It's been a while since I've been able to post and there has been alot that has transpired.

This internet center is a good one, but one of it's major drawbacks is that it closes on Fridays and Saturdays for students to take online exams, so therein is one of the reasons for my delay in posting.

I feel like I am falling apart.
The good news: the tooth adventure is now over as of yesterday and it seems like it will be o.k... looks fine as well. I am looking forward to going to my regular dentist and having it checked out.

Alright that being said: I was MAJORLY sick with a gastointestinal extreme purge, let's just put it that way... I haven't eaten more than a banana and some white rice for about 4 days... juice and water when that could stay down. Between that and the tooth it makes for a real diet plan, huh? Last time I came I had no such difficulties. Just goes to show time marches on and no 2 experiences are ever alike.

A timeline of events and other "fun things" to share:

I've been feeling a bit of pain and muscle spasm in my upper back behind my left shoulder blade for a while - perhaps a combo. of stress and these Indian beds and pillows that are really slabs of cement in disguise. I did a backbending class on Friday p.m. and my arm started to go numb and was really much weaker than my right ... which really freaked me out. So, I told one of the class assists and she did a couple of things with me that brought only a tiny bit of relief. I had trouble sleeping that night due to the discomfort and Saturday a.m. women's class I told Abijhata (the Iyengars gradndaughter and heir apparent, a yoga teacher and class assistant)of my issue. I thought I may be having a stroke or at the very least coming apart at the seams. I had the honor of being pulled out of class and being worked with intensly by Stephanie (Quirk)who is the main assistant and right hand "woman" during Geeta's classes and the medical classes. She was supervised by Geeta herself, and that was intimidating, a bit scary and at the same time such a great relief. I was told to rest on Saturday and not practice in the afternoon, so I rested instead. In the meanwhile, my roomates had headed out to Kerala (a state further south and more tropical - see my earlier blog last trip for adventures there)and left me alone in the Apt. So, I did a bit of networking to see who was around - it was a 3 day weekend, Monday being Republic Day - India's equivalent of the 4th of July without the fireworks (thank god:).
I ended up connecting with a wonderful, kind, and fun woman named Janet (from Milwaukee) to head out to see a concert of Indian "playback" music - it turns out that all those music scenes in Bollywood movies are lip syched! no!:) The man and his "band" complete with light show was fairly well known for these musical "numbers" and the audience that surrounded us all knew the words and sang along. It was almost entirely in Hindi and anytime the guy moved any part of his body, the crowd went wild (he didn't dance or aanything, just moved every once in a while... didn't get that part) and after most of the songs shouted "once more" instead of "encore". We left at intermission after 2 hours of that. It was o.k. and I was glad it was free... an interesting experience. Went out then for a light dinner and made it home by midnight. A fun night.

I had made plans the following a.m. to join Betty and company from upstairs on the 10th floor - all from my "neck of the woods" for brunch and a bit of recreational shopping. Brunch at the fancy Le Meridien, accompanied by the cheesy songs covered by a duo... I entertained myself (if not those at the table:) by thinking up truly bizarre songs they could cover and to though was dissuaded from actually writing on the cards on our table placed for that purpose. I started feeling a bit tired and a bit "dodgy" later in the afternoon and beeged out to go back and rest and that's when "it" began... the worst case of gastrointestinal "distress" I have had in decades. And there was no one there to "look out" for me... at one point I took the bolt off the door so if I passed, they could come in and get my body. I now understand how people die from dehydradration from diarhea and more... I'll spare you the gory details. UGH is all I can say. DAYS in the wonderful and comfortable (NOT) bed, only to be able to barely drag myself out of it to hit the loo. I couldn't even make it up a few floors with the help of an elevator to let them know (Betty and Co.) that I was doing so poorly and check in on me just in case... I couldn't be away from the bathroom for even that long. And her phone was off... Luckily, Janet called to see if I wanted to go to a flower show and when she heard of my distress she brought me over some truly horrible rehydrating salts that I could not even gag down. She saw Betty at lunch and she(Betty) had the kindness to bring me down some ginger tea, ginger cookies, and a cold 7up. Where would I be without these? Oh, the mercy and kindness of these wonderful women. See, I'm easy:)

So, really here I am... after all that. Yesterday I had the final crown permanently "glued" into my mouth and another wonderful woman named Marlene from Ct. offered to ride to the dentist with me, just to make sure I made it alright. She freaked when she saw the stairwell leading to my dentists's office... confirmation that I wasn't being neurotic after all.

Today we had a wonderful restorative and pranayama (yogic breathing) class with Geeta and that is the last class I will have here as tomorrow I am leaving. I hired a car to take me to the airport and I will leave my apt. at 4 pm our time. I am so looking forward to home!!!!

In the meanwhile I am scheduled for some mendhi (henna body art) this afternoon and wil proabably do a bit of yoga practice in the a./m. before I leave. I have started to pack and work to jigsaw all my goodies into my bags.

Oh and the pedicure... I fiannlay did get one, just not the one I wanted. I got my feet scrubbed - around here they are ground in dirty and almost impossible to clean, and the nail polish removed, but she said my nails "needed to breathe" and didn't paint them... hey, I coulda done that myself... around here you get what they give you, not what you want.

