Amaera's Blog

Here is where and when I am facilitating yoga, for anyone who would enjoy practicing with me:

Monday- 6a, 7a, 11a, 12p @ Chico Sports Club

Tuesday- 8:15a @ Fit One; 4p @ In Motion

Thursday- 8:15a @ Fit One

Friday- 12p, 5:30p @Chico Sports Club

Saturday- 10a @ Chico Sports Club

Sunday- 8a @ Goddess Temple (most Sundays); 10a, 4p @ Chico Sports Club

Yes, I teach small groups and individuals privately. This is still new, and it's important to state that I'm not a physical therapist, although I can help you design and develop a personal yoga practice that is suitable to your needs. I love to volunteer to teach for high-risk youth populations, so feel free to contact me about any such opportunities. I keep forgetting to tell people that I practice interior design (vastu inspired). I'm working on the full-blown web-site, but it will be a while. Maybe this is the year it will launch!

Feel free to contact me: amaera@baylaureldesign.com.

The challenge for me since returning from India has been to balance my schedule such that I have time for relaxation and rejuvenation outside of teaching yoga classes and work. I feel an acute need for a personal practice, such as meditation and yoga studies in the early morning at home. I've not felt like I had the time or mental space for reviewing my notes from KYM. It's that age-old conflict that so many of us face: how to contend with day-to-day responsibilities, and yet, still find time to pursue a dream. And what if you have diverse interests like I do? I want to study yoga, yet I also desire to paint, learn photography techniques, and become a better writer. So many intrigues... so many temptations. Our senses pull us ever outward. Again, back to finding and creating space for a daily "inward" practice. Let me know if you have any tips or wise council. I'll be putting one foot in front of the other... taking one breath at a time...  

I was uncertain about teaching yoga again, feeling a little nervous and self-conscious since I've not had much time enough to reflect on what I learned in India. I need to carve out some time to do just that. Sit, drink tea, meditate, review my notes, and just 'be' with the experience and information. I'm doing my best to adapt to a full and busy schedule again. It was so nice to be a full-time student for six weeks!

My classes have felt a little "rough" to me, like an artist's thumbnail sketches, I can see that I have a lot of "tightening" and "cleaning up" to do. Of course, I'm passing on teachings that are completely new to me. It's a great opportunity to relax and not judge myself harshly. I'm sure it will take some months, and perhaps even years, for this classical approach to yoga to take a firmer hold in me. Practice makes perfect. And yoga, if it's anything, it is a practice.

It's so great to be seeing friends who I've not seen in weeks. How nice to be home in our quiet, clean, "small-town-city."

Hello Friends! I have written a long Email to my guru, Nancy, describing the healing yoga conference that I'm attending. I'm sharing it with you now, because yes I'm in California, but I'm just two more days away from finally coming home to Chico!

As Desikachar would say: "My Dear Friend," It's been an wonderful and eventful four days, and I'm happy to finally be checking in! I'll be heading home late Wednesday afternoon... The workshop has been very meaningful thus far. Friday evening began with a lecture and meditative chanting at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. This was, in Kate Holcomb's words, "An auspicious beginning" for the conference. Of course her words have a reference to the first sutra in Chapter 1 of the Yoga Sutras.

Indeed, the Cathedral lent a dramatic and sacred feeling to Desikachar's words. He immediately reminded us that yoga is not just a body practice, but is a certain inner reflection. He spoke at length about Pantajali, and how very diplomatic Patanjali was in providing us with many, many practices to choose from, and that he never insisted that you must believe in God. And yet, the more people practice, the more they develop an inner attitude which causes them to begin asking certain questions and become more open to suggestion.

Desikachar then spoke about believing in a higher being, and all the results and benefits of surrendering to a higher force. He said that if you can surrender to God (Buddha, Brahman, or whatever you choose to call this higher being), you will realize your own consciousness. And if you realize your own consciousness, nothing will disturb you. Not only that, he went on to say that the higher being is located in our heart. Desikachar also told us many beautiful little stories and examples to illustrate the points of his discussion. He said that in the ancient tradition, the higher being said, "let me enter the heart... I will be waiting on them there... and if they realize it, it will be very good for them." Desikachar then said, "It is up to you to realize."

"If I don't practice asana and pranayama," he continued, "how can I relize my higher being - because I have impurities." Little by little, with practice, you will have clarity he assured us. "Clarity reveals itself." Then Mr. Desikachar called upon Chase Bossart and Kate Holcombe to talk a little about how they had been transformed by the power of yoga. Kate and Chase run the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco and both spent an extensive amount of time studying at the KYM in Chennai, India.

