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Travels Yoga

Sunday the 18th – Koregaon Park

September 20, 2016

Early morning walk around Koregaon Park.

Half the month is over, and, as Anuja pointed out in the car earlier today, half the year is almost over. I bet a lot of people already made their New Year’s Eve plans. I’ve only been able to plan for the first week of December when I may be off for a new adventure.

This should be better by December.

However, while I’m here I would like to experience a bit more of Pune. So this past Saturday I decided to meet up with a friend of mine from my Infy days. While in the UK, Bhavani and I were out frequently clubbing, pubbing, eating or just watching movies. The last time I met up with her we went to Mallaka Spice (Bhavani & Me @Mallaka). Last Saturday we went to a popular hangout here called The Bar Stock Exchange. Nice place. Good music, good crowd and nice drinks :). We headed back to Bhavani’s house with plans of watching ‘Sinister’. Once I realized I’d already seen the film, I promptly fell asleep.

The next morning was Sunday and I’m not one to miss out on a delicious breakfast. Because of the early classes here, I’ve become very frugal with my breakfasts. But I think I’m essentially a breakfast girl. The other day (at Funky Kona in Baner) Anuja and I were discussing how much more fun and romantic breakfasts are over dinners. Show me a breakfast and I’ll show you girl who isn’t afraid to stuff her face. So we drove around a bit to get to our breakfast place. The Yogi Tree is right next to the Osho Ashram. Bhavani had her usual parantha while I had a sandwich. I have to confess, I don’t miss south Indian breakfast, but I do miss the coffee. I’ve started to hallucinate the smell of fresh filter coffee!!! I guess I know the first thing I’ll have in namma Bengaluru.

I wanted to indulge in a little bit of street shopping also while here. I did go to Lakshmi road a day before the Ganapati festival. It was crowded and I don’t think I’ll ever willingly go there again. But I managed to pick up two pairs of beautiful Kolapuri chappals, which; for the record; happen to be my favorite kind of footwear.

Many people told me that Koregaon park is known for its small quirky boutiques. Bhavani and I decided to walk around. I was looking for nice spots to take yoga photos. Sadly, couldn’t find a single pretty background. However, we did go to a few of the small boutiques and indulged in some retail therapy. I got a sense of the vibe of the place which is youthful and vibrant. There were interesting little food joints interspersed with the clothing and accessories boutiques. Lots of places for dessert, but I’m keeping my chocolate addiction under control these days.

Once I got home I said hi to Aston. Aston makes a dog’s life look very chic. He moves only if he has to. He sprawls under the TV and sort of rolls around there every once in a while. And he spontaneously has barking fits. Playing fetch is his only form of exercise, but we know he’s in love with the tennis ball. Anuja claims that he sleeps on his back and sometimes dreams about running after the ball. So she says Aston’s legs move, as though he’s running after the ball. Except he’s asleep.

I decided to strike a few poses while Aston was catching his breath.

Sunday evening Anuja and I decided to go back to Koregaon park to Dario’s. I’d heard so much about the place and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. They have delicious food. We decided to taste the vegan cheesecake and had some bruschetta and coffee. We thought we’d go for a round of shopping before we sat down for dinner.

When we emerged from Dario’s it was raining, but the weather wasn’t going to keep a couple of girls away from clothes. We browsed through a few boutiques in Koregaon park. I was looking for interesting quirky stuff while Anuja was checking out the merchandise. We headed home early so that I could be up bright and early for my 7 am.

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RIMYI Experiences

The Standing Asanas – Day 17

September 17, 2016

It’s been raining non stop in Pune for the last 3 days. The last time I experienced rain like this was in Wellington. There the rain was accompanied by mist and the smell of Eucalyptus and Citronella. Here I’m hurrying to RIMYI as quickly but as carefully as I can so as to make it to class on time while avoiding getting muck on my shoes and clothes.