So I now just about caught up with most of the happenings and will try to post tomorrow before I leave as I have to come and print a boarding pass for my flight. If that does not happen, I will try my best to post as soon as I can upon arrival home, k?

location: internet center on FC road mood: complacent music: beleive it or not, the Black Eyed Peas

Dear everyone,

Congratualtions on our new president! Even over here the local population expresses congratulations and hope for this new chapter we are all about to embark upon. It is my wish that we collectively begin to consider what is right for our community, our global village, and realize that may require letting go of our some of our own attachemnts - and that may not be easy for any of us. This president of ours is going to have such a large and tough burden to shoulder, I wish him nothing but the best as I know all of us do, particularly based on the e-mails I received about the inauguration speech - though I have not had the opportunity to hear it, over here in my own media vacuum. We have no TV or radio in our flat, and the only internet is the brief stints in which you hear from me - squeezed in between my yoga classes and practice. I aso know that optimism and enthusiasm fade when called upon for such sacrifices.... but we have the ability to create such a bright future for ourselves. I've read enough science fiction to see this turning point as a true test for us and hope we chose the light and right path. It seems to me we have chosen a good leader to point us in the right direction.

Alright, enough of that. How about some streams of consciousness sharing of my experiences as of late?

The pedicure "plot": I am really over the looser Indian way of doing things! I know that I do need to learn how to relax a bit, but sometimes I am sent over the edge. I scheduled a massage and pedicure with a woman who sort of caters to female Iyengar Institute students - she comes to your flat. She shows for the services, but packs up and leaves after the massage, with no warning, explaining that she had to go... o.k.... when can we do the pedicure? We reschedule that, to which she was late, and I had to call her and cancel as it would be too close to class time by the time she showed. Then I reschedule for last night - and a half hour AFTER she was supposed to be at my flat I call her and she tells me I scheduled for Thursday... ummm, NO, I have CLASS THEN! ARGH. No more calling her.

The airtel story: even I am SICK of this.... I got ANOTHER sim card (the 3rd one now, and the 1st and second one both had thousands of minutes left on them), this is turning into a LARGE money pit. I told the man at Airtel I was over it. I don't want to even go into more details as it just agitates me.

A sound "snap shot" : it seems to be the world of sensory input: sound is but one. They have discovered subwoofers in cars, but, thankfully this hasn't really caught on yet, and is but an occassional occurence. The tunes that the cars play when backing up: I've heard: "silent night", "here comes the bride", "santa claus is coming to town", "it's a small world". I told you about driving being as much about hearing as seeing - all the cars beep their horns to warn other driver they are there, ALL the time. All the noise does make it a challenge to sleep or turn one's attention inward when practicing yoga, that's for sure.

Laundry in a bucket: whoa I LOVE my washer and dryer! Think you have it tough? Try washing your bed sheets in a bucket! I won't go into the towels, jeans, and other clothing... all line dried in my room on a rack, and covered with a fine dust that I beleive is soot from all the burning that takes place here. My whites, well, let's just say "white" is relative, right? :) My feet... well, I wanted to get the above pedicure to actually see if they could come clean. I scrub and scrub, but...

How about pressure cooker cooking? There's an adventure! I cooked chana masala (spiced chick peas) in a pressure cooker last night (I made rice too but that wasn't NEAR the level of excitement - I know how to PARTY in India, huh?:), after I discovered there was no pedicure imminent. It was scary - all that hissing. I hid in bedroom and listened to it from there in case of an explosion. It all worked out in the end, though, and was rather tasty to boot.

The vendors on the streets: Now this is really convenient. Men and women push carts or set up on the street near the Institute selling beautiful papayas, bananas, pomagrantates, etc... the coconut man offer coconut "water" for a refreshing drink as one exits class. All very reasonabley priced, At least I'm getting some fresh foods - carefully selected for "safety", of course. I feel like I should knock on wood and NOT talk about why that is, for fear of invoking the wrath of the gastrointestinal possibilites.

I am still feeding my buddies, those 2 dogs that live in the neighborhood, they look for me every morning... my roomates teased me about having to do a dog biscuit intervention. A senior teacher over here named Lois is trying to "hard sell" me on the possibilty of taking a dog or 2 home with me. I made the mistake of telling her not only that I have and love dogs (cats, birds, you name it) but that we had a big spot in the mountains of Virginia. They are actually a breed of dogs that inhabit the streets here - see: http://indianpariahdog.blogspot.com/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pariah_dogs#The_Sighthound_.26_Pariah_Group.

Oh yea, then the whole yoga thing : spent some time in the library yesterday reading and speaking with the librarian about all the research that has been done about yoga and Parkinsons disease. Got a couple of sequences they have "prescribed" to PArkinsons patients they have had in the medical yoga classes and spoked with a couple of Senior teachers baout that... Mr. Iyengar actually participated a bit in that conversation - of that I feel honored. Everyone seems to VERY enthusiastic about supporting my endevors in teaching that... so we;ll see ehat else develops wehn I hit the library today, or when that info. is available... again, it IS India, so it'll be available sometime.. when is just a matter of waiting.

Thank you all for the e-mails, you are an eloquent lot, collectively speaking! I so appreciate your thoughts, time, and news of home.

More soon!

location: the good high speed internet center on FC road mood: hopeful music: contemporay upbeat pop played here - that's one of the reasons I come here!

Greetings!

It's hard to beleive that I'm really just beyond the half way point of my excursion... I am looking forward to getting home and am a bit homesick, of that you can be sure. But, then there's this part of me that says to suck it up and make the most of it, this is what I love and came here to do, right?
I can tell you it's so nice to hear from home and all of you that write are so appreciated!

OK - where to begin? STill dealing with the tooth and cell phone hassles. The dentist called and rescheduled the final crown for Friday instead of tomorrow (Tuesday) so that's a bit of a dissappointment. And the cell phone was off all weekend due to regulations (and subsequent hoops to jump through) they put in place after the Mumbai attacks... but I hope (pray) that it's all resolved now.

