Soft landing, bumpy ride
I have been in India since Sunday morning and the journey was remarkably painless. Granted, there was the extra hour spent circling Mumbai at midnight because the airport was too busy to land then the half hour waiting for a plane parking bay and the 40 minutes waiting for my luggage, but that's all kind of to be expected.
I sat next to a really kind man on the plane - a Chennai businessman returning home from a business trip. He took me under his wing and sorted out a taxi from Mumbai international to the local airport, which is in a different place, then we got access to the business lounge to wait for our flight, since he is a frequent flyer. All this simply because I was a woman travelling alone - no funny stuff at all. Talk about a soft landing, especially in a country as famously misogynistic as India.
My initial hotel, where I stayed the first two nights, was great, but really far from the Mandiram, and yesterday, I got an unrequested tour of Chennai's slums while my auto rickshaw driver got more and more lost. So that was a bit of a let down. I am now at a hotel much closer to the school. Not plush, but clean and private and with aircon! It is really hot and humid here - you pretty much sweat from the moment you get outside.
People are very friendly and helpful on the whole, and for a South African, South India is a pleasure because the are comparatively few beggars - almost none by our standards. The poverty here doesn't seem as extreme or desperate as at home.
We are on Day 3 of our course, and I already feel that I could come home a different teacher, I have learnt so much. It is not officially a course for teachers, but just about everyone on the course is one. The few who aren't are mostly involved in other similar disciplines like ayurveda. Good thing, since the level is quite scary. If I didn't already have some base of sanskrit and yoga philosophy, I would not be coping. I am the only African, and we are very mixed - quite a few Germans, then people from all over Europe, a few from the US, one from Canada, one from New Zealand and one from Australia. There is even an Argentinian girl, although she lives in London now. There are 26 people on the course, only two of whom are male. Interesting, since our teachers are pretty much evenly split between male and female.
We start the day with a 1 hour asana practice, then spend the rest of our time sitting (on the floor!) in our theory classes - my favourite at the moment in Applications of Yoga - basically the yoga therapy course. Yesterday we worked with helping to modify asana for people with kyphosis (hunchback). I volunteered a modification and actually got it right! I was quite excited because the depth of knowledge our teachers have is really quite intimidating, and I am have a mini-crisis about my own right to teach when I know so much less than they do.
I have met lovely people on the course, so have someone to visit all those temples with. Including the shopping ones! The Australian and Canadian girls are champion shoppers, and I have tagged along on two of their trips, but I can't quite keep up their pace! I had to do some shopping, because the clothes I brought with weren't quite appropriate. I am now wearing very light kurta (tunics) which cover but also don't restrict. Some of the textiles are incredible here.
On Saturday, TKV Desikachar gives a talk, which I will be attending since we have only met him once, the teaching is now handled by his senior students. On Sunday, some people from the course are planning a day trip to Mamaliapuram (sure that's spelt wrong) - there is a spectacular temple there. It is about one and a half hours drive from Chennai because the roads in this area are quite good - pretty much on a par with SA. There are just a lot more people.
I am finding, along with the info overload at school, that the sensory overload of India is starting to catch up with me. I am going to have to barricade myself in my hotel room for some alone time during the weekend.
I sat next to a really kind man on the plane - a Chennai businessman returning home from a business trip. He took me under his wing and sorted out a taxi from Mumbai international to the local airport, which is in a different place, then we got access to the business lounge to wait for our flight, since he is a frequent flyer. All this simply because I was a woman travelling alone - no funny stuff at all. Talk about a soft landing, especially in a country as famously misogynistic as India.
My initial hotel, where I stayed the first two nights, was great, but really far from the Mandiram, and yesterday, I got an unrequested tour of Chennai's slums while my auto rickshaw driver got more and more lost. So that was a bit of a let down. I am now at a hotel much closer to the school. Not plush, but clean and private and with aircon! It is really hot and humid here - you pretty much sweat from the moment you get outside.
People are very friendly and helpful on the whole, and for a South African, South India is a pleasure because the are comparatively few beggars - almost none by our standards. The poverty here doesn't seem as extreme or desperate as at home.
We are on Day 3 of our course, and I already feel that I could come home a different teacher, I have learnt so much. It is not officially a course for teachers, but just about everyone on the course is one. The few who aren't are mostly involved in other similar disciplines like ayurveda. Good thing, since the level is quite scary. If I didn't already have some base of sanskrit and yoga philosophy, I would not be coping. I am the only African, and we are very mixed - quite a few Germans, then people from all over Europe, a few from the US, one from Canada, one from New Zealand and one from Australia. There is even an Argentinian girl, although she lives in London now. There are 26 people on the course, only two of whom are male. Interesting, since our teachers are pretty much evenly split between male and female.
We start the day with a 1 hour asana practice, then spend the rest of our time sitting (on the floor!) in our theory classes - my favourite at the moment in Applications of Yoga - basically the yoga therapy course. Yesterday we worked with helping to modify asana for people with kyphosis (hunchback). I volunteered a modification and actually got it right! I was quite excited because the depth of knowledge our teachers have is really quite intimidating, and I am have a mini-crisis about my own right to teach when I know so much less than they do.
I have met lovely people on the course, so have someone to visit all those temples with. Including the shopping ones! The Australian and Canadian girls are champion shoppers, and I have tagged along on two of their trips, but I can't quite keep up their pace! I had to do some shopping, because the clothes I brought with weren't quite appropriate. I am now wearing very light kurta (tunics) which cover but also don't restrict. Some of the textiles are incredible here.
On Saturday, TKV Desikachar gives a talk, which I will be attending since we have only met him once, the teaching is now handled by his senior students. On Sunday, some people from the course are planning a day trip to Mamaliapuram (sure that's spelt wrong) - there is a spectacular temple there. It is about one and a half hours drive from Chennai because the roads in this area are quite good - pretty much on a par with SA. There are just a lot more people.
I am finding, along with the info overload at school, that the sensory overload of India is starting to catch up with me. I am going to have to barricade myself in my hotel room for some alone time during the weekend.
posted by Nadine Fawell at 9:49 AM
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