Dear Friends,

It is now just over two weeks that I have been in India. It has been a hell of a whirlwind thus far, really I would not have expected it to be any other way, this is just the nature of India. The ten hour layover in the Bombay airport was excruciating, this after already more than 24 hours of travel. I spent much of that time lingering at the Cafe Coffee Day with the 300 rupee buffet, all you can drink cappucinos included, but "no laying down on the couch please", says the barista when he eyes me resting, "this is giving the wrong impression." I finally land in Goa via SpiceJet, and then an hour or so later, after something like 40 hours total door to door, I stumble my way to the Uttam Guesthouse in Arpora, where I collapse for a bit and then Sri comes along to take me out to Ingo's Saturday Night Market, also in Arpora, where I connect with Ori and his friends. Ingo's is fun and lively with entertainment and food and endless cries of "you come to my shop, just take a look, i give you good price, hello my friend", and so on, ad nauseum. I don't go so much though, it is too crowded for my tastes on the whole and too boozy too. There are good buys to be found for sure, but I am trying to restrain myself from too much buying until I get to Mysore in May, lest I have to ship a million things home or else carry everything with me after Goa.

The next day after arriving, I visit with Rolf & Marci, my yoga teachers, and we have chai together and catch up. Rolf helps me find a house next door to his, with a lovely Indian Catholic family. Only thing, says the matriarch of the family, "no icons in the house, we do not believe." It's a small price to pay really, and an ironic & karmic one too, I might add, for those in the know. So I am sharing the house with my friend Sri and we are each paying around $3 a day for rent, utilities included. The family is quite lovely and sweet and I have grown rather fond of them. When Rolf sees the reservation in my face over no icons, he says it's good to consider that all religions and spiritualities are in their essence about love, and to try and remember this above all else. I find this very wise advice and take the place. Plus I think, that to not have my usual Hindu icons around in the house all the time, this will make me appreciate them all the more after my month in Goa. Arpora is this sleepy little village, not far from the action, but far enough so that you feel like you are in the middle of the jungle. Monkeys, dogs and cows rule the day and it is super peaceful, plus our little community of yogis are practically the only non-Indians around, so this is extremely refreshing, in light of the fact that most of Goa is just the other way around.

My yoga studies with Rolf and Marci (www.yogabones.org) have been particularly grounding and essential in the face of otherwise constantly chaotic scenarios. For those of you who've been to India already, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't been to India, it is hard to explain thoroughly enough in mere words, but I will try. India is, on the surface, the most chaotic of all possible imaginings, there is seemingly no order or sense to anything. This can be quite frustrating if you have any expectations or are used to things being done in a certain manner. Just below the surface, though, there is this wondrous flow and seemingly miraculous order to things. A good example of this is how people drive. I have been riding my scooter around Goa endlessly, and as much of a thrill as this is, it's entirely different from how people drive in the US. There's nothing at all resembling lanes or stop signs or stop lights, or anything to that effect that we're used to, so here it is more about going with the flow literally, simply for survival. Actually, most of the time I am getting lost, but not really minding, it is a good way to learn my way around. There are a few accidents as with any place, but surprisingly fewer altercations than you might expect, considering how crazy people are driving. I am doing my best, Mom & Dad, to drive safely, and no problems so far, I am happy to report. Another good example of chaos within order is the wedding processions that will happen in the strangest of places, (there was one outdoors next to the gas station the other day), and at the oddest of hours, blocking traffic, though no one seems to mind really. The only things that can stop traffic here are wedding processions and cows crossing or lying down in the middle of the road, both of which are common sights.

What I am learning mostly is that in such a busy crazy place as India, you are simply required to go inward or else go crazy, maybe that's how the yoga evolved in such a place as this. Also here, it is somewhat necessary to let go of linear time in order to get by. Nothing is ever done on time here, so you really have to let go of expectations and be exceedingly patient. This is just the way it is and to resist, as they say, is futile. The Indians make Faerie time look downright on time. Also, Indians almost never fight or even raise their voices, it's just considered rude, so this is yet another lesson in patience and peace, to be chill if you are not getting what you want or expect in the moment. Here, you are really just not supposed to know, everything is ever changing, as is the case everywhere really, only here it is more obvious and in your face. This makes American life somehow look much too predictable and rigid, for almost always adhering to such strict schedules and timelines, for example. Lest I make it sound like nothing ever gets done here, this too is not so, somehow everything gets done, just maybe a lot slower than what you're used to. India is always asking you "How do you know what you think you know?", and then just when you think you know the answer, it is changing yet again the very next moment, just to tease you, and get you to understand that everything is quite simply constantly changing, and then changing again, and so on. Lest you should think of coming to India to rescue me from these crazy and bizarre, and frankly primitive, conditions, all I can really suggest is "Don't come for me, Priscilla". But if what I am talking about strikes a chord, then by all means, I will welcome you with open arms should you decide to venture this way, and I will do my best to help you adjust and acclimate.

