the greatest of men. So the idea of dharma is also talked about as following your path in life - it is the natural order of the universe and that if we follow our path with pure intention and good heart, then there is no such thing as unsuccessful effort, no matter how much we question whether what we are doing is right. So, the "pure intention" piece is what gets broken down next by Krishna, as we begin to get into the section about not being concerned with the fruits of our labor.

One more!

2010-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

Today ends my first full week of practice here - this week everyday so far has been mysore style, but today is a led class and tomorrow is a rest day. Remember that first day when I said that I touched my heels in urdvha dhanurasana - well I think I must have been touching Sharath's feet or maybe the person next to me - because that is not happening. Yesterday I think my left foot felt the air move a little bit from my left hand flailing around in it's vicinity but I think that is about as close as it is getting. My focus everday is to do all the vinyasas correctly, so breathing. On my first two days Sharath corrected the following things:

to narrow my stance in trikonasana
not to spread my fingers (oh by the way I saw him correct a persons closed hand in marichiasna a - told him to open it up)
and to close my heels in urdvha mukha paschimattonasana - which has opened up a whole new world for me as it applies to a lot of postures

But get ready for this: I've not gotten one adjustment this week - what, I travel half way around the world, pay $700 for a month of yoga classes, I mean the least they can be doing is adjusting me - right? In fact pretty much the only interaction between them and me is when they yell "one more!" and I jump up to try to find the spot they are talking about. That is not to say that Sharath and Saraswathi are sitting around drinking latte's, quite the opposite they are pretty much full-on helping what seems closer to maybe 200 people batching through that room each morning. (I asked the coconut guy who brings his cart to the shala how many coconuts he goes through each morning and he said 300!) I think it is Tim Miller who says something like "the practice is the teacher" and that is really how I feel. I feel like I'm getting adjusted, and corrected in every posture practically each day.

The teachers Sharath and Saraswathi are holding the sanctity of the practice and the space for me and they will tell me when I need to work on something else either by adjusting me or otherwise and until then I have plenty to do. It makes me believe even more that this practice works best in the mysore style and that it WORKS. It is also being strongly reinforced in me how important it is to do the postures in their order, not skipping around. There are plenty of people here who are stopping at one of the marichiasana's. My one friend Jonathon who I will tell you about later came here after 6 weeks of Ashtanga, and feeling like he can barely complete 10 surya namaskaras, after one week is is already up to marichiasana a, and I suspect he will stay there for quite some time until he can bind, which I have no doubt he will do. It is inspiring to watch him.

Mysore Adorned

2010-01-20T06:00:00.001-08:00

Everywhere you look here things are adorned with color and beauty. Mostly there is symbolism and tradition, or simply aesthetically it is just the way it has been and continues to be. People have their puja, where they pray, and usually there are garlands of flowers which you buy all over the place draping, the sidewalks in front of peoples houses are decorated in mandala's on special occasions and including, you guessed it, the women. The women here dress in fancy, colorful sari's (pronounced see-rie here)to do the laundry - and pretty much every married woman has her nostril pierced, left side means you are married, and it's all gold, and not these little teeny tiny silver specks we see all the time in the US. So of course I had to get mine pierced - what is this my fifth time? We'll see if this one heals, maybe that was the problem all the other times, it's too clean at home, and all the polution, dust and whatever else here is what I need for it to heal - or it could be a few weeks without chubby little hands clawing all over me that will do the trick - (though I can't wait to see those chubby little hands.)

In any case here is the deal if you want to get your nostril pierced while you are in Mysore (by the way Lars did not give me this information). First you go buy the jewlery, which means going to a gold shop, and there happens to be a small reputable one right around the corner from the ATM machine that is closest to the Shala. Then you take it to the hospital which is a short walk, like 100 meters up from the Coconut Stand. You go in and ask for a consultation with the doctor, they bring you to this room, and the next thing you know you've got a nose ring! $108 ruppees for the doctor, the nurse and someone else all involved. I was feeling a little wierd about that part and hoping there was not someone with a more urgent medical need who was waiting while I got my nose pierced - but obviously that didn't stop me. A photo will be forthcoming as well as other news for the day. But it is looking like the power is now out.

