My diary says I’m on practice day 50 which, give or take the odd moon day (no practice), and a six day practice week, means I’ve been here in Mysore 75 days, with about 25 more to go (I’m going for the century!) Really enjoying my time so far, loving the early morning yoga practice, refreshing coconuts afterwards, meeting dozens of beautiful souls from all corners of the world, enjoying the variety of food on offer, scooting about the place as I get to grips with the madness, frustrations and utter beauty that is India. Oh, and finally the owner of a Royal Enfield Classic…
Coming here fulfilled a long held ambition to practice at the home of Ashtanga Yoga. Over the years (almost ten), like many others I’ve had a love/hate relationship with the Ashtanga method, primarily because of the intensity and discipline it demands as it challenges you physically and mentally like no other form I’ve tried. It’s a rare breed that will stay the ashtanga course. Some might say a little obsessive or masochistic, but that’s unfair to the many truly dedicated practitioners and wonderful teachers who go through more pain barriers than long suffering Leeds United supporters!
Since the start of January I’ve been getting up at 4am for my 5am slot. Practice takes about ninety minutes and with 25 in the studio at a time, a nice energy pervades. My teacher, Saraswati, now in her seventies, is there every morning from 4.30am guiding students of all levels from beginners to advanced. Her deep brown eyes ooze lovingkindness and affection, but don’t let that fool you as she also has tremendous strength and will grapple you, somewhat unceremoniously at times, into a posture. Nearly every other day she will come to me and ask “you catching?” meaning am I grabbing hands together behind my back as I contort my body into a bound shape. As the sweat pores out of me I smile and say “yes, catching” to which she nods her approval and walks on, repeating the famous mantra “keep practicing, all is coming”!
What matters most to me is ‘how I practice’ rather than what I practice. Yoga postures are essentially mindful movements to the breath which stills the mind and builds awareness. Not wanting to oversimplify, because there is a lot more to it, but essentially it develops a healthy body and mind, that’s prepared for sitting still for long periods of time in meditation. As you grow inner awareness, so you become more present in the outside world, you develop greater compassion and understanding, maybe realise the universality of human suffering, and the meaning of unconditional love – this is what yoga means to me, as I try to become more fully human. It’s why I’m committed to practicing ’til the end of my days!
My diary is quite brief, just short notes about challenging postures and subtle energetic things that can quickly be forgotten once practice is over. There is a tendency to focus on the physical postures rather than more subtle energies which are also encountered on the mat, but rarely investigated. There is no escape on the mat. It’s you, the mat and all your mental and emotional clutter coming together in an energetic dance. You deal with whatever comes up. I won’t bore you with my baggage, suffice to say joy, sadness, anger and of course love have all arisen (but that’s almost everything right!). Physically I’ve noticed changes as my body slowly opens. As I go deeper into postures I have what I call my personal “Star Trek” moments (you know the line – “Space, the final frontier, going where no man has gone before”!) While I’m not yet my own proctocologist, I’m not far off! 🙂
I’m reminded of my yoga journey to date and to the many people I owe a debt of gratitude. Firstly, my great friend David Power in Sydney for putting me on the path in the first place, I hope to meet up with David soon for a yoga retreat in Thailand and maybe spend some time with him and his lovely family in Sydney. I have been truly fortunate to have had the guidance of some of the best teachers Dublin has to offer. My first teacher was the beautiful and inspiring Ciara Cronin of the Yoga Room, who also guided me through teacher training. The very knowledgeable David Collins of Ashtanga Yoga Dublin, who taught me the value of discipline and diligence. The humourous and playful Tony Purcell who taught me about compassion and softness in my practice, and of late the deeply committed and very caring Gillian Mooney who has inspired and encouraged me to come here. There are others that have been a big influence, principally the renowned David Swenson, the wonderfully talented James Higgins and the gifted Donna Fahri. To this list I now add Saraswati Rangaswamy, and I am humbled. Maybe next year Sharath! I hope I can do them all justice and maintain the new found momentum once I leave Mysore, so it supports me along whatever path I take.
