Dhanyavadah

Teachers and Class Picture

Day 4 (Aug 24)

I did not get enough sleep last night. It was too hot (Ivana and I had not figured out how to use the A/C yet), and my thoughts were on the sad news on the hostage tragedy in Manila. When I finally got some sleep, I had two nightmares. By the time I recovered, it was time to shower and so I did.

I'm really enjoying the morning ritual and I love being able to practice with Paul around. Having a small number of people in the class gives us more time with him. I got adjusted in my Supta Kurmasana (very hard to run away when you're a turtle trying to get into a shell, Paul...) and Supta Padangusthasana and I had to redo my roll up to Ubhaya Padangusthasana. :)

My headstand was too short and not quite there but I let it go. I felt very mellow after practice. The lack of sleep begun to set in. I had a rather late lunch by myself after showering, laundry and email and got to talk to 2 more people (Natalie from Perth and Amra from Bosnia). I love that I get to meet so many people from around the world. It's fascinating to connect with people along the journey. At the end of my lunch, I had a cup of organic tribe hill coffee and promptly fell asleep in the lounge, curled by a big triangle. I woke up just in time for Chanting at 2:30.

It was another good class and I can still hear Professor Jayashree's beautiful chanting in my head now as I write this (remembering her eyes full of expression and how we always smile at each other). After we chanted the Gita, Professor Rao gave his lecture on the passages. He teaches with so much passion, like an orator who has perfected commanding the audience.

Meditation (jnana) is bringing the same thing in front of the mind again and again.
The soul (atman) is pure - never tainted. It is the mind/intellect (buddhi) that needs to be cleansed and purified.
What we want is to make the citta completely inactive - not harm, hurt or destroy it. Like a candle flame without wind. We use the mind to make the mind inactive.
In jnana, there is no fear - we find everything in ourselves and ourselves in everything.
Place the mind in your Lord.

After chanting the sutras (we're up to 20 already) with Professor Jayashree, Professor Narasimha shed lght on the practical aspect of yoga. I like his very candid, very practical, humorous approach. He shared the debate between the theories and the applications (where Professor Rao talked about following strictly the steps - yama first then niyama then asana....as prescribed by the Gita). In the practical perspective, ashtanga is defined as limbs and not necessarily steps and so, "as in a table we are trying to drag to ourselves, we pull the leg closest to us."

Though the "Truth in the Gita remains to be the harsh and ultimate truth", he sums it up by saying -

Wherever you are, yoga catches you and puts you in the middle. Back to yourself.

Day 2 (Aug 22)

We did a a fire ceremony at 6.15 in the morning. It's a heartfelt way to begin any day, to start with a ritual offering to the Divine. I feel we lost the magic in connecting with the many sacred aspects of our lives in our mad rush to do the things we think are so urgent and important.

After the fire ceremony, we had a fifteen minute meditation using Gam as a mantra. I liked that I felt present, watching my thoughts, watching the shapes and colors behind my eyelids, coming back to the mantra, feeling engulfed with light, real or imagined. When it was time to open the eyes, I felt very relaxed and Prof. Narasimha was right. It took about 10 minutes to "recover" from the state. We listened to Jayashree chanting... the power of music and sound.

Then it was time for practice - my first Ashtanga session since I got here.  I was able to bind in Marichy D by myself without so much trouble - whenever Paul or Govinda are around I feel like my body obeys more. Elonne also helped me with my dropbacks the way Jon does back home. I am starting to love my Urdvha Dhanurasana ever so slowly. Although by the time I got sent to the wall, I was too tired to plaster my heart against it. Maybe tomorrow.

I showered, did my laundry and enjoyed my meal of vegetarian thai food - fried rice with lemon grass, green mango salad, tofu and scrambled eggs. For dessert, granola with yogurt and honey and pandan juice. I'm back in my room, contemplating a quick nap.

This place feels like home, somehow. The view is beautiful from my room.

I met my room mate - Ivana. She, like Veronique, is not a fan of airconditioners. I guess it must be colder on the second floor. I'm done cleaning my mat. I'm back on my bed. I think I should give in to a cat nap now...

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In the afternoon, we chanted the first 6 sutras and the first 5 slokas of Chapter 6 of the Gita.

It is necessary in life to go to different Gurus. The full universe is our guru.
The guru teahes us to focus our eyes inside...to find the source within us
All the Himalayan pleasures of this world is within, if the mind is not confined to desire
Even those who have nothing but is always aspiring can be attached
But when the fruits of aspiration is there, we take the opportunity. Not the attachment.
If you want to be a yogi, be active.

Patanjali uses different aspects of the mind. His teachings are relevant because we are in the age where we are so conflicted.
If we know ourselvs and the objects well, there is harmony and happiness.
We are dependent on so many things because we are not self confident but if we know ourselves, we will not be carried away by the situation or the reaction. 

In the evening, I chatted with A. and the little princess. And had a wonderful conversation with Ivana.