The Dark Side...

Coming to Mysore 'out of season' has meant that I have met many people who aren't bothered with studying at KPJAYI. Many people just come to practice yoga, not even particularly ashtanga. In my little network of friends most are practicing with Ajay Kumar (www.sthalam8.com), in the evening a lot of people are doing a flexibility class with Vinay Kumar (www.pranavashya.com). There's also someone studying at 'yoga darshanam' with an apparently extraordinary teacher. I'm studying with Vijay, Vinay's brother. Both brothers are amazing practitioners and teachers, just check out their websites. I'd really like to do a second class in the evening with Vinay, as I've been told he selects postures for you to self practice to strengthen where you are too flexible or vice versa. Problem is that I am kinda wrecked after my morning practice still and couldn't even contemplate a second class at the moment. Morning practice lasts around 2.5 hours.... A far cry from my normal 1hr 15 minutes full primary! But I'm loving it. 

I also had a really bad and completely inappropriate massage. He's really messed up my knees and now I have pain where there was none before :( I could hardly get into lotus today because of it.

I met an English person last night, first one in, like, 10 days! We had a quick chat and she said she was staying and studying in Lakshmipuram, where my yoga shala is too. She'd been here a week already and it was her first time over in Gokulam. When I mentioned that I too was in Lakshmi she said that she was happy about being from 'the dark side' and couldn't be bothered with 'the ego' of the main shala! 

At the moment Gokulam is very quiet and you can walk around without seeing any other students. October will be very different. Once Sharath is back it'll be heaving and our nice leisurely breakfasts and lunches at Santosha and Anokhi will be no more! So I'm glad I'm here to experience Mysore when it's quiet and whilst there is no-one around. I'm also blessed by the people I've met so far, whilst we are all here for the same thing, our conversations are rarely just about yoga, it's a breath of fresh air!

Moondays, Cafes, Bull Whispering and Austrailian Hare Krishnas!

So I get to Mysore and I can't practice for two days as the first day I was wrecked and it was new moon yesterday...typical! 

So instead, yesterday, I take a rickshaw to get some breakfast at Santosha cafe, a gorgeous little place not too far from KPJAYI. It's very unassuming but does the most delicious smoothies, best of all you can add spirulina to them! Thanks to the spirulina smoothies, unbelievably friendly people and some amazing renditions of Radiohead on an acoustic guitar, I felt completely at home. Breakfast rolled into lunch at Sixth Main followed by a little nap late afternoon. (Whoever invented siesta is a genius). The evening was spent driving on the back of a scooter to Lakshmipuram, to a little Shiva temple where a little group of sat and meditated during the most amazing electric storm. 

As me and a couple of other girls waited for the others to arrive a woman who had been sitting watching us came over and began to usher us towards a tap where she made us wash our hands, then into the temple itself where we had to follow her around and pray to all of the beautiful stone carvings of shiva in his different forms. Outside we had to had to hug a huge bull who sat with garlands around his neck, I thought at one point she asked me to get on the bull, but as I began to raise my leg she ushered me around it again to whisper into its ear... I hadn't got a clue what I was meant to say so decided to make a wish!! (Thankfully that's exactly what you are meant to do). Afterwards we drove back in the storm, I hadn't the foresight to take a waterproof with me to Mysore in the rainy season(?) so I got home drenched. I was met by my host father who told me off for getting wet, telling me to take his umbrella with me next time, I was too tired to explain it was never going to work on the back of a scooter!! (Although I have seen people try!)

So I'm writing this at the end of the 3rd day, high on good energy!....I woke at 5:50 had a pranic coffee and shower and went off to my first class. My new teacher Vijay remembered my name which was nice. Would that have happened at KPJAYI?!! I haven't practiced since the 28th August and thought I might struggle but the energy of the 8 people in the room and the heat generated got me through. I asked for assistance in my drop backs and he just looked at me gone out, so I did them on my own...the last one he asked if I wanted help coming up and I jumped at the chance. Afterwards he told me 'next time 5 back bends and 5 drop backs, OK?' and I was like, OMG! Oh, and he's a 5 A's and 5 B's guy too, has he not got with the new KPJAYI program???! Maybe he's sticking to David Swenson's DVDs! Anyway, I was really impressed with Vijay, his assists are amazing and he knew exactly where I needed work, so I signed up for the month. 

