I have been saying that a lot these last few days. Its the prayer you say before and after every yoga session, meaning name of god (om) and peace (shanti). It is also a popular bollywood movie; however, I do not think the yogis know that.
I wish everyone had the opportunity to spend a few days concerned with nothing other than their own mind, body, and spirit. I think our society would be a lot happier and healthier if we did. While totally self-indulgent, also very important, afterall, we spend A LOT of time with ourselves, and according to yogic philosophy better to recharge those batteries or suffer a breakdown down the road (physically and mentally). Well, actually, yoga philosophy would say better to keep things in “tune” all the time so you do not have to worry about that. They have done a lot of scientific research here on yoga’s effects on the body, disease, mind, spirit, etc and it is quite fascinating. I have no doubts that 20 minutes of a yoga a day would save our healthcare system a whole lot of money.
Unfortunately, the cost of a retreat week like mine would literally be 10x more in the U.S., unless anyone knows where you can get a full body massage for $6. Nonetheless, its amazing what a little stretching and some down time to reflect can do for a person, luckily that can be done anywhere.
I started yoga yesterday morning at 7am in the basic class. It was very relaxing but more concentrated on breathing, stretching, etc – basically geared toward the 50 year old women that made up most of the class. I went back for the afternoon session and while a little more challenging, not the yoga I was picturing or have done in the past. So today I went to advanced. After 3 sets of sun salutations (done on a beautiful rooftop watching the actual sunrise) we (that is, me and my body) said “Yes, this is what we wanted.” One hour and 20 minutes later…we were not so sure. But really it was great, challenging but wonderful. I had forgotten how great I feel after a yoga class and am excited to hopefully be able to keep up some practice when I get back, both to the project and the U.S.
The treatments have been great, so far I have had a immersion massage bath, a back massage, a hip bath (maybe I am a 50 year old woman), and oil application on the back with steam. When I met with the doctor I told him I have a bit of back pain so a lot of my treatments are geared towards this. In ayeruveda treatments I have had a full body massage + steam, and some ear/face thing that supposedly helps ears, jaw, aging, etc. Basically they gave me a face massage, steam, and then poured some oil in my ears and gave me another massage. I still have cotton in my ears so hopefully when I take it out in 30 minutes I will still have my hearing!
There really is not as much down time as I thought, especially since I am still requiring at least one nap a day. This waking up at 6am and no coffee deal is a bit harsh. Other than that I have been sitting in the garden reading, walking the grounds, and then going to the talks/lectures. There was a great one yesterday on “yoga as a lifestyle.” The whole philosophy/science of yoga is very interesting, but I will spare you all here, although like a good student I did diligently take notes the whole time. They are really into cleansing the body and this morning at 6:30am I actually poured water in one nostril and come out the other (a weird feeling by the way). Double weird because my mind was saying to me: Sarah, are you seriously doing this? The answer was Yes and it was actually okay and my sinuses are clear. Supposedly tomorrow we are doing something with a tube and my nostrils and something about the tube coming out the mouth and I'm just not so keen on that one.
The food is..well, lets say this, it sure ain’t spa cuisine.
BUT to give full disclosure, I did have a minor rebellion today, the other side of my personality escaped (we all know I have two, constantly battling :)). Here is the thing. As much I might want to be, I’m not a yogi. And I’m not a vegetarian. And I’m not Indian. I’m a freakin American. I’m an overstimulated, overtechnologized American. So all this peace and tranquility is frankly a lot to take, despite reading Eat, Pray, Love and channeling Elizabeth Gilbert. I feel like all the time I should be contemplating my existence and body and peace of mind. And while I have very much enjoyed some peace and quiet and have done my share of contemplating, journeling, napping, reading, there comes a point. So today at lunch when I heard that two men have been sneaking off to a Chai stand everyday for some real tea, I decided to give in to my own desire. So after an hour of lovely reading outside (by the way, the weather is 70s and gorgeous, sorry for you snowed in…) I went to my room, grabbed my forbidden ipod and went out for a walk blasting my American music. The first song that happened to come up was Pink – So What, I’m still a Rockstar and it couldn’t have been more perfect. For 30 blissful minutes (another kind of blissful) I walked around listening to Pink and Lady GaGa with a big smile on my face. And I’m not the least bit sorry. If the Indians can walk around talking on their forbidden cell phones than I can certainly listen to some music. So there. And Yes, it is only day 3, so I doubt this will be the first ipod break. But after that little break from yoga land, I'm ready to get back to my stretching, contemplating, and sleeping. Just goes to show you, life is all about moderation.
So now off to Yoga class #2 for some OM, followed by a meditation class with a sitar player. I will try my hardest not to have the words to Paparazzi playing in my head!
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