Fast......................

I'm doing a one day fast and using the time to study, meditate, do mantra, and most important organize and get ready to ship out! I enjoy fasting as much as I love food, even though I've only done a fast on just herbal tea a handful of times, okay this is the second time! The fast frees up a lot of time to focus on practice and not go running around doing errands, so brings you within. I thought I lost my original paper tickets for my travels, but found them after an hour of looking, they were in a folder on the very back of a bunch of plain envelopes. The following is an account of studies with K. Pattabhi Jois i.e. Guruji, the 91 year old ashtanga yoga master. I plan to study with him for 2 months in Jan. and Feb. It is quite funny, a woman from England I believe is keeping the blog at mysorebum.blogspot.com

Conference was really good. Guruji sat in his chair on the elevated platform (I don't think it's big or high enough to call it a stage), and sat silently smiling at us, waiting for a question. No one asked one so he turned to violetta who was sat in the front with me and said "You! You have a question". She told him 2 days earlier that she had something to ask. Not a bad memory there. She asked whether everyone could do every single asana or if some people would just never be able to do some of them. He answered "Everybody asana, everybody". So no excuses people! He went on to talk about food and said that we should not eat fish because it creates excess fat in the body, that we should eat breakfast, lunch and no dinner. We should drink 1 litre of milk and ghee everyday. He recommended a fully vegetarian diet. He said that we should eat when we are happy I think, rather than stressed or something. We should think good thoughts, do good things, think god and we will be happy. He said that each man is given 100 years to live but it is possible to live even up to 200 if you live right.

He looked at Violetta during the whole time he spoke as if he was speaking only to her. He likes her because she is lively and cheeky around him. Guruji seems to like being treated like everyone else rather than some kind of deity or something. He's a lovely old man with a great big heart and he likes to have a good laugh as well.

One person asked about loud breathing during practice. He couldn't hear what he was asking so a few people repeated it to him louder and louder until he heard properly. He answered that the breath is very very important, that asana was secondary. In fact asana is just the foundation of yoga, it isn't yoga. The people at the back didn't hear properly and so he shouted out "breath very important!" and then laughed, we all did. he has an excellent sense of humour.

We had decided to go to the cinema to see a bollywood film, but when the rickshaw pulled up outside there was a massive queue that went round the cinema. All single men stood in a tight line...no thanks, that's just scary business none of us wanted to be in that kind of situation. Instead we went to see the palace be lit up. Every sunday they switch all the lights on and it looks beautiful. There was a military band playing music and of course lots of people trying to sell you things, flutes, wooden carvings,...you have to be firm with them, they go away then. Otherwise they'll trail you everywhere you go.

The evening was quiet, I had a bowl of cereal and went to sleep, exhausted, too tired even to write a postcard.

Today I practiced but it is my time to have 3 days off now, but I usually do 1 or 2. I respect this because I think Guruji knows better than me and so do the senior teachers, but I guess it's different for everyone. Guruji was right...1 week. I managed to touch my fingers for the bind in Supta Kurmasana. That's more progress in a week than I have had in endless months. I was a bit like "aaawwww...I feel like doing more now because I'm having loads of fun". Still I went straight to the finishing room.

This morning was surpisingly busy, I have run out of t-shirts I didn't bring nearly enough, so I went downtown with Violetta on the scooter. I trust her driving just I don't trust all the other people using the road. I found a shop selling cool t-shirts and I went to buy a shawl. Because of the pollution it's good to shield yout face sometimes, and in the morning too. Anu says you should avoid breathing in the morning mist. After being ill I'll listen to any advice. Violetta got a dress made which is lovely and picked up some very nice material to use as a blanket in Savasana. We went to Lakshmipuram for lunch at Sandia's who is a little indian lady who opens up her house for yoga students to come and eat. It's like stepping into the past, the little house is humble and clean and her food is amazing.

A combination of things makes the yoga particularly good here. Eating very healthily, sleeping well, no stress from work, no alcohol, and the heat. I love it here and I feel good and relaxed but I think this isn't easy to reproduce in the UK. I am taking Guruji's advice and eating a good breakfast and a good lunch and skipping dinner apart from milk. This would be difficult at home for example because the evening meal is the only time I have with Mister R.

I have signed up for Kumar's ayurvedic massage course. 14 days intensive, 10-5pm. That'll keep me busy and I've always wanted to do this. There is zilch to do in Mysore really (on a daily basis) so taking lots of classes like sanskrit, chanting, hindi lessons, drumming, sutra, etc... is a popular choice. As well as having lots of massages of course. Ho-hum...isn't life hard :)