He concluded the evening by leading the entire group of approximately 300-400 attendees in a meditative chanting practice. After Desikachar had led us through a series of chants which calmed and settled my mind, he had shown respect for the space that we were in by sharing a chant of his own creation which honored Jesus Christ. I have to tell you, the sound of our voices in Grace Cathedral was incredibly inspirational. My partner Jon and I walked silently down the street afterwards, both inwardly reflecting for a long time and not wanting to break the spell of what we'd experienced.

*

The next two days (Saturday and Sunday) were very busy days. Hundreds of people attended the morning and afternoon sessions. The morning sessions include 45 minutes of meditative practice, followed by a 10-15 minute break, and then a three-hour workshop. On Saturday the lecture topic was Healing Through Yoga in which Desikichar discussed the power of yoga as a holistic approach to the human system. He talked about all the dimensions of our system: body, breath, mind, personality, emotions and spirit. He gave many examples and told many stories which illustrated how these dimensions overlap and affect one another. Then on Sunday the lecture topic was Releasing Old Habits, which explored how we can shift our old patterns and replace them with new ones.

There has been a fair amount of practice, which has involved pranayama and asana followed by chanting and reflection. The chanting and inner-reflection is a meditative practice. He has been presenting different "themes." We chant certain slokas which relate to the theme (the themes thus far have included the sun, the moon, Patanjali, and more), he will ask us to refect on a certain aspect of that theme as we practice pranayama. The practice is deceptively simple. It is only afterwards that I realize the complexity of what I've experienced. As I reflect on what has been presented in such a short amount of time, and how many tools were woven into our practice to address the human system on ALL levels - not just asana and pranayama. And it's all delivered in such a seemless and graceful manner.

This was my experience at the KYM in Chennai as well - that the practices were deceptively simple and yet intricate and incredibly effective. It is like a spider's web in a way, so carefully and delicately engineered. It seems to be such a simple and fragile design and yet it is a strong and complex web at the same time. The afternoon sessions during the weekend were fascinating, and led by many different teachers including Mrs. Menaka Desikachar, Kate Holcombe and Chase Bossart.

I attended a session called Yoga as a Therapeutic Process, which was taught by Menaka Desikachar. She reviewed the Pancamaya model, detailing the intake process of working with an individual, and reviewing how to apply the tools of yoga to address the needs of the individual. This was actually a review for me of what I'd just spent one month studying at KYM in Chennai. But of course I heard different perspectives and stories from Menaka compared to my other teachers at the KYM, so I was able to learn something new and gain a deeper understanding of this subject.

On Sunday I attended a workshop taught by Chase Bossart, called Samskaras and the Yoga Sutras. This was a very interesting workshop for me, since studying the Yoga Sutras is my favorite thing right now. We looked at a handful of specific sutras which explained how Samskaras are created, and how we can release old habits. [Samskaras are patterns or habits by the way, which can be good or bad.]

All of the sessions that are taking place Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are being led by Mr. Desikachar. There is a 45-minute meditation in the morning, and then a three hour workshop. Both the meditation and workshop have involved asana, pranayama, and chanting. Everything is integrated in this approach to yoga, at least it is in the way that Desikachar teaches it. Our workshop topics are: Monday - Brahmana, Langhana, and Samana Techniques Tuesday - Mantra, Mudra, Meditation Wednesday - Working with Bandhas.

The conference is taking place at Fort Mason, which is a gorgeous setting right near the Marina. The air is so crisp and clear here - especially compared to Chennai! I find myself gratefully drawing in very deep breaths as I walk from the Fort Mason Youth Hostel (where I am staying) to the buildings on the waterfront where the conference is being held.

Thank you for the opportunity to share these thoughts with you. I'm learning so much about myself, and realizing how profoundly yoga has changed everything for me.

With much love, Amaera

Whoa! I just got off the phone with a woman at the Small Business Development Center, and my goodness! I forgot how FAST people talk here, it was like speed racing through the conversation at 90 mph. You've probably all heard of "Chico time" or some other aphorism? Well "Chico time" is nothing compared to "India time." And business in India is anything but efficient. I remember sitting, and sitting, and sitting... waiting, and waiting, and waiting... whether it was in a restaurant, or at the yoga school, or what have you. There was simply no rush to help the next person, and if the waiter finally remembered to take your order, or to bring you the check, well, you might actually get out of the restaurant in under two hours. Maybe there could be a balance between California and India... a happy medium speed? Because one is too slow for me, but California (even our fair Chico) is a little too fast! I hung up the phone and had to take a deep breath. I guess the point is to get to the point and move on, fast.

