7:00 AM wake up to the voice of the Muezzin who calls Muslims to prayer. India is very mixed religiously, the majority Hindu, but w/ sizable Muslim and Christian minorities. There is nothing like this call. It is a beautiful, haunting wailing filled w/ an otherworldly heartache. I really can't describe it. Truly amazing.
I get ready in my very basic $7 room. "Very basic" is European/ Australian code for disgusting. My first night there, I was like, I'm outta here, but day by day, week by week, I'm getting over myself and my American expectations and learning to deal with what is. I also have this need to live in squalor for now, to just really be in it. I also know that my students at Nirvana School would find it luxurious having a whole room to myself.
8:00 walk to bus stop pass Ganesha Temple, live elephant blessings and all that. Take school bus to village outside of Pondy -nonstop horns blasting throughout commute, the auto horn is used in reverse from the way it is used in West. It is a courtesy, saying "heads up please, here I am please, thank you please." I'm starting to hear the order underneath the chaos.
The Indians also dump all their garbage just wherever, out on the street, or in a field, so about 50 meters from the school in the usual garbage heap, I see it. That's right. . . Dead cat. Just when your getting all comfortable, dead cat. Awesome.
9:00 - 4:30 school day. The mornings I observe first period, mostly disrupt class like I did in '82 -nothing's changed. Then I take a few students at a time to the library and we practice English reading and writing. They all speak Tamil which has absolutely nothing to do w/ English, so it's challenging work, but the kids are simply love embodied.
For lunch, the HeadMaster Aunti Massi cooks me a full on Indian Meal, kicheri, rice, potato, dal, naan, the best meals ever. She has been running the school for 12+ years for free -she is a real deal Mother Theresa. After lunch I take a nap. Then back to school for a couple hours, then teach the yoga class, then back on the bus.
At night I go to Coffee.Com a beautiful family run joint where I hang out w/ Euros, most all involved in some type of development work or study. It's a beautiful crowd, inside and out. I'm typing from one of their laptops right now -a Mac none the less!! It's like another planet in here.
I told Auntie Massi today, that every day I go to her school even if I do nothing but play w/ the kids all day, I feel like I become a better person.
Not a bad gig.
Going to Vipassana (10 day silent meditation retreat) over holiday break. So, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Blessed New Year to All.
I love you, all out!!
Blessings,
yt
Monday, December 17, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Yoga Class 3:45 Tues, Wed, Thurs
The yoga class is totally awesome. It's twenty 5-10 year olds w/ limited English and unlimited enthusiasm. So we go bananas every Tues, Wed, Thurs at 3:45.
Yesterday one of my students got hurt. Nice job, I know. I have no control over them, zero, but they go all out, full on, trying the poses, and I love them for that.
During "yoga dance", he either fell or was pushed on the concrete floor where we practice.
He's on the floor crying, I start screaming "ahemsa (nonviolence)!! ahemsa!! ahemsa!!!
That got a big laugh, albeit completely unintentional.
Anyway, he was crying for like an hour, and needed ice, but of course no ice in India, so he suffered bravely, still crying when I left, and no joke I was relieved to see him alive this morning.
As I walk through town to the bus, an enormous elephant (Ganesha) blesses women in front of temple w/ her trunk, and baboons chill on the sidewalk next to a dying human.
Still not quite over that dying human in the street thing.
But it's only been three weeks. . .
much love,
yt
Yesterday one of my students got hurt. Nice job, I know. I have no control over them, zero, but they go all out, full on, trying the poses, and I love them for that.
During "yoga dance", he either fell or was pushed on the concrete floor where we practice.
He's on the floor crying, I start screaming "ahemsa (nonviolence)!! ahemsa!! ahemsa!!!
That got a big laugh, albeit completely unintentional.
Anyway, he was crying for like an hour, and needed ice, but of course no ice in India, so he suffered bravely, still crying when I left, and no joke I was relieved to see him alive this morning.
As I walk through town to the bus, an enormous elephant (Ganesha) blesses women in front of temple w/ her trunk, and baboons chill on the sidewalk next to a dying human.
Still not quite over that dying human in the street thing.
