Welcoming the New Year on the Beaches of Gokarna (December 30-January 2, 2008-2009)

Near the end of our YIC course, everyone is talking about their plans for after the course. Yung gu will stay 1 week longer for the Yoga and Diabetes course. Remee and Beena will stay for another year for the Yoga Therapy course. Alan has to stay to complete the practicum portion of this 1-year course. Markus will leave to take other healing therapy courses in India. Lisa and Jean will return to Goa, where they had enjoyed themselves prior to YIC. Many of the Indian students will go home and either stay there, or return to Prashanti in about a month, when their coursework begins. My roommate Jin is dreading a return to South Korea, where people will tell her she's gained weight in India (she's still very thin, however). She wishes she could travel longer, but her mom wants her home.

I am trying to decide. I have signed up to sit a 12-day Vipassana meditation course in Bangalore. The courses are run by volunteers and therefore available on a donation basis. While they exist around the world, including the US, there are many locations in India and travelers often find the ambiance and history of the region conducive to the course's objectives. This is one of my goals for my India trip, but I am still ailing from my terrible cough and lung problem, so I decide to postpone the rigorous schedule and austere manner of the Vipassana course.

At the last minute, I decide instead to join a group of YIC and SVYASA students headed to Gokarna beach in Karnataka. The non-Indians going are Alan, Julie, Markus, Remee and Binha. I do not recall the Indians who went. I think they are mainly friends with Remee and Binha, and full-time SVYASA students, rather than YIC students. A few of their non-SVYASA friends also come. A Japanese student in the bachelor's degree program also comes. He speaks very little English and seems to know Alan best. Despite his inability to communicate well, it is his goal to complete a PhD program at SVYASA. Nobody seems to be able to recall his name, so he is called something from one of our classes...I think cin maya (as in cin maya mudra, one of the hand positions for breathing exercises).

All the students at Prashanti Kutiram must have an out pass signed before leaving campus. This is easy for the YIC students, as their course has ended, but much more difficult for the long-term students (Alan, "Cin Maya," and the Indians). I think Alan has to forge Cin Maya's out pass, even though both are full adults!

The Indian students have organized a van and driver for us, and we split the cost. One of my hesitations was that it is quite expensive, compared to what the same trip might cost on bus or train. But it is also not easy to get to Gokarna from SVYASA, as it will require first going to Bangalore, and then more than one mode of transportation from there (I think). Also, as it is New Year's, many people are headed to the beaches, and reservations for transportation or hotels might be full. I am counting on strength in numbers. Also, I enjoyed by time at YIC, and I still want to linger with a couple of the people from my class, and gradually fall away from the experience, rather than jut away alone again.

But I soon realize what my decision means. While I had pictured a peaceful New Year's on a quite beach, I had forgotten that most people celebrate the New Year with alcohol, fireworks and partying. The Indian guys who planned the trip start drinking on the van ride to Gokarna. It will be a long drive, maybe nine or so hours, through the night. I can't recall if we were short one seat (in part because I had decided to come at the last minute, which also saved everyone some cash), but people switch off sleeping in the aisle. Although Markus only travels with a small backpack, he seems to be the most prepared, with a decent sleeping bag. I donate my SVYASA yoga mat, which is like a thick rug, to the aisle "bed." At one point, in the morning, Markus remarks that you'd think students of yoga would be up for a peaceful, sober New Year's. I think we both have a pang of regret about traveling with this group.

We arrive in the morning, which is New Year's Eve, only to find that there's no hostel available. Here's a picture of Julie and an Indian guy upon our arrival at the entrance of the beach, and a view of the beach from above:

At this point, I am so tired and still not feeling well, and I just want to sleep. The Indians know someone else who has reserved a room, and we are allowed to put our things in there. Throughout the day, people from our groups go try to find rooms. We only find one hut--quite far from the other hostel and the main beach, hidden in the woods. I think Markus, Alan and Cin Maya decide they will room there.

