A Quick Word on Tittibhasana

I've received some questions about the tittibhasana sequence in second series from back home.  Here's the current scoop:  Jump on if possible, or arrange as necessary...butt down, feet up - not level.  The insect flies for five, lands for five, walks five double steps forward, five back.  That means twenty movements of the feet total.  Then the insect draws into its shell, feet close together for five.  Finally the insect lifts again for One - not five counts before flying back to chaturanga.  I hope that clarifies things.  There are many insects here in India.  Some fly, some creep and crawl, many are large and many are small.  All, however, are endowed with extra charisma and flair.  Be certain to put some attitude into your sequence to be an authentic India bug.

vivian

Where do you go when you've already gotten away from it all...?

 

 

 

Kukkarahalli Lake, Mysore

This our new favorite getaway! We found this gem on our first trip and have visited it many times since. The walk from our place was warm and brisk, but we strolled through a few new neighborhoods and became rejuvinated by their simple beauty. It is amazing how many small temples and corners of devotion are found in the most unlikely places, or maybe they are right where they need to be.  We met a gentleman on our walk who told us that this is a very ancient lake, obviously arousing a sense of historical pride in him. Yes, India is about the art and history, but it is an art and history of a people. Many peoples. This is why the country is struggling with adding more states. Each state is representative of people bound by language, and then there are more languages and peoples caught in cracks or overlooked and now they too are asking for representation. Here in Karnataka, the Kannada-speaking natives have the majority, but even that could change. It wasn't until last year that the language was recognized by the overseeing Indian Parliament as an official state language. It's only been around for thousands and thousands of years.

But at the lake, we get away from the politics and enjoy benches covered by flowering arches, open expanses of green and blue, painted cows grazing near the shore, and pelicans, storks and other birds too numerous to detail here filling the skies and trees. The mile or so to the lake is overshadowed by the mile or so perimeter stroll we take, practically alone save for the random historian or festive bovine. Don't get me wrong- I love the crazy part of India. When I leave I will miss the smoking trucks, tailgating rickshaws, late night honking, full body contact crowds at the supermarket, and the combination of jasmine and burning dung everywhere- but until then, you'll find me Saturdays under the tamarind trees at the lake.

aeryk

a second week of yoga

We come to the end of our second week of yoga, properly tired and happy.  It was a hot sweaty time in the shala...up until today we were starting at 5:45 after an entire batch of bodies had heated up the space.  As of this morning we have been moved to the first group, 4:30 am, which is really 4:15, but which gathers by 4!  Now it is our job to heat things up for everyone else.  Given the extra warm for winter Mysore temps I don't think we'll find that too much of a challenge. 

Sharath has been extra "teacherly" this trip, giving an uncharacteristic number of form corrections and adjustments, and I'd like to pass them on to everyone.  I was corrected in Pada Hastasana for being a little too narrow in my stance.  Second Series form correction: in Bharadvajasana the crossing arm should go around the side of the legs, not at the point of the knee as I was originally taught.  This leaves the torso as a straight up and down spiral.  I have also heard Sharath correcting for many : "feet closed in Dhanurasana" meaning the whole inner edge of the feet should ideally join, not just the toe tips.  He also says commonly, "Don't be lazy", or alternately, "Why you hurry?".  His pace in led class is extremely even and unrushed, though the count may appear to stop entirely during Navasana while he advises students to "stop shaking" and during Utpluthuh as he reminds us ,"Lift up, no cheating".

Sharath seems kinder and more generous than in the past, and he never fails to help students with their challenge postures if he is stopping them.  He has been very observant of Aeryk and me this week.  He has given us some "new" postures and changed our time. He still likes to treat us as one unit, which fortunately we are both happy with.  He gave me a posture while he was sitting on Aeryk, then said to him, "oh, and you too."  When he changed our time he addressed it to Aeryk, saying, "tell your wife".  It will be easier for him to teach us at the earliest time as we will be together and won't have to pass notes.  I am inwardly prepared for the time when we may be split up, so to speak.  Thus far we have never been given a posture we needed help with or needed to be stopped at.  Sharath's formula is to add postures slowly one at at time, not usually more than one in a week (this week being unusual for us in that respect).  If we get to a place in the practice where one of us is less proficient at the posture, one of us may move on without the other.  It is not really that usual for couples to progress as evenly as we are. 