The 7 am class this morning was taken by Abhijata. We started with the Uttanasana and the Adhomukha Svanasana. We frequently start classes with these poses. Then we were asked to get bricks and then started the series of standing poses. We did all the standing poses without a break. We did the entire sequence on both sides taking a break in between. It took us only about 10 minutes. Abhijata then told us that we can do the entire sequence of standing poses every day and in only 20 minutes. In Iyengar yoga we start with the standing poses. These poses are sort of like the entry point to other poses and also the entry point to start correcting alignment issues. Structural and postural defects can be corrected only once the corrections from basic standing asanas are experienced by the body.

Another reason we begin with standing asanas is because while doing the asanas you focus on nothing but the asana. It’s difficult to think about how much you hate your boss when your thighs are screaming in Virbhadrasana 1. So for 20 minutes (while you are performing the sequence of standing poses), you get a mental break from whatever thoughts disturb you for the rest of the day. This state of focus and concentration is what meditation tries to get you to. In Iyengar yoga we use the asanas as a means to attain the meditative state.

When you try to sit and actively concentrate on emptying your mind or focusing on an object/word/thought, it’s difficult. It could lead to frustration as well (the opposite of what we hope to achieve through meditation). However, practicing asanas with consciousness and with an attention to detail ensures that for the time you are practicing you are also in a meditative state.

Perhaps this explains why I feel a sense of lightness here. (Starting to wonder if I want to make it back to Bangalore….)

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Yoga

A Yogi in Pune – Day 16

September 16, 2016

I’ve practiced more in these 16 days than I ever have in my life. In Mysore practice used to be for an hour and a half. That was for 15 days. During my teachers’ training at SVYASA we used to have practice for up to 2 – 3 hours a day. Here we practice for up to 5 hours a day. Some students even opt to observe classes, so that’s more yoga during the day. It is intense, it is powerful, detailed, thorough and it’s amazing (I may already have mentioned that before.) In the past 2 weeks I’ve had time to really work on my asanas. I’ve also had a chance to see the practice in a different way. To kind of lift the asana lid and peer into the pot to find the importance and relevance of yoga in our lives. My own steadily improving practice and watching all kinds of people practice day in and day out. Doing the Trikonasana (and other asanas) over and over again drives home a few important lessons.

Practice makes perfect. But nobody’s perfect. So perfection is a process and practice is the means to it. In the age of beautiful Instagram filters, it is difficult to believe that even the jaw dropping and awe inspiring pose has scope for improvement. There is scope of improvement in everything. Your projects are a work in progress. Your relationships are a work in progress….your life is a work in progress. You are a work in progress! So accept your mistakes. Internalize the lessons they teach you and don’t make them again. Remember, a mistake made over and over again is a habit.
Spend a lot of time on your fundamentals. Here we have practitioners of all levels. However, what we practice day in and day out (yes for 5 hours daily) are the fundamentals. Trikonasana, Uttanasana, Downward dog etc. The other day the entire 2 hour class was about Uttanasana. That is all we did during the entire class. In fact, I’ve heard Abhijata say that your inversions will never be stable unless your standing poses are stable. Next time you find yourself fumbling in a pose, try and analyse why and what you can do to make the pose better. And next time you find yourself getting impatient or bored of the fundamentals, remember there’s always scope for improvement.
Cultivate discipline.Be strict with yourself because when it comes to your body no one else will be. Make the time to move your body, however inconvenient it may be. Make the time to cultivate a hobby which requires you to move. Enjoy the process of movement and getting in touch with yourself. The tragedy of our times is that people will set reminders on their phones to take the medicines they have now become dependent on, but they won’t throw back the covers and go for a quick jog. Every little bit matters, but you need discipline. To start and to stay on track.

[Above: Healthy food choices always. Remember my 80/20 rule.]

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Travels

Stop Drawing in the Clouds

September 15, 2016

When I was living in Sanaa, Yemen my parents decided that we should go to school during the summer holidays as well. Both my parents were working and three kids can be quite a handful. So they spoke to the principal of the school run by the Indian Embassy there, and we were packed off to what would become summer school for us.

There was a boy in my class during the time, who was from Russia. He didn’t speak English very well and couldn’t read or write it very well either. The English teacher was supportive but it is difficult to teach someone a language when you have no common language to communicate in. The thing that I remember about this boy is that he was a talented artist. Perhaps he’s a cartoonist or an illustrator or a graphic designer now. Back then he was amazing at art. Unfortunately, we grew up at a time when if you were good at Math and Science, you were smart…and nothing else really drew much appreciation.