Below is an edited journal entry that I wrote during my last week of school at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandarim. I hope to "flesh-out" each one of the classes in time, sharing some of the particular lessons. There are many unique tools that it would be wonderful to share with others, such as particular breath exercises from the Pranayama class, or certain meditation themes. I'm posting this incase anyone is interested to get an overview of what a single day consisted of:

The four weeks of lessons built one upon the other. The first week was an introduction to concepts, and by the end of the second week I felt overwhelmed by the volume of information we were being given. The third and fourth week it quickly became evident that we would only be scratching the surface of the subject matter being shared with us. I relaxed a bit, accepting that this was one small step in my yoga journey, and there was no need to feel any anxiety about missing anything or not getting "enough." How I will miss these daily routines!

The morning asana sets the tone for the day, and all the "themes" of that practice are reflected later in our Theory of Asana and Pranayama class, in our Pranayama class, and especially in our Meditation class. The morning practice feels so nourishing and natural. The windows are all open, some fans are turned on, and the warm, tropical air is perfect for the joints and muscles as we warm up for the "goal" posture of the day. Every single posture is linked with a specific breathing technique, and you simply do not move without focusing on the duration and quality of your breath as you're moving. The combination of pranayama and asana seems to awaken a natural vitality inside, which enables us to practice more challenging postures with less "warm-up."

After asana there is a long breakfast break, where chai and fruit are always served, and then some sort of Indian breakfast is provided. This usually consists of dosai and chutney. The dosai is a lentil/flour pancake of sorts that is rolled up and sometimes stuffed with a curried potato/onion filling. This is served with a veggie gravy (Samba), coconut or tomato chutney. Sometimes there are idlys, which are little rice pancakes. And my personal favorite was only served three times: a thin rice cereal with coconut milk (add sliced bananas). There is much friendly banter during breakfast and soon it's time to rush back down to the studio and sit quietly, waiting for the prayer that will begin our lesson.

Theory of Asana and Pranayama is the first class after breakfast, which provides a basic understanding of how yogic science views the human system. We learn the classical poses from the Viniyoga approach, which yoga surtras refer to the physical body directly, we also spend a great deal of time reviewing the "families" of poses, how to prepare for each particular pose, and why we do counterposes. Pranayama is eventually introduced and there is a great deal of theory about why we do pranayama, what the effects are on the human mind, and an introduction to breath exercises is provided, including an explaination of the classical form of pranayama and how Krishnamacharya viewed this form.   

Philosophy of Yoga is the most fascinating and challenging class, taught by Sangeetha, a petite, fiery woman with sparks in her eyes. She's demure at the same time that she's commanding. She's about 45 years old, greying hair pulled back into a simple, small bun. She wears smart, small rectangular-framed glasses and always has mysterious coal around her eyes. She doesn't wear a bindi, like all the other female teachers, and we've gradually come to learn that she's more of an atheist. Her mind works quickly, like a wild fire she spills forth quotes, sutras, references, and we clamor to keep up. We're being introduced to most of Chapters I and II. There are so many interesting concepts shared in this class that I wish to slowly review my notes and ponder the best way to share these ideas with others. It is evident, immediately, that what they say is true: studying the yoga sutras is a life-long endeavor. Each time you go through the yoga sutras you can learn something new about them, depending on whom your teacher is. Because the yoga sutras are meant to be experienced, and everyone has a different set of life experiences.  

Vedic Chanting is such a brain-puzzler. They say that the chanting is intentionally challenging so that your mind HAS to focus. It's very hard to have monkey-mind when you're trying to sing, "annamayapranamayamanomayavijnanamayanandamaya" in one exhalation and in the correct tone! Afterward chanting class I feel calm and peaceful. Although, I must say that it is challenging to chant when one's lungs are getting so polluted by Chennai air! On Friday, as part of our closing ceremony, the students will all chant for the teachers. Once we found out we were doing this, I noticed everyone got extreemly serious during our practices.

Lunch breaks are three hours long and I'll miss them. I found a restaraunt that I plan to return to on Friday for lunch. There is a large, wrap-around porch with marble-topped tables and big comfortable wicker chairs. The building is a two-story British relic about 100 years old surrounded by a lush, dense garden. The food is incredible, with daily specials and lots of variety. My other lunchtime activities have included sight-seeing (yesterday I went to a cathedral and cemetery), or staying at KYM with a lunch that I packed and then simply reading, resting, napping, or having one-on-one appointments a couple times.

After lunch is a 30-minute pranayama practice with a woman whose voice sounds like gravel. She croaks out the instructions in a deadpan, low, monotone and commanding way. We all love it. Several times, because of the heat, or inadequate sleep the pranayama has caused me to feel more delirious than refreshed. When I feel that my energy is low, I've learned to get to class 30 or even 60 minutes early and stake out my mat (everyone is kind of weird about "their" mat), and I take a mini-rest, closing my eyes in savasa for 20 or more minutes. Then I do a little asana practice and I'm all ready to go.

