Sunday, April 12, 2009.
"Life is a highway and i'm going to ride it, and every day is a winding road. My rollercoaster has got the biggest up's and down's, as long as it keeps going round it's unbelievable"
Today is Sunday, easter sunday actually so i guess i should start by saying happy easter everyone! This morning when my alarm went off i was tired, very tired. I'm not really sure why because i got enough sleep. But I got up at 4 this morning which is a time that i don't usually get up at, either i'll get up at 3:30 or 4:30, not 4. But since lead practice today was going to be at 5(shala time) instead of 4:30 i slept a half hour longer which might have confused my body or something.
Practice was okay, it wasn't my best lead, but it was good. I enjoyed it. Somehow i've gotten in to the 'habit' or whatever you should call it, of not thinking practice is ever 'bad' it's really just how you think about it, right? My back bends were good today though, i saw my heels (it's possible, IT'S POSSIBLE!! What is more possible than this? haha oh good times)
After practice my whole body was filled with the feeling of "well being" a lovely feeling. Saraswati smiled at me when she went past my mat in to the office and after i'd rolled up my mat i put my palms together and thanked her and she smiled again. Sweet lady she is. I was just totally in my own world just smiling at everything and didn't even notice that the guy who has smiled at me everyday in the shala for two months today finally decided to say something to me. He said he'd gotten bitten three times by mosquitos today during headstand. I answered something like "those bastards, they're a real pain in the mornings aren't they?"
Someone outside the shala said "Now we just finished a week of practice, or wait did we just start a week of practice?" I have the same thought every sunday, not really knowing if it's the end of the week or the beginning of a new practice week since saturday is the resting day it kind of messes you up. So good question, somehow it makes me think of radiohead, where i end and you begin. I mean seriously..who knows?
Then i walked home smiling at everything i saw. Maybe since today was my last lead practice i just feel like "savouring" everything. I will probably have that a lot now i can imagine. It's my last week. And i am known to make everything become "the last supper" i did it before i left home, surely i will do the same here.
But i'm quite glad to say that instead of laying energy on thinking "i don't want to leave this place" I actually have the last few days been very good at savouring the moments and just beging happy. It's quite easy when you are surrounded by lovely people. Also the last days i've been thinking of my family and how nice it will be to see them.
But until then i am truly enjoying my last mysore days, and don't mind if i do so to the fullest.
Friday ws my friend Per's last day. In the evening my friend Irene invited some friends over to her house for dinner, Irene lives in my building, in the flat underneath me. The flat where dear Brooke used to live. So Me, Per, Alex and Elisabeth were invited to Irenes house. It was a sort of 'good bye dinner' for Per. It was very nice, Irene cooked pasta which was delicious (they don't eat much pasta here in india) and we'd even gotten beer since there was no practice the other day. Per left for his train around 7:30 and after we'd waved him good bye we continued sitting on the floor drinking our king fishers and eating cookies (made by the same people that make that heavenly homemade chocolate needless to say they are amazing) and chatting. It was a very nice evening with lots of laughter, later on Irene made us some lovely chai. Yes we just had a very nice time.
Saturday i had a sleep in, sleep in ofcourse meaning waking at 7 (practicing yoga six days a week doesn't really make you a party animal since we all want to go to sleep at a descent hour) It was nice though, before going to breakfast i even did some laundry in my lovely pink bucket.
I went to breakfast at Om Cafe sometime after nine and sat there talking to all the usual "Om people" which is always a nice scene, the breakfast scene. Closer to ten my friend Anton from lakshmipuram and his roommate Istvan came. Anton is the guy i met on the set of the Bollywood movie, i happened to bump in to him at the pool the other day and i told him he should come to Om for breakfast. We sat there for another hour or so then decided that Saturdays plans should be going to the pool, so after leaving Om Cafe we dropped by my place so i could pick up some things for the pool. Both Anton and Istvan liked my apartment. There is some kind of joke between people living in lakshmipuram and people living in Gokulam, the people in lakshmipuram think that we are all snobs over here since we pay 27000RS for one month just to practice at the main shala, when they pay 5000RS for one month. Haha it's quite funny the first time Anton told me the price he was paying i swear i said " you mean RUPEES?"
Okay so the joke's on me. Still for now i wouldn't change it. ("Who are you trying to convince there, me or yourself?")
