Vibrations, Vanishing Days, and the Great Gems Run
I woke up yesterday morning completely convinced it was Wednesday, only to discover it was actually Thursday. Life out here has tipped into the surreal and ordinary calendars are fading away. Days just blur into breath, sweat, and Sanskrit.
Today, however, came with a real milestone: I taught my very first official section. It was an eight-step, 12-minute Shavasana (followed by a mantra and class closing). Back home in San Diego, you’re lucky if a studio gives you two hurried minutes of corpse pose before quickly moving you up & out. But out here, you acclimatize to twelve full minutes fast — it slips by in an instant. Beyond the progressive body relaxation, we weave in simple vocal sounds to set off an internal vibration. I think I’m completely addicted now; you come off the mat feeling incredibly refreshed.
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We’ve also plunged headfirst into full Mysore style. In theory, it means flowing at your own individual pace. In practice, it means the teacher is pacing the room like a drill sergeant, constantly reminding us to manage our time because we have to cram a crazy amount into about 75 minutes: Ashtanga A, Ashtanga B, standing postures, the transitional flow, seated poses, prone poses, supine poses, and the full finishing sequence. That hour evaporates, and it’s constant physical challenge — which makes collapsing into that 12-minute Shavasana at the end feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity.
Tonight, the sugar cravings won. After dinner, Alisha and I wandered ten minutes down a pitch-black dirt road until we hit a dusty little intersection. Tucked into the On that main road was the tiniest storefront with a modest stash of sweets and biscuits. And I found India’s answer to Smarties and M&Ms: Gems.
After navigating our first real teaching practice and (nearly) surviving the week, those little chocolate buttons were the perfect reward.