Application of Yoga is next, where we discuss how to apply what we're learning to our students. We've been talking about observation, inquiry, modifications, occupations, lifestyles, tools available to us, and much more. This instructor is an intense man, who presents his class as if he were captian of a ship commanding us on how to sail safely. He often leaves dramatic pauses in the midst of his sentences, and punctuates what he says with a question, "...isn't it?" Here's an example I'm making up: "Yoga is for what? Why do we do yoga?" (dramatic pause) "It's for the mind..... isn't it?" Every now and then a westerner will present a modification or variation of a pose that we are all-too-familiar with out in California, but which has yet to make waves at KYM in India. His brow will furrow (his eyebrows are almost as bushy as his mustache) and he'll say, "No." Or, "Why would you do that?" And then he'll present the classical, refined, and elegant Krishnamacharya solution. It's sort of like a vehicle without all the extra bells, whistles, confusion. When you get in a car if it has 100 buttons and lights, it's a little confusing and distracting. This is just pure, refined, intelligent yoga that focuses on function over form.

After Applications comes everyone's favorite. A tea break! This prepares us for our Meditation practice which involves chanting in conjunction with asanas - something that we do in no other class. We move into a pose on exhale, chanting instead of simply breathing out. The vedic chants are always explained to us, so we know for example that we are chanting something that acknowledges all our teachers (past, present, future), including ourselves. Or that we are chanting a word that means clear-reflection, or singing out a request, "may my mind be as clear as the one pure consciousness," or "may I let go of all my negative judgements about myself and others and cultivate compassion and kindness in my self." After several sets of chants and asanas, we usually sit down and there is a "call and response" style of chanting. We are reminded of the visualization or focus for that day's meditation. And for a time, we will sit and listen, continuing our visualization as the teacher vocalizes a longer, more complicated chant for us. Eventually the chanting stops, and a long period of silence follows.

When the meditation has ended, if there is not a special lecture that evening (tomorrow night there is a classical Indian dance being performed for us!) then everyone visits for a short period of time and group-off into twos and threes to go to dinner, or a craft fair, or a performance, or a temple, or...anything is possible!  

Dearest Friends;

I arrived home late on Sunday night, and slept most of Monday. After more than a month in uncomfortable and even more uncomfortable beds, I felt like I'd fallen into Nirvana when my head hit my pillow! I was up half of Monday night due to jet-lag, but awoke this morning around 6 a.m. and decided to combat the jet-lag by taking a walk to Bidwell Perk where I ordered a cappicino and sat down to read travel magazines! I've got the bug now!

I will be attending Desikachar's Healing Yoga workshop in San Francisco Oct. 1-7, and will return to teaching my regular yoga classes as of Thursday, Oct. 8th. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions: amaera@baylaureldesign.com.

Also, I have hundreds of photos and a few dozen videos to sort and organize. I will defiantely organize a time to share more about my experiences if anyone is interested, and otherwise I'll slowly start posting all the best photos and stories on my weblog.

Here's more of a detailed update if you care to read on:

My experience in Chennai was over-whelming. The yoga school is top-knotch and I will be forever grateful for what I learned there. I might even want to go back to KYM someday, but there is no denying that life in Chennai is very difficult. The pollution, traffic, and noise were all very toxic to me. I think the best way to experience Chennai is to hire a driver (with a car, not a rickshaw) for the duration of one's stay in this highly congested city. Taking a rickshaw occassionally can be convenient and an adventure, but being inside a car is easier on one's breathing, ears and eyes, nerves, everything.

I've told a few friends an example to illustrate how intense life there can be, which I'll share with you: After a long day getting to school, having a lunch-break, returning to school, and finally making it home, I would take a shower and use Dr. Bronner's soap and a washcloth to scrub my entire body. I would take a very, very long shower, with warm-to-hot water. After I dried off, I would then take cotton balls and rubbing alcohol and wipe off my skin, especially my hands, neck and chest, the back of my neck and ears, my upper back and the cotton balls would repeatedly come off black! This is after a soapy shower! It would take several rounds of cotton balls until I finally felt clean enough, even though I could have kept going. Sometimes I'd rinse off again, and I would always fall exhausted into bed.

When you walk out of the front door in the morning, you are immediately blasted with humid air and simply must adapt to your clothes clinging to your body all day long from the sweat and humidity. I know that many of you know personally what this is like. On weekends it becomes essential to find an 'escape' of some sort, as I finally learned after going to the Beach Resort with Andreja. An escape to cleaner air makes all the difference, although I suppose that many people simply adapt to life being what it is in that city. Obviously they do, and it amazes me. I found myself wondering how many of them know of anything any different.

During my last three days in Chennai, the pollution finally got to me and I developed some sort of chest cold, mainly having a cough and congestion, although my eyes were also experiencing an allergic reaction, and I had an on-and-off headache. The altitude of the flights home aggrivated the matter, and by the time I landed in San Francisco I felt as though I were 20-feet under water. So needless to say, I've needed to rest, and I have done little more than that for the 48-hours that I've been back.

