Breakfast and lesson planning

Here is a typical breakfast, served outside while we all socialize and plan our day. We always have papayas, bananas, and sometimes pomegranates. The main course today is kichadi, which is a rice and vegetable dish that can be served anytime. Kichadi is a completely balanced ayurvedic meal and is soothing to the digestive system, and is delicious in my opinion.

Tomorrow morning I teach my first yoga and meditation class, working with the manipuri (navel ) chakra. The yoga here is classic ashtanga yoga with a set series of 36 poses, I think. It is not flow, as I am used to, but involves long slow breathing and holding of the postures. You go very deep...Dr. Senthil recommends holding the postures from anywhere from 30 seconds to one hour. I have a lot to learn about sequencing for sure and different cues. It's always good to learn a new style...the mind is working to internalize this new information. We do an hour class at 6:30 a.m, a half hour class at 12:30, and another yoga and meditation class at 5:30. The new class session begins Monday and no one knows if anyone else is coming...I asked Dr. Senthil and he had no idea. This is  the way things are here, he said he would know Monday. Shanti shanti welcome to India!

Ayurvedic medicine and more food

You can see on my plate a variety of food, this is a typical lunch and, the best part, it is cooked and served to you...heaven! There is stewed okra, rice, chapati, mung dal, and an amazing salad of tomato, pomegranate and carrot. In the upper corner you can see a little metal cup with a lid on it. That is my ayurvedic medicine, a bitter grassy concoction that Uni brings at 6:a.m., lunchtime and dinner. Wish I could say it was tasty, but Dr. Mouli, who is pictured below the food with his adorable daughter, said my vata and pitta were slightly raised and claims these herbs will get rid of brain fogginess...bring it on Dr. Mouli!

The fine men below are Uni, the medicine man, Chuggen, the kitchen master,Chad from the U.S., recent yoga training graduate, Johnny from Scotland, recent yoga graduate, and Sunny, master of all odds and ends.

The ladies were partying it up too..Magalee from France, Grace from Thailand, and Sunita from Kathmandu.

New Year's Eve Bonfire

Puss

Puss is the retreat cat, who has perfected the art of flicking open the windows of the rooms next to the kitchen and sleeping with whomever is there...the last two nights he has slipped onto my bed around 3:00 a.m. or so and leaves around 11:a.m. Puss had a good life here, you would not know it as he walks around screaming all day, not unlike my cat Vivian.

The Himalayan products are so fanastic...they are made in India,all plant based and ayurvedic, made with herbs, apricots, grapes, aloe vera and all kinds of delicious things. I completely recommend them...if anyone out there wants some let me know. I plan on bringing a stash back.

Another day of strolling through the gorgeous tea fields...the mothers of these children were working and they were playing on the path.The children always say hello and love to have their picture taken..the white lady is Grace from South Africa, an intrepid traveler who has lived many places. She is showing a lot of cleavage for India but the boys didn't mind. She is currently living on a beach in Thailand.

Tea Factory

As it was overcast and foggy today, we went on a short tour of the local tea factory. Let's just say OSHA has never been here! I did learn that a tea leaf is a tea leaf, and black tea is just a fermented version of green tea. I bought some masala tea and chocolate tea to take home.

Herds of monkeys

After breakfast, a fun activity is to take the leftover vegetables and rice up the road to feed the monkeys...they look forward to these daily feeds. As we walked up the road, one monkey bounded across and they all started descending from the trees above. We threw the rice on the side of the road and about 4 fat master monkeys scooped up the food. When the smaller babies tried to get some, they were whacked by the chubby monkeys. Until the big monkeys had their fill, the babies were not allowed to approach. Being Indian monkeys, they appreciate the curried vegetables and looked damn healthy.

This is for you, Allyson, you monkey lover!