This weekend we had the Founder's Day Anniversary celebration of the opening of the Iyengar Institute. It was quite the program. Saturday womans's class prior to that with Geeta in the morning featuring seated forward bends. Don't get me started on the when it rains, it pours diatribe and the pulled back muscles... argh. Literally. :)Suffice it to say, I am an idiot and did it to myself "experimenting" on what happens if...

Saturday evening there was an extended (almost 3 hrs.) concert of Hindustani violin music accompanied by the tabla (indian drums) and it was fantastic. I was a bit uncomfortable due to the above mentioned back issue, but the music did really transport me and help to take my mind off my discomfort. Sunday started at 9:30 am and went through about 2:30pm. It included a tea break and a light lunch - for the multitudes thar showed. The crowd was a bit close and intense but very patient and appreciative of the offerings: begining with karnatic (sp?) vocal music (unacompanied) by a wonderful man and student at the yoga school who was close to 80... he sang for almost 2 hours straight. Quite an accomplishment for someone half his age. The there was a grand display of traditional Indian dance by 2 different dancers, one younger and one more experienced... and this was truly beautiful (though, in all honesty, a bit too long, though I didn't appreciate it any less) and then a yoga exposition put on by the young children that are students at the Institute and it was very well done and touching.

I did not stay for lunch as the lines were huge. Dinner was a treat - another visit to a Thali place, where I had eaten once before with my roomates, this time accompanied by some other students from Canada and Britan that invited me out with them. First - Thali is like a served all-you-can-eat Indian buffet, though the first round they just load up your plate with whatever it is that they are serving that night... into little bowls or right onto your plate, depending on the consistency of what you're eating. I've always enjoyed this, sort of like a pot luck surprise, and if you're lucky one of the wait staff speaks enough english to tell you what you're actually eating. And if you don't absolutely stuff yourself, they think something's wrong... no wonder most relatively well-off people around here are a bit on the big side. :) One thing though: they don't START serving until 7:30 pm... everything around here is late. Like when our landlord said he'd be over "first thing in the morning" to change our locks... when pushed for a time he said: " oh, 12, 12:30" ! First thing in the morning is relative, I guess... speaking of timing, we decided that the time to install the internet into the apt. was not worth the time we would be around to use it, so I am relegated (again) to the internet center. Oh well... there's worse things, I guess. At least I can get to a nice one and check e-mail and keep everyone posted about how everything's been going here.

My days are starting to develop a bit of a routine: up for the a.m. ritual (coffee, shower, etc.) then off to practice, which has been a bit of a mob scene - tons of people and props (many wooden) flying around everywhere - so I'm always a bit wary that someone is going to pop me in the mouth inadvertently and knock my temporary tooth out. BKS Iyengar shows up almost everyday to practice and teach his senior teachers while they practice beside him and he always has pearls of wisdom to impart. He is an amazing man, and we are all so inspired by him, his practice of yoga, his knowledge, his perceptions.
Then, usually off to some sort of lunch and errands, siesta, up for afternoon coffee, and then evening class. The days are very full.

Being out in the world of Pune is always interesting - I do stand out a bit and am subject to stares as though I am some sort of alien life form. When they can muster up the courage, they ask where I am from, and I always hesitate to answer, in light of the recent events seemingly so close by.

I have confirmed my ride back to the airport - which is next week! Hard to beleive, as I said earlier.

I bought some tuberoses for my room last night and they have filled it up with the most wonderful scent. India is a land of intense smells... from wonderful, as in the flowers, to the not so wonderful, the burning of dried cow pies by the street people for warmth (they are having a "record" cold January here... it gets down to the high 60's at night and everyone bundles (that can) up like it's the depths of winter) and for cooking fires (I'll bet that adds a certain "flavor" element), men urinate in the streets just about anywhere- they just turn their backs to the traffic or whatever, and let it rip, something I just can't seem to get used to - so there's often an overwhelming scent of urine and burning manure. Is it any wonder that Indian incense is so strongly scented? IT HAS to be.... But at the same time, everyone burns lots of incense, there's the flowers everywhere, they decorate everthing with garlends of them and they are CHEAP. And the beauty of the colors: the fabrics, the house colors intermingled with the incredible filth, dirt, trash... what dichotomy.

I haven't taken as many photos as I should be, and I will try and do better so that I have sonmething to show you upon my return.

That's all for now!

location: the god internet center on FC road mood: cheerful

O.K....

The big news to report since I last reported was the sight seeing trip around the town of Pune on Sunday, the city of about 4.5 MILLION where I am currently residing.

My friend Betty arranged it all, as sort of a "pay it forward" experience, as someone did it for her once on one of her visits here. She rented a car, and that was a wonderful and refreshing change from the loud, slow, and dirty auto rickshaws that one usually takes on shorter excursions. The car even had A/C and our driver spoke english well!

