Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Video on TED.com

Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Video on TED.com

Jeff and Kathy

 

We just enjoyed a short week of yoga practices. Because of the new moon on Wednesday and the shifting of Sunday’s practice to Saturday, we went from a week of seven practices in a row to a week of just 4 sessions, split by a day off. Not sure which was harder! Anyway, it feels good for it to be Saturday again and a holiday. We also registered at the shala for February, and our new starting time for the next month is 5:30 am. So, we shall be early birds for awhile. Our two roomates from Norway now start at 4:30, so we feel a little grateful we can sleep in a bit.

 

Since we have been here, we have taken advantage of some Ayurvedic therapy treatments. Kathy has been for two massages, and we are both taking some various natural medicines to balance our systems. Briefly, in Ayurveda you are a mixture of three doshas, or constitutions: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata constitution is comprised of the elements of air and ether, Pitta is comprised of the elements of fire and water, and Kapha is a combination of earth and water.

 

When these tendencies are not in balance then there could be troubles. Both Kathy and I, and I guess most yoga students, are pretty high in vata tendencies. So we take some herbal medicines before eating, after eating and before bedtime. And every once in a while, something, (read: castor oil), to clean out the entire system. Ahem.

 

But, the best part is the ayurvedic massages. I signed on for a twenty-one day treatment, so that means twenty-one massages! These massages are definitely not the ones you are thinking about, however! I just finished my second week and have one week more to go. I will tell you about them, but if you are squeamish or prudish or easily embarrassed, you can just skip the whole thing and go to the end of this e-mail. The cost for 21 day treatment is roughly $238 per week, and there are seven 2-hour treatments. A bit costly by Indian standards but a real deal in American moneys.

 

The massage begins by sitting on a small stool and having your head, scalp, face, neck, and shoulders all rubbed with oil. Sometimes you get your neck stretched upwards, and downwards or to either side. Oh, I forgot to mention- no clothes! You get to wear a string tied around your waist and something like a large napkin tucked into the front and back! (I did say this might be graphic.) This heads-up massage takes about ten minutes. They use palms, thumbs, forearms and hands for all this. Some of it is very reminiscent of thai bodywork, with lots of rubbing and stroking and pressing. Feels really good on your neck, especially.

 

Then it’s time to lie down on the table. This table is all dark wood, about seven or eight feet long and about two feet wide. There are no sheets. It sorta reminds me of a extremely large turkey basting dish, as it is recessed about 2 inches in from the edges, like a shallow bowl. There are two arms extending from the top for your arms and hands, and a hole at the bottom end of the table that functions like a drain. “For what?” you might ask. Well, let’s just say they use a LOT of oil in these massages! So you need a way to siphon and collect it somewhere, otherwise the table might just fill up with oil! Under your knees, elbows, feet and hands they place large sponges for padding. Your butt will have to suffice for the middle part!

 

And there are two therapists who will do the massage at the same time. Two women for the ladies and two men for the gentlemen clients. You lie down on your back and the massage continues on your neck and face and shoulders. They can use some deep pressure here on the sides of the neck and the large muscles that support our heavy thought-filled heads! You realize this part is over when they drizzle some cooler oil on your forehead. Then they start to pour nice warm oil on your belly and then down each leg and up each arm. It feels really nice! The two therapists work like a team, sweeping the oil in circles around your belly, up and down your arms and legs. It takes just a little getting used to because you pretty much are lying there naked on a table while they run their hands all over your body! There may be a little adjustment to make, but remember, you are in India and this is the typical order of the day. (Almost everything you do or say, eat or drink, see or think, drive across or walk next to requires a re-thinking.)

 

When you can relax and close your eyes, the warm oil and the coordinated massage and the sound of breathing begins to melt away the tensions or soreness. These two have definitely worked as a pair for awhile and they seem to be in complete sync. Sometimes you just aren’t sure how many hands are working on you all at the same time. After a bit you roll over, hang on to the two wooden arms above your head, and have warm oils drizzled across your backside and they begin to sweep across your legs and back and shoulders and arms, pressing down with long sweeping strokes. Any tensions left in your body just don’t have a chance!

 

The massage will last about two hours! Your hair and you will be completely covered with oils, but you will be happily relaxed. Of course there are also specific massage treatments for certain physical issues, which will make the treatment go a bit differently than the simple massage. In my 21 day treatment, the doctor is trying to help me with my low back and leg pains. So, after about one hour of the massage, some other cool things have happened. For the first few days he would use tightly rolled up towels, filled with herbs and very hot. He would pat these hot towel/rolls up and down and all around my back, legs, arms, etc. Every few moments he would heat them up again using a very hot metal plate, so they were always warm. This technique feels pretty good, I think he was trying to tenderize me.