Adam's shrine to Krishna

Afterwards I went straight for breakfast at Santosha and met up with some girls from yesterday. They spoke of going to a bhajan in the evening, but they also mentioned there was kirtan on at the same time, so I got the details for the kirtan, which was to be led by an Australian hare krishna. I wandered down to The Green House, a little health food shop later in the evening and waited until he showed up. Adam and his friend had cooked kedgeree and offered me some which I accepted and which was delicious. The three of us sat as he told us many stories about Krishna, one of which was about Radhe's lake, he got excited as he reached into his wardrobe and got a bottle of water from said lake and poured a little of it into mine and another girl's hands...we looked at each other as she said 'I'm not so sure we should be drinking this?!' Exactly my thoughts! I dipped my tongue in and rubbed the rest into my palms...then dried my hands on my trousers, I hope Krishna doesn't mind too much... Adam's voice was so unbelievably amazing  I wanted to cry and was so disappointed when he said he didn't have any recordings!  But in true hare krishna style he said it was just Krishna singing, it was all Krishna. But whether it was Krishna or Adam making those sounds, I could've sat and sung all night...

Adam's Krishna Kirtan Pad

The Enigma of Arrival

I've arrived! (Well, in Mysore, at least!) 

Got here late last night, must have been over 26 hour journey (note to self: never skimp on non-direct flights again!). Got to sleep OK but woke up very tired.... The host family are lovely and very welcoming. There was a Russian guy who stayed here before me who came and met me this morning to show me around the place. The city is a lot more spread out than the maps suggest so I am currently pondering on whether to a) go with rickshaws, b) hire a bicycle or c) learn how to ride a scooter.  Unfortunately Alex the Russian Guy has to leave today, a shame as he seemed cool and interesting... Nevertheless, he pointed out loads of stuff I would probably have not have found on my own easily and gave me some good advice, seemingly the No.1 being not to study at KPJAYI! 

Alex had been in Mysore for 2 months and had just gone and tried a few classes here and there, he had settled on a young guy called Vijay Kumar (www.ashtangasaadhana.com) and showed me his place. Alex was adamant that he "couldn't deal with piles of shit outside the door of his shala" (!), which I kind of respected him for and that Vijay's assists were excellent and the class sizes were 6-8, but also that they start at 7am, which he advised would be better for me as I'd probably not be able to cope with the early morning starts of other teachers! I respected Alex's honesty and 'keeping it real' attitude!! 

So, as I kind of trusted him and thought rather highly of him as he had specifically asked my host to ask me if he could show me around before he left, I have decided to do a couple of 'drop ins' with Vijay and start Friday as tomorrow is a moon day tomorrow :( Nevertheless, that gives me a little time to acclimatise and get over any jet lag and maybe even do a practice in my room!? But hey, who am I kidding, I'm gonna try and find the massage guy he told me about, oh, and order some "Amrith Moolika Paniyam", an ayurvedic herbal drink designed to cool the body :) and have along walk around and get my bearings.

Yesterday I had a 7 hour layover at Chennai so took a cab ride around the city, dear god it was horrible! Although I did go into this one temple where a giant statue of Hanuman lived and which was very beautiful. There were lots of people doing puja(?) giving gifts and receiving blessings and I was walking around enjoying the sights and trying to appear inconspicuous. After a while I asked an attendant where the exit was as I had been round once and couldn't find it. He pointed me down to where I had already been and there seemed to be a few people leaving so I quickly headed out with them. The queue of people began to climb some steps and I asked a young guy in a "Facebook" T-shirt where the exit was, he said "Don't worry I will show you", so, as I had no other choice I followed him. We then got embroiled in a queue and ushered into a huge dining hall with tables laid with large green leaves with bits of food on them. I was getting a free lunch! I told "Sam" that I was only looking for the exit and that I felt bad, he just looked at me and we both laughed. The meal was lovely, however before I realised I had downed a gulp of the water they had served and immediately began to panic - having flashbacks of the past 2 India trips! Howeever, the damage was done! As we left I looked for somewhere to leave a donation but unfortunately I couldn't get back in as the shrine had closed, so said goodbye to Sam and sheepishly hobbled back in bare feet to the taxi man, who must've been wondering where the hell I'd been! God knows what Hanuman thought of me?!

The apartment is fine, although a bit far away from Vijay's. It's quiet here though (so no need for earplugs at night) and cleanish...there was one cockroach scurrying around last night but I haven't seen him since thank god. There was also one mozzie but I turned on my vaporiser and think it died in the night, nevertheless, I slept under the net in fear of any more unseen creatures! There was no toilet paper upon arrival which I was concerned about. In the afternoon after Alex had dropped me back, I thought I'd go and ask my hosts for some loo roll and a key for the wardrobe. In answer to my question, I was asked whether it was urgent! (I'd only been there 12 hours already!) and was told no to the key for the wardrobe which I thought really strange. The lady just did the little Indian shakey head thing at me and I thought f*** it, I can live without a wardrobe for a while. She must've felt a bit rude as later she came and explained that the person who rented the room last year had left with the key and she wasn't coming back with the key until next year. Weird! However, she didn't come back with any toilet paper. 