Over the next few weeks I plan to re-read my journals, and slowly "un-pack" the memories (books), and experiences from my five-weeks in India. What is more than evident to me now, is that I am a novice when it comes to traveling. Travel is most certainly an art and a skill that I've had rare opportunities to hone. Furthermore, the purpose of this trip was my yoga education, and the four weeks of school were intense, taking much of my energy and focus. I already know that I'd like to journey back to India someday for sight-seeing and "tourist" purposes since I feel I barely scratched the surface of seeing or learning anything about Indian culture. It's a vaste and diverse country, and a tour of an entire region would be fascinating and worthwhile.

I am deeply pleased and satisfied with my experiences at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Madarim, and I treasure the many yoga books that I acquired at KYM and other bookstores, which are only sold in India. I feel so grateful to have had an experience that proved to me how wonderful my own teacher Nancy has been, and how fortunate I am to be living in California where educational experiences abound. I found myself in tears many a time, and they were almost always tears of joy. I'm sure I'll be experiencing "reverse culture shock" for a while, and my intention is to use my experiences to make positive changes to how I live life here in the United States. 

It's nice to be home, and I look forward to seeing my friends and family soon! Just let me know anytime anyone wants to go get some Indian food or chai! I'm sure I'll be craving it!

Hello Friends! Family! Loved Ones! My Teachers, One and All!

I feel so much affection and gratitude. It's very healthy to be aware of what little others have, to feel more compassion toward others and examine one's shortcomings and strengths, mistakes and victories in the experiential lab/playground of life. I feel grateful that I can even call my life a "playground" experience.

Here's a little update about the past four weeks in Chennai. I'm finishing up my last week, and every aircraft that flies overhead is a reminder that I'm going home on Saturday night. Why I didn't book the plane for Monday is beyond me! I'm just not a very good travel agent I guess.

Food - the food has been great. I'm not doing very well learning the names of everything, but I'm finally (after four weeks) getting the hang of what to order and what not to order.  It's all about going to the right places too. There are plenty of restaraunts here that cater to westerners by speaking a little English and having English translations in the menus. I imagine plenty of waiters learn some English through their jobs.

I had excellent Tandori chicken the other day. The sauces, spices, gravys, and chutneys are amazing. Tonight I was actually craving an Indian dinner. Andreja and I went to "Sangeetas," popular amongst the students since it's so close to the Mandarim (and so good). I ordered 'nan' with garlic (my absolute favorite -they heat up bread and it has little slices of practically raw garlic cooked in and butter as well).

 

 

 

 

Dr. V.R. Seshadri, the Chief Physician at Vishesh Ayurvedics, was the special speaker at KYM last Thursday evening. All of the students were eager for his lecture, myself included, since Ayurveda and Yoga are such complimentary and historically linked practices. Dr. Sheshadri shared the basics: that Ayurveda has been existence for several thousand years; that it is not a system of health, but a way of life; that building up the immunity of our system is the key, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 

He then discussed Prakrati, the constitution of the patient, which includes Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata is understood as the elements space air, Pitta is composed of fire and water, and Kapha is water and earth. We all have these qualities, althought we are each born with one predominant, and it will remain the predominant dosha throughout our lives. There's so much literature on the web about Ayurveda, I won't bore you with facts, but I do want to share my Ayurvedic consultation and treatment with you!

The morning after Dr. Sheshadri's talk, I called for an appointment and was amazed when they invited to come in at lunch time. So two other students and I made our way over to the Ayurvedic clinic and found ourselves wa

When it was my turn for a consultation, I was immediately affected by the doctor's genuinely friendly demeanor. He made lasting eye contact and smiled often. Initially he asked me to tell him about myself, and I found that words and emotion just started pouring out of me. I told him about my chronic joint pain and low energy, and how I thought I was a Vata but I didn't know what this meant in terms of my occupation, and how my appetite, digestion and sleep were unpredictable, etc.

He was so calm and confident as he explained the constitution of a Vata. He seemed to be joyful about telling me it was no problem, it was no fault of my own, and there were plenty of reasons why these things were happening and plenty of things I could do to improve my health. He very gently took hold of my wrist, checking my pulse and announced that my prediction about being a Vata was correct. He had me lay on a table where he gently prodded my stomache. I checked my pulse with a stethoscope, placing it in dozens of places on my chest and back, moving it around quickly rather than just checking only a few spots for a long time as I'm accustomed to. He took my weight, looked at my tongue and eyes, and took my blood pressure. We visited for quite a while longer about how I could treat my symptoms.

