Nearly half way through!

Weeks 3 & 4 – keeping the energy going....

It's week 4 already and most students' energy levels are sinking. I've seen tears, sulking, snapping, some weirdnesss and near breakdowns, but all in all, most people are in pretty good form. Hard times are inevitable on an intense course like this and you have to expect some strange behaviour.

With the challenges of the first few weeks behind me, I am keeping -more or less- sane and I think I'm ready to face new ones. I am now happily bouncing out of bed for the early morning wake up calls. So far, we have three 6 am pranayama sessions and three 7 am starts each week. This means my alarm is set for either 5 or 6 am most days. It's much easier than expected and I'm even starting to enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn, when the rest of Goa is still asleep – even the dogs seem to have their moment of rest and lay off the howling for a couple of hours before sunrise. After a shot of bee pollen and my dose of spirulina and chaiwanprash (my new ayurvedic superfood), I spring out of the room, ready to face another day of yoga practice and lessons.
I'm also now the proud owner (albeit temporarily) of a vintage 1950s Raleigh bicycle, which I've been pedaling around town and to class. Its a great way to get around flat-as-a-pancake Anjuna, but the hills of Parra, the nearby village where most of my classes are now shifting, aren't an easy ride. I struggle uphill and try to hop on classmates' scooters when I can. However, early morning starts bring me to discover a brand new world: the bicycle milk wallah, sleepy roadside dogs and homeless people emerging from the gutter. It also highlights Goa from a whole different perspective and puts me in a positive mood to start the day – most days.

So I've overcome my fears of getting up at 5 and having to sleep so early (with no tv or internet to distract me, early nights aren't that hard). The food is far better than I could have hoped - we're spoilt for choice here: I now have the options of healthy salad/tofu/soup joints, indian veg (with a few Tibetan momos thrown in), market snacks, supermarket shopping or market stalls for fresh fruit and veg, which could potentially be prepared the ayurvedic way (new cookbook allowing). So far, I've only explored options 1-3 and I'm amazed by the variety. But with all the morning practices, it's been mostly a 2 meal a day affair so far – brunch an early dinner – with lots of fruits/snacks/chai thrown in between. It's a fairly healthy lifestyle I reckon.
So week 3 started in a dynamic, upbeat fashion. Physically, I'm feeling energized, my flexibility has improved and my understanding of yoga as a whole is increasing. This could be the first few steps in a long journey of learning. The anatomy classes are fascinating- there's only so much you can cover in 9 hours a week, but knowing how the body works, from organs to the bones, muscles and systems, really does make a huge difference. Getting in and out of postures, knowing how it affects structure, alignment etc is a technique in itself and is just as important as the posture itself. Anatomy is such a wide subject but even the most basic bits of knowledge I've piked up from the classes feel so valuable. I need to keep reading, learning and putting all this into practice. It may seem obvious to many, but the spine is essentially the 'brain' of the body – yet we constantly forget to look after it: hence the importance of good posture, avoiding unnecessary pressure, tension and brutal movements, especially on the lower parts of the spine (lumbar and sacrum) as they are the least mobile parts of the back. Anatomy is also a key part of the adjustments process – or 'how to give good adjustments without putting pressure on the wrong area and sending students into the A&E'!

Finding time to write and reflect on the course isn't easy either, but as the weeks fly past, keeping an online record of all this really does feel therapeutic – it's a technology filled, materialistic escape from the spiritual and mental world of yoga!

Road Rage....

Or the incessant honking and beeping....

I've been on my Indian bike for just over a week now and I am fully feeling the road rage.
Walking around isn't easy either, you're just at the bottom end of the road chain – it goes this way: cows, trucks, buses, vans, cars, auto-rickshaws, motorbikes/scooters, push bikes, pedestrians and the gutter. I wish I could be a cow. Lie on a road all day and watch the crazy world going by me. Being worshiped, respected, occasionally fed or moved. Life's not bad in India for cow.