One day we were given an assignment during English class and we were all furiously working on the assignment. All of us. At the end of the class the teacher was curious to know how the Russian student had done. He handed her his notebook and we all registered her stunned expression. She looked up and showed us his notebook. While the rest of us were working on our assignment, he was busy copying the cover page of the book. I forget what was on the cover, but I remember there were clouds and the name of the book was written over the clouds.

“See he’s drawn the English, he doesn’t even realize it,” said the teacher. “He thinks it’s a part of the picture. He doesn’t know what he’s drawn.”

I find a lot of that happening in yoga class. After 15 days here, at ‘the source’, I’ve started to feel like 95% of yoga studios/teachers/students in Bangalore have skewed focus. I see it in classes too. Students are in awe of other students and teachers who can go upside down or do other fancy things….and somewhere the focus shifts. The acrobats develop a comfort zone in which they preen and prance while the rest of us aspire to gain entry into that comfort zone. In any yoga class, you will see all the students practicing the basic asanas with concentration and focus. As the asanas get more challenging the students grumble and groan but still focus on the posture and working with their bodies. And finally, for the ‘advanced’ poses you will see most students gazing admiringly and enviously at the few who are able to do the poses.

quote-yoga-is-an-internal-practice-the-rest-is-just-a-circus-k-pattabhi-jois-53-27-87

At any point in time, when your attention is no longer on what is going on within you, then the practice ceases to be yoga. I keep on saying that yoga is not about the postures, yoga is about life. All of us have different lives, and so our relationship with yoga will also be unique and personal. What is going on in your body when you do the Uttanasana will be based upon your lifestyle, life choices, mental and emotional states. These factors will be different for your classmates and so their Uttanasana will be different. What I see in students is the desire to do the Uttanasana that their neighbor is doing. And those who are able to execute what they think is the ‘perfect’ Uttanasana stop working in the asana. Teachers too, focus more on how far down you can go rather than on how you can work your body optimally to execute the best Uttanasana you can given your mental and physical state at that given point in time.

The result of this style of teaching and learning is that we are missing the point. Movement in yoga classes is becoming mechanical and mindless. We’re missing the bullseye….in fact we’re not even aiming for bullseye. We are confusing asanas for acrobatics and vice versa. Every time someone else does kapotasana and we can’t, we’re lose a bit of ourselves. And going farther away from ourselves, which is opposite to what yoga aims to do. Remember, yoga means to join or to yoke together, and if you are focusing on the getting your leg behind your head, you’re not appreciating the feeling of expansion in your hips.

Stop drawing alphabets in the clouds, learn to read the words.

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Yoga

Nightlife of a Different Sort

September 13, 2016

Lord Ganesh would probably be the poster boy for Hindu mythology. I’ve rarely met a foreign yogi who hasn’t heard at least one legend about how he got the head of an elephant. I’ve rarely been to an Indian or an Indophile’s house which doesn’t have a picture or a statue of Ganesh-ji. I don’t profess to have more than a rudimentary knowledge of Hinduism and am not in the least iconoclastic. But I also have a beautiful statue of Ganesh in my house. One of my favorite pieces of jewellery is a gold Ganesh pendant that a friend of mine gave me when I was about to embark on an import journey in life (thanks Lakshmi).

I guess it was destiny for me to come to Maharashtra when the most special festival is going on. Ganesh Chaturti here is celebrated like Dusshera in Mysore. The festival has been immortalized in numerous Bollywood songs and last night I had the pleasure of visiting the 5 famous Ganesh mandals here in Pune. These are so famous in fact, that it is rumoured that Bollywood celebrities come all the way here to offer their prayers. Going to the old city and walking through the crowds to make your way to the Ganpatis is no easy feat, and I guess it was destiny once again that I had a group who was kind enough to think of me when they made their plan. Had it not been for Hariharan, Shivangi and Subbu I don’t think I would ever have had the chance to participate in the festivities.

