Veg Park and Barista Coffee

Netta and I are supposed to Join Tesa and the gals at Vivian's for a Chinese lunch but I overslept and when we arrived at the Sashira Café (that's the official name of Vivian's place, # 383, just across the yoga shala) the food was gone! Tesa said it was Taiwanese vegetarian… light and a nice change from the usual Indian meals that we've been having.

I needed some money changed so we waited for Shiva and after hearing about this Veg Park Restaurant which serves Indian and Chinese food, Netta and I decided to try their noodles. It was just a couple of steps away from Barista Coffee so it wasn't really very difficult to find.

Netta ordered the Singaporean Noodles while I asked for the spicy Szechuan. The waiter had to warn me that it was spicy but I said I can take it. It was good and just a little bit too spicy for me so I ordered plain rice and ate it like a true blooded Filipino (I think it's a Pinoy thing, eating pancit/noodles with rice… I can even remember those days when I'd eat instant noodles with rice… basta Pinoy… anything with rice… spaghetti with rice anyone?). We're definitely going back there to try the kofta. They also have set meals… North Indian meal… North Indian Special meal… South Indian meal…. South Indian special meal… I wonder what were the differences? I'll surely let you know once I've tried them.

After that carbohydrate-filled lunch, we decided to have more carbs and ordered dessert. We shared the Black Cupid sundae. It was ok… it's chocolate ice cream so I don't really think you'll ever go wrong with that. Topped with nuts, bits of interesting sweets, caramel and chocolate syrup, and beet syrup (?) which tasted like cough syrup, I couldn't ask for more.

We spoiled ourselves even more when we decided to have coffee at Barista.

I had cafe latte and was surprised to receive little packets of demerara sugar when I asked for a brown one.

I'm definitely a spoiled lazy Ashtangi doing nothing in Mysore but do pranayama and asanas in the morning then basically do nothing the entire day except sleep and eat. At least my flatmate is taking pranayama lessons elsewhere. I'd probably do some Sanskrit and chanting lessons starting next week so I can have something worthwhile in the afternoon. I cooked for Tesa and friends for 3 days in a row though so I guess I'm not really that lazy… :-p.

Crossing the Ocean of the World

If the practitioner of yoga wishes to cross the ocean of the world,

he should perform all his duties to his ashrama (or the conditions of life)
renouncing all the fruits of his works – Siva Samhita II:51

If the wise yogi is desirous of crossing the ocean of the world,
let him practice (this bandha) in secret in a retired place – Siva Samhita IV:44

Contemplating on the time spent in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I couldn't help but wonder if I have indeed practiced enough yoga that the Divine should grant my heart's desires. I'm now in India and realizing that dream of studying at the Ashtanga Yoga Nilayam.

Guruji doesn't teach anymore but I am just grateful to have a glimpse of him during my registration. I saw seen him again twice after that.

Building a teacher-student relationship takes a lot of time and commitment from both parties, and with hundreds of Ashtangis flocking the shala every morning for practice, and many still coming in the afternoon for registration, I can't help but wonder if I'd even get that chance of knowing Guruji, or even Sharath and Saraswati.

For now, I'm just happy that I was able to get a little of their attention in the first 3 classes that I had at the shala. Yesterday was a led class so no one was really getting any adjustments.

========

The food is been great. I've been eating at recommended places so I haven't encountered any stomach problems, alhumdoolillah. I'm not really sure if I'd do some cooking here but for sure I'd attend some cooking classes.

As I've mentioned previously, I saw Tesa on the same day that I arrived in Mysore. I arrived at 3am (July 21), checked in at a hotel in the city as every budget hotel in Gokulam was fully booked, slept for a couple of hours and then decided to head for AYRI and wait for Tesa.

We had breakfast at the newly opened Santosha Café which serves amazingly great breads, muffins and cookies, and buffet dinner at Anu's for only 100 rupees which is about 110 pesos or 2.45USD. Food is cheap in India, so they said, and now I believe them.

The next day, Netta came to see me after practice and we had breakfast at Vivian's. It's another newly opened eating place in Manju Jois' just across the shala. The coffee there was good.

July 23, Tesa's rickshaw driver invited us for lunch in his home. The food was yummy, cooked by his lovely wife and daughter. It was a thali of beets, carrots, string beans and of course, chapatti. He also served a nice curd rice (but because I have such a sweet tooth, I would have preferred it with a little bit more jaggery), and some dhal and rice.

Can't remember if I still had dinner that day.

