Emma's Adventure's in Mysore

Hello!
And so ends the 2nd week of my adventures here in Mysore. Leaving Toronto was pretty much drama free. My sister drove me to the airport after I insisted on teaching 2 last classes only hours before I was boarding...something I need to work on! LOL! The flight was great! Flew with Etihad Airlines direct to Abu Dhabi. Great flight, food, and service. I, of course, was surrounded by my karma of small screaming children. Not sure what I need to do to get rid of that but anyway...layover in Abu Dhabi was short and uneventful. And a few short hrs later I was in the back of a taxi being chauffeured to Mysore!

I arrived at 8am and went straight to my friend Rachel's place to pick up my trunks. I had booked a room before I arrived and couldn't wait to get settled into it and take a nap! But Mysore being what it is, when I arrived to said room, it had been rented the night before to someone else. Sigh...so loaded down with luggage and now my Mysore trunks, I had to find somewhere to sleep! But this proved to be no easy feat. Gokulam, the section of the city that the KPJAYI (shala or studio) is located was packed to the gills with students. There are so many new students that the construction cannot keep up with the demand. There was literally nothing available. I ran into an old friend, who actually knew the guy who had taken my room! She felt in some way responsible so ended up finding me a bed at her friend Simone's place. I didn't know Simone from Jobe so I was beyond grateful that she would be willing to help. I called for the help of one local rickshaw (3 wheeler taxi) guys, Raju, and off we went to get my bags! For the next 3 days I searched high and low for my own space. I went back to old landlord's but they already had tenants. I had all of the room agents looking for something, anything, so I could move into my own home. But the news was always bad, "Sorry Madam. Gokulam is full. Next week space is coming." So when another friend told me she had a spare room I was over the moon! I moved in the following afternoon.

All the while I had started to practice at the shala. I arrived to Mysore on a Saturday which is day off. It also means the shala is closed so no registration. So technically I shouldn't have gone to class the next morning (at 430am) but I was in dire need so I snuck in. I figured if I didn't make eye contact w Sharath, he wouldn't notice me until it was too late to throw me out! LOL! I made it through led class squished in with about 70 other students and then went for coconut outside the shala. Ahhhhh....there's nothing like fresh coconut water after a sweaty practice! This is where the reunion began. I call going to Mysore "Yoga Camp". It's like, "This one time, at yoga camp...." - seriously...So many old friends from all over the world come together every year to practice at the source of Ashtanga yoga. It's a beautiful thing.

For the first month if your first trip you only practice Primary series, regardless of how far you normally practice at home. This is so Sharath can see your practice and work with you a little more than usual. The series is given to you pose by pose, so that you have time to memorize the sequence and your body has time to open safely. This can wreak havoc on your ego! But in the end it's all worth it. Once you are given all the poses in full Primary and you are able to stand up from a backbend, you will be given the first pose of the Second/Intermediate Series. On subsequent trips, if you have been given poses in the Intermediate or Advanced series, when you first arrive you practice Primary for one week before jumping into the rest of the practice. So the first week I got to relax and attempt to slow down my speedy practice (at 7am) before launching into my longer practice consisting of full Primary and part of Intermediate. I'm still finishing before most students who aren't even practicing full Primary! Slow down sister!! I'm still working on Toronto time. It probably doesn't help that there are so many people from Toronto here right now! It's like an AYCT yoga trip!

Speaking of whom, I'm off to meet the crew for Indian breakfast at Authana. So until next time, keep practicing!
Lots of Love from India
Emma
xo

Anyone feeling stiff lately?

And so the summer begins to come to a close. The change in the air is distinct. Even my body is feeling it! I'm not sure if that's a sign of aging or being more sensitive to the energy around me, maybe a bit of both! LOL! August was a great month. And even tho class sizes were smaller, I got to make a more personal connection with the students who weren't away at the cottage ;) I'm hoping I can continue to build community and connections with Rooftop Yoga, 77 Charles St (east of Church) every Friday night at 7pm and at my upcoming retreat October 1-3 at Saha Yoga. The lovely Leah Von Zuben will be joining me at this retreat providing Thai Massage sessions over the course of the weekend for a nominal fee. A weekend full of yoga, thai massage, someone else doing the cooking, surrounded by nature, enjoying general peace & quiet? What more could you ask for?

So what happened in August...it was busy! Full of photo shoots, birthdays, weddings, planning my winter retreat, my bike getting stolen, and movie night! Here's a brief synopsis....

So first, a student of mine who is quickly becoming a dear friend, Matt Winkfein, wanted me to join him for a yoga photo shoot, taking pics of us doing random asana at random sites across the city. It was hilarious! We broke into the grounds Moss Park Armoury to take some shots w the cannons. Stopped traffic on Queen West to get some really city shots in the middle of the street. Defied gravity in Cloud Gardens Park at Bay & Adelaide. And entertained the parking lot that is Lakeshore Blvd at Bathurst.