Being on a bike does, however lead you to see the countryside from a different angle. Yes, it does get hot and sticky during the day, you can't really go too far (and steep hills are out of bounds, especially if you're riding a vintage single speed like me) and you do get the the odd stares (and dirty beeps) from stunned locals. Cycling in India is the poor man's mode of transport. Old men, stick thin sun scorched workers and schoolchildren are the only real bike users around here. Anything else is just deemed odd – why would anyone in their right mind and with enough money consider any form of strenuous exercise when buses, cars and mopeds are easy ways around? Physical activity is certainly one of those cultural divides India and many other countries have with the western world. For me, cycling is a wonderful way to get around, no matter which country I am in. It brings you one notch closer to the surrounding world, in a similar way to walking but in a more efficient, faster manner. You wouldn't cover huge distances on Indian roads, but a bicycle is definitely a great way to get around -and it's possibly safer than a moped.
So what's crazy about Indian roads? Everything. So far I've been attacked by dogs (they're harmless but do give you a fright), beeped at constantly by car/bus/lorry/scooter drivers (that's the rule around here – make yourself heard: 'watch out I am here, beep beep'), I've been shouted at, stared at (not much difference from London then) and jeered at by silly school kids. Oh and did I mention the snotty glare from a cow or two on the way? They rule the roads so why not. They're allowed to sit on their fat bums and cause traffic chaos.

I hope I can keep the cycling up in the next few weeks – most of my classes are moving to a more remote retreat up a long hill, so time will tell whether I'll be able to face the climb each morning at 5.30 am!

Week 2 Reminders

Key reminders for week 2:

• Look after your back: the spine is so delicate and holds the key to a healthy body.

• Learn about your body type: without necessarily having to follow Ayurvedic principles, one should try to understand how their body works. What and how we eat affects our health, and this varies according to each individuals' bodily structure, personality and age.

• Eat well: following the above, food maintains us alive, so keeping our body healthy means eating according to one's body type (constitution), regularly, lightly, and calmly.

• Breathe (again) : one reminder I'll need to include each week!

Week 2

week2 – soaking it all in...

Second week on the course and I feel I'm only just starting to get into the swing of things and easing into a different rhythm and pace. Now I understand why we were asked to arrive at least a few days – if not a week- early. It takes the system time to adjust to the environment, food, time change, weather and local lifestyle, especially when coming from a busy city like London. I consider myself fairly flexible -or more appropriately, adaptable- and having traveled in Asia before, India didn't come across as much of a culture shock. Having said that, Goa is hardly a fair representation of India – with hoards of backpackers and package tourists, it's more of an Asian Ibiza.
Luckily tucked away a few kilometres from the beach, in a peaceful garden (peaceful for Indian standards, if you remove the background car horns, animal howls and occasional drilling), the Brahmani Yoga centre, where most of my classes are being taught during the first few weeks, is a fairly idyllic pace to study.

The one other aspect I have found truly fascinating so far, apart from each person's individual practice, is the unique path everyone has chosen. Needless to say, each of the other 12 students come from various backgrounds (from both a cultural and yoga perspective), but each person also appears to have quite different expectations of the course – why they chose to enroll, what they hope to get out of it, what they plan to do next etc. Some have very clear paths and the near future (ie. post course) all mapped out. Others (like me) are willing to let go and take things each step at a time, not quite knowing what my happen next. I haven't even started thinking about what I might do after the training – apart from keeping up my practice of course, whilst hopefully assisting and eventually teaching. I don't want to think about it too much either – the whole point for me is to take a step back from my unnecessarily busy life and focus on something completely different, and which I am passionately committed to. Where it will lead me, who knows. The outcome can only be a positive one – unless I get struck with the inevitable Delhi belly syndrome! I wouldn't go as far as saying it'll be life changing but let's hope I do take this all in and experience life in a new, eye-opening way.

Reminders of the week

Key reminders of the week:

practice, practice, practice : '... and all will come'. Old words but full of truth.

breathe : this is what our body is made for and keeps us alive

rest: work, effort and dedication make no sense if they are not balanced out with moments of stillness and reflection.

have fun too: play around with postures, sequences, try out new things