Class and adjusting

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So it's thursday and i got to mysore on saturday night, met my instructor and moved into the place he had set up for me on sunday and had my first practice monday.


Those things really did happen, just that easily, however there were a few minor (haha right minor) drawbacks. Firstly, the one and only thing that i requested about a flat was that it have a kitchen. True i did have a stove, but it was on a dest in a corner of the flat, there was no sink counter space, or fridge. Granted if i had liked everything else about the flat i might of stayed on, however, it just had a general cold feel to it.

Sunday night i met a girl who told me that she had once studied with my teacher and that she and a couple other people had been disatisfied and left after a couple weeks. She told me that it was very likely that i would be his only student. Monday mornings class proved her right. There was another canadian there for drop in and an indian man, but i'm the only long term student who's also studying theory.

My evening asana class i have with an american fellow and aboout 6 locals, but the morning and afternoon classes are just me myself and i. Now at first i kept thinking that there was no way i was going to stay, and i would move immediately to a different shala. Then i started to think that this may be the only time that i'm ever going to be able to get this much personal attention from someone so knowledgable, so i should give it a shot. I'm still only on a trial basis. I hope to give it a month, but i have given myself a two week minimum trial time to see if i connect with and feel comfortable with jayakumar.

I can see sort of why some people don't like his teaching style. He's not very structured, what i mean by that is he doesn't give you a series and say, this is what you must do and how you must do it. And although we do two asana classes a day i don't get the feeling that the asanas are the most important things i'm learning. We've been chanting the yoga sutras and learning mantras in the afternoon class and the sutras for one are amazing. It's on sort of a we chant, he explains i ask questions then we chant he explains... .

I get the feeling too many teachers are asana based, not that you don't learn the theory but it sort of plays second fiddle to the rest. However this is purely speculation because i have only studied with him and only for 4 days.

I've also moved flats, the girl i met on sunday night told me about the flat that was available beneath the one she was moving into. I spent monday when i wasn't in class, flat shopping and decided that the one the british girl told me about was the best, so now i'm here. I've also got a scooter, because i'm living in Gokulam and my classes are in the next suburb over so it just makes it easier on me. Mysore well at least Gokulam is not that busy so the traffic and driving isn't too bad. The scariest thing I've done is drive back from Nigris with Antoinia on the back and about 2000 rupees worth of groceries (most of which were her's). There's one busy street that i had to make a right hand turn off of (it is very difficult to turn with so much extra weight when you're not use to it) (we drive on the left for all you people back home) other then that, and attempting the little hill before our house it's been pretty good. I was initially worried about roundabouts here but they've been a breeze so far, granted i haven't attempted the drive downtown, nor do i know if i will.

My other roommate (antoinia is one) is a swedish girl named ana. Actually they live in the flat above me but it's all conected so they're pretty much my roommates. Oh and the really sweet thing about my flat is it has a computer and internet so it means that i don't have to venture out at night when i want to talk to people in canada.

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