Today is our last day in Pune. Tomorrow we head off to Mumbai bright and early to catch our flight to London. The time has flown by, but also seems to have taken forever....
I think the forever part is because we are not working or doing things around the house like gardening, walking the dogs, and cleaning the house. We actually have a maid here that makes our beds, which most of the time we do ourselves. She will also occasionally wash the dishes or make us our favorite Indian dish so far called Poha. We do our own laundry, but I think our standard of clean clothes may have dropped a few notches. Everyday I have had time to go for a walk, read, study, do a 3-4 hour practice, meet new people over a glass of masala chai, sightsee, cross the street carefully, and even get to know my room mate a little better. What a liesurley life I seem to be leading! I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to experience life and yoga in a different country.
The time at the Institute has flown by. Not only because you are forced to stay present in the moment, but because I will miss little things about this place. I will surely miss Guruji, Prashant, Geeta, and all the other teachers that have brought a new light to my practice and to my outlook in general to the way I practice. I will not know what to do when I no longer here horns, cars backing up, dogs, people selling veggies right outside the institute windows. Maybe I will be able to get in the state of stillness with a little more ease, maybe not. This might be the key to pratyahara, just have so much stimulus you are forced to ignore it and carry on.
We had our last walk around the park this morning, our last practice in the practice hall, our last visit to the fruit and veggie cart. Dana is making us our last meal of dahl, potatoes, carrots and spices. We will have one more pot of that chai. Thank-god for the chai. That smooth, creamy, sweet drink has gotten us through long rickshaw rides, sightseeing, shopping, lakshmi road, and has even been the link to Nana. He tells his best stories while drinking chai. Even Prashant will go on and on about chai, coffee, tea. He will describe how to cook the spices to get the right consistency.
I may not know what I will be like when I get back. Who knows if I have changed, it is only a month I keep thinking. How can you change in just one month? Time will tell.
I think the forever part is because we are not working or doing things around the house like gardening, walking the dogs, and cleaning the house. We actually have a maid here that makes our beds, which most of the time we do ourselves. She will also occasionally wash the dishes or make us our favorite Indian dish so far called Poha. We do our own laundry, but I think our standard of clean clothes may have dropped a few notches. Everyday I have had time to go for a walk, read, study, do a 3-4 hour practice, meet new people over a glass of masala chai, sightsee, cross the street carefully, and even get to know my room mate a little better. What a liesurley life I seem to be leading! I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to experience life and yoga in a different country.
The time at the Institute has flown by. Not only because you are forced to stay present in the moment, but because I will miss little things about this place. I will surely miss Guruji, Prashant, Geeta, and all the other teachers that have brought a new light to my practice and to my outlook in general to the way I practice. I will not know what to do when I no longer here horns, cars backing up, dogs, people selling veggies right outside the institute windows. Maybe I will be able to get in the state of stillness with a little more ease, maybe not. This might be the key to pratyahara, just have so much stimulus you are forced to ignore it and carry on.
We had our last walk around the park this morning, our last practice in the practice hall, our last visit to the fruit and veggie cart. Dana is making us our last meal of dahl, potatoes, carrots and spices. We will have one more pot of that chai. Thank-god for the chai. That smooth, creamy, sweet drink has gotten us through long rickshaw rides, sightseeing, shopping, lakshmi road, and has even been the link to Nana. He tells his best stories while drinking chai. Even Prashant will go on and on about chai, coffee, tea. He will describe how to cook the spices to get the right consistency.
I may not know what I will be like when I get back. Who knows if I have changed, it is only a month I keep thinking. How can you change in just one month? Time will tell.
You are amazing and I know you will handle reentry with grace. I hope we can talk soon. Love you, Aunt Debbie
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