Saraswati is as omnipresent as ever, helping Sharath with his students while maintaining her own.  She has lost a lot of weight this year, and I am not certain if it is from grief and changes  with the loss of her father, or if it is a byproduct of her own yoga practice.  She looks good, still gruff but warm.  I received several of her backbend assists this week.   Sharath helped with my last one of the week, yesterday, taking me a bit farther up my leg that I had gone before.  Even a few inches feels like a mile!  Aeryk gets so much more flexible in his backbends here it looks a bit like his back is broken in the middle...maybe from the heat, or maybe because, generally a rebel, he will  submit to Saraswati's authority and bend just like she tells him to.

That's our week, warm, wet, bendy, and very early.  

vivian

Food File 2010

Place: Hotel Sri Durga Bhavan, otherwise known as the Sit-Down Stand-Up.

Time: 10 am (ish)

Meal: Breakfast

The Scoop: We never tried this small diner, known as a 'hotel' when it was just across the street at the end of our block. It is known as the 'Sit-Down' because most places only have bistro style tables to stand at. In their new space, there are six tables that fit 30 people and the walk up High Tension Road really makes the trek worth a sit-down. Our Canadian friends Jenni and Raven showed us this space and we had to go back. Vivian and I ordered Rice Bath with an Indian minestroni-like sambar sauce instead of yoghurt, and two Wada plates came with more sambar and coconut chutney. The rice was tamarind flavored this time, and the dough and veggie wadas were fried to perfection. This was washed down with a bottle of water, hand opened by the 14 year old on duty. Total cost with tip (optional in India) 65 rupees, or about a buck fifty. We are definitely coming back.

aeryk

What'cha gonna do, what'cha gonna do when they come for you...

        

On the road with law enforcement in Mysore, India. 

Last year the cops showed up at this place across the street from us in a bus, the guy in the striped shirt had none, the upstairs windows were smashed out, a demented grandpa held the secret whereabouts of a fugitive, and a dead body still lay in the living room. This year they have toned it down a bit. It's helpful to step away from something and get a fresh perspective, or allow for changes to arise in that which is seen and create a new relationship to it. Who are we when we look in the mirror unchanged? Even a day affords a lifetime of catalyst to set in if allowed. Although my own practice suffered in many ways this past year, I can also feel a re-bonding to where I left off with myself, and haven't lost ground in the big picture. Today we held our ankles in our backbends, just like the day before, and every day feels new, every glance in the mirror a different visage reflecting the newest Now. What does this have to do with the cops? Not much. Except the family is still grieving and sometimes we need help sorting things out. I am thankful for this mixed experience in a crazy time in my life, and I am already changed, again.

aeryk

Plan-C...

Here's the deal- when life hands you lemons, and you hate lemonade, you trade them for grapes, and try to get someone else to make wine. It is true that we left home on Wednesday Jan 6th, all packed into Kara's car, but at the airport we found that we were switched to Air France, with a stop in Paris. I knew this was too good to be true, even to rub my face in a trip I can't take. We were informed in a next-morning phone call that Lufthansa would be our carrier now, and that there was to be a stop in Frankfurt, Germany. I called for confirmation and the clerk sounded vague. At the airport, British Airways wasn't open. Not even staffed. Lufthansa said Air France only sent forward one ticket, and with 1 hour to board, we needed a ticket re-issued from BA to Air France so it could be forwarded to Lufthansa, and maybe-maybe we would get to sit together on one of the two 10-hour flights to Bangalore. And we were told without 48 hours notice, none of the three airlines could honor our Veg meal request. Bread rolls for lunch! As we were not the only ones to have travel mishaps, the Shala was open for registration on Saturday after all. We are now paid up for the month, rent is also paid up, and we are working on the technological aspects of this trip. Go skype! But we arrived during a festival time, so life is good.We even survived the Solar Eclipse, which affected our ability to get breakfast. It seems our restaurant was concerned about lunch attendance with the weather phenomena and it's evil affectations that their menu was limited so they could close for 6 hours. Maybe they will have a "survivor" special today...

aeryk

One Week!