I cannot recall what I do for the day. Probably worry about feeling better, and where to sleep, all the while trying to stay awake. Maybe I take a shower in the friend's hostel room. I also go into town with a couple of the nicer Indian boys to see a doctor about my lung infection. The doctor says I have some tropical thing--I can't remember. He says that to be sure, I'd need a test of some sort, but he can only administer it on certain days. The Indian boys who accompany me advise that I do not get treatment here, as it is such a small town and facility. I'll have to wait. We have some food from one of the restaurants lining the beach; all of the restaurants are somewhat Westernized.

At night, we plan to have a feast. But the restaurant has so many orders, we wait for a long time. As it gets dark, people are shooting off fireworks and drinking in crowds. It seems dangerous to me, but I seem to be the only one worrying. I am so tired, and just want to sleep. But I stay awake through the feast that finally arrived. I cannot recall what I have. Finally, after much debate and discussion regarding where we will sleep, I am insistent that I will just sleep in the van. I take my yoga mat, airplane pillow and travel sheet. I cannot recall who comes with me, but there are a few others who share the van with me. Finally sleep!

As morning comes, a few others join us in the van. Then it is time to fully wake up. We still don't have a room for ourselves. In the course of the night, Cin Maya never made it to the hut where Markus slept. Alan seems to have lost him, but it turns out he wanted to sleep by the water.

I try to make the most of my time on the beach, but I am becoming adamant that I must leave. I will lose money because included in the price is the trip back to Bangalore, but I don't want to spend one more minute in that van with those people. Julie also wants to depart from the group. Markus does as well, but he has to go back to Bangalore anyway, so he will stick with the group if only for the ride. Remee and Binha don't seem to mind, as these are their friends and they will return to SYVASA and study with them. Alan is cynical but easy-going. Cin Maya, well, I can't really talk to him.

Julie and I finally find a beach hut to share. It is nice to have a place of our own, and especially nice to take a shower. Though the water is cold, after the first minute, it is so refreshing to take an outdoor shower in such hot weather.

Markus had offered to do some pranic healing on me, and I take him up on the offer. I had seen him doing this to Ahalya at Prashanti during one of our class breaks. She had chronic belching problems on account of the stress she was under at home. She always insisted she got married too early. Pranic healing instills positive energy and takes away negative energy. Or something like that. We go to a quiet place on the beach, on a large boulder. His hands hover over me, I close my eyes. For the most part we are silent. After, he talks about the color of my aura, and the colors his hands inspired. It seems he hasn't done anything drastic, but he insists that even this subtle manipulation will bring positive healing.

It is nice to be with more peaceful people. But soon I will be leaving. I am going to to go Hampi. It's on my list of places to visit because my Uncle Mike, who had previously visited India, had gone and it was one of the few places in India he liked. Granted, he is a rock climber and Hampi is a well-known bouldering destination. At least the beach is beautiful, especially at sunset:

The next morning (I think), I wake up very early and Julie walks with me to town. I need to borrow some money from her because none of the ATMs have worked with my card, and I had to pay for the round-trip van ride. I will send her a check when I get back home. I am thankful for her trust and friendship. Julie really grows on me. She reminds me a bit of my friend Rebecca Glowacki, or of one of my favorite professors, Natalie Gummer, a professor of religious studies and expert on Buddhism. After getting money from the ATM, we separate (if I remember correctly), I find the bus stand and wait. There is still time before the bus comes, so I find a nearby food stand and have some breakfast--either idly or dosa and sambaar, I cannot recall.

Reflections on Ashram Life (Prashanti Kutiram, Jigani, December 1-30, 2008)

This is a combination of an excerpt from an email I wrote friends regarding my ashram experience, and additional information I added today:

The ashram...It was a great experience, especially looking back on it from America, where yoga is so different. At the ashram, it really was about living a holistic "yoga lifesyle," not just yogasanas (physical postures). I learned that yogasanas and pranayama (breathing exercises) are really just a preparation for meditation. The yoga lifestyle is all about experiencing and spreading bliss. Although I learned this in theory from the academic lectures on the four types of yoga--bhakti (devotional), karma (action/service), raja (physical), jnana (intellectual)--I think I learned this most clearly from the yoga games we were sometimes required to play. These were improvised physical or performance games. The Indian students were so spontaneous, unself-conscious and funny. This, too, is a form of bliss and these games brought me to a good place, just like yogasanas or pranayama.