But it's only been three weeks. . .
much love,
yt
Monday, December 3, 2007
Nirvana School Day 1
Links aren't working out for me here but this is the school in Pondicherry I started at today.
http://www.nirvanaschool.org/
If not, just Google it, please.
Basically, it is a donation based school that allows for the lowest caste kids an opportunity to go to school.
Otherwise, they would literally not be in any school at all.
I'm not that educated on the caste system, so at the risk of sounding like a total ignorant, a-hole, American, it's probably one of the most evil human social constructs of all time, and is still perpetuated here today.
There, I said it.
Today was my first day, the kids went bananas, jumping all around me in their little red uniforms, 'Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! nonstop.
I'm teaching yoga (surreal -the American guy teaching Indian kids yoga), and more importantly English reading/ writing and real basic computer stuff, and finally and most importantly just being there, showing up for them.
These kids are far behind the curve, so I'm pushing for them to just go full out learning English as best they can, what w/ Bangalore and Chennai very close, I know there will be tremendous opportunity there if they can step it up. I know that's key, and the other key is just letting go of all that expectation and just being present with them.
Om Namah Shivaya,
yt
http://www.nirvanaschool.org/
If not, just Google it, please.
Basically, it is a donation based school that allows for the lowest caste kids an opportunity to go to school.
Otherwise, they would literally not be in any school at all.
I'm not that educated on the caste system, so at the risk of sounding like a total ignorant, a-hole, American, it's probably one of the most evil human social constructs of all time, and is still perpetuated here today.
There, I said it.
Today was my first day, the kids went bananas, jumping all around me in their little red uniforms, 'Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! Hallo! nonstop.
I'm teaching yoga (surreal -the American guy teaching Indian kids yoga), and more importantly English reading/ writing and real basic computer stuff, and finally and most importantly just being there, showing up for them.
These kids are far behind the curve, so I'm pushing for them to just go full out learning English as best they can, what w/ Bangalore and Chennai very close, I know there will be tremendous opportunity there if they can step it up. I know that's key, and the other key is just letting go of all that expectation and just being present with them.
Om Namah Shivaya,
yt
Saturday, December 1, 2007
One Day on India Yoga Retreat 07
6:00 AM wake to chiming bell and tropical birdsong (bird screaming), hose off a bit
6:30 morning kirtan on beach (beautiful chanting w/ beautiful souls)
7:00 beach meditation
7:19 wild dog attack
8:00 yoga asana practice to Goa techno music, construction sound, motorbike horns, angry birds, angry Indian dog and firecrackers
10:30 best fruit salad ever -straight Ayurvedic eating
12:00 noon. Hot. cool off in Arabian Sea. Hot.
2:00 Indian Singing Lesson in town with this total guru. She says, "In India, we believe everyone have beautiful voice, so you must all sing louder, and from heart, not head!" We all melt and touch her feet as we leave, and all proceed to sing full out the rest of the retreat. Oh my.
4:30 Home Cooked Village Meal w/ Deepak and his beautiful family (this requires a separate post, soon to come)
7:00 Full-On Man-on-Man Nude Aryuvedic Oil Massage (yeah, this is a whole other post in it's own right as well, to come)
9:00 Tulsi tea on the beach w/ enlightened souls, maybe a little ganga, maybe not
10:00 Sleep in bamboo hut under mosquito net
Bliss.
-yt
6:30 morning kirtan on beach (beautiful chanting w/ beautiful souls)
7:00 beach meditation
7:19 wild dog attack
8:00 yoga asana practice to Goa techno music, construction sound, motorbike horns, angry birds, angry Indian dog and firecrackers
10:30 best fruit salad ever -straight Ayurvedic eating
12:00 noon. Hot. cool off in Arabian Sea. Hot.
2:00 Indian Singing Lesson in town with this total guru. She says, "In India, we believe everyone have beautiful voice, so you must all sing louder, and from heart, not head!" We all melt and touch her feet as we leave, and all proceed to sing full out the rest of the retreat. Oh my.