Scarves, chai and more...

2010-01-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

Jennifer arrived today - safely and soundly! I went over to Randy's house after practice this morning and there she was. We didn't have any other classes today so we decided to go back to town. I needed to find a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and David had asked me to buy a scarf for him at a specific place. Wow - this place turned out to be amazing and I was able to find the two most important gifts I'd been asked to get which were a scarf for Lucy and a scarf for Grace. Here are some photos from the day.

Also here are a few more words on utplitihi sent in as a supplement to my blog:
Nature

This is not a correction of your commentary on UthPluthi, just a supplement.
According to Guruji via 'Yoga Mala', UthPluthi strengthens the waist and perfects uddiyana and mula bandha; over time it will gradually open the three granthis.

Gregor Maehle adds that it "is one of the best postures for restoring energy. It eliminates fatigue at the end of the practice."

David Swenson has commented that it is put at the end of the practice to get the prana flowing strongly before entering deep relaxation enabling the prana to course through every part of the body doing it's healing work. The 'pranic wash' you've noted.

Yoga Mala

2010-01-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

A bunch of you have asked what posture "utplitihi" is - and it's true it is difficult to find information on the internet about it - the following is from memory, I believe from Yoga Mala, if anyone knows more or better feel free to correct me. Just as samasthiti is the first form we begin our practice in, utplitihi is the form we end in - the significance of the names of these postures is that unlike all the other postures their names do not end in "asana" but in "tihi". I believe this is part of the garland or mala of completeness allegorized by the ashtanga series. Utplitihi, I think is considered to me a "mudra" rather than a "posture" but I've heard this of sirsasana also and sirsasana ends in "asana"... so the other thing I know is that utplitihi, is also referred to as "uprooting", it is the deliberate practice of reversing the downward flow of apana which can potentially stimulate the awakening of kundalini. So it is done at the end of the practice I think as the final, if you will, "pranic wash", stimulating the entire body. But it is also sitting in padmasana (lotus) and lifting your body off the floor between your arms while you wait for the teacher to count to usually 10 - but Guruji and Sharath are famous for keeping students up in this posture for long periods of time - to build moola bandha, and stamina.

Today I arrived at the Shala promptly at 6:50, and it was backed up outside so I waited for at least 30 minutes if not longer before I started. I had a nice practice, since I've been here I've finally been able to get my second leg behind my head in order to get into supta koormasana from the dwi pada position - (sans drama) I thought he wasn't letting people do it that way, but everyone who can, does - so that has been nice because I can keep my rhythm much nicer that way. I was finished by 9am - and that was when Sharath left - he had been adjusting since 4am, which was after he did his own practice. That is intense work - don't you think? Tomorrow I am starting at 6:45 - and also tomorrow Jennifer arrives! Thank you all for your comments - it is nice to feel connected. xxoo

Huckleberry's Mysore

2010-01-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a non-stop day. Sunday is always a led practice and usually there is a led primary and then a led intermediate afterward, but yesterday there were two led primary's. I was in the second group, which started at 6am, and as I said the other day is about 75 people. Since there is another group of likely the same amount in the Shala already we have to wait outside in the dark exchanging pleasantries but also jockeying for position - even though we are all going to fit in there (somehow) it seems important to get in there quickly and before everyone else (?). I don't understand it... I have to say that it bothers me - why not just wait and get the spot you get? But anyhow, just like last Thursday I had to forge a spot for myself between two people (which I don't mind doing because I'm quite comfortable with moving people's mats around (as some of you know)Here are some hightlights from yesterday:

I learned the lesson of not getting behind a big tall man - who's feet were just inches from my face throughout the practice - and being tall myself I didn't have much room behind me to give Sasquatch more room - especially be careful in chakrasana if you ever find yourself in this dilemma.
My practice was much much nicer than the led class the other day - and this time I made it to "three" in uttplitihi without panic setting in.
I mainly did errands which included going to the market which is where the photos above are from, and then I visited with a friend for an hour or so before going back to the Shala for Sharath's conference which was at 4:30pm.
Today is going to be busy too - Mysore this morning which I'm excited for and then I am hoping to start Sanskrit class with Jayashree today which is at 11, and then the Gita class I'm doing is at 1:30

You all back home are just finishing up your Sunday - or maybe you are getting ready to go to Karen's 4:15pm class :) xxoo

Home away from home...