My roommate Jin (from South Korea) and I woke up at 4:40 am every morning for our 5 am class, yogasans for one hour. Then we had pranayama (breathing), then breakfast (always kitcheree, a healthy and delicious mixture of rice and dhal; and then other things such as idlis, which are rice patties; dosa, a pancake-like food; mixed cooked veggies; and the foreigners always got fruit because we ate in a different place for breakfast...kind of strange, but it was nice to have the daily fruit, usually coconut and something else like papaya, and catch up with the other foreigners).

After breakfast, we had maitrimilan (friendship meeting), starting with about 30 minutes of singing--I think verses from the Baghadvad Gita, and then a lecture by Guruji (aka Dr. Nagendra), the guy who started the school. The whole time I thought he must have a PhD in Philosophy or Religion or Medicine, since he talked a lot about physical benefits of yoga, but turns out he was an Engineer with NASA and then decided to open the ashram/university/hospital. He opened it with Dr. Nagarathna, the head doctor. She performs research on the effects of yoga lifestyle (asanas, pranayama, devotion, philosophy) on health and healing, and has been published in important medical journals. Anyway, Guruji was NOT cool. We had to watch so many videos of him talking about key points and then elaborating with long, repetitive stories that weren't necessary for understanding the concepts. Basically, it was hilarious and the students and I had to keep our laughter in many days, but often we were cracking up through the whole lecture. One day my friend wrote in her notes, "bliss=fragrance," and we were wondering what that meant from all the crazy things Guruji said and we had to try to memorize. Then we realized he ended every lecture, saying "Let us now spread the fragrance of bliss."

After maitrimilan we did karma yoga (action/service yoga), usually some menial task, and then had bath time. I learned that Hindus are religiously bound to take a bath every day, hence the requisite time for this. Although Jin and I only had hot water at 4:30 am, we would go into the Indian girls' shared bathroom to get hot water at this later time so that we didn't have to get up so early. The Indian girls had many more people in their room, and shared a bathroom, but they almost always had hot water.

Then back for a lecture and more asanas. Then lunch, one hour break, lecture, yoga games or break or asanas, lecture, two hour break, dinner, devotional singing, lecture, happy assembly (talent show)/something else. I can't remember exactly! We were required to serve during one meal per day. I got the lunch meal, which was the most labor-intensive. People were very demanding--"more rice, didi"--and not very good at instructing me on how much they wanted or where on their plate they wanted food. I was a sometimes angry server.

Another thing we had to do maybe one week into the program were kriyas (cleansing) in the morning. These included jal neti (water through the nostrils), sutra neti (catheter up the nostril through the mouth!), and bamana dhoti (drink 1-2 liters of warm salt water fast, then throw it up to cleans mucus out of stomach lining, on an empty stomach of course). I was at first opposed to all this, but it is much easier to do in a group of 35 people. It's a good bonding experience. Sometimes in the mornings when we were doing asanas inside, we would hear other groups doing their kriyas just outside the wall in the outdoor area where people did kriyas!

We had exams, and though they required only memorization and no critical thinking, it was difficult to cram all the information into my head when we only had about three hours per day of free time, and I was exhausted by our 5 am-9 pm daily schedule. On the first exam, one of the student coordinators of the class came around and gave people answers. I felt so guilty when he gave me answers, but when I talked to others after, they were like, "Yeah, he helped me out, too." Then I justified it to myself, thinking that there is corruption everywhere in India, so corruption in a university ashram must be okay, too!

We also had to write a group paper and do a 30 minute group presentation. My group consisted of: a girl from Canada (Lisa), a doctor from Bangalore who spoke Kanada, Hindi and English (Dr. Satish), a student from Sri Lanka who studying in Tamil Nadu and spoke Tamil and English (Sanjay), an 18-year old freshman girl from Karnataka who spoke Kanada and little English (Aswini), a 20ish-year old girl from somewhere north who spoke Hindi and little English. There were no computers (except pay ones, for the Internet), so we had to write our papers, and our teacher was very particular that we make borders equally on every sheet. It was like elementary school! So, imagine writing a group paper on jnana yoga (our topic, intellectual yoga, one of the harder topics) in a group of 6 people, not all of whom speak English, and then doing a 30 minute creative presentation! Challenging, but fun and rewarding in the end.