We've also tried the Gufha Restaurant at the Pie Vista Hotel, a rather expensive looking hotel but I was shocked to see 100-rupee main course. I had vegetable kofta in a mildy spiced tomato sauce, rice and carrot halva with vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was lovely.

Then last night, we had dinner at the Three Sisters. Indian thali but very sattvic. We had their chocolate-banana-coconut lassi to end the meal.

So you see, I've only been in Mysore for 6 days but I've already been to most recommended eating places… talk about moderate eating, huh?

With this, let me leave you with the 6 conditions to achieve success in yoga according to the Siva Samhita:

1. the firm belief that vidya or knowledge must succeed and be fruitful.
2. having faith in vidya
3. respect towards the Guru
4. spirit of Universal Equality
5. restraint of the organs of sense.
6. and guess what??? Moderate eating.

Ciao.

Rest Day

It's Saturday and it's rest day for asanas for yogins studying at AYRI. I just had breakfast at Vivian's (they have an official name of the cafe but can't remember it at this moment) with Tesa and friends we've made here in Mysore.

We had dinner at the famous Three Sisters in Lakshmipuram last night and while Tesa and I originally planned on watching this flute concert by Ravi Shankar Mishra, we were mesmerized by Harini's stories of the old shala and of Guruji that we lost track of time. The next thing we knew, it was already late and decided to head home.

My flatmate and I are both a bit sick at the moment so we'll probably just stay home to get better. Tomorrow's another led class and man, Sharath counts really slowly. I was doing all the vinyasas alright but navasana, urdhva dhanurasana and utpluthih? The mind was rebelling and yelling, "What the &@#$ am I doing here???"

Ok. I'm only in my first week. Things will eventually get a little bit better, inshallah.

Namaste.

Mysore At Last

After 6 years of just dreaming of coming, I've finally arrived in Mysore and have somehow settled in already. Although not totally as I'm just staying in a temporary room at the moment.

I've seen Tesa and have spent my first two days in Mysore with her. She took a photo of our lovely dinner at Tina's Home Cooked Meals last night so I'll just wait until she sends me that and I'll upload it here. I still have to collect my thoughts also before I post an entry about this journey so this will be it for now.

Oh, and I've been to an Ayurvedic doctor for consultation with Tesa and another yogini friend last night. He said I was "unusually balanced". Alhumdoolillah is all I can say. Of course that meant he cannot prescribed me anything and just told me to keep it that way.

And just so I will be able to experience their programs, he suggested an 8-day treatment which I can take whenever want but preferably early in the 3 months that I'll be here. Maybe I'll think about it once I've moved to a more permanent place.

That's all folks.

Namaste from Mysore.

Yoga Sutras Q&A II

What happens when success in yoga is achieved?

• From this practice all the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of the inner self YS I:23

What are these obstacles?

1. disease
2. dullness
3. doubt
4. carelessness
5. laziness
6. sensuality
7. false perception
8. failure to reach firm ground
9. slipping from the ground gained

• YS I:30

What are the accompaniments /signs of these obstacles?

1. distress
2. despair
3. trembling of the body
4. disturbed breathing

• YS I:31

What is the best way to prevent these?

• the practice of concentration on a single object (or use of one technique) is the best way to prevent the obstacles and their accompaniments. - YS I:32

How do we maintain our peace or practice concentration?

1. by cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked - YS I:33
2. by the controlled exhalation or retention of the breath - YS I:34
3. by concentrating on subtle sense perception - YS I:35
4. by concentrating on the supreme, even blissful Light within - YS I:36
5. by concentrating on a great soul's mind which is totally freed from attachment to sense objects - YS I:37
6. by contemplation or concentrating on the experience had during dream or deep sleep - YS I:38
7. by meditating on anything one chooses that is elevating - YS I:39

The rest of Chapter I explains the different types of samadhi which I still need to understand more. The study of the Yoga Sutras takes time. It took me several versions and commentaries to really grasp its teachings... and the learning continues.

I hope this Q&A has somehow gave you an idea on this classical text by Patanjali.

Reference: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda.

Singapore

The Merlion at the Sentosa Island.

I'm in Singapore but the first place I went to was Little India.

At first I thought I'd go to China Town because it's a more familiar place to go to having been studied Chinese for 10 years. But I went to Little India instead and walking aimlessly, my feet lead me to this temple. I didn't realize it's a full moon and they were celebrating Guru Purnima.

In Mysore, they'd be celebrating Guruji's birthday and I'm not there yet.