2010-01-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

Our patio, dining room, drying rack - and below is our kitchen - although we eat most meals out, there is also a refrigerator.

The bucket bath - there is plenty of hot water and you just sort of crouch down there and use the smaller bucket to douse yourself - I actually like it just as well as a shower.
I promised Lucy and Grace I would get some photos of where I am living so here they are girls! My room is really small so I could barely take a picture. That bedspread belongs to my friend Randy, and I bought a pillow and some sheets so I'd be more comfortable - but honestly the sheets that were on there were quite clean.

Our house is on 8th Cross, which is the same street as the Shala - it is about a 5 minute walk because we are almost to the end of the block. I have one flatmate (not that I now think I'm British or something, but "flat" more aptly describes the situation... it's not really an "apartment", and it's not just a "room"... because we each have our own room that locks, but we share these other common areas, and there is a main door that we can also lock that goes into the whole thing - or flat) Jen who is from NYC who I mentioned before does not take classes at the Shala but rather goes to a place in Laxmipuram and studies with Ajay Kumar has one of the rooms, and Jennifer, my good friend from Virginia will take the last room when she arrives. The price for the space was $6500 ruppees for the month, which is like $130 or so US - so it's pretty affordable.

Gita

2010-01-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was very fortunate to catch wind of a class being offered by a westerner on the Bhagavad Gita. The class is at his house in Lakshmipuram, which by auto rickshaw takes about 10 minutes from Gokulum. I met Kumar who is a rickshaw driver that Mike and Erin recommended to me. He is very very friendly, and has very distinct mannerisms, that include quite the tilt of his head combined with the shrug of his shoulder as he says "no problem madam", and he knows most of the usual places that the western yoga students go which makes things much easier.

So Kumar ( I will take photo of him today) took me and my flatmate Jen (not Jennifer - she doesn't get here until Tuesday) to the class which meets on Mondays / Thursdays 1:30-4:00pm - it is on the second chapter of the Gita. I missed the first class but it was okay because we re-capped what they did during that first class. I can't find James last name but what I've learned is that he is English and he is a professor at the University of Thailand (not sure of what) and he is pursuing his doctorate - or another doctorate in Sanskrit here in Mysore. He is another one of the super smart types who live these lives of study. My only concession when I get depressed at how smart and studied these intellectual world travelers are is that I think to mysore - well of coarse they don't have children, and since I absolutely love my children and my family and always wanted to be a mother - as soon as I say that to myself I feel better. So I learned that the second chapter is when Arjuna submits to Krishna as his student and Krishna begins his teachings. James gave us a handout with the slokas (pronounced shloka and which is a two line verse) in transliteration and is making sure we understand what the markings mean, though I am usually spending more time trying to say the words in the right meter than remembering to change my tongue postion etc. So similarly to the way we've worked on chanting the Yoga Sutras with David, we will go through each sloka, 1st line, 1st half of the line he chants, we repeat 2x, 2nd half of the line he chants, we repeat 2x, whole 1st line he chants, we repeat 2x, 2nd line 1st half he chants etc.... He has a very nice voice and he repeats with us which makes it a lot easier - also the people in the class seem to be familiar with the slokas so that made learning much faster. After we'd chant a section of 10, we'd go back through and he would go through the commentary as he'd learned from his teachers. They did the first 10 on monday, and today after going through those we continued on until 21. The major theme's so far as I understand from this chapter are that Krishna is teaching the difference between the permenant enduring spirit or essential nature that we possess, and the imperment outer or physical body. The body dies but the spirt is undying - I think this is a pretty important theme because Krishna says it over and over again in different ways in particular by saying what it is to NOT have this understanding and how it is the cause of much suffering verses what it is to have this understanding. He tells Arjuna that he must be still so that he can't start to see the truth - stillness like in meditation - implying that when we are not still it is more difficult to see what is truth. (yoga citta vritti nirodaha from the sutras is saying the same) And that the body/mind must be trained to be able to acqire stillness (sound familiar?). Okay one other thing, that came up, that it is thought, and was taught by Shankara that being born in the human body form is the highest of births because humans have the ability to reach samadhi - so taking care of the human form is regarded highly in the teachings. I think at some point soon we will here Krishna talk more about this if I remember.

