On my way to Goa, last stop in India.
Train was only 20 minutes late arriving this morning. And 90 minutes late arriving at destination. I got to watch the last bit which was through a forest. Very calming.
On the taxi ride, one hour and a half, through the state of Goa to Ashiyana Yoga Retreat, all I could think was, 'who would want to vacation in India?'
I thought it over and over. I guess I'm officially over traveling in India.
Goa is the former Portuguese colony and so a lot of the architecture looks like Spanish style stucco only more colorful. This is also where a lot of the tourists to India come- mostly to go to the beach and party. Apparently drugs are a problem here. But even with the slight change in architecture, this is still a relatively rural place that looks a lot like India- tropical India, that is. Perhaps more tropical than other parts.
Still I couldn't help thinking, why would anyone take a vacation to India? I think my mind was suggesting this country might be a forsaken place. At least if I come here again, I'll know what to expect and, being prepared, I will probably enjoy it more. I think if you plan to spend as much as you would in Europe then India is not really a tough place at all, but I'm not sure how much of the real India you get.
Day two
Certainly, I would not say this Ashiyana place is much like India. It is beautiful and lush, just as I imagined, and its quiet and the food is great and the yoga is great and I think I will be well rested by the end. So it's serving it's purpose, but I would not say that the people who come here have experienced the real India.
Mostly been sick since I arrived. Still can't shake the diarrhea thing. I've had it on and off since I arrived in India. I stopped taking the malaria pills today, maybe they are the culprit. We'll see.
Day three
The yoga is going well. First, my body loosened up, but now the joint aches are coming on. But I did manage to do yoga twice today. We'll see if I can hack it again tomorrow.
Day four
At first I felt like I didn't even recognize my body it had been so long since I had done anything with it. But now, Sunday, I start to feel like I know this body again.
Day five
I signed up for a massage today because the stress in my back and neck don't seem to be improving, despite all the resting and yoga. Some sort of ayurvedic massage, I can't remember the name. Very different technique. They drizzle coconut oil in a line all over the back of my body. What a wonderful smell! It's like we're baking cookies.
And starts massaging the oil in all over. And his hands feels like a rolling pin covered with sandpaper running up and down my back and legs. Massaging in long lines up and down the whole torso and legs and strong enough so you can feel all the parts of your body that are sore.
For me, I was surprised how sore my calves were. Of course, I knew my hamstrings would be. He spent an inordinate amount of time on my feet and ankles. And he does your whole arm and hand as well. And sometimes it feels like he's pressing too hard, but it doesn't last long. Despite the heat from his hands and the brisk motion that you think would create a lot of heat from friction, there is no heat - I guess because of the oil. I actually felt cool and the room was not air conditioned. Luckily, the humidity dropped a great deal compared with yesterday and it wasn't near as hot.
An hour went by so quickly. Afterwards, my neck and shoulders are back to normal but the pressure point in my back is still there and my sciatica is still there. Maybe it will settle itself out after a couple hours. And, I will definitely get another massage later in the week.
Day six
Met some really nice people. David and Jo from London and Marketa from Prague and Alma from The Netherlands. Starting to enjoy my stay here a lot. Starting to smile again.
Day eight
Thursday I went to the morning class with Laura and I was able to complete the whole class, physically do all the moves. This was a wonderful boost to my self esteem. Laura's class last Thursday was my first here at ashiyana and I had to take it very easy so as not to injure myself. But today, after a week of struggling, I was able to make it through the whole program.
I'm so glad I didn't go traveling to the spice farm. While I'm sure it would have been interesting, this physical experience was much more valuable. I feel like 'I'm back!' 😀
Day nine
Friday afternoon I went to class with Inge, a Dutch teacher, and again had an amazing experience. This time my intention was to complete the program with joy. And I did! In the middle, I was so joyful my heart was bursting and I began to cry. It was a wonderful feeling. And she incorporated so much dance and music in to her program- it was just so freeing and joyful. So perfectly aligned with my intention.
And at the end, during shivasana, I had a wonderful journey back through all my experiences of India and I realized how many wonderful, amazing, joyful, lovely and unusual experiences I had in this country. I think I finally lost my feeling of being traumatized that I had when I arrived asset ashiyana, and I'm able to see my experience from a better perspective. A joyful perspective.
And I can honestly say it was incredible, this India that I saw. Just incredible, in the best most mind blowing way possible. 😀😊
Day ten final thoughts
I will miss the Indian head bob! What was so confusing to begin with is now so endearing.
India helped me fulfill a huge goal of this trip as well which is a graduate course of education about the world. I learned so much and gained a greater perspective of the world. It was tough but sometimes that's how learning is. Quite often that's how learning is. So if I consider this trip as a graduate studies course on the parts of the world I haven't been exposed to yet, then I think so far I'm really getting my monies worth.
And now for a whole new country... Taiwan!