We started with brunch at a fancy hotel that I think caters to tourists and wealthier clientele, called Le Meridian. It was good and comparable to brunch at a nice hotel in the States - omlette and waffle station, big buffets of various sorts of things like fruits, breads, heavier and lighter fare. Onward from the hotel we hit so many spots, my heads almost swims to recall them: Ohso's meditation retreat center (where we could not get in to the tour because it was sold out and it's otherwise closed to visitors, so we had to settle for the visitors center and a video about the place), the palace where Mahatma Ghandi was imprisoned, a palace of one of the kings of the area (in ruins, but being refurbished a bit - it burned down in the 1800's) - there I saw and was able to take a photo of a cow that had a birth defect of a 5th leg - growing out if it's BACK... truly freaky - for that I had to tip it's owner 15 rupees (about 30 cents)and I understand that they are something occurs with (alarming, in my opinion) regularity.
Then to a museum that highlighted ALOT of Indian craft work in brass, stone, wood, fabic, glass, bead work and more. Some wonderful things there... my favorite was the brass oil lamps cast in many figures. Parvati's temple was next, set up on a hill overlooking the city, it was actually a series of temples overlooking the quite large city - I didn't realize how big it really is, so having the new perspective was great. We had to hike up a pretty steep incline and on the way there was a shanti town/slum made of bits and pieces of just about anything, including corragated steel. There a few goats roamed nearby and quite a few dogs... I have taken it upon myself to buy dog biscuits and feed those to hard luck cases that are responsive to it - and on the hill near the temple there was an obvious recent momma dog with a freshly maimed foot that I had to feed. Some say that I should not, but my heart won't let me. Then onward for a bit of shopping before a power nap back at the apt.
My wonderful roomates Bob and Todd bought and prepared pasta with marinara and steamed spinach for dinner, and I was releived to not have to go out and get something.

Yesterday was just yoga practice and class, a nap in the afternoon and some hassles about my cell phone, that I still need to go straighten out at the cell phone providers' storefront... will that ever end? I have had so much difficulty around that, I know the rules and regs. are for safety, but, come on!

My dentist's office called and my appt got moved forward to tomorrow, so I'll have more news about the wonderful dental adventures and the grey teeth.

Then there's the "possibility" of getting internet connection in the apt... moving at "Indian speed" which is sort of "Carribean speed" but even slower and more convoluted. I was supposed to hear something yesterday... but...

AS I said before, the city's growth seems to have squelched the amount of "wild" animals I have seen around - but I have seen goats (actually ,more of those than anything), a few cows, a water buffalo, a burro (donkey), and a couple of pigs, and of course the feral and a few pet dogs. The sad ones always pluck at my heart strings so much! This trip I knew I would have to steel myself to it, but it still is something I feel deeply. There's sweet smallish female dog that lives on our street that has become something of a buddy - she always timidly wags and approaches me... oh, how I wish I could take her home with me. The children who beg also call to my heart, and I brought some things to give to them like pencils and a few small toys as I've been told it's a ring-like set up and they have to give up a portion of their "take"... and I gave this pitiful boy a pencil and witnessed a miraculous recovery from his ailments, so I guess there's also a certain amount of theater and ruse to that.

Class tonight with Prashant Iyengar, last night's class with Geeta was a sweaty one. Current exploration of my own tolerance, flexibility, and boundary issues.

Well, I guess that's about all for now... more soon!
BTW - if there's spelling errors, please forgive them - this comouter doesn't offer spell check and I don't want to burn a bunch of time with the corrections... I do hope you understand. :)

location: the nice internet center on FC road mood: complacent music: funky upbeat music they always play here

Well, so much has happened I hardly know where to start.

I'll try and keep it brief and catch you up to date.

O.k. - classes are great, and that is what I came here to do, right? I particularly like the ones with Geeta Iyengar - they are always challenging in so many different ways - I fel like I need the "remedial" classes as she imparts so much there's only so much I can absorb. There's going to be a founder's day anniversay celebration next weekend with demonstations, talks, a shared meal, etc... so I'm looking forward to that.

My roomates are wonderful - I really like them and they are fun and able to keep their heads when a recent "situation" presented itself: they came home to find the door to our apt. WIDE OPEN and a stranger going through one of their things in in their room. It was disconcerting to say the least... the landlord arrived and inflicted some "Indian justice" on the guy (who happened to work in the building) and beat the tar out of him. The would be perpetrator implicated the housekeeper we had last time as well... but, all well that ends well... there's was nothing missing and the landlord changed the lock on the front door. It could have been much worse - the woman who stayed there for the month of December was "missing" $800 (though having that much cash lying around is a bit questionable, if you ask me.)

Then there's the tooth... I was out with the roomies one night recently (was it only last week? whoa... time is so strange these days)my FRONT right tooth cracked badly... such that I am now experiencing (with anxiety) the wonders of Indian dentistry. I have made 6 trips to the dentist so far, and currently have a tempoary crown in place - when he had me look in a mirror with my tooth gone, I almost cried. There's the "whitening" to a lovely shade of gray... dome beforehand to be able to match the crown to the rest of my teeth. "you Americans always want chiclet white teeth" Well, I WAS hoping for somewhere in the white ballpark... So he thinks I am a big whiner and nervous to boot, but what could he expect? So that adventure will be continued in future blogs as I have about 4-6 more visits to his office before it;s all done... he wanted to to stay an extra month and tried talking me into even more dental work... ummmm, nooooooo. So this has been an opportunity for me to explore my attachment to my appearance, which for all of us is so fleeting and changing...

I am getting that same feeling I had last time I was here about my visit - that it has something of an element of initiation to it.

This internet center is getting ready to close so I'll have to wrap this up - I had no idea I had so little time to share... I have so much more to relate.

Tomorrow is a sight seeing tour of Pune - something I did not do last time I was here, so that should be interesting.

More later

location: cool internet center on FC road mood: anxious music: pop indian rock in the background

Happy new year to everyone!

This is the first opportunity to hit an internet center (we don't have internet service hooked up in the apartment - yet (hopefully)) so my apologies to those who were a bit worried about me. The internet center that was so close by the apt. last time I was herre is shut down for renovations, but it doesn't seem like there's a hole lot of renovatin' going on...