After my place we walked over towards the shala, Istwan hadn't seen it before and i mean come on everyone needs a picture of themselves infront of that sign! =) so we took some photos and then decided to head over to Lakshmipuram for them to get their swim stuff. On our way to the rikshas a man selling mangos on a bike came by, "want mangos?" he asked. Being curious we asked the price. "150RS a kilo" i liked Antons response to the man "That's not good, you know sometimes you have to be honest..even to western people!" All of a sudden the man said 70 Rs for a kilo. Still we didn't buy them, later on Anton bought a kilo for 35 RS from another man. Haha.
So we headed towards lakshmipuram which is another part of mysore, it was nice and i got to see where they lived as well which was a nice place. We ended up having lunch there before going to te pool. Anton made a "western style meets india" lunch.. grilled cheese sandwiches but instead of regular cheese he used paneer! Very yummy.
So on the way to the pool they showed me where Patthabis old shala was. Being honest it wasn't that special, i think i might even hav walked by it if they hadn't told me. Still ofcourse being a devoted ashtangi i enjoyed seeing it. I liked the tiny little sign, they put a bit more money in to the sign at the new place =)
We stayed at the pool, southern star for a few hours which is always nice. Laying relaxing, swimming and eating mangos. Eating mangos by the pool, man i will miss that! As i mentioned before, mango season arrived, they are so fresh and juicy whoa! They really are absolutely lovely. How could anyone not love mangos?
After the pool Anton told me that there were "two options, either i go home to my place and just hang out, or you come with me to my place and just hang out"
I decided to go with the second option, meaning me going by riksha and Anton biking. Crazy funny i was sitting there laughing in the riksha. The riksha would stop at every red light and Anton would come riding up beside the riksha on his bicycle waving, then it would turn green, he would bike away, we would pass him, we would stop at another red light, he would pass us. This happened like four times, obviously being funnier everytime it happened.
So we made dinner, or Anton made dinner and i was supposed to time the pasta allthough both times(had to make it two times) i forgot about the time and he had to remind me "are you checking the time?" "Oh! yes! it's ready now!"
We watched some yoga videos he had, for example John Scott which is a yoga dvd i hadn't seen but that i can highly recomend. And ofcourse parts of David Swenson.
So now i know what Eckhart Tolle looks like..and how he SOUNDS. Feeling you Henrik.
So i rikshawed my way home from lakshmipuram back to my humble flat in Gokulam, realising i had laundry hanging upstairs, collected it and then went to bed.
Not much plans for today, lazy sunday, afternoon chanting in the shala with Saraswati. Just got a text on my phone, thinking it was another advertisement(they send text advertisements to you here like ALL the time and occasionally they will call you and like a voice will be singing or saying somthing weird in hindi, super strange) but it was from Alex saying they were going to tinas for dinner around 5:30 and wondered if i wanted to come. Nice.
Here are some random pictures from the last week:
Dinner at Green Leaf for 37Rs
Last breakfast together with Anna and Anna at Om Cafe.
Lunch at the "RRR" also known as eating thalis with your hands.
Birthday party for Javier at a very nice house in the country.
Full moon evening entertainment at Om cafe thursday night.
BARISTA! Elin, Lars and Per, happy scandinavians going to drink coffee.
Monkeys climbing the tree outside barista.
Irene fixing us dinner.
Per and Alex, Per happy to be drinking beer.
Elisabeth is burning yoga dvd's.
Sitting chatting after dinner.
Alex drinking chai. Had to take a picture of the brilliant cup. Quote from Elisabeth: "What the f**k is that? is that a carebear?"
The usual breakfast scene, Om Cafe.
The lakshmipurians that came to visit.
Anton and me outside the "main" shala.
Anton.
In lakshmipuram at Anton and Istvans house, eating grilled paneer sandwiches for lunch.
The old shala in lakshmipuram.
Me infront of the old shala.
"I can feeeeeel the energy!"
Bruno, owner of Alia's guest house and Om Cafe, and the young boy who helps out there.
"today coffee is on me michelle!" he said this morning, he does that sometimes, and i always reply "oh you don't have to do that" and he says " i know i don't but i have the power to do that" haha lovely people.
have a wonderful day everyone.
lots of hugs.
take care.
mich.
Today is Sunday, easter sunday actually so i guess i should start by saying happy easter everyone! This morning when my alarm went off i was tired, very tired. I'm not really sure why because i got enough sleep. But I got up at 4 this morning which is a time that i don't usually get up at, either i'll get up at 3:30 or 4:30, not 4. But since lead practice today was going to be at 5(shala time) instead of 4:30 i slept a half hour longer which might have confused my body or something.
