Three Days Done, Three Months To Go...

Did I mention the time-stamp is Mysore time? Well it is. We are still adjusting to the time difference. I was cocky at first to think that I was impervious, but is seems to have crept up on us. Maybe it was the adrenaline of arriving, but now that we are trying to settle into a groove things are wearing on us. Let me backtrack a bit. The last week of Oly-time was hectic. Vivian and I got our 3-4 hours of sleep a night, but our waking life was crazy. We worked right up until Monday night with a flight on Tuesday. Now that we are here, there is no "job" to go to, but there is just as much running around. I found out why people use travellers checks. Banks here will only give out so much money per day, and despite my telling my bank I was leaving town, they put a hold on my account once charges from India showed up. So I've become familiar with ATM's trying to get at some funds to pay for our schooling. It's sort of embarassing to tell Guruji that I've travelled across the globe to be here, but he'll have to spot me some yoga for a week or so until I can pay him for it. So we haven't paid all of our "tuition" or the sanskrit classes we signed up for, nor our rent, and we haven't even started looking for cel phones. Which is just as well. Oh yeah-- the way to call us when we do get them (from the US) is to dial 011 (international) 91 (India) then the number. I didn't quite get this in the correct order when I was trying to get ahold of our driver and host family on the eve of our arrival. I found out that Officer Stevenson of the Olympia Police Department didn't know how to make international calls either. After trying several combinations of 91, 011, 1(long distance), and the local Mysore digits, I accidentally called and hung up on 911 dispatch. I told them the first time what I was trying to do, but after several tries I think they just wanted to see in person how stupid I really was. The Mysore cops by way of contrast are hardly ever to be seen. Most intimidating though is the Singapore Airport, with it's AK-47 patrols. But I'm off the track again, a sure sign of jet lag. For those wanting the yoga news, here it is. Led class yesterday was at 5am. Vivian and I got there early just in time to be squeezed in the second-to-last row. It felt good to be back on the mat. Nothing like trying to do asana in an airport. Guruji led the opening chant (call & response) and sun salutations. Sharath led the rest. Kind of like tag-team wrestling, only not as fake. It was interesting to see where people were at with their series- some were stopped at certain points, and some respectfully stopped where they were previously told. We finished tired and victorious after surviving Sharath's Utplitihi. He seems to have the same counting troubles as Guruji. There were two nine's on the way to ten. This morning was our first Mysore-style class. Vivian was placed nearly immediately, and I waited until after 3 people cut ahead of me. I also got moved around a bit. Good news though. We both did the complete series and managed to not get any "bad man/lady". It was a good experience to see where we have been doing things correct and not so correct at home compared to here. I think (and thank) David & Catherine heed well to what's done here. I wish I could have spent more time with them before leaving. And here in Mysore there are so many wonderful and inspiring yogi's and locals to learn from and we are often saying "next time we come..." The same goes for this blog. I keep thinking about all the cool stuff that I see around us and I want to share it with the world, like the eagle-sized fruit bats at the Bird Sanctuary, or the way my head (and Vivian's) almost peeled back from the third eye at the Rama Krishna Ashram, or the way the chaos of scooters flows like blood platelets through one's veins. All this and more. And it only cost letting go of everything and putting myself in debt to become so rich. Tonight I will sleep early, tomorrow I will breathe yoga. Then I will drink from a freshly served coconut. Three days in and already I'm an addict.