Anyway the trip here was LONG, as I'm sire you can imagine, and that's not just the plane ride, but the car ride from Mumbai to Pune. That took about 3 1/2 hours so I arrived at my hotel at about 4 am in the morning, exhasted.

I was woken a short 4 hours later, but a friend, Betty, who geeted me in my arrival. Ugh. The intention was lovely, however. I was able to rouse myself and get down the the Iyengar Institute and be one of the 1st in line for the day to register for classes. Which means that any one else that Pondu (the registrar) thinks should be served in front of me comes on in and is... so it took me about 3 hours to get out of there. However, all's well that ends well and I was able to accomplish that and get some money changed over to rupees. Al that and meet my future roomates Bob and Todd - who I think are going to work out well.

Stayed at the spartan, yet clean Chetak hotel for 2 nights - well if you count that 1st 4 hours as a nights, it's 2, and then was able to move into our apartment. It was not ready for us, but we decided we would sleep there without sheets or towels, and clean the place ourselves (and still pay the landlord high USA rental prices, but such is the price you pay for convience - we directly next to the Institiute were the classes are held).

I have attended 3 classes and 3 practice sessions at the institute. All went well, particularly the classes with Geeta Iyengar... she is a fabulous teacher. The 2 were challenging, but I think they were made more so by the lack of sleep from which I am suffering. I just can't seem to find my groove yet as to that. Last time it took me about a week to settle in to a pattern for sleep.

India seems a little less intense this time, and I'm sure that's because I had a better idea of what to expect and a bit more of a "lay of the land" under my belt. Today is Sunday and our day off, so we (me and the flatmates) went out for a bit of recreational shopping and lunch, then here.

So, it feels a bit whirlwind still, but that's it in a nutshell up to the current time, glossing over a few things that I will fill in as I go along.

The weather's great so far - drya dn warm during the day - low 80's and cool at night.

more soon!

location: not usual out of the way internet center mood: drained music: funky indian playing in the background

So much has transpired since my last post.

There's the recent "events" in Mumbai/Bombay - those poor Virginians that were killed lived not a couple of miles from my house. Though I did not know them - the people at Synchronicity tend to keep quietly to themselves - my heart goes out to their loved ones. They, after all, are onto the next "big adventure". I believe death to be much harder on the living.

This does, however, cause me and even more so my family and students, a bit of concern about traveling and being in India, particularly because for some reason, I seem to have "American" stamped on my forehead. I can and will try to "fly under the radar" as much as possible, but at the same time I have to go on and do, be, live, and experience my life.... and the upcoming adventure. Life is to be savored, each and every moment. This does not mean to be foolhardy, but at the same time hiding away in my safe little house is hardly an alternative either.

I got off the phone only hours ago, from a conversation with my teacher and mentor John, who has just returned a few days ago from India and BKS Iyengar's 90th birthday celebrations in various venues throughout India. He was quite reassuring as to the "vibe" (my words) and safety of my going to study in Pune for the month. So, perhaps no side trips and touring about, but a month of being immersed in yoga and my studies at the Iyengar Institute. This is, after all, what I'm going for, and could be a wonderful thing, though I know there's plenty to do in Pune, and I'm sure much there that has yet to be discovered and experienced.

I am feeling the pressure of the limited amount of time I have left, and have been fitful in my sleep - waking in the night with thoughts of what I need to bring, things still left to do - and the realization that I can't possibly do all that's left to be done... in addition to all the "usual" obligations of the holiday season... there's a certain part of me that will be thankful to get on that plane all leave all this behind for a bit. I will miss it here, but sometimes parting and rejoining can really add such an appreciation to one's perspective.

I taught a fundraiser class last night at Blue Ridge Yoga in Charlottesville,and felt so supported by those who came. Students came from other venues I teach, and others who had only heard of me turned out to wish me well. I know that there are so many "out there" holding space for my safety will be following my adventure... and await my return. I am so fortunate in terms of this.

The winter Solstice is only just past, and in ancient times was about stepping forth from darkness into the returning light. Viewed as an initiation of sorts, a sacred rite, the proverb about it being "darkest before the dawn" often holds true. I'd like to think of this an analogy for my current state and imminent trip.

In honor of the current season that's upon us - wishing you peace and contentment.

mood: contemplative

from wikipedia:
"For those who might wonder, the word "redux" does not mean what it would appear to. It is a Latin word that means "brought back", "revisited"."

So here I go again - a second time, oh so shortly.


My plane leaves on December 29th and I feel ill prepared at this point - but hey, I have a month or so to get it together, right?

Then there's the disappointment of not going with a close friend of mine (we had been planning to go together for the past year) - she told me last Thursday that her life's circumstances are such that it would be best for her not to go.... and I was so looking forward to hangin' with someone I knew and could travel and share stuff with (and partner with at the institute - "o.k. you guard our stuff, and I'll go for props" - it does make for a more harmonious experience). Oh well... Another friend told me to just look at it as an adventure - "let go and let God". Riiiigggghhhttttt. Breathe in with the inhalations and out with the exhalations. :)

But, the upside is I've found substitutes for all my classes (well, I did cancel one while I'm away); have a bedroom in an apartment in "the Towers", that is immediately next door to the Iyengar Institute where I will be spending ALOT of time (though sharing the 4 bedroon apt. with 2, as yet unknown, men that are yoga teachers from Chicago... I hope that turns out o.k.:); and have a ride set up to pick me up when I land in Bombay to take me to Pune for a couple of nights while waiting to get into the Apartment.

