Mysore daily...

Daily life here in Mysore can be quite hectic, but also can be quite boring, and yet again can be quite calm and relaxing. It can be just about anything you think it can be or want it to be.

Personally I'm one who likes free time in life normally, but here when I first started coming I signed up for this Sanskrit class, these chanting lessons, this trip into the city, that trip to a local landmark, etc. Then I realized, nope, this is not for me. I like to have something to do but not too much and, of course, the trip centers around your practice ideally.

We travel all the way here to study yoga at the source with our teacher and so that is the priority to me. For that I have to wake up well before dawn and shower, chant and brush my teeth before heading to sit at the shala gate for just a bit before they let us in the room to begin practice. So that means going to bed very early, not my favorite thing, but this is my first priority right? So I do it.

When finished with that, coconuts. We must have them. They are fresh, something not available where I live, and they are good and replenish lots of vitamins and minerals we lose in sweating so much in the shala. The practice, although the same one we do at home daily, is much more intense. Probably because of the amount of energy in the room all the people create and when you're used to practicing at home alone that can be overwhelming. But we do adjust to it.

After that a hot shower and breakfast. Which brings me to my second priority here, eating. Not meaning overindulging, just meaning knowing when and how much to eat to service priority number one. I eat a lot in the mornings, then a little less at lunch and then almost nothing around 4pm, 5pm at the latest. Then I feel great and mostly empty but still energized enough for practice in the morning, which begins at 4am by the way.

Then at the shala we have chanting class in the late morning usually, right now its at noon because there are so many people here, its short, just a half an hour, but I also take chanting lessons from a local lady and am joined by a few friends. I can now chant the first and second padas of the yoga sutras without any reference paper, but am learning the third currently with her.

Then of course, lunch. Lunch is usually 12-2, in there somewhere, then the afternoon can be me doing a Thai massage on someone, or like today a friend and I watched a movie on amazon prime, some days its a nap, often the nap comes in mid morning for me after breakfast (if I take one at all, not a biggie for me), some days its writing. Who knows, can be anything, then if still a bit of space I'll have a small something to eat.

All this time though we're feeling the effects of our practice, which is more intense as earlier referenced. Which can be emotional release, physical aches and pains in the body, mental stress and more. But it can also be peace, calm and quiet in the mind, which is quite nice in itself and this trip hasn't happened much for me until this week, so I'm enjoying it.

It can also be catching up on things at home with messages, email or other sources.

There's no one way to do Mysore, there are many ways and this one hasn't found one thing like the other trips, it seems to be different daily and I think I'm liking that. Keeps me on my toes.

Oh, and the biggest thing that often happens, socializing. Having great conversations with interesting people from all sorts of countries and cultures we may or may not know much about. This is my favorite when done in small doses and has helped me grow friends with more people than I can even count.

I love it here...