Ahh, sweet boredom. Am now relaxing once again in the german bakery after a brief bout of manic exercise this morning.
The coffee yesterday sent my caffeine-starved body into hyperdrive - and I wasn't the only one! At about 5pm yesterday both Becca and I were actually shaking with energy. We went for a brisk walk up and down the cliff path and, when that didn't do much, we actually did the entire 12 sets of Sivananda yoga postures in our room. Madness. It doesn't end there - after a disturbed nights sleep I actually got up at 6.30 this morning for a jog, then went to a yoga class! Unfortunately the class was utterly dreadful (most especially in comparison to the ones at the ashram) and Becca was practically passing out with hunger, so we made our excuses and left after a mere 5 minutes, and got some sweet breakfast. The energetic mood has now passed - I entirely blame my bout of unnecessary activity on the turbo cappucino I had yesterday, and have resolved to switch back to chai.
Ah, I also am hatching plans to create a whole new diet - I call it the India diet, or the 'lose half your body weight down the toilet' diet (sorry). To be honest I really didn't think I'd lost so much, given that I haven't actually got sick yet, but I finally got round to taking my now somewhat baggy jeans and walking trousers to the tailors this morning and I had a bit of a nice suprise, I can tell you. When the bloke got me to put the trousers on and measured exactly how much he had to take them in, each pair had to go in by 4 1/2 inches!! My god. I got him to double check, and it was right. Maybe it's the heat, or all those punishing leg raises and sun salutations at the ashram - who cares, it's all good.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
Day 65 - Varkala
Aaah, sweet Verkala, how I missed thy german bakeries and fish restaurants.
Becca and I departed from the ashram this morning for the bus ride to Verkala. We are staying in the same bamboo huts I stayed in before, and have set up shop in the Sun Shine Cafe (german bakery) that it turns out we both spent a significant proportion of our respective visits frequenting. I immediately ordered a cappucino, and scrambled eggs on brown toast (eeeeeggs, real bread - heaven) and made a beeline for the bookshelf. We are now both curled up in the comfy bamboo chairs and ploughing our way through Michael Crighton books (myself Congo and Becca State of Affairs).
Think I left not a moment too soon, ashram was severly infecting my brain and turning me into a pod person (as was confirmed when we both kept bursting into 'Jaya Ganesha' on the bus, then giving each other terrified looks!) Anyway, back in normalcy so all is now good. We plan to chill here for a few days, and on Sunday a whole bunch of people from the ashram are coming to Varanasi, so we can all meet up and go to a random party or something.
Below are some ashram piccies from Becca's camera:
Me being drowned in the waterfall
The health hut crowd
My singing partner Veera on guitar and mad Veronica eating the guitar
Me torturing the health hut with my rendition of House of the rising sun, Veera rocking on the guitar (don't ask, wasn't my idea, blame V)
Becca and Lisa looking all glowing and stuff, the temple
The lovely lake
The usual crowd getting their caffiene fix
Sam, Lise and myself, the wooden palace (ok, so this is not the best picture of me - I'm doing that bleary-eyed face I have a tendancy of pulling when the flash goes off - but good picture of Lise, plus you can see the red smudges of Kumkum on our foreheads)
Food hall - beautiful rice and goo, and sore legs from sitting on floor - I shall miss it (not)
Obligitory naff picture of me in the temple pretending to meditate
Becca and I departed from the ashram this morning for the bus ride to Verkala. We are staying in the same bamboo huts I stayed in before, and have set up shop in the Sun Shine Cafe (german bakery) that it turns out we both spent a significant proportion of our respective visits frequenting. I immediately ordered a cappucino, and scrambled eggs on brown toast (eeeeeggs, real bread - heaven) and made a beeline for the bookshelf. We are now both curled up in the comfy bamboo chairs and ploughing our way through Michael Crighton books (myself Congo and Becca State of Affairs).
Think I left not a moment too soon, ashram was severly infecting my brain and turning me into a pod person (as was confirmed when we both kept bursting into 'Jaya Ganesha' on the bus, then giving each other terrified looks!) Anyway, back in normalcy so all is now good. We plan to chill here for a few days, and on Sunday a whole bunch of people from the ashram are coming to Varanasi, so we can all meet up and go to a random party or something.