So here I am in India, still after only two weeks, I have to pinch myself regularly to believe it myself. And this is just the start of a planned six month stay. Mostly I really love it here, the vibrant colors, sometimes deafening sounds of nature, the ocean and birds and all manner of animals all around everywhere at once, even the smell of burning shit and garbage, which is everpresent, can seem somehow romantic in a place like this. In fact, it is the smell of India that I remembered the most and noticed first when landing, it is that unique and pungent. So as much as I do love it here and look forward to all the adventures to come, I also sometimes really hate it here too and wonder if I'll make it for six months. There is plenty of room for loneliness depression and just wondering what the hell am I doing in this dive? At this point I really don't know, but I am just trying to relax and have a good time and not take it all too seriously. Quite honestly, I keep coming back to my yoga studies as the one thing that is keeping me sane, refreshed and happy. Without that I'd really be left wondering what I'm doing in such a place as Goa, which is as famous for yoga and parties as SF is, so it is in many ways quite familiar, though for me it is not so much about the parties, but once in a while is nice. My 530am wakeup to get to yoga class each morning pretty much keeps me from going out too much.

I have been sharing a house with Sri, my dear old friend from NYC. It has not been all smooth sailing, to be sure, but we are working it out, and learning to balance time together and time apart. Sri is also taking yoga classes, as are Three Raven and Lorna Dune, and I am very proud of them all for this effort and commitment. With my friends here, there is a real sense of queer community in an otherwise not so openly queer place. This has been a nice solace and refuge, though even my friends sometimes drive me crazy and then I just take a personal day to write, read, hang at the beach, go dancing, take naps, wipe my ass with my hand and water, eat good Indian food with my hands, though not necessarily in that order, or go for long drives on my scooter and take pictures when I see anything beautiful or interesting, which is quite often in a place like this. I have already taken something like 200 pictures and a few videos too which I hope to upload to Flickr and YouTube in the coming weeks.

If I am to stay for my intended six months, the rest of my itinerary might look something like this: finish out the month of March in Goa, with a side trip to Gokarna for Shivaratri, Shiva's birthday celebration, this coming week. Gokarna is thus far one of my favorite places in India and where I spent about six weeks on my only other trip to India back in 2000. Not only is it a friendly beach town, it is also considered one of the seven holiest sites in India, and all Indians, Hindus at least, try to make it to all seven of these places at least once in their lifetimes. As for April, this is the time I am still unsure about where to go. I may wind up in Rishikesh or Hardwar in April to study some more with Rolf & Marci there and to meet the Santosh Puri family, Rolf's other guru. Or else possibly I will head up north to McLeod Gang, to study Ashtanga with Vijay (vijaypoweryoga.com), who I have heard a lot of good things about, or maybe even back to Gokarna for some chill time at the beach before heading to Mysore for three months, from May through July, to study yoga with Sri K Pattabhi Jois (www.ayri.org) and his family. Assuming I last that long in India, it will be nice to be somewhere for three months continuously, and have some deeper sense of landing and stability in such a crazy place as this, particularly after such a chaotic year as 2007 was for me.

Thus far, I am thrilled to have brought my laptop, cause I am writing up a storm. It is good to be getting back into this creative flow, as I love to write and find it incredibly grounding and rewarding to work through my internal process in this way.
Today is actually the first day I have devoted almost entirely to writing and not running around so much, so it feels very good to get this out. I thank you for reading and I hope you appreciate my tales. Please know that if you have the time to write back, I would really appreciate this as it helps me keep one foot in SF to some extent. Along those lines, I have updated my website to show you that I still love you, my SF family, so please take a peek at www.omstyleyoga.com.

Love,
--Yoga Daddy