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

The Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown is Singapore's oldest Indian temple. It was built in 1827 and is dedicated to the Hindu mother goddess.

Inside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. This is where I spent a long time listening to the monks chanting. I wanted to go inside the Hindu temples but somehow drawn more into the Buddhist one. A working of the pre-conditioned mind? Probably.

Will upload more photos when I get to India and label the photos properly. I'm flying out tomorrow night at 7:40pm.

Thank you Elaine for sharing your space for practice... the dinner and quick tour of Singapore.

Namaste.

Yoga Sutras Q & A

Yogena cittasya padena vacam
malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
yopakarottam pravaram muninam
patanjalim pranajaliranato'smi

Abahu purusakaram sankha cakrasi dharinam
sahasra sirasam svetam pranamami patanjalim.

Let us bow before the noblest of sages Patanjali,
who gave yoga for serenity and sanctity of mind,
grammar for clarity and purity of speech
and medicine for perfection of health.

Let us prostrate before Patanjali,
an incarnation of Adisesa,
whose upper body has a human form,
whose arms hold a conch, a disc and a sword,
and who is crowned by a thousand-headed cobra.

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The chant above may discourage a devout Catholic, dedicated Christian or a faithful Muslim from pursuing the study of yoga if we look at its literal translation. The Sanskrit language, like the old English, is very poetic. It is most helpful if we look at the meaning behind the words. The conch, for example, represents the Divine Sound and power.

"It is an emblem of power, authority and sovereignty whose blast is believed to banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters, and scare away poisonous creatures." - Exotic India

I told Chona I studied the Sutras in a Q&A manner and it made me understand this yogic text easier. As promised, I'm posting the questions for the first half of Chapter I.

What is Yoga? And why do we have to pursue it?

• Yoga is the control over the fluctuations of the mind (YS I:2). The Self either abides in his own nature of assumes the forms of the mental modifications (YS I:3-4)

What are the mental modifications?

1. Right knowledge
2. Imagination/misconception
3. Verbal delusion
4. Sleep
5. Memory

• Then are either painless or painful (YS I:6-11)
  

How can we control these mental modifications?

• Through practice and non-attachment (YS I:12)

What is practice?

• It is the effort toward steadiness of mind (YS I:13)

How can practice be successful?

• Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without braek and in all earnestness (YS I:14)

What is non-attachment?

• The consciousness of self-mastery in one who is free from craving for objects seen or heard about (YS I:15)

When can one attain success in yoga?

• To the keen and intent practitioner this comes very quickly (YS I:21)
• The time necessary for success further depends on whether the practice is mild, medium or intense (YS I:22) or by devotion with total dedication to the Divine (YS I:23)
  

Eternally Grateful

Our karma yoga project with the Rotaract Club of Munting Pag-Asa was a success. Thanks to all the people who made this project possible. Thanks also to Jane, Chona, Tina, Ria and Sarah for spreading the word.

Jenny said many also bought the tickets but didn't attend, especially their male members. Maybe next time we'll have a yoga-for-men workshop in Davao.

It's the usual excuse... yoga is for women and only for the flexible.

Yoga isn't about the flexibility of the physical body but the flexibility of the mind... the flexibility to accept things in life... to acknowledge that things are impermanent and only transitory... to believe that even a tight inflexible body can become soft and supple through the regular practice of yoga.

Our inflexibility hinders us from exploring our full potential... it is a form of ignorance or avidya, one of the 5 obstacles in the path of yoga.

Avidyasmita Raga Dvesabhinivesah Klesah
(Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred, and clinging to bodily life are the five obstacles.)
Yoga Sutra II:3

Anityasuci Duhkhanatmasu Nitya Suci Sukhatmakhyatir Avidya
(Ignorance is regarding the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Self as the Self.)
Yoga Sutra II:5

Until we wipe the fog off the mirror, we won't be able to see our faces clearly and we become ignorant of our own selves.

The organizers and the instructors. I'll post more photos once I receive them from Jen.

Got to start packing to make sure I only have 20kg of luggage. Namaste.

Taj Minar Indian Restaurant & Bar in Davao

One of the things in my to-do-list-in-Davao was to try the Taj Minar Indian Resto-bar. I was able to convince my high school buddy to have lunch with me there yesterday. It was my friend's first take at Indian cuisine so I ordered the more familiar dishes.

Papadum and Vegetable samosa for entree. Basmati rice + tandoori for Ryan and Palak Paneer + Naan for me.