I find that I have absolute faith that Ayurveda is going to help me heal my imbalances and preserve my health, at least it's a new path to try. So I ask the doctor about Ayurvedic medicines and before I know it I've got a cheap six-month supply of medicine and oils specific to my dosha type. He assures me that rather than cutting back on the number of yoga classes I teach (as I've been fearing I need to do), my energy levels can be improved with the help of the supplements, but mostly by developing a disciplined pranayama practice, regular sleep cycle, and improved diet. I feel enormous trust that this is leading me in the right direction, and I schedule an Ayurvedic detoxifying oil massage treatment for the next day.  

*

Saturday I am taken into the "women's" side of the building, where "Shanti," my massage therapist is heating up oils on a single burner table-top stove. The massage table looks like a human bread board to me -- just a big slab of wood in the middle of the tiny room with little sides to it so the oil wouldn't run off the table. There's a small indentation at the top of the table for your head/face when laying face down, and one horizontal raised band of wood just below this, which I found out was a "pillow" for the back of my head when I laid down on my back.

The treatment involves vigorous rubbing of hot oil into the skin. I notice that after awhile all of Shanti's movements are downward, sweeping her hand down the leg toward the foot for example. After I've turned over onto my stomache and she is working the oils into the back of my body, one (or is it two?) other Indian women are walking through the room occassionally. I hear what sounds like the Doctor's wife's voice, who is also a doctor. The womenb are speaking in Tamil, and giggling a little. I appreciate that they must not realize this would make me feel slightly uncomfortable, considering the state I'm in. But in the next instant, I don't even care. This is India, and everything is done differently around here. 

Quite suddenly they ask if I'd like some tea. Right in the middle of this hot oil massage! But the tea is surprisingly rejuvinating and I'm so grateful for it! Later I learn this is of course why they serve the tea during the massage. So I drink half the cup, saving the other half for later. I lay back down and she starts pounding and wiping off my body with a really hot cloth bundle that is filled with some sort of herbs. It soaks up just enough hot water and she continually re-heats it, re-soaks it. She's "polishing" me off. After this I sit up and she does my hands and toes (heating them and popping the knuckles). I'm given the rest of my tea and shown to the bathroom, where I take my bath out of the bucket that is filled with half hot and half cold water. There's a big bar of herbal soap and I was told to bring my own towel (which I did).

After I bathe and dry off, my skin feels amazingly alive. I feel lighter and none of my usual aching joints (my wrists, my hip, my knee, or my neck) hurt the rest of the day. After the treatment, the doctor and his wife personally usher me into their office to find out how I liked the treatment. Their faces are radiant and they are so happy to serve. I'm amazed that I've only paid $12 for this treatment. I had a similar Ayurvedic Treatment in California once, and it was ten times as expensive and not as effective. The massage was very gentle and the oils were not heated. The vigorous massage with hot oils insures that the herbs are going to get into the skin and circulating.

Perhaps it's my Ayurvedic afterglow, but nothing bothers me once I'm outside again. Not the five or ten minute wait before my rickshaw driver shows up, not the noise of the horns honking, not the pollution of the streets  -- although a part of me would prefer to preserve the sanctity of my skin after such a blissful experience. The benefits to my mindset are pronounced, and I go about my day like a tigress. What do I want to do now? I have Anthony, the rickshaw driver, take me all over Chennai for twelve hours that day. He has to wait for hours while I go inside Higgenbaums, the historical Chennai bookstore, and while I lounge at the Amethyst cafe having a Tandori chicken dinner and then sipping my chai and nibbling on a chocolate brownie. I worked so hard for this day of bliss in Chennai! I relish every last bite of it.

iting in a cramped little lobby, docorated with a 3D gold Ganesha portrait, which twinkled with little LED lights. When the door of his office opened and he invited the next patient in, I caught a glimpse of a bright aqua-marine-blue painted wall behind his desk literally covered with plaques from floor to ceiling. I thought, "Any doctor with a bright blue wall is a doctor I can trust."

 

Andreja is a fellow student in the Heart of Yoga program who invited me to come with her to a little beach resort today. Located just 45 minutes out of town, it was a much needed rest and get-away. We paid 200 Rs ($4) for the day, received towels, and sat under a palm-tree cabana where they strung up our hammocks for us. We ordered tea and food and had a lovely conversation about our lives back home, yoga, and various other subjects. This is Andreja's third course at the Mandarim, and she's staying until Nov. 15th to attend two additional courses.