 

The next few days he switched the treatment. After about an hour of the massage, he began to pour warm water from a small bucket onto me. He might start at the feet and move up the legs and back and shoulders and arms with a single bucket. The very warm water felt really great, imagine it as a sort of hot bath that moves all around your body. With the other hand he would gently massage or rub the water around onto your muscles. I wish I could describe just how nice this part felt, having the warm water poured over you- it’s kinda like when you are taking a hot bath and pull the drain plug and feel the water recede, but in reverse! Anyways, now you know why there is a big drain at the foot end of the table. After the first week, the treatment switched again. Now they are using hot oil instead of water, and it is even more amazing! Warm oil has more weight than water, seems to stay on you longer and feels like silk. The only way I can describe it might be to imagine that you are a big pile of pancakes and someone is pouring warm maple syrup onto them, completely covering them until the syrup runs down the sides of the pancakes, off of the plate and onto the table, then the floor.

 

It feels magical. We both agree we would never be able to find this type of massage anywhere in America, that’s for sure. Back home it’s mandatory to carefully cover the client with sheets so that nothing but the area being massaged is exposed. Over here, everything you got is all right out there. The really nice thing about this is that the massage feels completely integrated and holistic because the whole body is connected and massaged from head to hands, along the torso, down the legs to the feet and back again. This just isn't possible when there are sheets involved and only parts of the body are being massaged at one time.  Now, it’s not that we are promoting exhibitionism, but there is a cultural and legal bias back home that would make these techniques non-existent. I have one week left of my treatments, and the doctor says they will change again starting tomorrow. Hmmm, I can only wonder what that might mean.

 

When it’s all over, you use towels to wipe off the excess oil. Well, actually, they do most of this part for you. You also get a small daub of choornam powder on the top of your head as the finishing touch. Then a warm glass of water with some herbs infused in it and you are on your way. Back at the apartment, a hot shower is definitely in order! Then take rest.

 

Well, I think that’s enough for now. If you read this far I am sure there will be more than enough to think about! We shall write again soon, maybe some more about the royal city and its’ people. In the meantime, we hope you are doing well, and remembering to take some time each day to be grateful and smile every once in awhile. Thank you very much for all of your nice e-mails and messages. It really feels a bit like Christmas everytime we are able to connect with you.

 

Love and peace to you all,

 

Jeff and Kathy

Headstanding!

Here's my photo contribution, a playful headstand variation. Would love to see others!

"8 Natural Handstands"

Would love to see pics of all of you in handstand or headstand when the urge over-takes you...

2nd Series this Saturday!

Pashasana
Krounchasana
Shalabhasana A, B
Bhekasana
Dhanurasana
Parsva Dhanurasana
Ushtrasana
Laghuvajrasana
Kapotasana
Supta Vajrasana (Partner Pose*)
Bakasana (2nd- Jump in)
Bharadvajasana
Arda Matsyendrasana
Eka Pada Sirsasana A, B, C
Dwi Pada Sirsasana A, B
Yoganidrasana
Tittibhasana A, B, C, D
Pincha Mayurasana
Karandavasana
Vrishchikasana
Mayurasana
Nakrasana
Vatayanasana
Parighasana
Gomukhasana A, B
Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana
Mukta Hasta Sirsasana A, B, C
Baddha Hasta Sirsasana A, B, C, D

lovelovelove.

From Jeff and Kathy part two

In our last episode, we left our two travellers sitting outside the yoga studio door, watching other students in their early morning practices. As the call rings from inside, "one more, seven o'clock," another student grabs their mat and steps over the painted wooden threshold into the shala. Everyone in the foyer scrunches just a little bit closer to the door. "One more," and now it's your turn to go inside. "Over here," or "back there," the teacher points and you look around the room, crowded with bodies and yoga mats at every possible step, looking for the elusive empty spot where you are supposed to unroll your mat. Sometimes it's an empty place and sometimes a student is still there, just about to finish up, doing the final posture. You try to walk through the maze, not stepping upon or being kicked by or bumping into or tripping over anyone else. Unrolling your yoga mat, folding- not rolling your cotton mat, and go into the quiet locker room to shed your street clothes and steady your nerves. Then you walk back through the mats and bodies to your mat and stand feet together to begin your own practice, once again.

For those of you who do not do yoga, or don't know much about ashtanga yoga in particular, here is a brief guide: everyone begins with the first series, and learns all the postures in the correct order. There are about 30 postures in the first series and 17 postures at the finish. You begin with standing poses then seated poses, and you have to memorize the entire sequence by yourself, because in Mysore, the teacher does not "lead" the class, only to assist you with adjustments or advice. Every breath that you take has a movement associated with it. At first it is a real challenge to breath smoothly and do the postures without force, but eventually you become strong enough and relaxed throughout the whole series. This may take a couple years or more of regular, (read: daily) practice!

The yoga room is very hot and soon you are all sweaty, even drippy. This may take some getting used to! When your rubber mat becomes too slippery to get a grip, you unfold your cotton mat. There is the sound of deep breathing all through the room, but nothing else. Remember, every breath has a movement associated with it, and there is movement everywhere. You try not to be distracted by all these bodies jumping, floating, stretching, bending, upside down and downside up. Normally, your practice is by yourself, just your mat and you, and it feels very different to be in such a crowded, busy space with so many others all practicing together. But, you soon realize that you need to focus on what you are doing, or you will get noticed by Sharath, who will call you out if you slip up. "You do navasana?", it's more of a statement than a question. Or, "not correct, why you leave your leg!" (Don't even try to figure out that one!) Even with 65 students all practicing all at once in every possible combination of postures, he manages to see you when you mess up. Right now, there are usually three or four other teachers in the room, giving asjustments and helping you throught the difficult parts,. Saraswati, the daughter of Gurui, is there as well, she is amazingly strong! Your practice takes about ninety minutes, more or less depending on your energy and how you are feeling. When you do this each morning, you begin to realize that you are definitely not the same person today as you were yesterday. Somedays you feel very strong and light, and on other days you feel very "solid" and heavy. Nothing stays the same but the observance of it.