Practice was okay, it wasn't my best lead, but it was good. I enjoyed it. Somehow i've gotten in to the 'habit' or whatever you should call it, of not thinking practice is ever 'bad' it's really just how you think about it, right? My back bends were good today though, i saw my heels (it's possible, IT'S POSSIBLE!! What is more possible than this? haha oh good times)
After practice my whole body was filled with the feeling of "well being" a lovely feeling. Saraswati smiled at me when she went past my mat in to the office and after i'd rolled up my mat i put my palms together and thanked her and she smiled again. Sweet lady she is. I was just totally in my own world just smiling at everything and didn't even notice that the guy who has smiled at me everyday in the shala for two months today finally decided to say something to me. He said he'd gotten bitten three times by mosquitos today during headstand. I answered something like "those bastards, they're a real pain in the mornings aren't they?"
Someone outside the shala said "Now we just finished a week of practice, or wait did we just start a week of practice?" I have the same thought every sunday, not really knowing if it's the end of the week or the beginning of a new practice week since saturday is the resting day it kind of messes you up. So good question, somehow it makes me think of radiohead, where i end and you begin. I mean seriously..who knows?
Then i walked home smiling at everything i saw. Maybe since today was my last lead practice i just feel like "savouring" everything. I will probably have that a lot now i can imagine. It's my last week. And i am known to make everything become "the last supper" i did it before i left home, surely i will do the same here.
But i'm quite glad to say that instead of laying energy on thinking "i don't want to leave this place" I actually have the last few days been very good at savouring the moments and just beging happy. It's quite easy when you are surrounded by lovely people. Also the last days i've been thinking of my family and how nice it will be to see them.
But until then i am truly enjoying my last mysore days, and don't mind if i do so to the fullest.
Friday ws my friend Per's last day. In the evening my friend Irene invited some friends over to her house for dinner, Irene lives in my building, in the flat underneath me. The flat where dear Brooke used to live. So Me, Per, Alex and Elisabeth were invited to Irenes house. It was a sort of 'good bye dinner' for Per. It was very nice, Irene cooked pasta which was delicious (they don't eat much pasta here in india) and we'd even gotten beer since there was no practice the other day. Per left for his train around 7:30 and after we'd waved him good bye we continued sitting on the floor drinking our king fishers and eating cookies (made by the same people that make that heavenly homemade chocolate needless to say they are amazing) and chatting. It was a very nice evening with lots of laughter, later on Irene made us some lovely chai. Yes we just had a very nice time.
Saturday i had a sleep in, sleep in ofcourse meaning waking at 7 (practicing yoga six days a week doesn't really make you a party animal since we all want to go to sleep at a descent hour) It was nice though, before going to breakfast i even did some laundry in my lovely pink bucket.
I went to breakfast at Om Cafe sometime after nine and sat there talking to all the usual "Om people" which is always a nice scene, the breakfast scene. Closer to ten my friend Anton from lakshmipuram and his roommate Istvan came. Anton is the guy i met on the set of the Bollywood movie, i happened to bump in to him at the pool the other day and i told him he should come to Om for breakfast. We sat there for another hour or so then decided that Saturdays plans should be going to the pool, so after leaving Om Cafe we dropped by my place so i could pick up some things for the pool. Both Anton and Istvan liked my apartment. There is some kind of joke between people living in lakshmipuram and people living in Gokulam, the people in lakshmipuram think that we are all snobs over here since we pay 27000RS for one month just to practice at the main shala, when they pay 5000RS for one month. Haha it's quite funny the first time Anton told me the price he was paying i swear i said " you mean RUPEES?"
Okay so the joke's on me. Still for now i wouldn't change it. ("Who are you trying to convince there, me or yourself?")
After my place we walked over towards the shala, Istwan hadn't seen it before and i mean come on everyone needs a picture of themselves infront of that sign! =) so we took some photos and then decided to head over to Lakshmipuram for them to get their swim stuff. On our way to the rikshas a man selling mangos on a bike came by, "want mangos?" he asked. Being curious we asked the price. "150RS a kilo" i liked Antons response to the man "That's not good, you know sometimes you have to be honest..even to western people!" All of a sudden the man said 70 Rs for a kilo. Still we didn't buy them, later on Anton bought a kilo for 35 RS from another man. Haha.
So we headed towards lakshmipuram which is another part of mysore, it was nice and i got to see where they lived as well which was a nice place. We ended up having lunch there before going to te pool. Anton made a "western style meets india" lunch.. grilled cheese sandwiches but instead of regular cheese he used paneer! Very yummy.