Ma India

2010-01-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

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

Leaving tomorrow...

2010-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html

If you are on any Ashtanga yoga mailing lists you've probably seen this link already today, but in case you haven't here it is... even the New York Times says we should go to Mysore - so how 'bout it?

Dan just got back from the store for last minute things I've forgotten - a universal adaptor, ibuprofen (think there is a good chance I might be a little sore in mysore), and feminine products - not that they don't have them in India... so I don't know why its on my list but got 'em anyway. Also just found out yesterday from my aunt via my mom that new restrictions are limiting everyone to just one carry-on... so my plan to not check any luggage just changed. Now I'm going with the full on roller suitcase - my black mat will be inside, inside my mat bag - and what seems like an insane amount of vitamins, electrolyte replenishers, and other such pharmaceuticals. Ambien so I can sleep on the plane, peto bismo, cipro in case I get Delhi Belly... probably total over kill but just following advice... Today I got a little overwhelmed at one point, with what felt either link anxiety, or excitement - not sure - right now I feel like there is not much more I can do to get ready for this trip cuz it has started!

Spokane to Seattle to Paris to Bangalore - woohoo!!

just by being there...

2009-12-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

The whole girls and dance culture kind of scares me - it brings up images of curling irons, buns and makeup, lots of pink glittery outfits, dance teams with young girls in trashy outfits unknowingly objectifying themselves at basketball games and then if you were to be any good at it it's a forty minute drive one way to a two hour lesson, every day, eating disorders, more revealing outfits, wigs, pageants, a land as foreign to me as Narnia. It sort of worries me that girls are bombarded with the whole Disney / Barbie / Fairytopia 100 times more intensely than when I was younger - and even back then in the 70's I was acutely aware that I was a lot bigger than all the other girls in the ballet class that I begged my mom to take me to ... so I worry about my girls who are very likey going to be around six feet tall - and who both LOVE to dance and very much want to do all the dance stuff other girls are doing.... But there is a style of dance that seems just a little less girly to me, and that is Irish dance. When I was rowing, one of my mates who is at least 6 feet tall, went to two Olympics, competed in numerous World Championships etc... did Irish step dancing all the way through high school. So when I found out that there was a good Irish dance group in Spokane I decided that if Lucy wanted to do it I would help her get started - my thinking is that this is a style of dance that a "tall girl" can do - and that spending years doing Irish dance wouldn't necessarily preclude Lu from doing sports as well - I don't know- there are wigs involved too. So last weekend we took the girls to the Bing to see An Dochas and the Haran Irish Dancers for their Christmas concert and out to dinner afterward. Lucy and Grace were on the edges of their seats during all of the dance numbers, which were breathtaking. Lucy was doing her steps down the street back to the car and as we sat eating dinner she said: "Mom, I got better just from being there."Like by osmosis? or transmission? from her teacher who danced in front of us to her... hummm... sounds like the natural ideal of teacher student interaction. 12 more days till I leave for Mysore....

back to the kitchens...

2009-12-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

So I never finished that last post regarding the kitchens etc... which is in regards to finding a place to live while I am in Mysore. But to give the full picture you need to know that I actually have an email in my inbox from Sharath Rangaswamy saying "We have received your application and it has been accepted by us. So you can come according to your dates.
Please do not respond this mail, this is just for confirmation. Thank you,KPJAYI, Mysore." And you also need to know that according to the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute website the shala is "full" from January 10 through March 9th. (and I arrive on the 12th) BTW I am still rather doubtful that I am actually going to be going to India. I gather that January is usually a "full" time at the Shala but the rumor is that this January might be the fullest ever seen. Maybe with a lot of first timers like me who after Guruji's death last May approached going to Mysore with a renewed conviction. For me it all started when we realized that there would probably be a big memorial this coming May, as is the Hindu custom. May would be about the worst possible time for Dan, because of the rowing season, whereas at least for the majority of the time I'm gone Dan is indoors and spring racing won't have yet started....

