This Yogi Went To The Market

What a bustling place the City of Mysuru is! We started our journey with two rickshaws and 5 yogis. First stop was at a hidden shop where you can buy essential oils and inscense. This shop was tiny and narrow. Immediately upon walking in we saw this older women sitting on a staircase, hand rolling the inscense! She was a gem! The owner lead us to another room in the back of the shop. This space was so unique. Green walls with hand written messages, oil bottles, guitars on the walls and couches on the floor, and stuffed animal tigers. The owner returned with some hot Chai Tea and proceeded to give us some oil 101. It was a bit overwhelming to be honest, all of the scents mixing together, not to mention some of the oils were very powerful. I must admit that the Lotus oil was amazing, and the Sandlewood which is harvested locally was beautiful. The man didn't like that I was a doTERRA rep! Probably because I didnt buy anything, but when you've got 40+ oils, you've got to draw the line somewhere! He was still a good sport and give all of a handful of inscense and a holder so we could enjoy it back at the school. 

Ratha enjoying some juniper essential oils  

Our faithful rickshaw driver awaited and swept us away to one of the best silk garment markets in the area. Naturally we tried on all of the goodies. The silks range from soft to rough and vivid colors line the walls. So I met with the tailor and presto! I've got a real Saree! Weeeee. Totally not a needed item, but I really felt compelled to purchase one, even if I just romp around the house in it.  

Onward to the Devaraja Market! This market formally known as, Devaraj Urs road is about one mile in length. There are many parallel roads to the market and a total of two kilometer square area makes up the downtown of Mysore city. My senses were in awe, such vibrancy in the colors! Dyes, fruits, veggies, silks, jewelry, spices, and heaps of other goodies! There was so much to take in, from each stand, to the people strolling around. I really just basked in the chaos of the market life.

After strolling the market, we had built up quite the appetite. We dined at a little locals joint called Indras Cafe. We snaked on Poori's, Dosas, and Samosas! Onward to the Palace! On Sundays the Mysuru Palace is light up with over 6,000 lights! So we waited for dusk to set in and got over to see the masterpiece! WOW, so many lights, it reminded me of home during the holidays. I can't believe this tradition is done every Sunday and includes free entry into the palace. It was such a magical Sunday and in such great company! 

The First Ten Days in Mysuru (Mysore)

I've adjusted to life in India somewhat. I'm still a bit jet-lagged, so that's not helping, but thank goodness for afternoon Chai Tea to help me through the day! I usually start my day with the rooster wake up at 4:30 AM. Yes friends, the local rooster here is my alarm clock. After he finishes, I snooze for another hour, and get up for 6 AM mysore practice. After practice, I shower, make French press, usually get in a few calls with loved ones, and then head to the studio for training from 9:30 AM - 3 PM. After training sometimes I stroll around town to explore, or head back to the school to rest and relax, until either backbending or dinner. I socliaze for a bit and then it's off to bed, usually before 9 PM. Pretty exciting I know! I'm loving it! So, I've finished my first week of Thai Massage training, and I have to just say, I AM STARVING! It's not because I'm not eating, because, I've found so many wonderful places to eat at, now that I've gotten over my fear of food that may or may not be safe for consuption. I think that it's just between morning Ashtanga, then 6 hours of massage, and every other day backbending with Sirnath, I'm working it, from every angle, physically, mentally, and sprititually.  So, naturally my snack bars and jars of peanut butter are not cutting it, and I've ventured out to explore some of the local cuisine.

A few pics below:

Poori plate - Hotel Highway 18 Annex

Idlis with coconut chutney + sambar

Masala Chai + Iron Man Smoothie - Khushi Cafe

Rava Idlies  

I usually have about an hour break for lunch during the day, so I venture to find something new to try! In addition to the above, I've had a Thali plate, Masala and Rava Dosas, Vegan Chocolate and Coconut Lemon Cakes, Juices galore, and lots more Chai Tea prepared in all sorts of various ways. Needless to say, I'm eating all the things and enjoying it! I should mention that I did come to India with two jars of peanut butter and this morning I polished off the second jar ... I've only been here for 10 days. I may have a slight addiction to nut butter. I am addicted to fresh coconuts, I'm going to be spoiled rotten by the time I leave India. Better find a way to get these Upstate.  