So on the way to the pool they showed me where Patthabis old shala was. Being honest it wasn't that special, i think i might even hav walked by it if they hadn't told me. Still ofcourse being a devoted ashtangi i enjoyed seeing it. I liked the tiny little sign, they put a bit more money in to the sign at the new place =)
We stayed at the pool, southern star for a few hours which is always nice. Laying relaxing, swimming and eating mangos. Eating mangos by the pool, man i will miss that! As i mentioned before, mango season arrived, they are so fresh and juicy whoa! They really are absolutely lovely. How could anyone not love mangos?
After the pool Anton told me that there were "two options, either i go home to my place and just hang out, or you come with me to my place and just hang out"
I decided to go with the second option, meaning me going by riksha and Anton biking. Crazy funny i was sitting there laughing in the riksha. The riksha would stop at every red light and Anton would come riding up beside the riksha on his bicycle waving, then it would turn green, he would bike away, we would pass him, we would stop at another red light, he would pass us. This happened like four times, obviously being funnier everytime it happened.
So we made dinner, or Anton made dinner and i was supposed to time the pasta allthough both times(had to make it two times) i forgot about the time and he had to remind me "are you checking the time?" "Oh! yes! it's ready now!"
We watched some yoga videos he had, for example John Scott which is a yoga dvd i hadn't seen but that i can highly recomend. And ofcourse parts of David Swenson.
So now i know what Eckhart Tolle looks like..and how he SOUNDS. Feeling you Henrik.
So i rikshawed my way home from lakshmipuram back to my humble flat in Gokulam, realising i had laundry hanging upstairs, collected it and then went to bed.
Not much plans for today, lazy sunday, afternoon chanting in the shala with Saraswati. Just got a text on my phone, thinking it was another advertisement(they send text advertisements to you here like ALL the time and occasionally they will call you and like a voice will be singing or saying somthing weird in hindi, super strange) but it was from Alex saying they were going to tinas for dinner around 5:30 and wondered if i wanted to come. Nice.
Here are some random pictures from the last week:
Dinner at Green Leaf for 37Rs
Last breakfast together with Anna and Anna at Om Cafe.
Lunch at the "RRR" also known as eating thalis with your hands.
Birthday party for Javier at a very nice house in the country.
Full moon evening entertainment at Om cafe thursday night.
BARISTA! Elin, Lars and Per, happy scandinavians going to drink coffee.
Monkeys climbing the tree outside barista.
Irene fixing us dinner.
Per and Alex, Per happy to be drinking beer.
Elisabeth is burning yoga dvd's.
Sitting chatting after dinner.
Alex drinking chai. Had to take a picture of the brilliant cup. Quote from Elisabeth: "What the f**k is that? is that a carebear?"
The usual breakfast scene, Om Cafe.
The lakshmipurians that came to visit.
Anton and me outside the "main" shala.
Anton.
In lakshmipuram at Anton and Istvans house, eating grilled paneer sandwiches for lunch.
The old shala in lakshmipuram.
Me infront of the old shala.
"I can feeeeeel the energy!"
Bruno, owner of Alia's guest house and Om Cafe, and the young boy who helps out there.
"today coffee is on me michelle!" he said this morning, he does that sometimes, and i always reply "oh you don't have to do that" and he says " i know i don't but i have the power to do that" haha lovely people.
have a wonderful day everyone.
lots of hugs.
take care.
mich.
Kommentarer
Postat av: madde
hej tjejen!
glad påsk! hur firar du detta där nere?
jag & simon ska beställa biljetter till indien antingen idag eller i veckan.. spännande! är så otroligt nyfiken på det landet!
saknar dig jättemycket! känns konstigt att inte ha dig i närheten..
vilken dag är det du kommer hem? har frågat dig det lite här och var nu känns det som... men är så ivrig på att få träffa dig och höra om allting!
simon hälsar! hoppas du har det bra.
här i sverige har det börjat bli riktigt fint ute... sommarvärme i princip.. så det blir ingen chockartad hemkomst för dig..
sköt om dig!
kramar madde
Postat av: Mommy
Hi Honey! Loved the pictures, loved the blogg - love YOU! And I miss you and I can hardly wait to see you. Continue to enjoy - you are doing a good job of it!!
See you soon.
Hugs and kisses, Love, Mommy
Postat av: Lisa
We just got back from the cabin today, so much fun to see something new to read on your blog! Happy Easter little sis!
Love you!
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