It’s Lesson time again!! First, I’d just like to say how amazing it is to be in Rishikesh, Ram Jhula really, with a bunch of nomadic yogis. Everyone has a story, everyone has done considerable traveling and everyone has a true desire to be here, living in this moment and enjoying where we are and embracing all our daily practices. The people I have met in town have also been so welcoming and yesterday, Nagee (I’m sure I’m butchering his spelling), the owner of the yogi shop in town where I get pretty much everything, invited me to come along w/ him and a few other loyal customers from Russia to travel into the Himalayas to stay with his family and help at an orphanage. He said it would be very traditional, very hospitable and it sounds quite lovely, although I didn’t pack for snow, I also didn’t pack for marriage, which based on warnings I received from friends prior to leaving, may be a motivation. A bit leery am I? Yes, I’m a paranoid American, after all, who finds skepticism in anything good offered. I’m also a single female traveler and already preparing myself for coy eyes wanted to cop a feel on the trains or buses, I want to make sure I’m feeling 100% ok with anything like this. I have a few weeks to feel it out to see if I’m comfortable with the opportunity to partake in such an offer, which really sounds lovely. I did drop the “girlfriend” word (even though technically I’m single and blah blah.. It’s an easier term to use that’s self explanatory but I don’t need to get into semantics of my relationship in my blog to justify its usage or to anyone around town) to make clear I’m not into the male parts. He repeated the word so I know he caught on and understood so we’ll see. Oh shit, speaking of schlong, I left my Cialis at home too… maybe this isn’t a good idea since I forgot my penile rectal dysfunction meds. For the high altitude people!! The high altitude!! =) It could potentially be a really mind blowing and amazing experience though SO, we’ll see. I will probably make sure to get an Indian cell phone prior to if I do decide to go.
I’m sure all my yogi’s reading are dying to know what kind of physical practice I’m learning. I will say, it’s nothing like ashtanga or baptiste or anything vigorous for that matter. My school follows the teachings of Bihar, which is the first yoga university started in the world. Its focus is on tiny, individual joint movements and after each session of movement or after holding a particular pose for a certain amount of breaths, you relax, close your eyes, regulate your breath (or breeth as our teachers cutely say) and feel how that movement affected your body. I have to say, my lactic junkie, power flow lovin ass is kinda diggin it and I’m VERY glad I came here w/ no expectations because if I was expecting an ass kicking, I’d be really disappointed. Not to mention, I’m not sweating like a monster beast, which means I’m not having to do laundry every day. J I can’t imagine going to a class like this in Seattle but as a personal practice a few times a week or every morning before an ass kicking Terilynn or Leisha vinyasa class, it would be quite lovely! Of course there is the whole philosophical side as well but I can’t speak enough to that, except for my lessons from the mat, which bear with me, are a little further down.
Check what I get to do this weekend! Roshan told us we’re all going to be shoving catheters up our noses and out of our mouths on our day off. Sounds like a fun time to me! I immediately went to thinking, “oh wow, new party trick to show off with you know, whatever’s around that can fit up my nose!” Dominic on the other hand said, “wow, there’s a hole I never thought to explore!” to which I exclaimed, “this sounds like a whole new level of kink I never imagined going to but hey, this could be fun and exciting!” We’ll see how this new skill I’m supposed to acquire will manifest when I get home. ;)
Oh and the food - still fucking amazing! AH-MAZ-ING! I don’t know how I’m ever going to eat Indian food at home ever again. I mean, Travelers comes close but holy shit. If I was rich and had my own super duper smoking fast leer jet, I’d come to India just to eat. How’s that for my dream carbon footprint?!
Another random thought before I get deep, I always thought those pants Douglas wears to class are so silly looking. You know, the ones with the HUGE saggy crotch? (Here they are: I looked up "saggy crotch yoga pants" but apparently the correct term is "baggy") I have to admit, which I’m not nearly as ashamed to admit, unlike my love of my ugly fucking Crocs that keep my feet free from cow shit while walking around Ram Jhula, I bought a few pair and they are the most comfortable pants I have ever worn in my life. Holy… shit! Big crotch, loose fitting, flowy pants – WINNING!! Ok, enough of my rambling, onto the lessons!
Lessons from the Mat #2
- “ When you feel trouble, you are the trouble.”
- “The state of humans should be a consistent plateau of happiness, not ‘ups and downs’ because we have the privilege of having WILL.
- “Everyone is selfish, will remain selfish, understand the self and become selfish”
- From my teachers Swami – “Love is nothing. We don’t need love, we need understanding.”
- “Darkness is an illusion, there is no darkness, only light as there is no source of darkness, so there is no negativity, it is an illusion of our own mind.”
- “You can only make yourself understand, you can’t make others understand.”
- “As humans, we have WILL. We have the will to be happy and the will to be unhappy.”
- “If we have the will to not receive someone’s negativity, we will not be affected.” <- I will say, this one is difficult, especially when you really care about the person projecting negativity in your direction.
My teacher also LOVES to tell stories after almost every class, sometimes about himself and sometimes a story he has heard from another teacher. He told one today I thought was cute and I actually managed to document it so I wouldn’t forget, which I want to try to do with each of his stories that sticks with me. Sooo.. STORY TIME!
Storytime
My teacher had a crush on a young girl when he was 14 and she was 12. They were planning their future, wedding and cute little perfect family but like most young love, it did not last. When he was 21 and she was 19, she had a family arranged marriage and he was heartbroken. For a month and a half, he spent glorious days with his friends but at night, alone, he would lay awake at night, not able to sleep. One night, he decided to watch a Bollywood movie about a young woman who left a man and he started to cry uncontrollably. He left his room and went to the roof of his house, alone, and cried for 2 ½ hours. When he was done, he went back to his room and had the best night’s sleep he had in months. His advice, cry it out, let it out, release it and let it go. Go into the middle of a forest, hug a tree and cry because nature can transform those emotions and energy into positivity much easier than most humans.
Cute and werd!
Shaanthih bitches!
Xxxo
Dirty
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