4:30 Home Cooked Village Meal w/ Deepak and his beautiful family (this requires a separate post, soon to come)
7:00 Full-On Man-on-Man Nude Aryuvedic Oil Massage (yeah, this is a whole other post in it's own right as well, to come)
9:00 Tulsi tea on the beach w/ enlightened souls, maybe a little ganga, maybe not
10:00 Sleep in bamboo hut under mosquito net
Bliss.
-yt
"How Is Your Day Today, Going?" or I Clean Myself w/ a Hose or Complete Prostration (pick your favorite)
One of my teachers says, "On the outside, India is chaos, but underneath the surface, there is order."
Well, I've been looking very carefully underneath, and I'm still getting mostly chaos. . . I'll keep looking though.
Another one of my teachers says, "You don't come to India to learn about yoga, you come to India to learn about life. If you wanna learn about yoga, go to LA."
And that kind of nails it for me.
You very quickly learn to let go of all your material comforts and expectations. Either that or you leave. Total surrender, complete prostration, and when you think it's complete you wake up and realize there is so much more, every g-damn f-ing day.
Like, oh I'm sick. . . again, or oh no water today, or oh this wild dog is attacking us, or oh no towels or soap at this hotel, or oh i'm being mugged. . . again (an Indian mugging is a combination of transaction, relentless begging, and mild threat).
It is the ugliest, dirtiest, noisiest, depraved place I've ever seen. People literally dying on the streets in the cities, the air choking, horns nonstop, touts/ beggars all up in you.
I'm waiting to see someone running on fire. That's basically the only thing I haven't seen yet.
And yet, I'm having the time of my life, and even though every day I want to come home, I know that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm doing.
I left the yoga retreat in Goa sobbing. It was the most transformative experience of my life. It was like fucking Survivor, no hot water, no toilet paper, just a hose and perhaps 14 of the most enlightened people I've ever met -all from LA none the less. We all struggled, all of us a bit sick, yet we practiced every day, we did kirtan at dawn and dusk every day, we supported eachother 24-7, and not once was there any self wrought drama.
But this is India so there was drama every day; charging bulls, taxis running us over and fireworks (of course). And several of the most beautiful, humbling, amazing, and funny experiences of my life which I'll get to individually in a bit. . .
For now, I'm in Pondicherry starting my volunteer work on Monday. I've never felt so blessed. Yet, at the same time, I'm missing home so much it's breaking my heart.
And that is India.
To be continued.
Much love,
yt
Well, I've been looking very carefully underneath, and I'm still getting mostly chaos. . . I'll keep looking though.
Another one of my teachers says, "You don't come to India to learn about yoga, you come to India to learn about life. If you wanna learn about yoga, go to LA."
And that kind of nails it for me.
You very quickly learn to let go of all your material comforts and expectations. Either that or you leave. Total surrender, complete prostration, and when you think it's complete you wake up and realize there is so much more, every g-damn f-ing day.
Like, oh I'm sick. . . again, or oh no water today, or oh this wild dog is attacking us, or oh no towels or soap at this hotel, or oh i'm being mugged. . . again (an Indian mugging is a combination of transaction, relentless begging, and mild threat).
It is the ugliest, dirtiest, noisiest, depraved place I've ever seen. People literally dying on the streets in the cities, the air choking, horns nonstop, touts/ beggars all up in you.
I'm waiting to see someone running on fire. That's basically the only thing I haven't seen yet.
And yet, I'm having the time of my life, and even though every day I want to come home, I know that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm doing.
I left the yoga retreat in Goa sobbing. It was the most transformative experience of my life. It was like fucking Survivor, no hot water, no toilet paper, just a hose and perhaps 14 of the most enlightened people I've ever met -all from LA none the less. We all struggled, all of us a bit sick, yet we practiced every day, we did kirtan at dawn and dusk every day, we supported eachother 24-7, and not once was there any self wrought drama.
But this is India so there was drama every day; charging bulls, taxis running us over and fireworks (of course). And several of the most beautiful, humbling, amazing, and funny experiences of my life which I'll get to individually in a bit. . .
For now, I'm in Pondicherry starting my volunteer work on Monday. I've never felt so blessed. Yet, at the same time, I'm missing home so much it's breaking my heart.
And that is India.
To be continued.
Much love,
yt
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