Friday afternoon...

Well, I'm still in Mysore but I am no longer practicing at the shala with Sharath. An area I'm finding much contention with surprisingly.

Last year I'd gone back to the Midwest of the US in February to some terrible winter weather and swore I'd not do that again, so bought my round trip ticket this time to go home in March. I'd planned on traveling a bit and I did for one week, but when I returned home to Gokulam found the money was rather too low to be traveling to the North, which is something I've been drawn to do for a long time. So decided to just stay in Mysore, after all, I love it here and its a fairly easy place to be in the grand scheme of India.

Now I've discovered that its not so wonderful to be practicing here for three months and then all of a sudden to not be practicing at the shala, trying to maintain that same practice in a home setting. When you're on the other side of the world its much easier to do since there is no other option but to practice at home, but when you're here and you live on the same road as the shala and you hear the scooters, and see the people waiting on the front steps and having coconuts after their early morning practice, well, it just sucks.

I am fine, I am happy and have loved having the ability to be in India for so long this time around, so don't get me wrong, I'm not upset I'm still here. I'm just stating how I felt this last week. Now however I feel like I'm making peace with it and am doing okay practicing at home, even making progress because it's getting warmer and my body is staying so open. So I'm not complaining, I'm quite good.

I'm even making friends of the new batch of folks coming in, most of whom I've not encountered before and a few of friends from old trips are here now as well. And it's Mysore, the one place I've come to feel at home on the planet. I love it here.

This morning I woke up hearing my roommate showering and getting ready to leave to practice at the shala (he lives here so practices the whole season and also is assisting Sharath this whole season) around 4am, so I lie there a bit longer and eventually got up and practiced, then went to have coconuts in front of the shala where I ran into one of this aforementioned folks I've met since my time there, we had a nice chat, then I went to have chocolate pancakes and chai for breakfast, then I went to a morning showing of the new movie Deadpool, which just came out today, with two other friends who I met last month but we've been here at the same time before and just never met. After which we went and had a nice lunch, then I came home and had a nap.

Sounds like my typical Friday back in the states! Which is also my day off back there. So, how can one be upset at that sort of a day? One cannot.

I'm feeling quite blessed these days and working on lining up my teaching for once I'm back home. My normal semester with the med students at Wash U is already set up, my weekly park class which goes along with our organic/local farmers market is set up to start in April, and my Mysore program is moving locations and that is all set up. My first 5 week series of Intro to Ashtanga Yoga is set up. Just working on some workshops and a few one off classes that I usually don't teach but am feeling like doing this summer, since it may be my last summer in St. Louis. Seems like its going to be a great summer with great friends and great students and a great family, all that I'll miss once I leave the area but will still visit and be in touch with.

I'm kind of getting excited maybe to go back! Hahaha...

See you all soon!