Just imagine staying in a humble ashram style abode without any frills. Normally, I would not stay in a place where I could see ants and bugs crawling everywhere but I’m learning to be grateful that at least I have my own room and private bathroom. Lots of other students have to share a room and they don’t even have a door on their bathroom. What I have learned within 24 hours of being at the yoga center is that either I have to just let go off the comforts for the next few weeks or if something is bothering me then I should discuss this with the retreat manager and come to a solution together rather than complaining.
The window curtains were too sheer and the lights just poured in directly over the bed and onto my face. To get a good night sleep, I had to figure out a strategic location on the bed so I could avoid the light.
Then the music and street noise was keeping me awake, so I switched on the fan and that helped fade away the noise level.
On a hot day, the blanket was not a great idea to cover myself so I had to use my beach towel. Trying to keep myself fully covered was a struggle, just like the blanket they give on the flights. Eventually, I just gave up and fell asleep.
I was hoping for a 8 hour sound sleep, but a loud bang noise woke me up at 5am. I found out later, it was coconut from the tree that must have fallen on the roof. I stayed in bed until it was time to freshen up and go for my silent meditation at 6:30am. I found my way in the dark to the shala (studio), grabbed a yoga mat and cushion to sit on. As I was getting comfortable for my meditation, one of the dogs walked in and decided to sit next to my mat. Just imagine staying still into the meditation pose with your eyes closed while the dog was scratching and licking himself.
It was hard to stay focused as my mind kept on wandering with thoughts. I must have traveled millions of miles in 30 minutes. May be the dog was there to teach me a lesson about letting go and not letting distractions annoy me.
Next came the birds, they started chirping out loud, to further test if I can stay focused or not. Alas, the silent meditation was over and it was time for our 2 hour asana practice.
Learning about the right way to do each asanas and understanding my body limitations was fascinating. As usual, I tried to push myself but as the class progressed, I gave up my competitive spirit and, instead started to listen to my body. This is something, I realized, I will definitely need to work on. Two hours flew by and I was already tired and this was just the beginning of the day.
An hour of breakfast break was what I needed to take a quick shower and have a light vegetarian breakfast.
The next 8 hours were intense from a class about yoga philosophy, anatomy, alignment, meditation to asana practice.
What an exhilarating full day of learning can do to your mind and body! I could go in great detail about my experience but for now I’m too exhausted and can share more as the day progresses. All, I needed now was to crash down in my room. Ironically, even the rock hard bed was a welcome retreat.
The more I’m letting go off my preconceived notions, comforts, materialistic things and anything that is holding me back on the path of growth, the lighter I am feeling. If this can happen in just 24 hours, let’s see what can happen in the next few weeks.
