Mysore, again...

I've been terrible about writing in this blog this summer, and now that it's fall back in the US and I'm in India again I'm finally feeling like I'm ready to start again, maybe... Let's see how it goes.

I've been here about 2 weeks now, just starting my second week of practice with Sharath again. It feels like home, and like I never left. I truly did not want to leave last time, so much so that I vomited all the way to the airport in March when I was leaving. Well, maybe not all the way, do you remember Katie? It was miserable. And it took me a while once back in St. Louis to shake off the icky feeling of not wanting to be there. In fact, I don't think I ever shook off that feeling. I think I just embraced it and felt that way.

But being back here and with most of the same friends who come with me each time from around the planet, it feels right. And walking into the office to register for classes with my teacher and his "oh, it's you again..." helped it feel even more right, haha. I love India and it feels correct to me to be here. Even though I can't wait to travel around and see more and more of it and it's culture and decide eventually where I want to live, yes I'm planning to live here.

But that's for another blog, at another time.

This past week it has been Dasara, more popularly known as Navaratri. Nine nights of the goddess. Which somehow becomes 11 days, really 10, but the big procession was today and it's the 11th of October. After worshipping different aspects of the goddess for the last 9 days.

I took part in a homa, a fire ceremony, on the 8th day, which according to my astrology was the proper day and version of the goddess for me to be involved in. There was a sankalpa, an intention, to start the ceremony and it was in Sanskrit and beautiful. Asking for guidance and knowledge to be able to follow the path that I'm supposed to. From that I also god a great reading of my chart telling me many things that are meant to happen, not all wonderful, but many not so shabby. In this system you can also change the karma of the future by tapas, mantra or some work on yourself that cancels out the stuff that could be coming your way. So I've been assigned a mantra to recite 1008 times daily, yes that many, even more if I can, but I'm finding that to be quite enough for now. It's amazing how I feel after that.

I'm also having wrist problems, but they seem to be a part of this process of clearing shit out and making way for the new ventures in my life. And there seem to be many coming my way, and that I'm quite ready for.

Practice is hard with the wrist thing going on but I'm able to do it at my own pace and Sharath has been supportive of it, and also he remembers my name now! That alone made me feel great, and it only took 4 extended trips here, but I'm not complaining.

Mostly I feel very grateful and appreciative of the path that has led me here and those who have played a part in it. I'm ready to move forward, in life, in this practice and in embracing all the things possible, rather than feeling like I'm blocking them off. It's time to open up my arms and say yes, rather than cross my arms across my chest as I normally would and say, mmmm, let me think about it, or no.

Well, off to do my japa for the evening, take care, see you soon!