We Are Here

After 48 of travel, Karen and I arrived in Pune. Things went extremely smoothly. The planes were on time, the ride to Pune was not quite as crazy as I thought it would be and we are now settling into our room.

My first taste of India was the airport. The Mumbai airport was completely torn apart, with dozens of men sitting around the work areas. When we left the airport we were greeted by a crowd of hundreds of people, apparently waiting for other passengers. Then, the skies opened and a couple inches of rain came pouring down. After some confusion, we found our driver and headed to the Leela hotel, where we had tea and cookies before bed.

Our car ride to Pune was four hours and our driver did not speak much English, but he tried to point out the sights. The vegetation reminded me of the North shore of Kauai - lush and dark green. And just like Kauai, there were beautiful waterfalls coming down the hillsides from the heavy rain. Our driver pointed out monkeys on the highway barriers, the Arabian Sea and the herd of goats on the road.

Yoga starts in two days, and I am hoping that I can hold my own under the watchful eyes of Geeta Iyengar!

Return of Anxiety

My last post said that I had moved from anxiety to anticipation. I should have known that my usual travel anxiety would resurface, like a prickly weed that resprouts after repeated attempts of eradication. Yesterday I had a morning of worry about family (what if they forget that they like having me around?) and flying (how can I spend 20 hours in a plane?). What I needed was physical effort to clear my head. So I whacked at the camellia bushes, and then my son, husband and I took a short hike. To cap these efforts I practiced for an hour. By dinner time I felt much more centered and calm.

Today will be a day of packing, cleaning and hanging out with the family. I hope to keep my anxieties to a minimum with positive thinking - I can do this!

Almost There

I am less than one week from departure and everything is almost ready. The goodbyes and well wishes have begun as I wind down my teaching schedule this week. I feel I have moved beyond anxiety to anticipation.

I am fortunate to be travelling with my best yoga friend Karen Allgire, from Cleveland. Karen has already made one trip to Pune, and I have already relied on her experience and guidance to prepare and pack. Karen has reassured me as I have my expressed fears about both the travel and studying with the Iyengar family - thanks Karen!

One of my students asked me what expectations I have of the trip and what I hope to learn. I answered that I didn't have specific expectations of what I wanted to learn, rather I am eager to experience the effects of uninterrupted yoga practice. I am extremely thankful that I will have the opportunity to spend a month focused on my practice and studies - I realize this is an chance that many people never get. Thanks to my family and everyone at SYC who has supported me!

Acceleration

19 days and counting! Life seems to be accelerating like a jet takeoff - I feel pinned back in my seat as my final preparations take shape. My travelling friend and I are emailing each other twice a day, figuring last minutes details. I have purchased numerous items from both the "natural remedies" area of New Seasons as well as more traditional things found in a medicine cabinet. I am prepping my mom and Jen to keep the yoga center running smoothly while I am gone. I realize I need a bigger piece of luggage!

Admidst this preparation I am managing to keep my daily pranayama and asana practice. Some days my practice seems superficial as I try to stay focused. Other days I feel confident that I am prepared and and my pracice is filled with discipline and self-study. I know that my time in India will be another type of acceleration - of my practice and of my understanding of yoga.