On a lighter note. Recently while in savasana (the corpse pose yoga students take at the end of each class), the woman in front of me managed to sit on my head as she rolled up her mat backwards! I kid you not. To make an embarassing (for her I’d have thought) situation worse, she seemed completely unaware of contact, even when I moved my head to one side it still didn’t register. I figured she was either blissed out after practice, has a psychiatric issue or a numb ass! Next time I’ll try biting 🙂
Every so often I get out and about camera in hand, looking to capture Mysore life. The hustle and bustle of city life or the peace and quiet of the nearby Kukkarahalli Lake, with it’s wide variety of bird life such as Painted Storks and Spot-billed Pelicans. Street photography can be challenging, if not life threatening, but usually very rewarding as you mix it with traffic, cows, the odd monkey, and local people who have no conception of personal space. A twenty minute ride and you’re in the countryside where villages throw up interesting people and scenes. Kids here have low expectations and play happily with little more than a used bicycle tyre or a cricket bat, animals roam freely, women dress in many splendid colours, and there’s always some kind of celebration going on. Recently, they celebrated Makar Sankranti, a harvest festival, a bit like halloween at home. Neighbours offer each other food and they dye wash cows yellow with tumeric – any excuse to add colour, that’s India. Oh, and I was done for not wearing a helmet again the other week. This time I was ready with my 100 rupees and when I refused a receipt, the smiling policeman said “thank you”. That is also India!
Life here can be a real challenge, the laws of the jungle are never far away. There’s a certain dog eat dog attitude running side by side with a fatalism ready to accept whatever. Incapable of saying no, Indians always say yes even if they know they cannot deliver. Being negative will bring negative karma, or so they believe. It can be frustrating at times. While charming and portraying a certain spiritual quality there is nothing very spiritual about the caste system, nor the way women are treated. Too often I have seen inappropriate behaviour from menfolk and I have heard countless stories of western women being groped and abused. India remains deeply mysogenistic, women are simply second class citizens. It is perhaps best summed up by a sign I came across outside an orphanage nearby that is truly shocking. “Do not kill your baby, leave it here” it reads, next to a cage where mothers can leave the infant to be taken into care. Baby girls are the main victims of fillicide, as arranged marriages and dowry provision remain an integral part of the culture here. This I find hardest to deal with.
There are many extra-curricular learning activities here from chanting sacred texts and philosophy, to learning sanskrit, ayurveda or traditional Indian cooking. Massage and healing services are also available. For January I signed up for Sutra Chanting and Philosophy classes with eminent teachers Dr Jayashree and Professor Narasimhan of the Anantha Research Foundation. We gather in a small room in their home in the heart of Mysore city every Mon-Thurs from 10.30-1.30. The teachings are from the ancient Indian sage Patanjali, are universal in nature, and are delivered in the Sruti Parampara tradition (call and response). Both teachers are beautiful, happy and generous people, always in good humour, extremely humble and respectful. While it may not be everyones cup of tea, for me it has been a highlight. Dr Jayashree delivers sutra chanting, while Prof Narasimhan gives a one hour philosophy talk around a different sutra each day. Here’s a clip of the “Living Masters” in action if you want to know more.
Foodwise, I’ve had some beautiful meals in some of the most unlikely places. Home cooking by the “three sisters” is something to behold. Sitting on a mat in a cold porchway that fits no more than six people, they serve you more than enough beautifully seasoned and cooked traditional Indian food. In general, most of the time I haven’t a clue what I’m eating, but it all tastes great, and I’ve avoided the you know what (Delhi B). Usually, I aim to eat a western style breakfast (porridge/fruit/coffee/eggs) which I have at home or out in one of the yogi cafes, an Indian lunch, and a little fruit and tea in the evening. Haven’t watched TV in 4 months and I’m in bed by 9pm. I’m a saint.
I get on well with Bhagva, my extremely kind and generous landlady, and her retired husband Swami. They cooked me a lovely traditional Indian lunch recently, which went down a treat. They also have the most gorgeous grandchild, Aditi, who has just turned 4 but already commanding the place whenever she visits. When she opens the door for me, it’s always with a “welcome Tommy Uncle” (as I’ve come to be known) and a wave of the hand inviting me inside, just adoreable! I was kindly invited to her 4th birthday party recently and 15 friends and family all gathered for a lovely meal in a downtown Mysore restaurant. I’ve been made feel very much part of their family making my stay here all the more special.
My visa runs out by mid-March so am starting to make plans. Already many have departed leaving a tinge of sadness, but a desire to meet again. I’ll be here practicing yoga until end of February, then it looks like north to Gokarna and Goa for a short break, meet up with Tony Purcell, before I leave India. The Enfield has been acquired (a beautiful 2012 Chrome Classic 500 with just 3,000 kms on the clock), so I’m good to go(a). After that it looks like Thailand, then maybe Australia but I’m not sure yet, as a good friend of mine likes to say, the universe will provide, it always does!
Namaste
A World of Wanders 