Andreja and I talked a little about how questions and doubts can sometimes interrupt the flow of the teachings. Our classes are 50 minutes long, and there are often 20-30 minutes of comments and questions from the Western students. Of course, I've had a few questions come up as well. It's interesting to notice how questions can put up an obstacle to understanding when you'd think it would be the opposite. Often the KYM teachers ask if there are "any doubts?" rather than asking if there are any questions. And I've notice that quite often the questions really are doubts about the validity or truth of what is being taught. Sometimes the "question" will begin with the word, "But..." So, rather than trusting and being open to the teachings, I wonder if it's only natural that Westerners seem to struggle with accepting these ancient concepts; we seem to have a need to rationalize and analyze everything, demanding evidence, and wanting to know the scientific underpinnings a particular concept. I've started to hear all these questions/doubts as the vrtti of the ctti, that is "whirlpools" or "fluxuations" of the mind - exactly what the Yoga Sutras are guiding us toward controlling and reducing.

In any event, today (Sunday) was the ideal day of rest at the "Ideal Beach Resort" South of Chennai. I took a nap in my hammock, read my book, ate a wonderful little meal, had some chai, and swam in the ocean waters. The water temperature was warm, as was the salty ocean breeze that caressed my skin all day. My sinuses finally feel cleared up after four weeks of Chennai pollution!

So, I have a lovely new friend yoga friend, Andreja ("Eja") from Amsterdam. She's thirteen years older than me, and her manner is very clear and straightforward. In other words, she is elegant. I love her sense of style (she dresses flawlessly), so I'm hoping she'll rub off on me. She's a role-model for me as to the type of woman I'd like to be a decade from now:) Eja invited me to visit her in Amsterdam anytime, and said she would like to keep in touch via Facebook. We had fun taking "vogue-yoga" photos of each other and I'm sharing a couple of the shots with you here.

I'm presently back at my flat, and about to dive into some homework due tomorrow. We were assigned a few asanas which we have to analyze and present how we would teach the pose including appropriate preparations and counterposes. Another assignment was to meditate on the light within for fifteen minutes, as this is one of Patanjali's recommendations for achieving a peaceful mind.  

Today I saw the sunrise; I attended the KYM morning lecture - but felt sleepy; I had a
nice breakfast with six other students; I went to my Ayurvedic massage; I briefly went to a shopping complex to get a swimsuit since Adreja (the woman from Holland) invited me to go to a little resort with her tomorrow and I might swim - so we'll see; and then I went to an old-old historical bookstore called Higgenbaums (you know how I like those
destination-bookstores, like Powell's!). An older woman named Premal gave me an exclusive tour of the old bookstore. Then all the sudden it started to pour down rain outside and they had to cover several aisles of books with tarps since the rain water just pours through sections of the roof! Then I went to an extremely nice restaraunt and shop. I had tandori chicken (yum!), plus tea and a chocolate brownie for dessert. I went into a shop that was NOT my style (some of this Indian stuff is way to chintzy and gaudy, all gold, floral stuff), although one of the salemen there had a great interest in yoga and learning how to give up smoking, so I talked to him for a while. Finally, I bought a very cheap roller-suitcase to take to the airport. Last time my bag was much too heavy for my shoulder.

More later...

It's Wednesday, and this week has seen a fair share of absences by my classmates. Misha, Kareena, Emannuel, Lorenzo, Renata, Sara... many people have been sick for 1/2 a day, or a full day. Sara has been visiting various offices to get her visa extended. There are several people planning adventures for the weeks that follow the KYM program. I feel so grateful that I'll be returning home to California to attend Desikachar's Healing Yoga workshop. This is the perfect way to come home to the U.S.A. 

A few of my classmates, from Sweeden and Finland, have commented that they think I am so lucky to live in California, where there is clearly a great number of yoga study opportunities. I have to agree. I feel fortunate.

Classes last week focused mainly on extending our exhalations, and then we began extending and retaining our inhalations. This week we've begun practicing pauses. Inhale partially, pause, inhale, pause, inhale, etc. This is easier because of the preparation we've had. As one teacher put it, "First you must empty the vessel before you can fill it, no?" The extension of the exhalation creates a natural receptivity for a fuller and deeper inhalation.

Even though I can't share too much now (we're on a lunch break, and it's started to rain!) I would like to share with you all that I'm taking SUCH good notes, I've become notorious amongst my classmates. Several of the students who have been absent have asked for copies from me, for the days they missed. One student said I could SELL copies of my notebook to them. Even the KYM staff member who makes the copies gave me a compliment on my penmanship. So, I feel very proud of how carefully I'm paying attention in class, and I'm taking meticulous notes because I know that this program is going to inspire and fuel my practice for a long time to come.

Thank you all again, for all of the ways you supported this trip. Sorry for any spelling errors, I'm typing fast and I feel the environment (the pollution) is really starting to wear me down. I plan to go home straight away, eat a good dinner, and go to sleep! 

I'll try to describe the KYM, especially since photography is strictly prohibited in the building. This is a brand new building actually. They've only had it open a year, so I feel incredibly lucky to be enjoying the comforts of it's amenities.

