from Mysore... components..

It is sunny here, a bit polluted, but the area that I am in is more a suburb, so it is reasonably clear of fumes..
The yoga shala (studio) is about 200meters from my house. The coconut stand is only a further 50 or so meters. And that's where we congregate when we feel sociable or want to meet up to go places. Waiting times and lingering times are taken up with sipping coconut water through a straw, and sometimes we get the coconut men to crack the nut open completely to scoop out the flesh. Yum.

Then there is Anu's the internet cafe which also serves a lunch and dinner buffet. But it's the exact same food at lunch and dinner time, so going twice a day is not very exciting. But Ganesh, Anu's husband is super friendly and helpfull and organises cars/drivers and helps with getting one's bearings.

Also there is Tina's which is good for breakfast, sitting on mats around a coffee table high table, ordering porridge, roties, omletts... And spirulina drinks. (spirulina looks like a witches brew, it is actually algea..)

And there is Shakti house which has proper tables, but takes an eternity sometimes to actually receive one's dinner.
And Chakra house, again mats on the floor and much debated safety of food served, but I love their pancakes..

So these are the main food haunts near the shala. there is only really the Dashpakash which serves super cheap thali (a plate with several dishes each containing variations of curry, with side dish of rice, chippaty and bits and pieces, but relatively bland). And the Grean Leaf at which one really can only eat twice a week or otherwise it really will be a case of serious waddling and bursting clothes..

And thank heavens for Coffee Day, our Star Bucks equivalent, well, sort of, It's the one place to have coffee and mocha and that sort of western stuff. (Some of the above places try to offer coffe, but only Shakti house comes close to coffee, actually I really like their's too, but the places around the shala area are only open limited hours of the day, whereas Coffee Day is open all day!)

I thought I had made my mind up about staying here until the end of february, but i am not really feeling good, and what's more my joints are not good. the practice is too hard. And the people here aren't necessarily the best to speak to when it comes to concerns like that, I have overheard many speaking about their various injuries and they just carry on..

My shoulders are lightly damaged from the jumps that involve you swinging your legs through. And then the elbows are now done in from trying to compensate and protect my shoulders.. And for some obscure reason my knees are stiff and sore. I have never felt any problems there before. So that is a lot of joint issue for 3 weeks practice.

And it feels bad missing a day.. I missed one already last week because I had such bad sunburn on the back of my legs that I couldn't bend or straighten them.

It all comes down to Ahimsa I think.. (First rule of yoga: the rule of non-harm.. to anybody including one self, in word, deed or thought..)