It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been in Mysore for a whole week. The concept of time becomes very strange when being here I find. Arriving here is like dropping into a time capsule or a parallell universe. It’s funny how one can just drop in and out of seemingly different realities by getting on an air plane for a few hours. It’s kind of surreal. But not everyone has the possibility to do so or come here and that’s why I write this blog while in Mysore, so that students and others can get a glimpse of what this “parallell reality” is like from my point of view.
Although things have changed since I last left – new houses have been built, no – more correctly – MANY new houses have been built, prices have gone up again ( a lot!) and the rickshaw drivers have become even harder to negotiate with when it comes to getting them to use the meter – it also feels as if time has stood still while I’ve been away. Because most of the “usual suspects” are here, everywhere I meet the same people as last year and I get to reunite with the lovely Ashtanga family.
Also the local faces are the same and they greet you as if it was only yesterday that we met. It always astonishes me how they (the fruit vendor, the tailor, the Rickshaw drivers, cafe owners, land lords and many more) seem to remember everyone even by name. It’s a nice and welcoming feeling and it is definitely one of the things which makes Mysore feel like a home away from home.
There are of course also many new faces both among the yoga practitioners and among the locals. New people who all want a taste of the Ashtanga community and its fruits – be it of Sharath’s teachings or the business opportunities created by he influx of foreign students. In Gokulam – the area of Mysore where the KPJAYI is located – there are also several other yoga schools which attract foreign and local yoga students and with every year the yoga business seems to grow.
There are numerous activities that cater for the yoga students outside of asana practice. Everything from philosophy and chanting classes with different teachers around Mysore to trainings in how to massage or do healing, photography courses, sight seeing trips etc. The KPJAYI also offers Sanskrit and chanting since a few years back. One can also do charity work while here and help out in an orphanage or take care of rescued animals.
It’s great to have the possibility to use one’s time outside of asana practice in a useful way. Whether it’s by doing self/personal study (svādhyāya) through the exploration of yogic texts and chanting or by doing karma yoga and giving back to society. Because that’s what yoga is all about. Asana practice is only 2 hours a day, yoga practice is 24/7.
During all of my trips I have tried to engage both in philosophical studies as well as in charity work of some sort. However this year I’ve not yet decided how to divide my time here. It is also easy to get involved in too many things. Unfortunately this year my favourite chanting teacher Dr. Jayashree is not here and I also have quite limited funds to engage in other studies or courses. Having a very busy year behind me I try to tell myself that it is ok to just chill a bit and catch up with old friends. Because there’s plenty of opportunity to do that too.
Mysore has many fancy hotel pools where one can hang out and stock up some much needed vitamin D (highly recommended for Northern Europeans!). And the cafes and lunch places that cater for the yoga students are just popping up like mushrooms. One can also pamper oneself with a massage by one of the many body workers present during the season (many yogis have specialised in some type of body work professionally). Tired yoga bodies need a soothing touch from time to time.
As you may conclude from the above, Gokulam is not very “Indian” but rather posh and full of privileges that one would not likely benefit from during a round trip on the Indian continent. We are rather spoilt during our time here. But I’m very grateful for the newly built house I have the privilege to stay at whilst here (although it’s kind of over priced for what it offers) and for things being rather simple. I’m quite tired and it’s nice to just be able to arrive, get help with the luggage and eat healthy home cooked food at my favourite lunch place Anu’s bamboo hut. That said, I find it important to live wisely and minimise my foot print while here when it comes to consumption and creating waste. Recycling seems a bit difficult though – the container where I take my trash would most likely cause certain environmentalists to faint.
Although every trip here has been different – and this one will too I believe- it is nice to revisit the same places and to see familiar faces. It is very comforting and with every trip I feel more relaxed. However at the start of each trip it always feels kind of surreal to be here again surrounded by so many people and so much noise. It’s a bit of a shock for a loner such as myself from quiet Sweden.
Practicing amongst others is the biggest adjustment and it takes a couple of weeks to get used to it and to create good energy within oneself. Sharath spoke about this at the last conference on 29 November (the day before I arrived). Since then there’s been no conference due to the moon day last Saturday. And yes, that’s a change to the previous rhythm. Nowadays led primary is on Saturdays followed by rest day on Sunday. Sharath changed this during the summer to be able to spend more time with his family (the kids have Sundays off from school). However he’s said that shalas around the world may choose which day to rest as long as it’s one day/week.
The first week having been rather quiet with a moon day and one missed day at the start of the week since I arrived on the Sunday and had to wait to register until Monday, we now have two 6-day weeks ahead of us before the next new moon (which happens to fall on my birthday). For some reason my asana practice always goes into a regressive state while I’m here and I struggle quite a lot. The Mysore “magic” everyone keeps talking about has yet to reveal its powers to me… But I believe in Professor Narashima’s words “Always have faith in the practice. Practice with faith and hope and awareness but without attachment. If problems still persist it’s because you are still in avidya (ignorance) which is the biggest obstacle (Klesha) to success in yoga”. And yes, I admit that I’m still in ignorance (although a bit less than before) and I have a lot more to learn. That’s why I’m here! Always a student…
P.S it seems like the wifi doesn’t allow me to upload pictures on the blog, hence the rather colorless text… Check the Facebook page instead for picture updates later!
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