In addition to our coursework, the staff at SVYASA had some fun surprises planned for us. On the full moon, they prepared a special meal for us--complete with bhelpuri and gulab jamun--and we ate outdoors on a roof. We played games, and the winners/loosers had to perform (sing, dance) what they were asked to perform. Another day, we hiked through a small village to a nearby nature area filled with intruiging rock formations to have a picnic. We had time to explore, and Yung gu and I had fun taking pictures. Yung gu had a great camera and enjoyed taking photos of people doing things natural to them, things that brought out their personality. Or things that were just plain funny.

We also had Christmas in the ashram, since I was there in December, and I was surprised at how much the Hindus got into it! They were totally excited to learn about Jesus! Jane and Lisa organized the whole thing. The got permission to go to Bangalore with Jai (class assistant) one day and bought the necessary supplies. We decorated Mangala Mandir. We hung a giant star above the state, decorated a small Christmas tree, and made a manger. I was instructed to go out to the cow shed to get some hay. Everyone made paper stockings, which were hung on the stage. We had a birthday cake for Jesus, and birthday cake was given out in the cafeteria for dinner. At satsangh, we sang Christmas carols after the devotional songs. One of my Indian friends Spurthy even lead a carol she had learned in school. We had a Secret Santa gift exchange, during which Jane read The Night Before Christmas. I gave The Kite Runner to Markus (Germany), along with dried dates (one of the more expensive canteen foods) and some fruit. Yung Gu gave me beautiful little butterfly hair clips, which I since lost somewhere in India. At night, there was the option to watch a chipmonks film Remi had. I called home during the film.

At the end of our YIC batch, we were asked to contribute to a Happy Assembly. I got together with Naveen, Spurthy and Nagendra to perform Udja Kale Kawa, a song from a much-loved Bollywood film, Gadar. The film takes place in 1947, during Partition. It is about a Muslim woman who falls in love with a Sikh man, and the conflict that ensues when the woman finds the father she thought was dead working for the Pakistani government in Lahore. I borrowed a violin from the musician who comes weekly to play the hand organ for devotional singing. At one point, I had taken a short lesson with him and he had tought me India scales. The violin is not of high quality, but it will do. Naveen is insistent that the song begins with a very famous violin part, and the audience will love it. I learn the simplified violin part and vamp two variations throughout the song. Spurthy provides the harmony. Nagendra provides the hand organ. Nagendra has a lovely singing voice and sings along with Naveen, but Nagendra's voice is also much too loud for our balance. Our rehearsals are stressful. The Hindi lyrics are difficult for Spurthy, a native Kanada speaker, who must write out all the lyrics before learning them. I have to discern the structure of the music independently, as Naveen is more concerned with getting Spurthy on pitch, and making sure Nagendra doesn't sing too loud. The language of rehearsal is more Hindi or Kanada than English, although I often ask for information. We just don't have enough time. In the end, however, it turns out great. The audience recognizes the song instantaneously when I begin the violin part, and everyone sings and claps along.

Other notable performances during the YIC 89th batch Happy Assembly are Lisa's dance to Madonna; Lisa's broadway singing; and a group of people who do a comedy routine of our class. Ahalya plays Padmasri Didi and Satish plays Dr. Nagendra (Swamiji). Naveen demonstrates the kriyas in a separate comedy routine. What at talented group of people!

