Second Post from India!

Wednesday, 30 December 2009, 9 pm

Today was a bit more low-key than yesterday.

I went to shop a bit for supplies – fruit, soy milk, and ghee. I used the internet at “Pune Central” which is a big western style shopping center. Bill told me about the place. I went in the morning and as I tried to walk in the guards stopped me and let me know it does not open until 11:30. I went back to my flat and had a nice lunch with my hosts and then went back to Pune Central around 1 pm. As I was sitting there trying to connect to the internet Bill walked up with his laptop and let me know that starting today you had to register to get the wireless password and show photo ID – apparently it’s a terrorist thing. Fear is worldwide! I was able to get the password without showing ID and updated my BLOG and answered some emails.

Bill and I walked down the alley that is next door to Pune Central. It was full of shacks and looked like a cross between rural life and deep city slums. The people living there were tending to the animals and their spaces and seemed content. There was even a big bright beautiful canopy in the middle. Bill suggested is might be for a wedding. From my perspective it looked like a rough life. We have so much to be grateful for, so much. See the slideshow below. All of the pictures are from the alley.

I spent the afternoon reading in my noisy room. Apparently they are drilling a water well just across the alley from my flat. From 7 am to 7 pm the drill was running non-stop. It didn’t get to me but it was very loud. Had a nice practice in my room improvising the props situation because I did not bring any. I am looking forward to my first practice at the institute tomorrow.

My phone is finally activated. Part of the problem is that I don’t understand Marathi and did not get that I was supposed to create a profile for my phone before I could use it. Some sweet guy at the phone store hooked me up. Too late to call the states now but I will tomorrow.





Thursday, 31 December 2009, 12:30 pm

Practice, practice, practice. That is the core of the process. Today I had my first open practice at the Institute. Bill, of course, was there to give me the low down on the situation. Don’t fold the blankets this way, no blocks on the mats, don’t point your dirty feet towards Patanjali, and watch your props so they do not get appropriated!

What a gift it is to have so much time to just practice. Three hours enabled me to go deeply into the work I am trying to do here – padmasana (lotus). The studio was bustling with about 50 people all doing something different. There were some big shots over in the corner – Patricia Walden and Lois Steinberg. Geeta came in and took her position on the stage and did her practice. It was as if she was watching us all.

One month of this and I’ll be doing Matsyasana and Tolasana (look those ones up!)

It’s a beautiful day and I’m going to run around in a rickshaw driven by Nana. Nana is a sweet soul that is a friend of Bill’s.

Part II, 11:04 New Years Eve

It’s party time in India and bed time for paul. Another long day. Nana is awesome. He took me back to old Pune to look for a few tiffens, Ayurvedic herbs, incense, sandalwood oil and candles. He bargained for me saving me 400 Rs. on the tiffens. It would be un-American of me not to shop. I would dislike getting deported before I even start classes. He knew where everything was.

Note the street scenes and the women on scooters with traditional Indian clothing.

He showed me an old castle that had burned down hundreds of years ago but still had the foundation and anything that was stone. Notice the door in the slideshow below. The picture of me with college engineering students was at the castle. They approached me and asked if they could take my picture. I said yes as long as they were in it too. It was sweet. They knew plenty of english and were happy to tell me they were studying engineering.

Nana knows that I am interested in places of worship from all traditions and took me on another tour of some temples. Hindu for now. Muslim and Christian later. We went to four temples one of which is in the slideshow below. Some of the temples forbid photos being taken. One was a multi deity, one was dedicated to Ganesh, another multi deity, and one to Shiva. They were all cool but the one to Shiva was outstanding. It was carved out of solid rock and about the size of half a football field. Right in the middle of the city! The energy there was awesome. I’ll get some pictures of it during the day. It is one place I will be going back to. Apparently it is famous – Pataleshweo Cave. More on this later. The public ritual and devotion are beautiful to be witness to.

We barely had time for tea before a dinner date. The tea here is black, with milk and plenty sweet. The Indian’s like their sweets. Dinner was with Bill, my buddy Don from Idaho (yup, they have Yoga in Idaho) and with Geeta Bhojwani. Geeta is the woman who sold me the Patanjali statue in the studio (through Don a few years ago). She is friends with almost all of my teachers and is a smart, beautiful and amazing woman. She sells handicrafts and gifts and a lot of Iyengar Yoga students are her clients. She and her husband were quite the hosts.

Tomorrow I have the honor of another 3 hour practice and then my first 2 hour class with Geeta Iyengar in the evening. Then it will be lots of yoga until I return to the frosty NW. Just in case you are wondering it is very warm here – maybe mid eighties. Fans on, deck doors open, shorts and no shirt.

As usual, in bed before midnight on New Years. Happy New Years all.