Humble Pie is Served

We have really been busy setting up our house. Somehow, going to town to do some errands takes all day. Rebecca has done an amazing job with the house. We have used silk saris over the windows and in the doorways and draped over the furniture. Our kitchen is all marble and we have that kind of tricked out to our liking. Lots of candles, as the power goes out frequently. Reported as a "problem at the thermal plant that is creating problems". (The power has gone out three times during this post, but the groovy internet cafe switches over to generator power without dropping us off.) Got some nice cotton rugs, and David took us to see a wonderful old man who sells old prints and we have some great old framed Hindu prints to protect and guide us. Hanuman protect me!

Still kind of dialing in the bucket showering and using a squat toilet. We have a western bathroom in the front bedroom, but the back bath is huge with a big tile shower room and hot water from a tap (not the shower head). So, it is kind of a bucket shower affair, which works wonderfully and saves gallons of water. And I have started using the squat toilet. The toilet room is tile, with raised porcelain footrests and a porcelain "trench". But the footrests are not quite sized to me. So I have been dialing in the optimum placement of my feet. For the record, too far forward is better than being too far back...

As a Christmas gift Rwar had a 5' x7' bed made for me. I hung over our old bed by about 3 feet. The bed could be ready at 6pm if we ordered it by noon in the fabric of our choice! Cost about $35. Our house is in a nice neighborhood, and it is fairly quiet. A good nights sleep is so important, so the bed has really helped me feel better in the morning. The walk in the dark to the shala, under the stars, in the still of the morning, is magical. Then there is kind of a gut check when you come into the waiting room and Guruji or Sharath says, "Come!" and points to your spot.

So, the first week Sharath was in Goa, on the coast doing a workshop, so it was Guruji's son Manju, and his daughter Saraswati, and Guruji running the show. I felt so proud to be a student of AYS, because David and Catherine have us trained so well to follow the commands and we fit in well. We did two led classes and four mysore style and we were working super hard and learning how it works at the shala. We met Paul's teacher from New York, Eddie, and he was very nice to us before he went home.
All was well, all was coming!

Then Sharath returns, and David Swenson and his wife appear, and lots of new folks start arriving and things kind of amp up a notch. So, the first class with Sharath back was led primary. I am driving through my navasana, when Sharath kind of kicks my mat and says, "You go", and nods to the finishing room. I was floored! I finished out my navasana and picked up my mat and rug and hang-dogged across the entire room. Shame, rage, ego, embarrassment, jet engine noise in my head. The program is if there are folks waiting during mysore practice, after back bending and drop-backs, you do your finishing poses in the finishing room/bathroom so someone else can come in from the waiting room and have your space. And, if you cannot do a pose, that is where you are stopped and you go finish. The theory is that you are not ready to move on to the next pose until you are open enough to do the prior pose, so you might hurt yourself. In my case, I cannot bind in Marichiasana D, but I am ok from there on. And though my back does not really bend, I have been working so hard on it and making some progress. So, I was really upset and sure I would lose the progress I have made in my following poses, especially my freakin' back bends!

It was wild. Next time you think you have your ego under control try getting booted out of a big class with Guruji. Dragging your sweaty mat across Swenson and trying not to look up to see what David G. eyes are saying. Rebecca tried, but I was inconsolable in my pout and anger.

So, next day, mysore style class, and Sharath comes zooming up to me in Marichiasana D and sits down with me to adjust and explains we are going to go: "Slowly, slowly, careful". He was very kind about it. And then made me leave. Others have counseled me to enjoy it while I can, because the poses come fast. And I now see the others who are stopped wherever. But for now, I have a quick practice. So, I have slowed it down and really working hard on the poses I still have. I am actually more sore in Mysore now than when I was bombing through the entire primary. But it is hard for me with all the rock stars surrounding me doing their amazing practices to have to stop so soon. I knew it was coming. Ashtanga is a humbling practice, I practice around amazing yogis and yoginis at home, so I think I did not have too many illusions about my practice, but right now the main meal being served to me in Mysore, is humble pie.

Sincerly, Rajwater