The last 5 days were unusual in that there was a cow conference at the ashram, an academic conference on scientific research perspectives related to the cow (the holy animal) and the panca gavyas, or the 5 aspects of the cow used in Ayurveda--dung, urine, curd, ghee and buttermilk. Our course ended early, and we were to do karma yoga for the conference. Though I didn't do much because I had developed a terrible cough/lung infection from lack of sleep and air pollution. I felt fine, but knew I should rest. I attended a few talks. One on curing so many cancers with the panca gavyas. Another--the most controversial--a woman spoke about the cow not being the most perfect animal we think it to be because humans shouldn't drink its milk cuz we don't digest it well, and most mammals don't drink milk after childhood. Some people were upset and said she shouldn't be there. Which reminds me that I did feel some Hindu nationalist sentiment at the ashram. For example, in a lecture about the culture of India that totally ignored all but Hindu religion and culture. I feel the university must get money from Hindu nationalists.

One other thing...I became quite sick at the ashram. I think it was the culmination of so much pollution, plus the lack of sleep and intense schedule, and maybe also the kriyas. In any case, I developed a very audible cough in my lungs. It was nice to be in a place with so many people dedicated to healing at that moment. Satish made sure I was gargling with salt water. He also wrote a prescription for cough medicine, which Lisa and Jane bought when the went into Bangalore. I was advised not to consume dairy. Padmasri Did advised me to drink warm tumeric water. Alan recommended an ayurvedic doctor, who prescribed ayurvedic medicine which, ultimately, I did not purchase. Jin and Yung Gu told me to get rest. When we were in Gokarna after Prashanti, Markus performed pranic healing on me. Although my cough lasted for maybe a month after Prashanti, it was nice to have so many people helping me out. I went to several doctors, took several antibiotics, had an x-ray taken and an IV of saline water, and eventually, with the right antibiotics, my cough got better.

What did I learn in the ashram?

One, observing the Indian students in the ashram, they were so comfortable improvising things at the last minute. When the foreign students were freaked out because the teacher only gave us a day to prepare for an exam (because she didn't want us to have tension), they took it in stride. When we had yoga games (mainly playground-type games, and the winner/loser has to perform in front of everybody), they were awesome at getting up there and throwing something together. I think this, more than the yogasanas, taught me about the bliss that is the yoga lifestyle. The contrast in approaches to coursework and games was articulated well by one of our gurus, who said that Westerners have conquered the external and excel at environmental control, while Easterns have conquered the mind. This is something I try to keep in mind now that I'm home, and something that helped while traveling in India, when I was standing in a densely packed bus, holding onto the side so I wouldn't fall onto anybody, for example.

Two, I got to examine myself and my habitual psychological tendencies in an environment very different from what I am used to, and shed new light on these. For the first two weeks, I was my usual shy, reserved, judgmental, guarded self. But I soon realized I only had so little time with all of my wonderful classmates, and I tried to bond more with them. I really appreciated all the interesting talents they brought to the experience...Spurthy's angelic harmonies during devotional singing; Naveen's comedic charictures; Lisa's positive energy and compelling life story; Julie's natural curiosity and willingness to confront tough questions; Yung Gu's natural friendship, hospitality, and love of adventure; Jin's care and compatibility as a roomate; Virginia's yogasana talent; Mangala's frienship and beauty; Satish's discerning intelligence and patience; Aswini's innocence; Sangay's care and hospitality; Ahalya's quiet wisdom; Ayoush's humor; Heman's talent; Jai's relaxed ways; Markus' dedication to healing; Alan's perpetual cynicism; Beena and Remi's friendship; Padmasri Didi's care for the wellbeing of us all...there are so many people I do not want to forget, I fear I am already leaving someone out...

Three, I try to make relaxation and bliss the goal of yoga classes I teach, rather than physical postures. I believe a slow, less intensive physical practice can be as productive (or more productive) than a physically intense yoga practice, when executed with total awareness. In my teaching and personal practice, I am trying to balance the typical Western yoga practice with what I discovered at SVYASA.

Ashram Schedule (Prashanti Kutiram, Jigani, December 1-30, 2008)

This was the general daily schedule for the YIC program at Prashanti. Some things changed slightly, but for the most part this is reflective of a typical day.