Happy Pongal!  We always seem to arrive just in time for a festival here.  This week the cows are painted extra brightly, and the door step rangoli patterns drawn in rice flour by the ladies are especially beautiful and detailed.  

Aeryk and I are settling in to our first week of warm weather, power outages, and internet difficulties.  We lose electricity every day here a few times for minutes or hours at a stretch.  We knew this would be the case and planned some things ahead...I am loving my new head lamp!  

Our first week at the Shala was hot hot hot!  The morning temperatures have been fairly high, and all the bodies in the Shala lead to lots of moisture and sweat.  I have been soaking my leggings and shirts all the way through every day.  

During the first week we had a day of led primary series followed by 3 days of mysore style, primary series only for everyone.  All students end every week with a morning of led primary.  This was a very therapeutic beginning.  Sharath seems very comfortable and relaxed.  I really can't convey how difficult the led navasana is here!  Or the Utplutih...very very tough.   My body is really softening up already to the warm temperatures and though I haven't had difficult postures yet I feel open and ready for next week.  We have received the usual backbending routine.  The first day Sharath would not allow me to hold my ankles or even to bend for long, only to walk the hands to the heels.  The second day he told me to drop back, walk in, and then hold.  He likes to open people up slowly.  Saraswati has a very different style.  Aeryk had a nice plan to start gentle, but she just hauled him in whether he wanted to or not.  I received one of  hers as well this week and she is as strong and firm as ever!  The biggest change I have felt in my body here is that after the big bend I am just melting into the forward bend with no effort.  Very helpful considering they give a really strong crush right away after the backbend. 

It is wonderful to be here, meeting old friends and practicing again around the most amazing yogis.

I miss everyone from home, but I have been happy to hear that the morning classes have been full at the studio.  I like to think of everyone practicing, a half day in time away.  

vivian

Third Time's a Charm

Yes! We have arrived in style. Tomorrow I will tell all, including Plan-C, one airline ticket, shala registration, and what was for breakfast. Until then, we sleep.

*** aeryk

Yoga Is Plan-B

Yoga, contrary to popular belief, is not about obtaining supreme physical prowess in order to wrangle and subdue the ego and mind, paving the way for deeper thought and insight into the human condition, thereby allowing for a personal and societal evolution through this karmic self-surrender to a collective consciousness. I know how I may have misled a few of you, especially after some of my rants, but this is the way it is. The truth is, all yoga and all life is about 'plan-B.' Yoga prepares the soul for that startling moment when Plan-A doesn't work, and the body immediately goes into a classic fight-or-flight pattern as the senses scramble for direction. This could be as simple as the store being out of your favorite chocolate, or maybe the concert only has bleacher seats left. Your skill as a yogi comes into play when confronted with these moments.

Our challenge came at the airport. Upon arrival we found out that a broody stormcloud hangs over London, causing all British Airways flights to be canceled. And we just got through that 'strike' scare. We arrived too late to get on the next day flight (which will probably be also canceled, the clerk said) so we have been bumped over to Air France with no vegan meal and a two hour stop in Paris. Yes this is one of my dreams, but I always thought I'd see Paris on foot, not behind glass. And Paris itself is in the middle of snowfall, so there is still a chance that we will land in England anyway. Bangalore reports thunderstorms on and off this week so possibly a tumultuous, wet start to our tropical getaway.We will get to Mysore late but fortunately I was able to change our pick-up ride. Shiva is awesome !  The remaining issue of arriving Saturday for the Weds-Thurs-Friday Shala registration times will have to resolve itself later. In the meantime we are coasting in neutral and going with whatever flow is around us. We snuck into the Bandha Room for an emergency practice this morning and with any luck, we will be on some flight sometime today to take us someplace closer to there. If not, I will take a deep breath, focus my gaze, and visualize Plan-C.

***  aeryk