I've researched the weather and the averages in January are 85 degrees F. during the day and around 65 degrees at night, and averages 0 rain... that'll be nice after the dark and cold of Virginia just entering into winter - and I'll still be back for some snow (at least I hope we get some snow). The exchange rate with the dollars is good right now too. So some shopping opportunities may present themselves. Though this year's quite a bit leaner than last time I went - the plane tickets were over DOUBLE what they were 2 years ago.

I have some networking to do as to a few acquaintances I've met, I could possibly connect with in either Bombay or Pune, and know that there's a holiday toward the end of the month - and have been considering a sojourn up to Bombay for that... but that remains to be seen, huh?

At this point that is all I have to share - but this opens the adventure...

An affirmation seems to be in order (too cheesy?): " I am prepared to have a memorable, fun, safe, adventure where I learn alot and make new friends." I will invoke my friend Nancy, who took me under her wing last time I was there, we had adventures AND much fun. She was (and is) my hero and role model... she almost always goes by herself and manages to do more than fine.





More soon... of that you can be assured! :)

mood: anxious

I write this from home in the comfy U.S.... but wanted to bring everyone to some sense of conclusion.

Arrival in Delhi: As you know we were to stay in the U.S. Embassy - a wonderful little (clean) slice of quasi-home. Sashi - our host - was still away at Pushkar on his Camel festival excursion, so one of his associates was to sign us in to the compound. And, my friend Betty's daughter lives and works there as well, so there was someone to visit with upon our arrival.

The security at the Embassy was (understandably, I guess) tight. While we waited in the street outside with our suitcases, once the cab dropped us off, the guards eyed us suspiciously. We watched as a car wishing to enter the compound was inspected with mirrors to reveal the underside. Once in the door, and metal detected, we had to surrender any cameras and a photo ID and were not allowed anywhere with out an escort. I felt as a child might, not having the freedom to go and do as I pleased. The grounds were very clean (bonus! after the dirt and filth of EVERYTHING) and well tended, almost to the point of sterility.

After a rather strange meal of what seemed like India's interpretation of American food, we looked up Eleesha. She was a wonderful breath of fresh air. Hurray! Another American to comiserate with! She has been, and is planning to continue, living abroad for some time. I admire her in this. Living all the experiences that an area has to offer, while at the same time holding down a job, and raising 2 small children. And doing it cheerfully. She did much to raise my flagging spirits. Though how low could I be? I was only days from home. However, still had a few things to do before I left - like:

The bus trip to the Taj Mahal and other sacred sites (the Agra Fort, Ekbar's Tomb, and Krishna's birthplace):

The Volvo bus picked us up at 6:10 am in front of the embassy. The seats reclined quite a bit and I remembered my motion sickness medicine (a plus, because the way traffic is in India, the bus was always speeding up or slowing down, turning left or turning right). I thought these things would make for a relatively pleasant trip. We had other passengers to pick up along the way, and prepared ourselves for about a 4 hour ride. A half an hour into it, a very young woman sprinted to the front of the bus - obviously about to be sick. I guess she forgot her Bonine. We ended up stopping for her about 3 more times, poor thing. She was speedy, anyway.

Once we really got rolling, they put on a Bollywood movie - in Hindi, without subtitles. They are VERY long and are prone to break out in song. The song portions are then used on their Indian MTV, so I had seen some of the excerpts while on vacation. MTV is a real window into, well, I not quite sure what. So, not very entertained by the movie I decided to look outside and see what the country side had to offer. Let me tell you, Indian country side in the morning is a view into what you'd rather not see...everyone out there in front of God and everybody doing their morning constitutionals. They first few times I was in disbeleif, then shock, then I decided to give up on looking outside for a while to spare myself. Once it was safe to look outside, I got a look into the life of more rural poverty. Innumerable cows, pigs, goats, water buffalo, donkeys, even camels. These people depend so much on these animals for their livlihood - for milk, fuel (they collect cow dung and fashion into discs to burn), and labor. I will never forget the site of many animals straining beneath the loads either piled onto them, or heavy carts attached to them. I remember a small donkey that forlornly staggered on with a great load of firewood atop his back. The animals also present a significant commitment from their owners - they mus eat, and people are constantly foraging fodder for them, cutting grass from road side and other places.

We stopped once for "breakfast" and a potty break. First breakfast is not wheaties, or pastries, egg mcmuffins, or cappacino. It is yet more dal (beans) and rice, accompanied masala tea - heavy on the sugar and milk. I was grateful for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich packed groggily in the pre-dawn. The facilities in India leave me wishing to go outside, like the many villagers I had just seen. A porcelin "sink" set into the floor, 2 foot pads beside it. There's usually a flusing thing-a-ma-jig, and no toilet paper - just a spigot of water to clean yourself up with. I think they all must close their eyes, because evidently people prior had terrible aim. I am really thakful for the kleenex travel packs, baby wipes, and hand sanitizing gel.