Below are some ashram piccies from Becca's camera:
Me being drowned in the waterfall
The health hut crowd
My singing partner Veera on guitar and mad Veronica eating the guitar
Me torturing the health hut with my rendition of House of the rising sun, Veera rocking on the guitar (don't ask, wasn't my idea, blame V)
Becca and Lisa looking all glowing and stuff, the temple
The lovely lake
The usual crowd getting their caffiene fix
Sam, Lise and myself, the wooden palace (ok, so this is not the best picture of me - I'm doing that bleary-eyed face I have a tendancy of pulling when the flash goes off - but good picture of Lise, plus you can see the red smudges of Kumkum on our foreheads)
Food hall - beautiful rice and goo, and sore legs from sitting on floor - I shall miss it (not)
Obligitory naff picture of me in the temple pretending to meditate
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Day 64 - Sivananda
Thought of the day: You know you've been here to long when you discover swamiji knows your name... Second to last day today - can't believe it. Will be sad to go but have begun to have vivid fantasies involving beer, pizza, coffee and chocolate cake (although not altogether!)
My urgency to depart has not been helped by the fact that we have had the squarky old lady for the last 3 satsangs. The day before yesterday I actually grabbed my yoga mat and blanket and legged it out of the temple when everyone was deep in meditiation (was feeling very rebellious, then I felt guilty so I meditated on my bed, and fell asleep). Last night I stuck it out, and sat in the back row with my fellow ashram rebels and doubters - by the end of Jaya Ganesha we were all crying with silent laughter and doubled over in the pain of trying to contain our general amusement at the hideous noise being produced and the horrified expressions of the newly arrived ashramites (it's all credit to them that they did not just run away!)
Tonight we have a silent walk and meditation by the lake - last week the was a lightning storm behind the hills so it was very oooommmm- can I be bothered to go again? Hmmm, decisions.
My urgency to depart has not been helped by the fact that we have had the squarky old lady for the last 3 satsangs. The day before yesterday I actually grabbed my yoga mat and blanket and legged it out of the temple when everyone was deep in meditiation (was feeling very rebellious, then I felt guilty so I meditated on my bed, and fell asleep). Last night I stuck it out, and sat in the back row with my fellow ashram rebels and doubters - by the end of Jaya Ganesha we were all crying with silent laughter and doubled over in the pain of trying to contain our general amusement at the hideous noise being produced and the horrified expressions of the newly arrived ashramites (it's all credit to them that they did not just run away!)
Tonight we have a silent walk and meditation by the lake - last week the was a lightning storm behind the hills so it was very oooommmm- can I be bothered to go again? Hmmm, decisions.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Day 63 - Sivananda
Hellooo
Well, haven't written in a few days - unfortunately the internet slot is only one hour (3 computers for the whole ashram - riiidiiiculous) and the power has a habit of going off for half of that!
Still getting along well here - though unfortunately the mornings are becoming harder and harder, not the other way round. Lately swamiji has been ducking out of the evening satsangs, and an old biddie has been taking his place. Old biddie is about 70, and has a the most painfully squeaky chanting voice imaginable - thus satsang becomes even more of a torture. I have started sneaking my mp3 player in and cranking it up to full blast to drown the general cacophany of sound that is everyone trying to match old biddies tune.
Lisa is just leaving now - she is going to Kovalam and up to Cochin - we have been pretty much in each others pockets for almost 2 months - so it is wierd to see her go. I've been making plans too - I'm leaving on friday with Becca from America and Celine from France. We are planning to go to Verkala, Cochin, Mysore and Bangalore before heading our seperate ways to catch our respective flights at the end of next month.
So in my last days I will aim to 1) finally get into locust(hard yoga posture thing) 2) Get another massage (I've already had one - 400R for an hour of heaven on earth - bargin!) and 3) Manage to sit through 30 minutes of meditation without fidgeting,thinking about food or counting the seconds.
Well, haven't written in a few days - unfortunately the internet slot is only one hour (3 computers for the whole ashram - riiidiiiculous) and the power has a habit of going off for half of that!
Still getting along well here - though unfortunately the mornings are becoming harder and harder, not the other way round. Lately swamiji has been ducking out of the evening satsangs, and an old biddie has been taking his place. Old biddie is about 70, and has a the most painfully squeaky chanting voice imaginable - thus satsang becomes even more of a torture. I have started sneaking my mp3 player in and cranking it up to full blast to drown the general cacophany of sound that is everyone trying to match old biddies tune.
Lisa is just leaving now - she is going to Kovalam and up to Cochin - we have been pretty much in each others pockets for almost 2 months - so it is wierd to see her go. I've been making plans too - I'm leaving on friday with Becca from America and Celine from France. We are planning to go to Verkala, Cochin, Mysore and Bangalore before heading our seperate ways to catch our respective flights at the end of next month.
So in my last days I will aim to 1) finally get into locust(hard yoga posture thing) 2) Get another massage (I've already had one - 400R for an hour of heaven on earth - bargin!) and 3) Manage to sit through 30 minutes of meditation without fidgeting,thinking about food or counting the seconds.
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