Yoga in Goa!

I went to my first yoga class on Wednesday (the 8th I think, the days are already starting to blur together... I think it's Thursday).  As is typical for India, getting there is half the battle, and I was originally supposed to start on Tuesday but my ride didn't show up, so I opted for independence and rented my own scooter, and one of the employees at my guesthouse kindly directed me to the yoga shala.  This turned out to be an essential exercise, because it involved several winding roads and a random left turn down a dirt path that led behind several houses and finally ended up in front of the building housing the shala.  I managed to find it on my own fairly easily -- only one instance of pointing and asking "yoga shala?  yoga shala?" -- but I had no idea that the mildly cool January mornings in Goa turned icy cold while riding unprotected on a scooter, and so I showed up at the shala shivering in my black doom metal t-shirt (Buried At Sea, for you folks who care).  There's a rickety wooden gate in front of the home, and another rickety gate held fast with string leading up the stairs to the second floor, where the shala is located.  I passed by an avalanche of flip-flops and dutifully deposited my own before proceeding up the stairs.

Ashtanga, the type of yoga I practice, consists a set sequence and the traditional way of teaching-- called "Mysore", named after the city in Southern India where the practice originated-- consists of the yogi moving through the sequence on his or her own, with the instructor performing adjustments and providing verbal instruction as deemed necessary.  There are a few poses where students are more likely to be adjusted, usually due to their difficulty level, such as the infamous kurmasana and supta kurmasana, which involves lying down on the mat with your arms lying flat underneath your outstretched legs, straightening your legs as much as possible, and then moving on to the next pose, which involves binding your arms behind your back and then crossing your legs behind your head  This is both easier and harder than it sounds, although I really have no idea, since I've never bound my arms and crossed my legs behind my head at the same-- I was gifted with both tight hips and shoulders, which makes this pose doubly perplexing.  Some shalas operate on a strict hierarchy-- you can't advance to the next pose until you've successfully done the previous pose-- which naturally provokes much competition amongst students.

Anyway, because the class is taught Mysore style, students roll in and out seemingly at random.  I approached the entrance and there were a few students waiting around.  I've already encountered German, Japanese, British and Italian students.  Almost immediately upon my arrival, the door swung open and the main instructor poked his head out and said "One more" and then looked back inside and changed his mind: "Two more".  He's a small German man who looks like he could be anywhere from 40 to 55 years of age, a common characteristic of hardcore yoga types.  Two students walked in.  I didn't have to wait long, and set my mat up in the corner.  Ashtanga is a very physically demanding practice, and there's always a way to go further and push yourself harder, and therefore it tends to attract intense personalities.  Entering a studio is often like making your way into church-- silent, solemn and disciplined.  This shala was no exception, although there was fortunately no emphasis on preventing people from moving on to the next pose if you couldn't squeeze yourself into a bind or straighten your legs completely or float backwards or whatever the asana demanded.  The female instructor introduced herself and recognized my name from my emails.  Her first comment was "The toilet, don't flush any toilet paper, and only flush if it's a poop."  Welcome to India!  About half an hour into my practice, a dog set up shop near the front of mat, ripped a couple farts, and generally made himself comfortable.  After I was done, I opted out of changing out of my soggy shorts-- the bathroom proved itself to be entirely too fragrant for my tastes, although I consider myself fairly fearless in that department.  Maybe it was the random puddles on the floor, presumably from the buckets used for showering.

On my way home, I drove by an elephant, my first-- quickly followed by another elephant, this one covered in white symbols drown in paint.  I felt unstuck in time for a moment.

I spent much of the rest of the day hanging out with a friend, walking around on the beach, eating and doing lots of reading.  Sooooo stressful!

Comments

[Jenn]

So glad you made it safe, I'm gonna keep checkin in - Glad you keepin a diary of sorts via the interwebs.
An elephant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shannon]

awesome! Glad you're doing this, I feel like I'm there...in fact, I'm going to stop flushing unless its poop too!

[Damien]

WOW! Your first day of yoga sounds multidimensional. The elephants! Yeah, bathrooms a major peeve of mine. I took a workshop here in NY and the bathroom was freezing, so I opted out of a shower. I guess smells is an adjustment one must adapt to. What's that saying, "If it's yellow let it mellow..."

Thank you for blogging, I look forward to more stories.

Cancelled Budapest FYI.

D

[Damien]

WOW! The Elephants! Your first day of yoga was quite layered my friend. Remember the saying, "If it's yellow let it mellow..."

Scooters & Flip Flops through India, this is very inspiring. Are you getting decent adjustments and how was the vibe of the shala overall? Do you have other shala's in mind to visit?

I look forward to reading more 8~) Cancelled Budapest FYI

D

[Nicola]

Ahhh, Indian bathrooms. I remember them well - my old nemesis.