Practicing at RIMYI

My friend Jen took this picture of me practicing in the hall at RIMYI. I am really enjoying all the practice time. Because June isn't a very popular month to be in India enrollment is lower than the last time I was here so there's a lot more space to practice. Last time if you showed up later during the practice time there was hardly any space to lay down a mat. And if you got up to get a prop from the storage room you'd often return to  your spot to find that either your spot had shrunken or someone had taken most of your props. This time there's so much space that it's practically like being at a spa (well, maybe not a spa but it's pretty nice).

And here's a picture of the hall during practice time. See, look at all that space! Lots of room to spread out and have a leisurely practice. Along the top of the walls are lots of pictures from Light on Yoga. The teachers are often referring to the pictures during class. It's fun to be practicing and going to class in a room filled with all of those amazing pictures. India is not an easy place to be. There's always a couple of people who hate it and can't wait to get home. I'd say I am missing my home and family but I love the institute and I really like India. There are things I don't like of course; I am pretty sick of rice and would give anything for something crunchy and fresh  - like salad or even just a crisp apple. These types of things can really get some people down. It's hard to be away from the comforts of home and be immersed in an environment where the yoga is so challenging.

Tonight we did backbends with Prashant. My friend Katy called it - she said "I bet he is going to kill us with backbends tonight". She was right. We did Ustrasana nearly a hundred times. (That's an exaggeration but it seemed endless). Then on to Urdhva Dhanurasana and Dwi Pada, over and over and over. The class was incredible with so much profound philosophy. I really look forward to pranayama week next week. More on that to come soon!

-Aaron