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The Thai Massage training has been so wonderful. I'm really enjoying learning all about the body, energy lines, and meridians. It's been fascinating to explore the inner workings of the energy body. I also highly enjoy that after my morning mysore practice, I just have massage to focus on. I like being in a little India bubble here. It allows me to fully concentrate on learning. It's rare to have such an opportunity to do such things, and after this trip, I plan to really dive into all the things that I have been wanting to learn, do, see, and explore. Don't you ever just feel that your attention is pulled in so many ways throughout the day or the week that it takes ages to complete things? I do, and this has been a real experience to open my eyes to the fact that I often do WAY TOO MUCH. I'm that go go go girl and it becomes very exhausting. It's quite lovely to just focus and rest and let myself absorb everything in this moment. Be present and live in the now. I've been lucky enough to find some amazing yogi souls also here at Mystic School. They've allowed me to practice my work on them in the evenings. So I'm getting extra practice in to help refine the art of massage, and to learn the energy lines better. I seem to struggle finding the lines in the legs, so I can use all the practice I can get! 

I recently learned about Gua sha -- this is a Chinese technique that my teacher Raghu has learned, which litterly translates to scraping sha-bruises. Yesterday he performed a bit of Gua Sha work on my face! Yes my face, I feel as if I've had a facelift! The wrinkles are smoothed out and my face is full. He also did a bit of work on my upper back and neck. While it was not painful I've turned completely purple where the capillaries have ruptured under my skin. This morning I woke and felt amazing. Much looser in my neck and shoulder region. In my mysore practice I also felt really open and not nearly as tight as I had been. I tend to harbor tension in my shoulders so this was a wonderful surprise when I rolled out my mat at 6 AM.  Sorry for the graphic picture if this type of thing makes your tummy turn, but it didn't hurt, and trust me, it's purple today and this photo was just the beginning of the treatment. 

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The city of Mysuru or Mysore is considered an enchanting city, famed for it's heritage, markets, and the Mecca of Ashtanga yoga. Gokulam is the suburb in which I'm spending most of my days as this is where the shala is located. This area is considered quite 'posh' by foreigners and locals alike. I didn't get that impression upon arrival, but after seeing a few nearby suburbs, I'd have to agree. The sad part is that while this area is considered to be a wealthy area, it's still littered with trash, stray animals, and has heaps of sanitation issues. That being said, there is something very humbling and beautiful about the area. I have to admit I've got a new respect for India. I also consider this place to be another planet all together. It's been an adventure to walk through the various main roads and side streets around the shala. You can find lots of health food stores, vegetarian cafes, coconut stands, the famed chocolate man, Ayurvedic shops, clothing stores, and even a US Dollar store. However lovely it may sound, it's still heart breaking to see puppies that have been thrown away because they're female. Or trash that fills roads, yards, and parks. The local livestock are very malnourished, and eat scraps. A friend mentioned they saw a cow eating plastic. It's been hard to walk by everyday and not want to cry. To think that this is a 'normal' way of life, is scary. So I've rolled up my sleeves and tried to do my part day by day. Whether it's feeding the animals, or literally picking up trash. I know I am only one person, but I'd like to think that yes one person can make a difference. The other issue here is air quality. Usually the locals burn garbage 2-3 times a day. This causes thick white smoke to billow around my bedroom, into the shala, throughout the streets. I'm constantly walking around with a scarf over my face to avoid inhaling so many toxins. They're burning everything from yard rubbish to plastics, paper, you name it and it's probably going up in smoke. Moments like this make me really appreciate and understand how good we have it. I've got a week left until heading to Goa, which from the sounds of it will be another whole world in comparison. So that's all for now, going to enjoy the last few days in Mysuru. Xx 

A few snippets of daily life here: 

I call this the Buddha Box - Creative mailbox solution! 

The roosters who wake me every morning at 4:30 AM

Rangoli or Alpana - Made with rice flour, flower petals, colored sand, or dry flower. These patterns are created daily to help protect the home and bring good fortune. Folklore, Patterns, and practices are passed down from one generation to the next. 

The First 24 Hours in India

I made the mistake of not sleeping on my first flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur; which was an 8 hour flight. Instead I gorged on 3 movies; Suicide Squad, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Morgan, sat in priority seating with all the leg room a short little lady like myself could want but not really need, and ate the packaged cookies that came my way during our scheduled snack breaks. I flew Malaysian Airlines and have to say, I was very disappointed with the friendliness of the airline staff. They were not very pleasant and had attitude the entire time. It was also the first flight where water wasn't constantly circulating around. Anyways, I landed in Kuala Lumpur and had a 2 hour layover, where I desperately searched for bottled water - Starbucks came through to the rescue. 