The route.

We had a very capable and organized navigator. Hariharan did the groundwork. We had the names of the famous Ganapatis and the walking route printed out. We knew that it was going to be crowded, so we left our bags behind in the car and ventured out on foot. Don’t get too close to the venue to look for parking because you won’t find any. We parked on the other side of the Mula Mutha river and crossed the bridge. The area is cordoned off for vehicles.

Have to go back to this. I’ve heard there is a sound and light show here. Also, it looks very different from how it does in Bajirao Mastani. I will have to go back for a closer look.

The Ganapatis we wanted to visit were:

Kasba
Tambdi
Guruji Talim
Tulsibaugh (we missed this one)
Kesriwada

So the Ganapatis, in no particular order are:

The oldest Ganapati.

While here I want to make sure that I have as much vada pav and pav bhaji and other local fare, and in keeping with that we stopped at JumboKing for their famous Wada Pav Burger.

Mario Miranda on the wall.

Fortune tellers, old and new friends, phenomenal yoga teachers and amazing practice sessions…what else will Ganesh-ji bring my way during the rest of my Pune travels and in my life?

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RIMYI Experiences

The Yoga Mat

September 12, 2016

A photograph at the institute.

A tip for all of you travelling to Pune to study at RIMYI: Don’t take your yoga mat. I know many people are attached to their mats, and they can’t imagine practicing on any other mat. (Letting your yoga mat go would be a good lesson in Vairagya or non-attachment.) Anyways, I was unaware that mats are available in the institute, so I brought along my own. But I find I’m too lazy to lug it to the institute daily, so now I just use the mats there.

The institute has a wide collection of mats. So depending on what you want to practice,

Electric salad and Top Hats @Malaka

you can choose the thickness and stickiness of the mat. The thing is, my mat gets very dirty (maybe because of my park classes), and I simply can’t get over how clean these mats are. Even though hundreds of people use the mats daily, the mats are clean and tidy, so you don’t feel all icky about using them.

You probably use your mat daily. Probably sweat on it a lot. Probably walk across it with dirty feet, or others will walk across it with dirty feet. No wonder people find their hands and feet slipping in Adhomukha Svanasana. But a little care for your mat can ensure that it lasts for a while.

If you use your mat in the park (like a lot of my students do), then try to wash your mat weekly. The best practice to wash your mat is to lay it down on the floor and wipe it down with a sponge and soapy water. And then rinse the soap away using the same sponge. Be gentle, because you don’t want to loosen and weaken the fibres of the mat. I suggest you be eco-friendly and use water and vinegar mixed together. In Wellington I used to spray Eucalyptus oil on my mat which would keep it smelling fresh and energizing. You could also spray some essential oil on your mat. Leave it out to dry. Also, try not to use too much soap as you don’t want any residue on your mat.

Don’t wring the mat. Again, it may loosen the fibres and you may end up wringing the mat out of shape.

I know there are special yoga mat wipes which you could use to clean your mat. I know of one case where someone used baby wipes, which was a bad idea because it moisturized the mat. Which is not ideal if you want to practice Adhomukha perfectly. Some people use witch-hazel as well. I’ve never done this.

What I usually do is put my mat in the washing machine and leave it out to dry in the balcony. Simple and time effective. However, I learned the hard way that you shouldn’t put in anything else with your mat. One of my mats came out torn on one end. Learn from my mistakes.

Sunday agenda: Catching up on rest with Aston and scary movies on Netflix.

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Travels Yoga

Stretching – Then and Now

September 11, 2016

@Malaka Spice

It’s been close to 10 days here and my routine here is as challenging as ever. I realize that if it’s your first time here, then it does take a while to adjust and adapt. The first time I had a 4 hour practice I was incredulous … and didn’t know how to deal with it. Rather, I didn’t know how to make the most of it. When I practice at home it’s only for an hour and a half, and by the end of it I’m drained out. So the first few days here, I was always exhausted. So much so that I felt I couldn’t give the best in the asanas and always felt sloppy and ungainly throughout the practice. Mondays and Tuesdays specially, since practice on those days is almost 4 hours long, and by the time I’m done with practice its an ordeal just to walk home. My fantasies these days centre around buying an apartment next to the institute so that I can crawl home in no time and surface again only for the next class.