After the backbends and the counter posture of a deep forward bend, you pick up your mat and leave the crowded shala floor for the relative quiet and cool darkness of the locker room. In here you do the finishing postures and take a short rest in corpse pose, (gotta love that name.) It is a nice change from the strong pace of the main studio and your body can downshift and relax a bit. Then you change into something not damp with sweat, roll up your mat and find your way back out through the shala to the front door. "One more, eight thirty!", and you have to half smile at the thought of someone just entering the room to start the whole thing again. Not a smirk, but a soft knowing smile of shared effort, of facing the common challenges of a strong practice and the reward of knowing that you won't have to be back until tomorrow morning! Hopefully, you can catch the teacher's eye before you leave and receive that beautiful smile and you suddenly feel very grateful for this place and this practice.

Well, we hope this hasn't been too long winded or boring for you, and thanks for making it this far. We have learned many many lessons in this practice of yoga, but one that seems to stick out is that this practice only asks that you show up and do your very best, with respect for how you are feeling that day. Notice how you push and when you hold back, where you are afraid and when you feel brave. Notice your mind and its' commentary, and then let it go in the next moment. This instant is all there really is.

Jeff and Kathy

If you'd like to see some more pictures from the trip, use this link to Jeff's facebook photo album:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1912901&l=849e7e62e7&id=1049372278

Incredible yoga girl

From Jeff and Kathy

Greetings from Mysore~

On Friday we celebrated the incredible fact that we actually survived our first full week (6 days in a row) of EARLY morning yoga practice at the shala. We celebrated with a bottle of (yogic) wine at our favorite restaurant, The Green Hotel. We are now half way through our second week, but this week will be much easier because we have been blessed with a beautiful full moon on Wednesday - right in the middle of the week. Full and new moon days, as well as Saturdays, are days of rest in the Ashtanga yoga tradition. Woohoo!! We will take advantage of this thoughtful tradition.

Currently, we are scheduled to start our Mysore practice (also called self-practice) at 7:00am. Mysore practices are Monday through Thursday and led classes are on Fridays and Sundays. The time at the shala is set 15 minutes ahead and we are also supposed to arrive 15 minutes before our scheduled time. This means that we have to get up at 5:15am Monday - Thursdays. On Sunday the led class starts at 4:30am so on Sundays we have to get up at 3:00am to get to class on time. At first we thought 5:15 was early, however, after Sunday, it now seems almost easy. It is fun, in a strange kind of way, to start yoga practice in the dark, end in the dark and then sit on the stoop at the tea shop having chai and coffee while the sun comes up. Knowing that we have already accomplished the most challenging part of day before the sun shines is pretty nice.

The walk to the shala takes us about 15 minutes. We enjoy the dark, quiet streets of Gokalum. It is a welcomed contrast from the noisiness and busyness of the day and evening hours. There are only a few other early morning risers: newspaper carriers, tea shop owners, and the coconut stand owner stirring. There is a Ganesh temple along the way that is doing puja (spiritual practice). There are people inside and around the temple watching the Priest perform the puja ceremony. We can only catch a glimpse as we walk by, but there is incense, lots of flowers, candles, and music of some sort. Jeff noticed that it sounded something like the march of the soldiers at the wicked witch's castle in the Wizard of Oz.

The shala is already full when we arrive and the stairs are covered with shoes. When we open the door we step from the cool morning air into the warm, humid air of the shala. January and February are the busiest months. We estimate that there are probably at least 400 yoga practitioners from all over the world here. At any one time there are about 65 students practicing in the yoga room. Mats have only about 3 - 6 inches between them. You have to quickly get over any squeamishness about being close to other people who are very sweaty. The yoga room is hot and humid and the windows and walls are streaked and dripping with moisture. If Jeff is wearing his glasses they will steam up as soon as he walks inside. If sweating is good for you and detoxifies the system then we must be on our way to immaculate health!  

We sit in the foyer with 5 - 10 other students on a cool marble floor. For about fifteen minutes we wait here for a space to open up in the practice room. There is an open door leading inside and we can watch other students and their practices. Some of them are amazing, very strong and flexible doing advanced postures while others are beginners, just learning the practice. However, all of them inspire us with their focus and dedication to yoga, something that has brought them halfway across the world to this small room in India. Back in the foyer, we wait patiently for the words “one more," which indicates that a spot has opened up and we can come into the practice room and place our mat in the vacated spot.

"Now the teaching of yoga begins."  Yoga Sutra 1:1

To be continued...