First stop: the Agra fort. Made primarily from red sandstone this was the spot the guy that built the Taj was exiled to, by his son, no less. Just before our arrival we were briefed unintelligilbly by the main tour guy via the hugely distorted intercom on the bus. Combine that with a heavy hindi accent and we got none of it. We were assailed by a multitude of beggars, and men hawking their wares. It was akin to running some sort of gauntlet. One of the items of interest, and we couldn't for the life of us figure out why: bull whips. What's up with that? "Honey, I got you this great gift on my trip to the Taj Mahal"? At the admission gate, we were once again charged over twice what the others on our bus had to pay, because we were non-indian residents. Next we had to pass through the security screening: there's security screenings all over India. I was told to protect thier sacred sights from possible terrorists. I was felt up by a woman in a military sari - olive green with epaulets, no less; and my bag was gone through. Once inside, the solicitations ended and it was really beautiful. The stone work, inlay, architecture were marvelous. One could see the Taj from there. We were told that this pre-dated the Taj, and if we thought this was something, just wait... that's about all I got from our tour operator. That accent... On my way out, I used the facilites. Uopn exit, we were charged and the attendant wanted to charge me 10 times the amount she was asking for from the Indians. That was when one of the women from our bus spoke up for me and gave the woman a hard time. I gave her double and she complained about the type of coins I had givem her. Whatever. But, I had found a friend...

On my way back to the bus, I saw a crowd carry what looked like a shrouded body on a stretcher covered with flowers. They were walking in unison and chanting, though moving what I though was a bit quickly. I thought for sure this was some stunt that they were doing for the tourists, but upon further inspection, the bundle on the stretcher responded to the jostling of the carriers like a dead body.... wait, it WAS. Oh no! I held my breath as it passed thinking of all the possibilities of what may have killed this person and was it communicable, and was I innoculated. Pretty bad, huh?

Then on to the Taj Mahal. Again the distorted preamble of which we got very little. What we did get was that the "cue" (admission line) was very long. There were 2 other caucasions on the bus - an Austrian mother and daughter. The woman, Claudia, had been about 18 years prior, and recommended we split a guide because they can get us around the lines. We did, and we were glad, after the walk through the secret back way, during which we were sure that this guy was leading us down some dead end to be mugged and beaten. Up a dark, damp staircase, smelling of urine, and though streets so narrow no car would dare negotiate, we emerged at the back entrance and entered the grounds. He informed us that the prime minister of Maharastra was due shortly and if we wanted to see the interior of the tomb we needed to proceed immediately there. This commenced our aerobic Taj Mahal experience. To add to the enrichment of the experience it was sunny, humid, and about 95 degrees. We made it through, saw and experienced. It was spectacular. White marble with inlay of semi-precious stones. The buildings and grounds, breathtakingly beautiful, and of course, like virtually everything else in India, crowded. On our more leisurely walk out, we meet some of the people from our bus. They had not been able to make it inside before being evacuated for the coming dignitary... the best $2 I ever spent...

But wait, we still had 2 more stops to make... whew, I was already getting tired. We stopped then at Ekbar's tomb. He was a mogul of some repute, as I understand it, but I can't tell you anymore about him. I passed on seeing the interior, and took some photos of the outside. It sounds so callous to say that I was palace and tombed out. During my photography, a man selling chaep necklaces would not leave me alone... so much so I retreated to the secure confines of the bus. Yet, he stodd at the doors to the bus and STILL called out to me from there. The tomb was famous for it's population of wild monkeys as well, as I understand it. I did see some both earlier and later, but not there. The place was still amazing, if only from the exterior.

Then final stop, a Hindu holy site, Krishna's birth place. Our bus pulled into waht seemd the indian equivilent of a one horse town. We went with the crowd down narrow streets and I hoped they knew where they were going, as I was just going with the flow. Security here was extra tight, no electronic devices on ANY kind, and this included cameras.here's a photo a found on the web of just the entrance:(http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/India/North/Uttar_Pradesh/Mathura/photo176340.htm They say to come to this holy site is a blessing in one's life, I certainly hope this is true.
Mirra, the Indian woman who befreinded me, was very moved by this visit and admonished me that one of Krishna's messages was to simply "be good". I took this message with me as I partook of the water (I didn't actually drink it though) that the monks dispensed in blessing. Krishna is said to have given the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text, that holds significant messages for us all.

I was so ready to get "home" - back to the embassy, it it was now about 3 hours away. Another Bollywood movie, this one very violent, starring one of thier mega-super stars (don't ask me his name). I tried not to watch much of it. We made it back earlier than we anticipated and slept the deep sleep of the weary.

The next day, Sashi, our host, offered to take us to Old Delhi to see Red Fort, a palace/fort on which the Agra fort of Taj Mahal fame is based. He had some work to do, so we planned on going in the afternoon, which left us the entire morning to ourselves. We decided we would venture out to a nearby market for some veggies and fresh fruit. After our second time around the same block - which the guards at the nearby embassies found entertaining, we hired a rickshaw to take us the the market, and passed the same block a 3rd time. We tried to hide our faces as we passed the same guards yet again, and found the market behind some buildings that we where by then quite familiar with.

On to Chandi Chowk, Old Delhi:
We picked this day as there was some sort of merchants strike to protest something. The subway from New Delhi to Old was surprisingly modern and clean - with the by now usual security check. We emerged into a really old part of the city (which is why they call it Old Delhi, huh?) so with this came the accompanying dirt, filth, and disrepair. The sidewalk leading from the tube the street was dotted with street vendors. I had seen an odd water grown vegetable the day before and asked both Rachel and Sashi about it, (neither knew) and here was same vegetable offered for sale after appearing to be fire roasted. Deciding that the fire killed any bad bugs that may have existed we got a bag - and they were great! I think they either were related to, or actually were, water chestnuts. The man selling them also gave us a flavored salt to dip them in. As we stood, peeled, dipped and ate these wonders, a crowd gathered. Again, to be such a minority is an occasion for gawking by the locals, and it began to feel a bit unconfortable by the time about 15 or so people had gathered around us to watch us eat. Then a man began to engage us in hindi, loudly insisting upon something of which we didn't have a clue, so we decided now was the time to make a break for it.
Sashi said the street was less crowded than usual (really?) because many of the shops were closed due to the strike. Several blocks later, close to dusk, we made it to the Fort. Sashi had been told, and Lonley Planet travel guide confirmed this, that the evening sound and light show there was a good thing. The next show was in hindi but we decided we weren't up for waiting around there for the english version in 2 hours. Ummm... somone needs to break it to the Lonley Planet... we left about 15 minutes into the show. We couldn't conceive of this being a great show, even if we could've understood them.