5-6: yogasanas/kriyas
6-7:10: pranayama, meditation
7:15-7:45: breakfast
8-8:45: maitrimilan (friendship meet; short lecture and Q&A by Guruji, Dr. Nagendra)
8:45-9:45: karma yoga/group work/study time
9:45-10:30: bath and wash
10:30-11:20: lecture
11:30-12:25: yogasanas
12:30-1:30: lunch
1:30-2:30: rest/library
2:30-3:30: lecture
3:30-4:30: yogasanas/Self-Management of Excessive Tension (SMET)
4:30-5:00: malt/milk
5:00-6:00: yoga games/group work/study
6:00-7:00: satsangh (devotional chanting)
7:00-8:00: dinner
8:00-9:00: trataka/happy assembly/report presentation/study
9:00-9:30: study, lights off

An explanation of some of the terms:
maitrimilan (friendship meet): recitation of verses from the Baghadvad Gita, short lecture and Q&A with Guruji, Dr. Nagendra
yogasanas: physical yoga postures
kriyas: cleansing practices (jal netti, sutra netti, bhamana dhoti)
pranayama: breathing exercises
yoga games: improvised physical and theatrical games played with the whole YIC batch
satsangh: devotional singing (bhakti, or devotional, yoga)
happy assembly: talent show, filled with Indian classical dance, comedy, music, etc., usually put on by a specific group within the university, i.e. arogyadhama patients
trataka: kriya (cleansing practice) for the eyes and meditation technique

Abode of Peace (Jigani, November 30-December 30, 2008)

At the SVYASA Bangalore center, I am told to wait for a ride to Prashanti Kutiram (Abode of Peace), SVYASA's ashram in Jigani, maybe a 1.5 hour drive from Bangalore. In the mean time, I head to a small restaurant and have my first official South India breakfast--idlis (savory rice cakes) dipped in sambaar (a soup of dhal, tamarind, tomatoes and other vegetables). Indeed, South Indian food is spicier than North India food. But I am comforted by the fact that the ashram is supposed to serve South Indian-style sattvic food, or typical ashram food that does not use intense spices such as peppercorns, peppers and garlic. I also get a ride to a nearby bank to take out funds to pay my tuition. Unfortunately, I can only take out half as much as I need.

Finally, two men, participants in a short residential class for business employees, join me, and we all get a ride to Prashanti. We have to stop when we have car trouble mid-way, and then continue on. They are very friendly, and are eager to say "hi" and ask how my program is going, how am I settling in, etc. whenever they see me on campus. It is a good feeling to meet such friendly people right from the start. They had already been at Prashanti prior to their yoga for business program, and they both spoke very positively of the ashram experience. They say it is a wonderful time to relax in such a quite place.

I spend my first day on campus orienting myself. The campus is full of YIC participants who have just finished the November batch. I ask some of them if the program was good. One Indian girl spoke very highly of it. One European yoga instructor said it was just too much philosophy packed into one month, but that you get a feel for what lectures/programs you really have to attend, and what ones you can skip. A performance artist/dancer from San Francisco advises to make the best of it. I meet two girls in the Internet room who will be in my December batch, the 89th Yoga Instructor's Course (YIC) batch. They are Jane from the US (but also a Canadian citizen) and Lisa from Toronto. They also seem apprehensive about the quality of the course and are writing to the Yoga Alliance to see if this course will count for 200 hour certification. But they are committed, and so am I.

After a little mix-up, I am shown my proper room and meet my roommate, Jin from South Korea. I really like her, and it seems like we will get along well. The room is sparse--we each have a bed and a thick blanket. Unfortunately, her bed is damp and she needs to wait for new bedding. The campus is very busy, as there is a youth school group visiting, and the old YIC batch is leaving, so there are not many extra blankets. We also have an attached bathroom. I am happy we have an Indian-style toilet. We have a bucket shower and hot water only at about 4:30 am, and whatever hot water remains into the morning after others have showered.

I remember my first eating experience at the ashram vividly. I walk into the cafeteria, and it is full with people. I walk into a the washing room, where I learn I am to pick up my metal plate, small cup and bowl. I walk over to the women's side of the sinks, and begin washing the dishes with water and damp brown detergent. I then walk into the eating area, lined on both sides with three or so rows of thin straw-woven cloth for sitting. Men and women are separated. My first subji (vegetable) features bitter gourd, the bitter vegetable I tasted during my first Bangladesh meal, and with which I associate my Bangladesh stomach problems. It is so terrible, and I fear I am in for a long month of barely edible food.