I spent the afternoon drinking coffee from my new coffee maker I was forced into buying from Cafe Coffee Days, Indian's equivalent of Starbucks and designing an excel spreadsheet to help me keep track of my money. I wasn't just hiding in my room, I was actually waiting for a taxi driver to come and talk to me about arranging lifts to and from the shala for the next few weeks...apparently taxi drivers don't really like getting up early, so a little chat about my requirements is, well, required. After waiting for 3 hours I began to get hungry. The host then came to tell me the taxi guy wasn't coming until tomorrow so I got ready and went out to find a restaurant. Mysore in the dark looks nothing like Mysore in the day. So after not having a clue where I was going I hailed a cab.... Who didn't know where he was going either! (Note to self: always take the address on a piece of paper) After stopping approximately 5 times to ask for directions I finally saw the restaurant I had been thinking of and shouted for him to stop. He charged me 50p. I couldn't be annoyed!! :) 

The Green Leaf restaurant is large and a bit like a canteen. Although it says self service I was allowed to order from the table. The waiters were lovely and the food delicious! I had buttered roti, spinach and paneer and alloo gobi. OK, so it's exactly what I would have in the UK but hey, I had to compare it! However, I did have the nicest ginger and lime juice, completely fresh and a bottle of water to cool my mouth down from the gobi and ginger. One thing about Mysore, the fresh juices are to die for. I can carry on the juice cleanse Natasha! The whole meal plus drinks came to 2.50. So today in total I spent 6.57. And 2.40 of that was on bloody toilet roll!! (Which, I may add, was hidden away in the corner of the Loyal Supermarket, like no-one in Mysore ever buys it...!?) On the way back from the Loyal I decided to get another cab and write down the route home. It's not actually that far and literally 4 blocks from Gokulam central bit. I'll head back tomorrow!! 

First lesson on yoga world tour: other people suck, accept, move on, surf...

...The wise words of one of my besties. And she's right, effing right, as I sit here in a cafe near my new temporary home which I'm sharing with people of 4 different nationalities, who are all here for the same thing, surfing... my daily practice is the least of my worries, in fact it has been blown out of the water, like, literally! Last week I was shitting it about getting my head wet in the river... so I decided, something needs to change, it's a fear I need to overcome and what better way than going to surf camp :-) Things have been a bit shitty the past few weeks, and I haven't the mental capacity to write about those experiences just yet, I'm even finding it hard to write this. So I'll keep it brief. Succinct. And To The Point.

Contrary to what you may have been told or think, not everyone who practices yoga is a nice person. Everyone has there own issues. People do what makes themselves happy...realise it and let their actions and words flow over you.

Having a practice routine, say the same time everyday or even just any time everyday, is a hindrance when you're travelling. The real yoga is about flexibility, not of the body but of the mind. However, I think discipline is needed firstly, to get you into a position whereby when the whole thing gets all fucked up, all you have is chaos and you then realise what is really needed to get you back on your feet and in that right state of mind.

Everyone's diet needs to be different, depending on individual constitution, activities performed day to day and energy consumed. Coca Cola, chips, steak and egg are OK when you're surfing everyday! Halleluja!

Surfing requires more flexibility, strength and stamina than I have ever encountered with yoga so far. But unlike yoga these three elements are required of the mind even before you get into the water. ESPECIALLY if you do not like water!

The bruises from surfing are 10 times as bad as those acquired whilst practising yoga!

Learning languages is really important when travelling, being British sucks, it's too easy, I think I'd rather be Spanish. I'm gonna learn Spanish and Hindi.

Yoga is not the be all and end all. Being friendly, open, compassionate, kind and loving towards people is the real yoga. It's what people yearn for, especially on the road and you can give it for free. It's amazing!!

Namaste from Alex Surf Camp Portugal, where life is good :)

Wandering yogini in Portugal in need of help!

