I was in India for 5 months last year. I’ve been back in S’pore for 5 months now. It’s about time I closed off my India experience with a final update. I’ve always known that I had one more left to write. It’s taken this long because the pace of my life here is so fast that I don’t have time to think. Already my 5 months in India have become almost surreal. My life there was so different, it’s almost as if it never happened. Some salient points that stand out are:
I lived for myself
I didn’t have to teach, babysit or worry about anyone other than myself. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Whilst this is definitely a disillusionary escape from reality, I treasured my freedom, the immense amounts of time I just ‘lepak-ed’ (ie relaxed) and did nothing. Plus the fact that I could focus all my energies towards my yoga practice.
Doing nothing is actually doing a lot
Before I left for Mysore last year, my concern was that my body would breakdown from the intense practice or I’d die of boredom.
On my first trip to Mysore, I was so agitated the first few days because I didn’t have anything to do. Now I embrace that fact. It’s a common understanding that you only plan one thing to do a day … because you can. It’s worth noting that in India, one thing may actually take the whole day eg buying a train ticket!
Doing a lot is actually not a lot
Life in S’pore moves so quickly that we don’t have time to ‘smell the flowers’ and appreciate what we’ve been blessed with. I can now say, from experience, that it is actually very unhealthy – no wonder people get heart attacks and other stress-related problems.
I have travelled widely and always adjusted very well everywhere. But for the first time, I suffered massive culture shock when I got back to Singapore last December - too many things happening at the same time plus sensory overload. Also, after surviving on 1 pair of slippers and the same 5 sets of clothes for 5 months, I realised that I have too much stuff. It was stressful trying to decide which of my 5 watches I was going to wear.
Bringing my ashtanga practice to a ‘higher’ level
As I’ve explained before, the energy level in the Shala every single day enables you to do things that you would not normally do. My breath got stronger, mind more focused and my body opened up in ways I could not imagine. Practicing with Sharath for 4 whole months was the biggest highlight of my trip.
Discovering Pranayama
Studying with Tiwariji for 4 weeks has opened my eyes to a whole other path in Yoga. It made me realise that I’ve been standing on one leg all this time and now I’m just learning to put the other foot down. I did not expect to gain anything earth-shattering from learning Pranayama. But it’s completely turned my world upside down. Being a naturally stiffer person, I have always had to work at my flexibility and I’ve come a long way since I first start ashtanga 8 years ago. However in the 4 weeks that I started Pranayama, my back and shoulders opened up in ways that I still can’t believe. On a ‘stiff’ day now (and there are still many of them), the hardest backbend is sometimes better than the toughest forward bend. And anyone who knows my practice also knows that I am not a backbender!
I am proud to say that I have maintained my pranayama practice, in addition to my ashtanga practice. They complement each other and I’m looking forward to studying with Tiwariji again, hopefully end of this year.
I love Indian food!
I’m very thankful for Little India and I have discovered the most amazing dosa opposite Mustafa (thank you Elena!) – too bad their chai and coffee suck bigtime! However, nothing beats food in India, especially the homecooked meals. Mmmmm
Looking back, quitting all my classes to go to India for 5 months was one of the best things I have done in my life. Change (positive or negative) always creates opportunity for growth. You learn more about yourself, what you believe in and what is important to you. If you remain stagnant, you don’t experience life’s richness. I was feeling a bit ‘stuck’ and that change was exactly what I needed. I’ve now adjusted back to life in S’pore. I still have problems deciding which watch to wear so I pretty much wear the same one :o)
There are also other subtle positive changes and I will treasure my experiences every day, with thanks.
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