Very happily, bitter gourd is seldom served after this. The food is difficult to adjust to at first, but by the second week, I love it. Ahalya is an older woman in our course from Tamil Nadu, near Auroville. She is a mother figure to me and others throughout the course. She recognizes that I love the food and is always telling me what's good and what I should eat. When she serves, she always asks if I want more.

During the first few days of class, we are issued a textbook, yoga mats (thick woven cloth mats, different from the sport yoga rubbery mats found in the US), shoulder bags for carrying our textbook and other supplies, and a uniform. Women get a one-size-fits-all white salwar and light blue kurta with machine-embroidered flowers along the collar; men get black sweatpants and a white polo shirt with a screen printed image of Swami Vivekananda on the back.

I orient myself to the bookstore, a small shop across from the Internet and STD phone booth room. The bookstore has SVYASA's publications, along with yoga publications from Bihar Yoga and others. It also has toiletries, school and yoga supplies. Down from the cafeteria is the canteen, where we can purchase fresh fruits and snacks in addition to the cafeteria food, which is included in our tuition. Near the canteen is an ayurvedic pharmacy. Near the center of campus is the Arogyadhama, SVYASA's yoga hospital and yoga medicine research institution. There is also a library, but it has no card catalog so finding books is a little tricky. YIC students are only allowed to check out one book at a time. Mangala mandir is the main meeting place for the campus and the building in which we have most of our yoga practice, lectures and devotional sessions. There are other smaller classrooms throughout campus. There is also a nice, wooded walking path through campus, and a cricket field.

The first night, I go with Jin, Yung Gu (South Korea), and Victoria (Hong Kong), Remi (UK) and Beena (UK) to a trataka session. Trataka is a kriya (cleansing practice) for the eyes and meditation technique. Yung Gu and Victoria are roommates, and their room is just two doors down from ours. Remi and Beena are cousins, currently living in the UK, but descendants of Gujrati Jains. Remi was actually born and lived in Tanzania before moving to the UK.

The next day, we meet as a class with our coordinator, Padmasri Didi, and assistants, who are recent graduates of SVYASA Master's programs. We are to address all women at SVYASA as "didi" (sister) and all men as "bhaiya" (brother). We fill out requisite forms, and I meet more of the YIC students.

Alan, from Ireland, is in the one-year Yoga Therapy program. Many of the Indian students are in the Bachelor's program. I realize YIC is a requirement for any of SVYASA's BSc, MSc, PhD, or other programs. Suriya Bhaiya works on campus and is attending YIC for the first time. Ravi is the webmaster with whom I communicated via email before arriving, and he will also be in our YIC batch. Julie is from Rhode Island, but attending an international college and spends each year in a new location.

North to South on the Bangalore Rajdhani Express (Delhi-Bangalore, November 28-30, 2008)

My train is scheduled to depart from Delhi's H. Nizamuddin station at 20:50, and arrive two days, or about 34 hours later, at Bangalore CYJN at 6:35. I will spend two nights on the train, which I am excited for. I love train rides, and I've just started The Kite Runner, so I have an excellent read for the ride. Once I am on the train, I discover that all my meals were include in the ticket price, as this is how the Rajdhani Express caters to its passengers. We are continuously being fed meals of rice, dhal (lentils), subji (cooked vegetables), curd, a sweet, pani (water) and a juice box. In between meals, there are snacks--chai and biscuits, bread with butter and jam. It is difficult to be bored when continuously served culinary surprises.

Along the ride I meet a Pakistani-American man who is about my age. He is in India with a group of Muslims that do service projects. He had already spent some time in an impoverished community in India, and he will eventually head to Bangladesh and Pakistan. I am jealous because he paid the same price as me and got a Bangladeshi and Pakistani visas that last several years, I suppose because he plans to return to these places to do service work and visit family. We talk for a while about values and religion. He tells me about his wife, how they met and fell deeply in love, how she respects his decision to leave for a while and do these service projects, how they have very open communication. When he is in the US, he does IT work for large corporations. It seems good for him.