Sashi wanted then to take us to a place roughly on the way back to the subway that offered safe versions of the street vendors' food and Indian sweets. Indian sweets are totally different than anything I have ever seen before. Old Delhi and many towns and cities in India don't have street lights. They use the lighting provided by the shops. Because the shops were closed there was very little light, and as we walked I tried to keep up with Rachel and Sashi. A man began to walk uncomfortably close, and after a few minutes, he just reached out and grabbed my butt. My first reaction to this was, shamefully for me, was to haul off and punch him in the chest. What ever happened to ahimsa, huh? Well, he moved off quickly after that. :) So much for turning the other cheek.. :)

Arriving at the shop, I was a bit shaken, but none the worse for wear. The food was not what would've been my first choice, but was an adventure, and this is what I was here for, right? The highlight of the shop was those sweets I spoke of earlier, downstairs. English was a bit difficult, but soon found myself with over half of the staff helping me to decide on what I might like to bring back and share with friends and family. I was barraged with samples and left there with a much better understanding of Indian sweets and a bit of a sick feeling akin to eating too much of my halloween goodies.

Then our final day was spent packing and shopping for those few odd things that I wanted but had somehow managed to not get. I had died and gone to shopping heaven in a district of New Delhi called Canaught Place. Small vendors hawking all manner of Indian handicrafts willing to bargain called out to me, literally! It was amazing how cheaply I could get something if I started genuinely for the exit. I could do but so much damage as my suitcases were pretty maxed out. I, in fact, still (almost) had to pay over-weight on one.

As I said my farewells to Sashi, Delhi, India, I was torn by my feelings. On one hand I was relieved and glad to be going home. I felt I had been gone for so long. I longed for the creature comforts of my home and the now appreciated things like clean water; fresh air; personal space; clean, good food - I so longed for a green salad. At the same time I felt I had experienced a life changing event. A "growth experience" that I wouldn't forgo. As with any growth experience, somethimes they can be uncomfortable, even downright painful, but shape who and what you are. Bittersweet.

The India of my experience is a land of brutal honesty, where nothing is hidden away. A land of extreme contrasts; of beauty, color, kindness, spirituality, as well as total filth, retchedness, and everything that makes mankind such a horror.

I emerge wondering if it was all some sort of dream, if I was transported to some other reality, world, or dimension. I wonder how it is that such things exist in this world in which we live.

I will be back, Mother India, of that you can be sure.

location: home in front of computer, in the U.S. of A.! mood: grateful

Part 2...

We had a bit of a scare the other day (Friday) during practice: Guruji (as the students at the school affectionately call B.K.S. Iyengar) fell on the crown of his head while trying to get into a supported pose on the yoga ropes suspended from the ceiling. It was traumatic for me as I heard him hit the floor. I had been asked to move from my spot to make way for him, and was in the precess of moving my stuff. I saw him on the floor with props askew holding his head, when he removed his hand there was blood. Oh no! He is not a young man, so there was much cause for concern. People ran everywhere to fetch a doctor, bandages, etc... he was ministered to by those close to him and he laid very still for a while, face down. I was worried. Then about 25 minutes later he's up and in a supported back bending pose, turmeric (a yellow spice said to have many properties including antiseptic and astringent) on his head like a yarmulke. What an amazing man. No problem.

Many people left the following Saturday (yesterday, the 28th). The Institute was abuzz with the students coming in to register for the next month's classes. Being here feels a bit like being in the tub while the water runs out. Tonight, our "last supper" here. We're (the roommates of the 6th floor of the apts. directly next to the Institute) trying to agree on what and where. So far, we're at an impasse... Tomorrow we will attend the early a.m. class with Prashant from 7-9 am, then make our final farewells and depart for Delhi. Once in Delhi we (my roommate Rachel and I, my other roommate Marilyn leaves from Mumbai a fews days later) will be staying at the U.S. Embassy thanks to Sashi. He has also arranged for us to see the Taj Mahal on the 31st. I understand that this is really something and look forward to it. Not to mention the romantic angle of it being a monument to love. . In Delhi we'll take in what sights we can and perhaps get in any last minute shopping to be had. Perhaps spices, Indian sweets, and teas... my suitcase runneth over.

Then board a plane for that almost 16 hours from Delhi to Newark. It's so expensive but one can really see the merits of the upgrade to business class.

I am really looking forward to returning HOME.... with a new appreciation of all that my life offers, which is really pretty amazing. This has really been some adventure.

I'll be the one disembarking the plane waving the American flag and kissing the ground... you can't miss me. :)

I will try to update this blog from Delhi, if not, upon my return.

I look forward to seeing all of you!

Smell snap shot of India: mothballs, urine, incense, garbage, body odor, curry, mildew, fried things.

Sound bite of India: everything plays tunes. Cars back up and play tunes. Phones ring and play a tune. The elevator at our apt. plays a tune while the door is open. Sometimes they're really bizarre: like "santa claus is coming to town"

That's all for now.... with much love, I return a softer version of myself.

location: still the run down yet homey internet ctr mood: grateful