Day 6 Yoga School, Rishikesh, India, February 8, 2023

I had a great sleep and an excellent day. I was awake before my alarm which I like because then it feels like I’ve had enough sleep.  My intention for today was to just go with the flow, take what comes without judgement and see what happens. My first yoga class was very good and I am really liking my teacher because he is a kind and gentle man.  He’s not the best “teacher” but he certainly knows his stuff. He will demonstrate and then tell us to work with a partner rather than have us go through each step slowly as he goes through it. There are so many questions when we are working with partners that could be avoided if he simply had us do it with him once or twice before he turned us loose.

The meditation class was also good because rather than breathing in through our right nostril and out through our left nostril for 10 counts and then reversing it – that is so boring, he taught us yogic nadri for which we laid on our backs in a comfortable position, covered up with a blanket and listened to him take us through 5 different steps.  We had to become conscious of 32 body parts, then we imagined we were somewhere in nature - he talked about being by a river, near mountains etc. and then I fell asleep! I had a feeling like I was awake but floating above my body. The class flew by which was a bonus because it’s usually painfully long.

Unfortunately there is a child in a man’s body named James from Rhode Island in my classes. What a piece of work!  He never sits still and today he sat almost in the instructors lap. Rather than sit respectfully and listen, he’s always doing some sort of contortion which is really annoying and distracting. Of course he won’t stay at the back of the room and do his whatever it is he does because he wants everyone to see him.  He also has about a 6 inch long red beard that he combs and plays with - a lot!  He puts beard balm on it too.  In class! He’s absolutely gross.  And some of the girls are so pathetic. They just melt when one of the two guys who talk to girls here talk to them. John from London is a nice man – friendly, smart and outgoing but for a while he was talking to a girl who laughed at everything he said and so loud the whole building could hear her. Get a grip. I sure hope I never behaved like that!  Wink, wink. James from R.I. was talking to the girl beside me and telling her about his therapist and his spiritual and emotional growth and she was just buying it hook line and sinker.  Pathetic!  

I’ve been visiting with Seema from Delhi.  Unfortunately her English isn’t that good so our conversations are limited but she is a lovely caring woman who will become a grandma for the first time next month!  

I’m across the street, which is about four steps, to a restaurant from where I ordered eggs for breakfast. I brought them back to eat in the dining room but later this afternoon I was told that I am not allowed to bring outside food in because others will look and see it and want some. Huh? Eggs are not allowed because they are non-veg. I thought you cheap bastards! Lunch was absolutely disgusting. It was raw cabbage again with nothing on it, white rice with coriander seeds - gross, lentils of course- fart, fart and a soy sausage stew- fricking hell!  I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t eat anything!  I tasted it all but no thanks.  Luckily I wasn’t hungry because we just had breakfast two hours before and I think that might be their intention. Give us cheap breakfast food and then cut back on lunch food. I also asked for another roll of toilet paper and you would think that for US$999 from February 1 until February 26, that they could give me more than one roll but no, I got one when I arrived and from now on it’s up to me to buy the rest. I’m surprised they don’t charge me to get a new towel or to change my sheets! After lunch the owner asked me how the food was. I describe to him what we had had and how there was little to no nutrition in it. I asked why we never had eggs and he said well eggs aren’t vegetarian. I said what? You are talking vegan. He said the only animal product they use is occasionally milk in black tea. I said you need to change your website because it says vegetarian and I expected to have options for my protein instead of beans and soy sausage. I expected to have eggs and maybe cheese. If I had known this was a vegan school there is no way in hell I would be here.

After supper, Seema and another Indian woman (she told me her name but I don’t remember – Indian names are so foreign I have nothing to relate to) and I hopped in a tuq tuq and went about 6 km to a sweets shop. Indians love their sweets. I had gulab jamun, my favourite and Seema bought a box of something for her room. We took another ride to the Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge which was built in 1929 and is 450 feet long-

Seema’s friend and Seema-

walked across the Ganges and visited a Hindu temple-

It was a bit of a drag because they chatted in Hindi most of the time.  We got back to the school at 9:29, just in time because the doors are locked at 9:30!

I really enjoyed my yoga classes and the lectures were OK too. Physically I felt good and that makes all the difference. I’m looking forward to a great sleep and another good day tomorrow. Maybe my intentions are working?