There is a magical quality to KYM. In the center of a city that can feel so crowded and noisy and dirty, you turn down a little-known street, 4th Cross Street, and the KYM is an oasis. It's a tall building, boasting five floors (I recently discovered the basement), plus it has a roof-top terrace. My first week here one of the young staff members who I befriended showed me a secret ladder that leads to the top of the elevator shaft. You can see all of Chennai from this birds' eye perch. It's a 360-degree view with no obstructions. I love it up there, and so far, I haven't told anyone about it. I just slip away from time-to-time, enjoying the sweet surrender of being away from it all for a short time. But perhaps I'll share it at the end of this week with a few of my friends from school. It's difficult to find "hidden moments" with such a full class schedule.

The interior of the building is quite austere, almost stark, which seems to lend a professional scientific and institutional feeling. It has completely white walls throughout, white tile floors, modernist black and brown wooden benches or leather sofas. There is currently a black-and-white photo show, a display of large (3'x5') black and white photos of Desikachar. A set of granite stairs winds up and around the elevator of the building (which a student from Finland pointed out to me was an elevator made in Finland). I've noticed that all throughout Chennai (at least the little that I've seen of it) there is a lot of granite, even in the cheap hotel I stayed at ($12-18 per night).

There is always a lot of foot traffic in and out of KYM. From day-to-day the place is buzzing with clients, families and individual patients after school hours, Saturdays are also fairly busy at KYM. I find myself waiting 20, 30, or even 40 minutes to get helped. The phones are constantly ringing.

There are quite a few other Western students at KYM who are not a part of our "Heart of Yoga" program. They are taking private classes. Two of the women are from Louisianna, and they are finishing an extended 2-3 teacher-training program. They fly to Chennai about twice per year. There are also quite a few Asian students, who appear to be visiting from China. There's a teacher training program for locals that is taking place at the same time as our program. Their classes are being held in the basement of the building, except for lunch-time, when they come up to the studio on the top-floor which is where our Heart of Yoga classes are held.

The studio on the top floor is serene, austere, with a massive glass window ceiling/skylight, and windows surrounding one side of the room. Horns can be heard in the distance, and there are usually crows calling from the tall trees outside. At the front of the room there is a large black and white photograph of Krishnamacharya, his hands in namaste. There is always a fresh garland of yellow daisies, or white jasmine strewn from the uppermost left corner of the picture frame to the uppermost right corner. His gaze is so peaceful and steady; when I'm having a challenging asana practice I imagine (or sense) his calming and reassuring presence.

In the mornings during asana practice, while it's still cooler outside, all the windows are left open and the many ceiling fans are whirling. It feels incredible to be practicing yoga in the tropical climate of Chennai. I would really like to take another excursion to the beach this week, if I can. Even though the beaches are terribly crowded with people, trash and vendors, the ocean is still the ocean. I find the rhythm of the waves meditative.

The KYM puts a strong emphasis on having and developing a personal practice. Today I met with a yoga teacher for one-on-one instruction on my yoga therapy practice, as prescribed yesterday by one of the yoga therapists. My teacher, Anupama, carefully and gently went through the practice with me, explaining the subtle aspects of each pose, observing my practice, making corrections, and counting out the breaths for me. She also taught me a chant and the moon meditation which is aimed at calming and cooling my system. This practice was so elegant and simple that there were several moments during the simple chanting exercises when I thought I might cry.

In the Heart of Yoga program, we are being taught the postures in their classical form, as Krishnamacharya taught them to his students. This week we started discussing how the postures can then be simplified/modified or intensified. It is wonderful to see postures in a new light. For example, Trikonasana, when performed in the "classical" manner does not rotate the foot and leg out as we know this posture today. Instead the feet remain parallel. The same is true of parsvakonasana. I'm also learning new terms and definitions. For example, Tadasana, which we refer to as "mountain" pose is not actually a word that means mountain. Today our teacher told us that a "Tada" is a palm tree! This is actually "palm tree" pose! ;-D However, it's not wrong to call the posture Mountain pose, or to turn out our foot in Trikonasana. What I love about KYM is that there is a deep respect for other traditions.

I'll share more with you tomorrow! It's so nice having an internet connection at my apartment. My housemates are great by the way. Anthony the rickshaw driver was less of a pest today and brought me a papaya. All of the classes are incredibly beneficial, and we're slowly working our way through Chapters 1 and 2 of the Yoga Sutras. Tonight I finally went to a bookstore to track down a sanskrit dictionary!

I miss and love you all!

    

 

My first week here there was a huge city-wide Ganesh Festival. Parades, fireworks and displays took place. Icons like the one pictured all over the city, on street corners or down a narrow road there will suddenly be a small temple.

Thank you to everyone who has posted little notes or sent messages of support! I miss you all.