Saying goodbye for a bit to my second home.

 Today is my last day in Thrissur. The last 4 and 1/2 weeks here have been great. I have visited my Indian family many times in the last four years, but this time was the first time I went alone for an extended period. I wanted to spend some quality time with my Father-in-Law living here and getting acclimated to Kerala. While here I also wanted to dedicate time to advancing my Bharatanatyam dance training, set up some important future plans, and show my family that India can be my second home.

An Indo-American marriage comes with many more responsibilities than a typical American marriage. All marriages have responsibilities to family, however, culturally Indian marriages have additional spousal responsibilities. I am the "eldest daughter" that means my responsibility to care for my Father-in-Law is both my duty as well as Ajith's. I wanted this time with my Father-in Law because I love him, but also to show our family, and maybe myself as well, that India is not a place where I couldn't live, or care for my Father-in-Law properly if needed. This will maybe be hard to understand for Americans, but over here I needed to show people and family that it is possible. 

Many people that have not lived here, or have visited as a tourist, have very romantic ideas about India. It IS a wonderful and spiritual place. It IS a place of lovely people and beautiful weather. The colors of India ARE intoxicating. But beyond all that surface there is a harsh reality to this place that, because of my marriage, is now something I must adapt to. Being in India beyond the resorts and tourism enclaves has challenges. Shopping is nearly impossible by myself. Some areas are unsafe for women - you can't really go out at night safely. Additionally, I will never really blend in and that makes me a target. Thrissur can also be hard to navigate.. no.. absolutely impossible to navigate. My family would never let me get in a rickshaw by myself here in Thrissur ... it would be too hard to manage. I can never really visit India as a tourist. There are both positives and negatives to this. Luckily, with this trip I get a little of both worlds, I can be an adopted Indian daughter, live in the real India, and be a tourist!

Speaking of being a tourist. I am going to Kovalam for the whole month of December. Kovalam is a tropical destination and is known for its tourism trade as a center for yoga-auryuveda training.  Like many tourist destinations it is beautiful, but also has scams. I have been fortunate to be accepted into a very reputable yoga training site. I will be training with Samyak Yoga of Mysore.

I have done much research for the last few months on Yoga training sites. I knew the style I wanted to train in (Ashtanga) and I contacted many organizations. I wanted to find a site that was in India to coincide with my visit here, but the actual location in India was not important. I found this program fit my requirements. I applied and was accepted. 

Samyak Yoga is run by 3 traveling Yogis. They are all Mysore trained in Ashtanga Yoga. They are world class teachers and offer teaching courses in various places around the world. In the winter months they teach in Kovalam (Kerala), however, they have training in France, Bali, Japan, and other parts of India at other times of the year. I chose this program because of its high level of integrity, its rigor, its registration with Yoga Alliance, and because it is internationally recognized. 

This program will be hard. Here is the daily schedule that they emailed.

*Tentative schedule 6 days a week with 7th day for rest and personal study.

6:30-8:30 – Up at sunrise for Ashtanga Vinyasa (traditional practice)

Breakfast

10:00-11:00 – Lecture/study

11:00-11:30 – Pranayama

11:30-12:30 – Teaching Methodology

Lunch

12:45-01:30 – Group Class/Teaching Practice

04:30-06:00 – Intensive Vinyasa Flow (Practice)

06:00-06:30 – Kirtans/Chants/Meditation

Dinner

7:45-8:30pm – Testing/Reviews

This program prides itself on the establishment of a mindful and disciplined daily practice. It is not just asana (poses) memorization or vinyasa oriented. It has a highly spiritual aspect to it. We will learn proper yogic ideas and training, train in the sutras, in Sanskrit, in chakras, in Ayurvedic ideas as well.  We will learn to practice yoga both physically and ethically. This school takes pride in who passes the course and who teaches under their name. All students must apply for acceptance and test to receive certification. It is not a yoga retreat, but a school and it is well received. It is recognized/accredited by Yoga Alliance, which means when I pass I can register and be accredited by Yoga Alliance as a teacher. It is not the hardest program out there, but it ranks at towards the top in authenticity. Samyak makes good teachers, the Yogis have trained in the Gurukula system under a common master in Mysore and take their brand and their mission very seriously. I am honored to be accepted to this program. Excited to learn from these men, and will do my best to pass testing and receive certification. 

Who knows what the future brings. I would love to come back and work towards developing a teaching practice back home, this idea is in my head, but for now my focus is learning and establishing my own daily Yoga.

Namaste, 

Christy