However, now I’ve started to get used to the routine. I’m actually able to make the most of the extended practice sessions. In fact, 2 hours is just about enough time for a satisfying practice…how I’m going to sustain this when I’m back in Bangalore is the stuff other blog posts are made of.

Yesterday I had my class in the evening (where I’m referred to as ‘Bangalore’, and another

girl is called ‘USA’, oh and then there’s ‘Madam China’ in the 6 am session). It was an amazingly intense session. The class was fast paced with a focus on stretching the lower body (Janu Sirsasana, Paschimottansana, Baddhakonasana etc). Finally we did the Upavista Konasana, which is a challenging pose for me. I slowly made my way down and eased my torso onto the floor. I remember the days when I started practicing yoga and this pose was a big challenge. I wouldn’t be able to extend my back and my hip joint was stiff. As the years went by, I was still pretty reluctant to practice this pose because it didn’t come naturally at all and it was frustrating. Even now, sometimes I’m able to execute this pose well, and sometimes I feel like lead.

Yesterday I was able to ease myself down and placed my forehead on the floor. I stayed there kind of happy and satisfied with myself. There’s always an element of pleasant surprise also, because some days your body can extend and some days it just doesn’t. This reverie lasted until I heard, “BANGALORE! You’re sleeping! Extend more! Walk forward with your hands!!! That’s it, that’s good. Trance mein chali gayi thi phir se.”

And I realized that for the most part, this is how I practice. I arrange myself into a pose and then my mind says, “This is it, you’ve done well. You’re done.” And then my pose goes dead, and progress stops. Or, as the teacher said, I fall asleep. So when I was told to extend more, I had to push through the limitations of my mind (kind of still the internal dialogue) and discover if I could, in fact, go further. I realized that I could, and for that little bit of time I experienced new life. And received a bit of enlightenment.

The Halasana is a pose that we do daily in class. We use props to ensure that the spine and neck are straight. The picture is of me doing the Halasana many years ago. When my internal dialogue was loud and overpowering. I’m sure it’s improved over the years. And after this class, I know how to work in this (and in all other asanas).

Halasana (Plough Pose)

How To

Lie down straight on your back making sure your head lies on the floor.
Exhale, bend your legs at the knees and bring your knees close to your chest.
Lift your buttocks off of the floor supporting your back with your hands.
Make sure to plant your elbows firmly on the floor.
Bring your body perpendicular to the floor, until your sternum touches your chin.
Gently extend your legs out behind your head.
Keep your face and neck relaxed.
Practice with your arms stretched out behind and fingers interlocked to relive pain and cramps in fingers, hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Benefits

Relieves fatigue.
Helps to calm down the mind.
Relaxes your eyes and brain.
Controls hyper tension.
Improves digestion.
Lengthens the spine and improves alignment.
Reduces insomnia and anxiety.
Relieves stress-related headaches and migraines.

Contraindications

Don’t practice during menstruation and if you have cervical spondylosis.

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Travels Yoga

Yoga and the Menstrual Cycle – Pune Day 8

September 8, 2016

To practice or not to practice – even the most devoted yogini asks herself this once a month.

Here in Pune, women on their period are given a different, more restful sequence to follow. So they will do all the standing and seated asanas and the twists with the rest of the class. When the class goes into inversions (which is what we practice towards the end of the session), the menstruating ladies go into either forward bends or restful supine positions.

When I was in Mysore last year I found out that in the Ashtanga tradition, women are allowed 3 rest days while on their period and these days are called the ‘Ladies’ Holiday’.

Now that we know that two very old traditions of yoga recommend rest during this time, it’s worth dwelling on why. I’m sure I’ve talked about it in a previous blog, but the most obvious reason is that inversions force the flow of blood to go against the natural course, which may lead to unhealthy periods. Also, when you start to integrate bandhas with your asanas, the mula bandha opposes the flow of blood again.