Next, in June I decided to throw caution to the wind and buy myself a shiny new bike. It was a Trek 7.3 fx, an amazing burnt orange road bike that I instantly fell in love with. I don't drive so having a good bike gives me the freedom to fly around the city without adding to the already too high levels of pollution. I rode this bike everywhere! Every morning I would smile when I would see it locked up with it's TWO kryptonite locks in the sunshine. But on the morning of Aug 27, as I left the house, I knew it was gone. Something told me before I saw the naked bike stand, that my beautiful bike had been stolen. I was devastated. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, looking for the bike, thinking "Did I not lock it here? Did I lock it somewhere else?" Then it hitting me that the bike had indeed been stolen, and with that coming the doubt, "Did I not lock it properly? Did I not actually lock it to the stand?" It's such a horrible feeling. But a lesson to be learned. To apply my yoga practice to my day. To practice non-attachment. Not the easiest of practices...it also teaches me to keep the next shiny new bike locked indoors!

Planning for the winter retreat in Costa Rica has proven a lot more challenging than I had originally thought. I wanted to find a Yoga Retreat centre that I could take a group to escape the winter blahs before Christmas. But man! It's like I'm going in blind! The places I contacted were either beautiful but crazy expensive, or a great price but had mediocre accommodations and facilities. So I'm thinking it would be better to delay the trip until February. It gives me more time to organise it and we'll all definitely but sick of winter weather by then!

With all of this going on, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It is so important to disconnect every once in a while. I spout about it's importance in class all the time and yet I find that I myself rarely take time for myself. August was a crazy busy month, especially on the social side of things. My birthday celebrations seemed to last about a week. It was amazing, being surrounded by family and friends. The weather was great and I got totally spoiled with gifts, the best one being my iphone 4! I love it! The next weekend was another birthday celebration for a dear friend. And the following weekend we had a friend's wedding to go to. Phew! So when I was given the choice of going horseback riding with my partner and a friend for the day, or sending the two of them off and taking the day to myself, I opted for the latter. I hopped on my bike (my Dad's old CCM is now carrying me around), and headed down to Cherry beach. I turned off my phone, put my sunscreen on, cracked the spine of a new book and let go. Sigh.....it was exactly what I needed.

Feeling recharged, I hosted the first Movie Night. It was fabulous! The weather had not been looking good for Rooftop yoga, and yet the skies cleared so we could still be outside. Then I led the troups, like the Pied Piper, down the street to my building where we ordered pizza, got to taste Lauren's home made "Yoga Balls" - chocolate and peanut butter yumminess! And settled in to watch Enlighten Up! a documentary that follows the journey of a yoga novice from New York. Unfortunately, half way thru, the dvd decided to stop playing! But thanks to Steve, we had a back up film called Ashtanga New York, a documentary about Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Guruji) and his family visiting & teaching in New York City in September 2001. It was a wonderful night and will be repeated in October with another yoga type movie or documentary. See you all there!

My schedule this month has a few changes. I'm back at Yoga Sanctuary on Thursdays!! And I'm still at Moksha Yoga Uptpwn on Thursdays for lunch as well as Friday Sept 10 & 17.

Check out my website for details.

August News Letter

Hello!

Welcome to my first newsletter! First let me say thank you for being part of this growing yoga community! The last year for me has been a roller coaster ride and I'm so glad you all have been around for it!

The retreat at Saha Yoga in July was amazing! I learned an unbelievable amount and the wonderful group that attended learned lots too! Here are a few testimonial's...

"Emma
Thank you so much for hosting this retreat. I have never done anything like this (going off on my own w a bunch of people I don't know!) but it was an awesome experience! I met so many great people & made meaningful connections. I also learned more about yoga & a little more about myself! Thank you so much! You rock :)" Candice S.

"Emma
You are such an amazing teacher & one of the most interesting and special people I have ever met. As long as you're running the show it will be wonderful!" Robyn D.

"Thank you for being awesome, the weekend was really one of healing and peace when I really needed it. Thank you for offering your support." Julia C.



October's retreat is booking now. Early bird price is $375 if you pay your deposit ($150) by August 15th 2010. After that cost is $400. This includes all yoga, meals, shared accommodation, and taxes. Please RSVP to reserve your spot. Reserve early to guarantee your space. It's booking up quickly!


There are a few changes to my teaching schedule for the month of August. First I am taking a mini break from my Monday and Thursday classes at the Yoga Sanctuary College. Starting this week I will not be teaching the following:

Mondays: 130pm Vinyasa
Thursdays: 10am Hatha Flow
130pm Vinyasa

I will be teaching a few extra classes at Moksha Yoga Uptown at Yonge and St Clair.

Thursday: Aug 5, 12, 19, 26 @ 12pm Ashtanga
Wednesday: Aug 18 130pm Vinyasa
Friday: Aug 20 @ 12pm Ashtanga

Yoga in Winchester Park has kicked off and is picking up speed! The next class is:

Wednesday August 4th 530pm (tomorrow) Ashtanga
Saturday August 7th 10am Vinyasa

Click the link below for Google map of the area. It's south of Wellesley, east of Sherbourne.


View My Saved Places in a larger map">


Yoga on the Roof is going strong! Class will be happening this friday at the address below. Click the link for a map of 77 Charles St.

Brewin Housing Co-Op Inc
Charles Street East
Toronto, ON M4Y 1V2
(416) 975-9332


View My Saved Places in a larger map">


All classes hosted by me outside paid by donation basis with a minimum donation of $10/class.

Thank you all so much for your support! Email me if you have questions about any of the above. See you all on the mat.

Namaste
xo ;)