Time...

Time here in Gokulam seems to move very slowly, but then you look for the date and find that it's been two weeks yesterday that you arrived here! lol, what a weird feeling. This morning on the steps of the shala waiting to go into the lobby to wait to practice, less lot's of waiting (especially this morning where I personally waited over an hour and usually am in the door 45 minutes before my actual start time), we had to pull out a phone to figure out the actual date today and then when we got it, the 13th(!), I thought damn, is it really two weeks already?!? And yes, it is.

Each day your practice is different, that's a truth whether I'm here or at home, but this week has shown me that I'm more energetic here and probably because of the sheer amount of energy in that room from people having been practicing since 4:15am and doing it since the shala opened over a decade ago. So, I thought I was riding nice and high on that energy and then today happens.

Now today wasn't a bad practice, but it was slow and felt like drudging through mud. If the factor of the energy in the room were to be removed I would most likely have quit practicing soon after starting or it would've taken me 3 hours. But my backbending at the end was still pretty good and I feel good, other than today is the first time I'm just low in energy after practicing.

Sharath is pleased with my progress in the standing up and dropping back, he remembers that he gave me that as my homework when I was here earlier this year and so has been watching me, and most days is the one to help me with the assisted backbends you do here after your own standing up and dropping back. Now the problem is that he's taken an interest in my bind in supta kurmasana again, not sure why, but yesterday that was something he brought up. In the led class he lets me get away with using a towel to hold the bind, because it moves so quickly but in Mysore class he hasn't seen that I can hold it once I'm assisted to the bind, which I have been. He told me yesterday that today he would help me so he could see it, so today when I was there I looked for him but he'd gone outside, so I let one of the assistants help me. And I'll be damned, as soon as I was done and heading to the changing room he said, you didn't call me for supta today, I said you were outside, oh sorry he says, you bind? Yes I did, you held it, yes I did. Okay, we'll see tomorrow.

It's funny to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm here to work with him as my teacher and I'm very glad he has an interest in my practice, but damn! lol.

I'm here for a long time this time and have plenty to work on. Once he's satisfied with my supta bind and my "catching" gets really close or to touch (I almost touched today, btw catching means you are assisted in bending over backwards and walking your hands in until you can touch or "catch" your ankles, it actually feels good after you're done with it) he'll start me on intermediate, which sounds great and when I practiced before from 2000-2008 I had went up to about a third or more of the third series, the intermediate series was my favorite. You always feel light, calm and energized both, after its complete each morning. But pasasana, that first frakking posture, is a bitch, especially for those who's body just hates to twist, like mine. But when he gives it to me I'll diligently work on it as I'm doing all the other things he's given me to work on.

I have to say I love it here. I love the little apartment I'm in, it's spacious but not too big and gets a good breeze. I love the weather this time, unlike last it was so hot, this time its very moderate and lovely at night. The people are great, most remember me this time from last and the students are great too, many are here from my last trip so it's been nice to catch up and rekindle friendships.

Right now I can say I could stay here for a long time, but I'm sure that will change soon enough, or maybe not, who knows. I'm taking it one minute at a time and this time the minutes seems to be sludging by, not that I'm complaining because in a few minutes another week will have gone by! And I'm no hurry to head back to the Midwest of the US during the middle of winter, what on earth was I thinking going back in February! lol. Methinks I wasn't thinking at all about anything except being in India...