yogis on a dime

I joined an ashram for yoga. this is a truly special place in Ahmedabad- people from all over the world come here to learn and the resident yogis are hailed as some of the finest in the world.  My yoga teacher from before was trained here and continues to meditate with his yogi pals at the 'shram.  For me it is special because as soon as you walk inside you are met with plush greenery and a kind breeze.  2 things I miss, a lot. Most days we have class outside on the lawn, in America we call it Bikram Yoga, here it's just another day in the city/sauna.  We start and end with a prayer I have yet to memorize.  The only part I chime in on is "shanti, shanti, shanti" ("peace, peace, peace") and then i sit quietly while the rest work their way through words that are mere sounds to me.  Then yoga begins. Since it is all in Gujarati, I never know when to open my eyes, close my eyes, change positions, or tuck my toes under.  I position myself in the room so i can catch a glimpse of what others are doing.  However, often times people choose to not participate or simply fall asleep, so I have to get clever. The other tricky thing is looking while my eyes are closed.  I need to know when quiet meditation is over and I need to know when it is ok to once again inhale, but when you don't understand the difference between "relax" and "breathe" and are unable to see what everyone else is doing- it gets challenging.  I have gotten good at sneaking peaks, but when my teacher catches me, I am scolded by her eyes.

Today, Ben, a friend's son, asked to come along.  He is 8, has been living here for 4 years, learning Gujarati, Hindi, English and another language to come shortly. He loves telling elaborate stories, dreams of being an inventor, and once ordered spaghetti with olives and vinegar for dinner (WHY?).  He has a great outlook on things and is eager to get out of the house and explore- I often feel drained, but being around his energy rejuvenates me.  In fact, even the calm of yoga couldn't keep this kid down. He gave up on the class during starting prayer and instead chose to run around the big lawn (rare around these parts) throwing water bottles and watering hoses around.  very peaceful.

He had a hard time holding in a giggle while women around him were burping and farting. Frankly, so did I!  After yoga he said, "Why do you go when the ground is so hot? Maybe you should stop. You sweated more than me and I was running laps around the field."

I don't think he wants to go again...but you can catch me there every day after work. I am hooked.

Price info: suggested donation is $5/month for 6 days of 1 hour classes!