Saturday, September 28, 2013

TRAVELING

Pune, at last! It's a long trip but it went with relative ease.  Thanks to my dear husband for upgrading me to Business Class with his frequent flyer miles on the 15 hour leg from Newark to Mumbai.  To be able to lie relatively flat and sleep a bit made all the difference. Plus there was room enough to do a bit of yoga. I rested, sort of sleeping, overnight in Mumbai before getting up at 4:00 a.m. local time and did both pranayama and asana. That helped immensely to relieve the disorienting effects of travel. Yesterday I made the short trip to Pune manging to stay awake until 7:00 p.m. and sleeping through until 5:00 this morning.  So I am getting on track with the local time zone.  Today I meet my friend, Lisa, at the Chetak Hotel where we will stay until we can move into our apartment on Tuesday.

Conversations have been delightful! It's interesting how readily people begin to speak of the spiritual when I say I am here to study yoga.  At the Mumbai airport, a woman with deep, soulful eyes said to me that to keep the body healthy is a prerequisite to nourish the soul.  But not to become attached to it otherwise suffering ensues. After asking me what time I wake in the morning, she encouraged me to try 4:00 a.m. as the best time for meditation. A gentleman on the shuttle bus spoke to me about his pranayama practice and why this was so important for the life force within us.   Another proudly showed me his ring with a Christian cross on it. Others have politely tried to figure out where West Virginia is and the mostly young men working for foreign companies have shared with me their visits to the U.S.: Jacksonville, Florida, the Grand Canyon (evoking a WOW!), New York City, and incredibly Brainerd Minnosota where it snowed during his May visit.  At breakfast today the restaurant manager said he lives near the Iyengar Institute next to the mall.  I told him there was no mall at my last visit ten years ago.  He said there are lots of changes which I am about to go investigate.  

Sunday, September 22, 2013

The marketplace, Pune, India 2003  Photo by Lynlee Sky
It has been ten years since my last trip to India.  Think of all the changes that have occurred in the past decade, not least is the ease with which we can stay in touch.  It was possible to email during my previous two trips (2000 and 2003).However, it required a hot, dusty walk to an internet cafe where for about 10 rupees I had a half-hour to write to family and friends.  Now, I am told I will have Wi-Fi access at the apartment where I will be staying. With my iPad in tow and through this blog, I hope to stay in touch and share my India 2013 experiences. The journey begins on September 26.