Anyone know of anyone in Portugal who would exchange a bed for private yoga classes, one to one? I'm in Portugal for my last 3 weeks and would like to find somewhere near a beach. Or can anyone recommend somewhere to explore at the coast? Any advice appreciated! :-)

"Sometimes it's hard to be a woman!" - A week of 'Womb Yoga' with Lara Heppell

Yep - you read correctly, 'womb yoga' aka 'Yonni Yoga' which has a much nicer ring to it! So following a week of ashtanga, I was invited to participate in an all woman retreat run by a lovely British teacher, Lara Heppell. Now normally I'd jump at the chance of trying something new, but 'all woman yoga' did not appeal to me in the slightest.....a reaction from which I had to take a step back and examine... I'm a woman right, so why on earth did I have an aversion to yoga for women?

In fact I didn't tell anyone that I felt that way until right at the end of the retreat, I guess I was kinda embarrassed that I had such strong feelings against doing the classes. Anyway, having had a word to myself, I decided to sack of my ashtanga practice for the entire week, yes, a whole week without my practice (don't tell my teacher!) to completely submerge myself in my womb, my yonni, express my femininity and become one with my shakti energy! 

We built up through the week a sequence of fluid and flowing posture sequences with names such as 'heart - womb - river - ocean' , practiced postures intuitively according to our personal 'season' (time of the month), partook in breath and mind balancing pranayamas, focussed on feminine mudras to build compassion for ourselves and directed it through our nadis from the heart to the womb and back,  to nurture our awareness of our own bodies and an understanding of harnessing female energy. Sounds beautiful no?! So why did I still have issues with it? 

Since I began my ashtanga practice I've always practiced through my periods. I hated it if my period fell on a day of a favourite class and I would put my self through the practice, despite a tender tummy, or lethargy as it made me feel better..why should I have to stop just because of that?! Lara taught us there are 4 'seasons' of a woman's menstrual cycle and we have different levels of energy in each of the 4 quarters. at the time of the retreat I was autumn coming into winter, my energy was beginning to wane, so during this quarter you should think about slowing things down, missing out certain postures and generally respecting the fact the body is getting ready to release. I'd normally do all of the postures offered in a class, but the season model allows you to determine where your body is in its cycle and practice in accordance with it. This made absolute sense to me. Why pretend that I have a body akin to a male's? It needs nurturing and nourishment at certain times of the month and I need to allow it to do its thing! To be feminine and not be violent towards it, especially when my mind wants control over it. 

So whilst I won't be giving up the ashtanga any time soon, the retreat taught me some valuable lessons. I am going to allow myself to be a woman inside my practice, respect the seasons and whatever they bring, enjoy the rest and relaxation when needed and respect 'ladies holidays'! I've just noticed that today's a full moon and, low and behold, 'ladies holiday' started this morning! Now if that doesn't convey the power of shakti energy I don't know what does! I love my clever, beautiful body :) 

"I went and I returned. It was nothing special...

...Rozen famous for its misty mountains, Sekko for its water." (Zen Koan)

Me jacking my life in at home and heading off to some new places is more about complete focus on my practice, than the travelling. To be quite honest, I'm a terrible traveller...! I prefer the getting there bit about travelling, rather than the journey itself, which in itself, speaks loads about how I live my life. My first flight out of the UK didn't go smoothly given a Portuguese general strike and my flight being delayed by 3 hours which meant a missed transfer and an un expected night in a hostel in Lisboa. This was meant to happen though, right? Out the comfort zone and all that. I got to the retreat a day late, no biggie. It's all practice baby!

So the travelling bit, it's a journey, but with no end in sight. The purpose is to keep up the practice forever, my ashtanga practice, my sitting practice, nothing to attain. Shunryu Suzuki says that people think it must be wonderful to see the famous range of mountains covered by mists and the water said to cover all the earth, but if you go there you will just see water and mountains. Nothing special. And that's what it is like here at the retreat, I've been here before, seen the mountains, swam in the river. There is no gaining to be had out of the experience, I am just doing something and trying to do it well. And the karma yoga, just doing it, helping out, is quite wonderful, despite working in 40 degrees of heat, swimming in sweat, flies and mosquitos! But the letting go of the people you meet and get to know a tiny bit I'm finding difficult, they leave a little imprint on you, a samskara if you like, which you need to let go in order to let the new people in...another lesson in non attachment I guess!!

So I'm into my second week now and if I'm honest feeling melancholy. Home calls already, but I know it will. There is also No ashtanga! :( But I just need to carry on, embrace this new week, embrace 'womb' yoga (this weeks retreat!!!), eat when I'm eating, sit when I'm sitting and try and express my Buddha nature!

All quite hard when all I want to do is have a glass of wine and watch Wimbledon! ;)