Anyway, practically speaking what this means is that there could be upwards 200 westerners descending on Mysore all at once this January... all of them looking for the best deal for the best room. And some of the advice I've gotten is:
Be specific about what you want, and clear about the specifics of what's offered. For example do I want an independent house, a flat, or a room in shared house?
If not an independent house: are the owners co-resident (could be just fine, could be a problem)? ground floor or upper floor? separate electric meter or shared?
Number of bedrooms? Kitchen? For one month yes. If kitchen, is there gas, stove, basic utensils for cooking and eating? umm yes.. Water purifier? If not, arrangements for water can delivery? yes? Western or Indian toilet? not sure what that means, thinking western? Hot water? yes, Shower? yes, Ceiling fans (especially in bedroom?) Dependable water supply (typically from underground sump)? How close to the shala? walking distance? What furnishings are provided (being here for just a month, the less you have to do to make things livable the better)? How much light?
How much air? enough to breath? Window screens (i.e., curtains)? Mosquito mesh on windows or net for bed? yes! Sheets, pillows, top cover for bed? I'm told I can buy these for just a few rupees. Electricity included in rent or separate? (I've never heard of water not being included.) Is housecleaning included in rent or separate?... okay so you can see this is a fairly daunting process. Luckily though I have some help... for one a man I met a while ago when I was in Virginia, Randy lives there in mysore (see photo above)and he is okay with me coming directly to his house at 4am on the 12th to get my bearings and figure out where I'm going to try to go and what I'm going to do... Thank you Randy.

Planes, cars and kitchens...

2009-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ok so I arrive in Bangalore at 12:35 am on the 12th (which will be 12:35 pm on the 11th here, I think) and I'm going to have a car come pick me up at the airport. My understanding is that I need to call Ganesh (not to be confused with the elephant god :)) or send him an email to arrange a car and it should cost between $30-$40 dollars. There are apparently a few entrepreneurial individuals associated with the Sri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute who help the western yoga students with anything and every thing. So there is probably a good chance I won't be the only yoga student being picked up that morning. I've heard stories from the "old timers" that this 86 mile drive can be VERY slow depending on traffic and for the fact that the road used to be in great disrepair, but I believe several years ago the road was repaired, and I'm hoping that getting in so early in the morning will make it an okay trip. This is not the most economical way to make the trip from Bangalore to Mysore (there are also buses and trains) but I am told the easiest especially for a "first timer".

My Visa

2009-11-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

Today I received email notification that my passport and visa are on their way back to me from the Indian Embassy in San Francisco! This is big news because now not only do I have my passport (which is brand new), and my plane ticket, but I actually also have a visa. I ended up getting a 10 year visa - total cost was $208 which included the fedex price for getting it there, and getting it back. One thing that is new (er) I gather from friends of mine who had their visa's from years past is that the Embassy is outsourcing to a private company - so if you google "getting an Indian visa" ... you'll find a couple of places, I used Travis Outsourcing - I'll put the link up later.

What does it take...

2009-11-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

To get a 39 year old mom with three little kids from Spokane, WA half way across the planet to Mysore, India? For starters... 5 generous grand-parents, 1 amazing business partner, lots of willing subs, 1 bee-keeping mysore-ologist, 1 kirtan singing, certified Ashtanga Yoga teacher, 1 Charlottesvillian travel partner, babysitters, neighbors, friends, Skype, and last but not least 1 supportive husband who sticks with me through my best and my worst and who secretly hopes that he will inherently benefit, as I get the closer to samadhi, or enlightenment or let's just start with "centered"! To you all I am so incredibly grateful!