Mensturation is also the time when a woman’s body regenerates and gets ready to procreate again. This ability to procreate is held holy and revered in many cultures. This is a time for a woman to slow down and give time and space to her body, spiritually and physically.

When I first started practicing yoga, I admit I thought not practicing when you’re menstruating was just a myth. And so I practiced all the time. A lot of us can get away with intense challenging practice sessions even while we’re on our period. However, your body will change and it’s important to be attuned to these changes. Your flexibility levels vary day to day, as does your stamina and state of mind. As your body and your practice change you can expect that one day you may just want to relax during your period. Listen to your body, don’t just obey your mind.

How did I make peace with easing up on my practice? I decided to take it the Iyengar way. During my self practice I spent a lot of time in Supta Baddhakonasana and in various forward bends. I did a lot of hip openers because I find that feels good. I worked on my Hanumanasana as well. My back feels relaxed and flexible and I still feel like I did a good practice.

On to other related topics. Lately I’ve started looking into having a zero-waste period. As many readers may know, sanitary napkins and tampons are non biodegradable or recyclable and end up in landfills. There are reams online about TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) but my primary interest in a zero-waste period is the environment. Pads and tampons started to feel like the deep-fried, coated in refined sugar, unhygienic sweet that I didn’t even want to look at. I discovered alternatives. Here’s a video that will shed more light on this:

And if you’re interested in getting your own set of re-usable pads, you can get them at the link below. The reason I like this organisation is because they are involved with lots of rural initiatives.

https://ecofemme.org/domestic/

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Books

Indian Superfoods by Rujuta Diwekar [Book Review]

September 7, 2016

Today was the first day I had an early morning session. I’ve become used to waking up around 7, so 5 am was a challenge (funny how easy it is to get into the habit of waking up late). I got ready quickly and hurried to the class. As usual the class was full, even at that early hour. Besides the yoga classes, I continue to read voraciously, and these days I’m reading Indian Superfoods by Rujuta Diwekar.

Rujuta’s books are relevant to our lives and times. By advocating for local food she makes health and fitness accessible to the masses. Most of us are so busy with the mundanity of life, that we don’t have time to hunt down the best quality goji berries or chia seeds. So this book is a great resource for those who would like to eat well with the least hassle. For me it was great because I believe in simple food and wholesome health. To stay in optimum health and shape is more a function of eating simple unadulterated food, instead of exotic produce and unpronounceable ingredients lists.

I believe if you focus on quality, then the most commonly available ingredients will have you glowing like a lightbulb.

In addition to this, Rujuta has also brought to light lots of fruits and vegetables from different regions in India. It helps in us becoming curious and a bit more experimental with our food, and also inculcates a sense of awareness of the richness of what our land has to offer. From ghee to something called the ambadi fruit, her book makes local produce come alive and become tempting. This blog isn’t a summary of the book, but just a little bit of info. The book has a lot more information to offer and I would really suggest that you read Indian Superfoods. However, here is a little bit of information to pique your interest:

Ghee – It’s a myth that ghee is fattening. In fact, it is lipolytic, it breaks down fat. So if you eat ghee you’re helping in breaking down stubborn fat. Helpful advice that she gives for women: If you get skin breakouts before or with every period eat ghee at least three times a day. Plus she has a bonus recipe for how to make ghee.
Kokum – this is a fruit I haven’t had, but I had a drink made out of this at Dastkaar. Rub kokum butter on the soles of your feet right before you sleep and you will sleep deeply, regardless of how stressed and frazzled you are. Definitely on my shopping list.
Banana – here I have a banana before every class. Actually, in Bangalore as well. It’s a myth that bananas are fattening. They are low in fat and help in fat burning and in reducing cholesterol!
Kaju – good to combat PCOD and hypothyroidism. Prevents adult acne and improves fertility too!
Ambadi – I’ve never had this plant nor heard about it. Another item on my shopping list. If you know how to pronounce this word, do let me know. Interestingly, this local green (and other’s like it) are called ‘orphan crops’, crops that no one grows because there is no demand for them. You can make it into a sabzi and get your iron, vit B and folic acid from it. The stems of the Ambadi plant are used to make jhadoos and fabric. I wonder if they make yoga mats out of this…
Rice – prevents premature wrinkling and supports good hair growth. Need I say more?
Coconut – doesn’t contain cholesterol because it’s a plant based food. Plus it actually helps in reducing ‘central adiposity’ (fat in the middle) and so helps in ensuring a slim waist.
Aliv – used in laddoos! Great for skin, it evens out skin tone, gets rid of patches and naturally brightens the complexion. Wonder if Diwali laddoos contain this seed…
Jackfruit – low in fat and rich in fibre, so it helps in reducing cholesterol levels. Also, the fruit has a lot of anti-oxidants.
Sugar – don’t replace with jaggery as both have different properties. Jaggery adds heat to the body while sugar is a coolant.