The papadum was good but it didn't come with a dip so I asked for mango chutney...

which had too much ginger so I didn't like it.

The very colorful plain rice. I was expecting plained steamed basmati rice so it was a good surprise. An "A" for presentation. ;-)

The garlic naan didn't impress me. It tasted like a flat unleavened bread pan-fried in garlic butter.

The battery went empty when I was about to take a photo of the Spinach Paneer, which was also very disappointing.

I haven't been to India but have tasted good Indian food in Manila and Riyadh. Only the samosa passed my taste buds but it also needed more cumin.

The Chef came to the table and asked if we liked the food. I had to tell him honestly that the food was too Filipinized. I guess they had to lessen the spices to suit the Pinoy tongue as a lot of Filipinos don't really Indian food.

But is it really the solution? I remembered the Filipino waiter at the Tajbah Restaurant in Riyadh telling me that many Filipinos liked Kofta and other dishes in tomato-based sauces. The solution to make Pinoys like Indian food might not be to tone down the spices but to let them try dishes in tomato-based or yoghurt-based sauces.

Toning down the spiciness of an Indian dish is like diluting the teachings of yoga so that it becomes more acceptable to a given group of people.

I just had to post this. I'm a coconut-loving convert.

I need to have my durian shake before I leave tomorrow though.

Peace.

ABC of Nature

A for Avocado

B for Banana

---

C for Coconut...

Talking about coconuts... I'll be enjoying coconuts in Mysore really soon.

Salam.

Kissing the Earth

Just one of the many beautiful photos by Neil, Crissy and Chona.

Wherever this project leads us... only the Divine knows.

Yoga in Camiguin

It was the middle of the day... the weather was perfect... the place was serene... the water crystal clear... I was enjoying the beach alone and couldn't resist the temptation of taking a yoga shot while my father and his cousins reminisce the old days over Red Horse and fresh sea foods.

A firefly in Camiguin

Kurma's wife?
We had a quick visit at the Enigmata Treehouse before going to Mantigue. I was able to talk to the owner Rosalie and told her about my plans of conducting yoga retreats in Camiguin. It's still far away in the future but it is something I would love to do... promote the Philippines, especially Camiguin, through yoga. Enigmata offers not only vegetarian dishes but many programs that are supportive to one's spiritual pursuits.

Rosalie said they've been conducting workshops already but because Camiguin is mainly a Catholic community, there are a lot of misconceptions about yoga. Then I thought, maybe we can offer cheerleading stunts a.k.a partner yoga instead. Inshallah. For now, the possibilities seem endless.

The Island Born of Fire

CAMIGUIN ISLAND is said to be "Born of Fire". It has seven volcanoes unmatched anywhere else in Southeast Asia. Volcanic eruptions and land movements have created this spectacular island full of natural wonders and historical riches. Read more here: http://www.camiguin.gov.ph/

Mantigue Island, Camiguin

Spent two nights in the Island of Camiguin with my father and his local relatives. The last time I was here was almost 20 years ago. It's a dear place because it's my paternal grandmother's hometown. People receive their nourishment from both the land and the sea. I had to let go of vegetarianism for a couple of days and ate fresh seafoods in order to truly experience life in Camiguin.

The beautiful island of Mantigue just 20 minutes off the main island where not many locals have gone. My father's cousins said it was their first time to go to Mantigue and they've lived in Camiguin practically all their lives.

A photo I took from the Port of Benoni while waiting for the boat to arrive from Balingaon.

Another photo from the Port of Benoni.

Quick Update

Totally on vacation mode so this will just be a quick update.

I got my Indian visa today... double-entry valid for one year! First entry for Ashtanga in Mysore... and second for pranayama in Lonavla.

Got reconnected with the teacher again even only for 3 days.

Taught almost every day since June 28 and enjoyed every moment of it.

Went to Pulse to see Tesa.

First teacher sent me off to India (Embassy). Very symbolic gesture... will probably post about it next time.

Got reconnected with basically everyone again.

Saw Joji, Trin, Jane, Crissy and Chona.

Knew about Melanie's blog.

Will be leaving for CDO on Wednesday morning then my father and I will go to Camiguin for two days then drive south to Davao.

I leave for India via Singapore on the 17th.

This life is very exciting.

Oh... and that dream job won't be happening until the middle of 2009 so I'm still figuring out what to do from January to May... I think I'll let the Universe decide for that... will just flow with the wind and see what happens.

Namaste.