Ever since I did my first Chakrasana when I was like 10 yrs old, I have loved to twist and contort my body into various shapes. As I grew older I realized that for the kind of hyper-active brain that I have been cursed with, yoga was a wonderful release. So when I decided to take myself to a god-forsaken part of karnataka for a Yoga Instructors Course, it seemed natural.
In order to keep my darlings abreast of my discoveries of myself and my surroundings, I sent them an SMS everyday. This post is a compilation of all those SMSes...a window into my tryst with Yoga.
Day 1: Introduction to our fellow aspiring Yoga instructors, and our uniforms for the month. A sky blue kurta and deep blue tracks. I'm not sure I like it but I love my pink yoga mat.
Day 2: Discovered some new muscles in my body when they started to hurt, and my taste buds are going to be dead by the time I leave here but I'm loving it!!
Day 3: I'm a nerd in yoga school too. People are making fun of me for taking it too seriously! Also I'm not built for meditation. Snooze Festival!!! :D
Day 4: My taste buds made a narrow escape from the jaws of death!..yummy hot Pongal for breakfast! Plus i met a firecracker of a woman from Taiwan!
Day 5: Introduction to Power Yoga...the most invigorating thing I have ever done. Plus Im trying to make friends with a doggie.(Ramu)
Day 6: Met a wonderful lady from Kerala who is teaching me to do Chakrasana with one leg in the air. Feeling like I'm rediscovering my body.
Day 7: Sutra neti and jal neti day today. Feel like more air is going through me now.And I'm in awe of our instructor, hes 6 feet 4 inches and so bendy. hehe!
Day 8: A spellbinding lecture from a 80 yr old man and the first time I laughed like crazy since i came here! Lovely day..
Day 9: Saw fireflies for the first time in my life..felt like i was in a fairy tale.
Day 10: Had a conversation in 'Nalla Tamil' with someone today. I miss home :(
Day 11 and 12 : Preparations for the Silver jubilee celebrations and the mid course exam! Lots of free time..bored and not liking it.
Day 13: Mid course exam day...was weird to write exams after long. Also had an awesome conversation with a wonderful Columbian woman married to a Kashmiri.
Day 14: Learnt to do the Sarvangasana with my legs in Padmasana today! Felt fabulous..soo much to learn.
Day 15: Learning some really crazy stunts from a super cute guy from Nepal! Plus my article will come in the paper tomorrow! Happy me!!
Day 16: Stomach cleansing Kriya today! What a puking symphony it was... feel light and energetic though.
Day 17: Was shown a beautiful spot on the campus..windy and wonderful..and I had a heartwarming conversation with our Nepali Yoga expert and a super sweet girl who is a masters in Sanskrit and Music.Impressed by the diversity of the group.
Day 18: I find myself at the center of controversy and my first day of teaching the yogasanas..was good fun and a lot of laughs. Love the group i have been put in :D
Day 19: A horrible dark day for a super sweet woman and women in general. The world is full of conservative bigots!!
Day 20: Had a completely new perspective of Bollywood from a fantastic woman from Chile.She said "I wanna get married and live in London."
Day 21: Frustrated by all the chanting and bhajans, a bunch of to be yogis grooved secretly to Sheila ki Jawani. Was pure uninhibited bliss!!
Day 22: Restless energy resulting in doing repeated Suryanamaskaras at a fantastic location looking at the sunset.
Day 23: Got a campus tour with Mowgli (as she is fondly called), a fantastic free spirited seeker of berries and fruits in this gorgeous place.
Day 24: What a lovely day! Vented some of my pent up frustration, someYah-Yahs in the making and my first group hug in this place..I love women!! We are awesome!! Plus learnt some fantastic games..laughed till my stomach hurt.
Day 25: The most uplifting day ever!! Was in a wonderful bhajan session..singing and dancing! My body is still tingling from the vibrations!!
Day 26: Shoving things up your nose and puking exam!! Was alright..cant wait to get done now.
Day 27: Spending most of my time having conversations with the people I have grown close to and giving exams.
Day 28: Report presentation day..reunited with my love for public speaking. Plus our group conducts the asana session tomorrow, so preparing earnestly.
Day 29: We do a fabulous job of conducting the last asana session of the course and visit to Art of Living Ashram. Cant wait for tomorrow!!!.