Later, I join the Muslim-American man in his cabin and meet his two Uzbekistani cabin mates. They are a couple; the man is of Russian heritage, and the woman of Uzbek heritage, but both citizens of Uzbekistan. They are traveling in India to meet a religious teacher they have been following, especially the man. I think the woman works for the Uzbek government, and I cannot recall the man's line of work, but he seems very intelligent. We talk about Uzbek culture and history, Russian culture, and the future of the Russian federation as it relates to Uzbekistan and other former satellite states. The man seems to be very interested in conspiracy theories and the impact of Christian/Western mythology on the development of the world.

I also finish reading The Kite Runner on the train. I am thankful for the time to read. Several times the book makes me cry as I lay in my bunk, hopeful that my Indian cabin mates don't see the tears.

In my last hour or so on the train, I make friends with my cabin mates so that they can help me find a taxi or rickshaw at a decent rate. The group of young men find a ride for me and try to get a good rate, as I stand back so that hopefully the driver will not realize he is taking a white person that he should be charging more.

I thank the men and head off to the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) center in Bangalore. It is early morning and the streets are surprisingly calm. My first impressions of Bangalore, and of the South, are positive. It seems like a smaller, more navigable city than Delhi. But maybe this is only because it is morning. We drive past some impoverished areas, and then finally find the SVYASA office.

Thanksgiving and Terrorism (Gurgaon, November 25-28, 2008)

I take a taxi from Old Delhi to Austin's Google guesthouse in Gurgaon. It is the first time I have had to get a cab from Delhi, and I bargain hard just to get the maximum price Austin told me I should pay. Because evening is falling, I will not be able to find a better price. I get to Austin's at night. I'm sure Aarif greeted me and told me the staff missed me.

I inform Austin that I'm planning to stay in India a bit longer, and thankfully he is okay that I will leave my things in his room while I travel. We plan to celebrate Thanksgiving at his guesthouse, and he will invite some of his friends to the celebration. I also reserve my train ticket from Delhi to Bangalore, where I will attend the one-month Yoga Instructor's Course (YIC) at the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana ashram called Prashanti Kutiram (which, I think, means abode of peace). SVYASA is a yoga university based in Bangalore, but the ashram is in nearby Jigani. There is also a yoga hospital (arogyadhama) on campus, where research is conducted on the healing effects of yoga for a number of physical and mental ailments.

One evening, Austin and I go to his acquaintance's apartment for a party with a bunch of Indians and ex-pats. I don't think Austin knows the host as well as he knows some of his co-workers at the party. I'm quite awkward all-around, because I really don't know anybody. I am thrust into the kind of ex-pat life I saw in Hong Kong, and I don't really like it.

Austin and I plan for Thanksgiving. I spend most of the day at the Internet cafe while he is at work. We meet up and Manbir takes us to grocery stores that tend to have Western fare. Austin finds a smoked turkey that is more like a processed lunch meat than the real bird. I can't remember what else we find, but I know we cannot find pumpkin pie filling. We might also have mashed potatoes. The guesthouse cooks will make our American food, and also Indian food in case the Indian guests don't like the American dishes. We are fortunate to find some nice pastries at a bakery, and these will suffice instead of pumpkin pie.

I learn that on Thanksgiving day, there has been a huge terrorist attack at two expensive hotels in Mumbai. After Thanksgiving dinner, I call home to talk to the family. I tell my mom that I have decided to stay about three months longer in India, and she is worried. She said she was doing so well with my being gone, until she heard about the Mumbai blast. Now she wants me to come home. I assure her that when I am in the ashram, I will not be mobile for an entire month, and I will be in the middle of nowhere, a place not likely to be attacked. She finally says it is okay for me to stay. I talk to everyone, especially Andrew.

I take the next day to finish laundry and pack, and Manbir brings me to the Delhi train station for my 34-hour train to Bangalore on the Bangalore Rajdhani Express.