First Mysore in Mysore and boy am I...

Greetings all

We gotta get some pictures up...Frank went crazy in the Mysore market the other day and snapped shots of tons of beauty and shine. He asked everyone in that bigger than life Frank way..."hello sir! may I take your picture"?...huge smile and huge white man...none could resist.

The market is the best and I can't wait to get the house set up so that we can do a little real shopping. First I'm planning to boil everything that is boilable in the house we rented...am I a freak? Yes, but it is pretty dirty here and I'm trying to do everything and experience everything without getting sick...or any sicker. I've got antibiotics now...same ones I came with actually and the ones they give you for dysentary, Cipro. If anyone knows if Cipro works on a sinus infection let me know...in my mind it is working and practice was good this morning as a result.

So, speaking of practice! Today (Tuesday Dec. 14th) was our first "Mysore" practice...meaning we came into a room already teaming with yogis of all sizes, shapes, nationalities, tatoo styles and started in on our version of the primary series of Ashtanga yoga.

I think we must have been really amped because what usually takes about an hour and 45 minutes was over in about 30 minutes...not really but that is how it felt. AND Frank did the whole practice...no one stopped him and there were plenty of folks in the room paying attention. Manju Jois is in town and he is adjusting students along with Guruji, Saraswati, and Saraswati's daughter (?). Sharath is still in Goa doing a workshop.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring...probably not that much different than today. I think I'm starting to see another level of beauty in being a student here for a few months. You settle into your practice, your new "home", your scooter (coming soon), your favorite thali restaurants, your favorite taylor, your favorite coconut juice guy, chai and idly (go find a south indian restaurant and ask for idly and sambar and a sweet lime soda...yum) and that is about it and that is enough...especially for first timers like us. Frank is napping...Frank never naps.

Not much changes day to day...students come and go and I think the temperature is going to start climbing but that is it. It is a small place...Gokulam. We are in Mysore but not really...we are in Gokulam and it is a relatively small neighborhood. We venture out to Mysore and it is incredible...soon we'll be ready to venture out to Bangalore for a weekend (may go with David when he heads home to Seattle) but really we'll always come back to the safe little Gokulam. I'm sure the Jois family moved the shala to Gokulam cause it is a much "nicer" place to for them to live but the fallout for students is that they have a safe spot to concentrate and put most of regular life on hold. I'm, of course, speaking merely as newly arrived student...who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Love to all and I can't wait till all at AYS can hear David chant and play in Kirtan again...he sounds incredible!

Rebecca