A bejeweled elephant walks through the streets

Yesterday I took a tuktuk into Coonoor with some yoga friends to pick up some items from town and and happened to run into the Lord Ayyapan festival, a yearly event which was a total surprise to us.Lord Ayyapan is the offspring of Vishnu and Shiva. I would tell you more but the tale is so complex it will make you cross eyed...it involves murder, changing to the opposite sex, etc.
Anyway, the streets were filled with dancers, young girls lined up with offerings to give to the spirit of Lord Appayan. The trays they held contained dal (a lentil dish), rice, jaggery (sugar), and a candle. The girls giggled when I took a pic of their offerings. Behind the dancers and the line of girls paraded a majestic blinged out elephant! 4 men rode on top of the elephant as it moved through the streets...an amazing sight.

Fun challenge...try to spot the monkey in the tree!

Musings about India from a Western mind part 1

First, let me assure you there are no judgements intended in this post. I am enjoying myself thoroughly and will simply point out some baffling experiences I have had in this wild and beautiful country.

When I read on the website about the retreat that internet and laundry were included, I assumed that meant wireless and a laundry service. How naive I am! My internet is a 10 ft. cable that snakes into my window and runs across the floor. There is a washing machine we can use but the drying racks are unique. Check out the lawns and hedges below. I also know what the large buckets are for in the bathrooms...most of us hand wash our duds and hang them on the topiary hedges. I works very well.

We all have keys to our rooms that are as large as keys to a castle door. Most of the keys open numerous doors...security, or the illusion of? It all seems to work.

To a taxi driver, a 10 minute wait for a ride means an hour. Time is part of the flow here. When you make an appt. it might happen or not...no worries.

The contrast of the beautiful sari clad women, live honeysuckle braided in their hair moving serenely through the chaos of the city is visually stunning. The colors they wear are gorgeous, wearing sparkling jewelry and glittering fabric as they step around the trash amid the honking cars and smells.

Our table napkins are freshly washed every day. They are washcloths that have Sponge Bob, cute kitties, doggies and other patterns on them. Very absorbent and always a surprise.

Christmas Day

This was my most unusual Christmas yet. After the morning yoga session, 3 of us took a taxi to Coonoor to have a look around. Luckily one of the guests here, Grace, (an experienced India traveler) took us under her wing to lead us through town. We encountered  2 boys riding on a tricked out bike who wanted my camera. We offered to trade the camera for the bike...they both said no! Tuktuks, cabs, and vehicles were honking away, the streets filled with people, many who were shopping in the local market which sold hardware, clothes, food, jewelry, and other assorted items. We spent about an hour or so there and came back to the retreat to get ready for the Christmas party. We were surprised by a band, bonfire, fireworks and a special meal with a CAKE! Very exciting for all after eating no sugar for some time. Everyone danced around the bonfire before our dinner, very festive. After dinner 2 guests from Finland came into the dining room wearing traditional wreaths and singing Finnish songs...they encouraged all to sing along to Silent Night in their native language. Beautiful and strange...

Delicious ayurvedic food and our fine cooks

The food is nothing short of amazing...here is a photo of today's lunch. On the round metal tray are several attractions...crispy crackers shaped like worms, squash soup,curried vegetables, chapatis (flatbreads), salad and rice if you choose. We finish with either masala or ginger tea. The cooks are always in a good mood and love to joke with us. Chageen (sp?) works very hard serving and accomodating everyone...he also goes by the name Ballou. I have no idea why but he is hilarious.

The first few days...

I arrived bleary eyed and confused at the retreat, which is a sight for sore eyes. My driver found me by holding up a sign with my name on it at the teeny airport in Coimbatore. It was just like the movies! We jumped into his van and sped away on a two hour trip through several small towns, stopping for coconut water and a tea for him. Sorry, I did not catch his name but he did a fantastic job dodging monkeys and other mammals on the drive up the winding hills. I arrived early afternoon to check in, which was interesting as the owner insisted I write my father's or husband's name on the sign in paperwork. When I explained my father had passed away and I had no husband he insisted anyway, so I signed.A little glimpse into the workings of India. As my seat companion Akshay explained to me on our long flight to Mumbai, to analyze too much will ruin your Indian experience. Also, things happen on their own time here and might have no rhyme or reason This will be my lesson in acceptance and rolling with the unexpected.