I boarded the next leg of my flight at 10 PM and attempted my best to sleep during the 4 hours in route to Bengaluru. I slept OK - but was starting to become a bit delirious given my body was operating on Sydney time for the past month. I arrived at 11:30 PM into Bengaluru and proceeded to make my way through immigration, visa, customs, and a Zika screening. I must admit that the staff at the airport was the furthest from 'friendly' I had encountered in a while. In comparison to the abundance of hellos and genuinely happy people in NZ and Oz, this was a shock. Nobody wanted to point me in the right direction, add the language barrier into the mix, and couple that with a jet lagged American, and the result isn't always pleasant. I did my best to remain calm, probably helped that I was in a zombie like state, so I was mildly subdued. After a million and one questions later, I had my passport stamped, Zika check complete and I was on my way to find my driver to bring me to Mysore. For some reason I was under the impression that the drive from Bengaluru to Mysore wasn't very long, well it took 3 and a half hours. I can't even begin to tell you the state of delirium that I was in upon arrival to the school. I must've looked haggard and white faced, and who knows what other attractive traits one could use to describe a lady who had been traveling for well over 20 hours and had been awake for close to 30. The two gentlemen that checked me into my room were so sweet and accommodating, I am forever grateful for their assistance with my baggage and for getting me to the school safely. I've got to tell ya, when I first got into the cab and we left the airport what catches you off guard is the constant, nonstop honking of horns. Honk, HONK, Hooooonk, Beep beep, Hook ... seriously, I was like WTF is going on, why is everyone so angry and honking while driving. It dawned on me after about 10 minutes that when you pass another person or come to a yielding intersection you honk as a courtesy to let other drivers know you're there. So now it made sense, but I still had another 3 hours of horn honking before getting to Mysore. I also was shocked by the amount of traffic on the roads between the hours of 12:30 AM and 3:30 AM. Everyone was out and about!

We stopped just outside of Mysore so that my driver could get a quick Chai. While waiting he was chatting it up with 20 other men all doing the same thing! Mind you, this was all happening at 3 AM, no big deal just gonna stop and meet my mate for a quick chai was all I was thinking. The best part of the drive was the Indian radio stations, the sounds were beautiful and quickly put my mind at ease. Just imagine your favorite chant, prayer, or savasana song and let the sweet sounds woo you into slumber. That was the one part that felt familiar and soothing after the long day. 

I got settled into my room, boiled some water for drinking, and hit the pillow hard. I don't remember dreaming, but I woke up around 8 AM. I forced myself to get up and start moving so that I could adjust to my new time zone. I made French press, ate some peanut butter, and unpacked my luggage. 

Home for the next two weeks - Mystic School

Meet India aka Indie!  

Mid morning I got into contact with a fellow yogi Peg and her daughter Meghan who are also here in Mysore studying with Sharath this month and headed to their home. They recently adopted two stray puppies - they are adorable! They found a litter of 5 puppies in a heap of rubbage on the side of the road. How sad to think that people just discard puppies like trash. Peg proceeded to tell me the stories of how the children here kick and throw stones at the dogs. If I weren't heading to Goa in two weeks and was flying directly home from here, I'd be brining back a little pup with me too! We strolled down to Santosha Cafe for a lovely breakfast and sat community style with a handful of other Ashtangis also practicing at KPJAYI this month. I enjoyed a lovely espresso, scrabbled eggs and millet toast with ghee and jam! Afterwards Peg and Megan showed me around the hood a bit, we went and hungout at their place and gave suggestions on where to buy goods and where was safe to eat. I headed back to Mystic school mid afternoon to relax for a bit. Some of the sights along the walk below.

Ganesha Temple

Street Vendor shops along the walk

My jet lag and lack of sleep started to kick in, so I decided to get some fresh bananas and oranges from the lady on the corner. Did you know that here in India it is offensive to pay with your left hand? This is because it's commonly considered the hand that wipes your ass ... therefore making it offensive. FYI folks, be sure to pay with your right hand to keep the peace. I walked to Depth N Green after the fruit stand to get a coconut milk chai tea. It was delicious and the perfect little spot to people watch and relax in the shade from the hot afternoon.

Chai from Depth N Green in the afternoon sunlight  

Depth N Green

I'm now back and relaxing and heading to bed soon, I've been listening to the neighborhood and can hear a variety of sounds, ranging from the cow that's my neighbor, a group of children playing, the sounds of a man chanting, and tunes playing from the local rooms within the school. Ah India, thamks for welcoming me. It's about 5 PM here and I cannot wait to get up for an Ashtanga practice in the morning, my body has been craving it. Needless to say that's all for today. 

Neighborhood cow