If the above points were interesting, you should go out and get a copy of Indian Superfoods. It does give you food for thought and even if you’re unable to apply everything she talks about into your life, it still helps to be aware of what we are eating and what are the food choices that are available to us.

My copy of Indian Superfoods by Rujuta Diwekar.

I’ve written about fenugreek or methi, another spice I consider a superfood in this blog. Because it’s available readily in Indian kitchens, you might find the post useful.

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Travels Yoga

A Yogi in Pune – Day 6

September 6, 2016

My host brought to my attention that there is a much respected astrologer close by. Everyone goes to him and his reading is usually spot on. The catch is that it’s difficult to get an appointment with him. Plus I didn’t have my birth chart.

If I could get into the Iyengar institute, famed or their coldness and hard-to-get attitude, then the neighbourhood astrologer would be easy to crack, regardless of how famous he was. Expecting it to take weeks to get an appointment, I started working on this right away. To my surprise and delight, I managed to get an appointment in the third call. So post my self practice session today, I decided to visit the astrologer. Armed with a map and loads of curiosity.

In the rows and rows of non descript government quarters, I wouldn’t have been able to find his house with no address. However, everyone seemed to know where he lived. An appointment was going on when I walked in. I’d expected the worst and was prepared to wait for hours, but Lady Luck was on my side and I waited for only 15 minutes.

I had asked my mother to send me photos of my natal chart on WhatsApp and I showed him these images on my laptop.

Astrologer: “You aren’t in the same line that you studied.”

Me: Nodded.

Astrologer: “What have you studied?”

Me:”Engineering. I worked as a software engineer also for a long time too.”

Astrologer: “But what are you doing now?”

Me: “I teach yoga.”

Astrologer: “It says here that you will excel at the studies of old things…maybe history…maybe humanity. You will do well in a field that requires you to gain deep knowledge, not superficial work. It says here your area of work will be beneficial for mankind. Are you only teaching or studying also?”

Me: “Yes, I study and teach.”

Astrologer: “Then there is nothing better for you than this. This is what you were meant to do. To study deeply and to help people. And yoga is after all a study of the human body and the human mind. And now with Modi getting interested…you can understand.”

Me: “Hmmm…but what else do you see? Only teaching and studying yoga? Same thing for the rest of my life?”

Astrolger: “No no….you will go deep. Even amongst yoga teachers, not everyone reaches the trance state. Not everyone goes to the higher levels. You will also go. You will teach and you will learn. Yoga will take you to different places. You will not settle abroad nor get a green card. But you will travel far and frequently.”

Me: “I will travel for yoga? But do you see a book published in my future somewhere?”

Astrologer: “When it comes to yoga, which is your chosen field of study, you will do whatever you want. There are no boundaries to what you will do and there are no limits to how much you will contribute. But stick to yoga, don’t do anything else. Now you tell me, why did you take up yoga?”

Me: “I myself can’t really tell you why. Something within me is drawn to the practice.”

Astrologer: “And that is what! That is why you must continue. Don’t worry about money. You won’t get Rs. 5, 10, 50…when you earn you will get in the thousands at one go. You will earn in different currencies, but only through yoga. Don’t switch your line and stick to it. Whatever you want, you will get.”

As I walked away from his office, I was reminded of what Pattabhi Jois was so fond of saying,” Do your practice and all is coming.” In a way, this famed astrologer was telling me the same thing.

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