Day 30: Saraswati Homah and distribution of certificates. We are officially Yoga Instructors now.!! Yay!!!
It was a tumultuous journey..the 30 days and 30 nights.. but something I can cross off my bucket list now!!
In order to keep my darlings abreast of my discoveries of myself and my surroundings, I sent them an SMS everyday. This post is a compilation of all those SMSes...a window into my tryst with Yoga.
Day 1: Introduction to our fellow aspiring Yoga instructors, and our uniforms for the month. A sky blue kurta and deep blue tracks. I'm not sure I like it but I love my pink yoga mat.
Day 2: Discovered some new muscles in my body when they started to hurt, and my taste buds are going to be dead by the time I leave here but I'm loving it!!
Day 3: I'm a nerd in yoga school too. People are making fun of me for taking it too seriously! Also I'm not built for meditation. Snooze Festival!!! :D
Day 4: My taste buds made a narrow escape from the jaws of death!..yummy hot Pongal for breakfast! Plus i met a firecracker of a woman from Taiwan!
Day 5: Introduction to Power Yoga...the most invigorating thing I have ever done. Plus Im trying to make friends with a doggie.(Ramu)
Day 6: Met a wonderful lady from Kerala who is teaching me to do Chakrasana with one leg in the air. Feeling like I'm rediscovering my body.
Day 7: Sutra neti and jal neti day today. Feel like more air is going through me now.And I'm in awe of our instructor, hes 6 feet 4 inches and so bendy. hehe!
Day 8: A spellbinding lecture from a 80 yr old man and the first time I laughed like crazy since i came here! Lovely day..
Day 9: Saw fireflies for the first time in my life..felt like i was in a fairy tale.
Day 10: Had a conversation in 'Nalla Tamil' with someone today. I miss home :(
Day 11 and 12 : Preparations for the Silver jubilee celebrations and the mid course exam! Lots of free time..bored and not liking it.
Day 13: Mid course exam day...was weird to write exams after long. Also had an awesome conversation with a wonderful Columbian woman married to a Kashmiri.
Day 14: Learnt to do the Sarvangasana with my legs in Padmasana today! Felt fabulous..soo much to learn.
Day 15: Learning some really crazy stunts from a super cute guy from Nepal! Plus my article will come in the paper tomorrow! Happy me!!
Day 16: Stomach cleansing Kriya today! What a puking symphony it was... feel light and energetic though.
Day 17: Was shown a beautiful spot on the campus..windy and wonderful..and I had a heartwarming conversation with our Nepali Yoga expert and a super sweet girl who is a masters in Sanskrit and Music.Impressed by the diversity of the group.
Day 18: I find myself at the center of controversy and my first day of teaching the yogasanas..was good fun and a lot of laughs. Love the group i have been put in :D
Day 19: A horrible dark day for a super sweet woman and women in general. The world is full of conservative bigots!!
Day 20: Had a completely new perspective of Bollywood from a fantastic woman from Chile.She said "I wanna get married and live in London."
Day 21: Frustrated by all the chanting and bhajans, a bunch of to be yogis grooved secretly to Sheila ki Jawani. Was pure uninhibited bliss!!
Day 22: Restless energy resulting in doing repeated Suryanamaskaras at a fantastic location looking at the sunset.
Day 23: Got a campus tour with Mowgli (as she is fondly called), a fantastic free spirited seeker of berries and fruits in this gorgeous place.
Day 24: What a lovely day! Vented some of my pent up frustration, someYah-Yahs in the making and my first group hug in this place..I love women!! We are awesome!! Plus learnt some fantastic games..laughed till my stomach hurt.
Day 25: The most uplifting day ever!! Was in a wonderful bhajan session..singing and dancing! My body is still tingling from the vibrations!!
Day 26: Shoving things up your nose and puking exam!! Was alright..cant wait to get done now.
Day 27: Spending most of my time having conversations with the people I have grown close to and giving exams.
Day 28: Report presentation day..reunited with my love for public speaking. Plus our group conducts the asana session tomorrow, so preparing earnestly.
Day 29: We do a fabulous job of conducting the last asana session of the course and visit to Art of Living Ashram. Cant wait for tomorrow!!!.
Day 30: Saraswati Homah and distribution of certificates. We are officially Yoga Instructors now.!! Yay!!!
It was a tumultuous journey..the 30 days and 30 nights.. but something I can cross off my bucket list now!!
