I couldn’t come to India and not do yoga.
I mean, I’ve been attempting to do it myself most mornings on the rooftop. But I get funny looks sometimes from the housewives hanging laundry, and an especially long stare from a man who brushes his teeth on the higher rooftop behind our guest house. (Like clockwork he’s there, at 6:45 am brushing ever so diligently).
So, it’s not been the best setting to get my bliss on.
So I arranged to take a yoga class this morning, my final day here. Now, I’d heard that yoga here isn’t quite what we’re used to back in the States. And Stephen told us that despite the fact that India is the birthplace of yoga, it’s not really practiced by everyday folks. So erase all your perceptions of India as being this place where yogis roam the streets, enlightened and dispensing ancient wisdom.
Still, I wanted the experience. So Stephen dropped me off this morning at a yoga center not far from the guest house. The man was polite and greeted me kindly. But we got to business so fast, I didn’t catch his name. He gestured for me to sit on the cotton floor mat in a small, dingy studio — exhaust fumes and ruckus coming in through the windows from the streets below. (Sort of like doing yoga in New York City).
He sat in front of a large, wall-sized poster that pictured and numbered all of the basic asanas (poses). Over an hour’s time, we went gently and simply through the poses, stopping to take 2 to 5 long, deep breaths in between. It was great to stretch and breathe and open up my tight limbs. And it was just a cool experience to take the time to do that on my last day — all lead by a man who didn’t speak much English. But just like painting with Ravi and Gree, you find you don’t really need to know too many words to understand each other.
And so with yoga on the brain, I suggested to my fellow team members that we do a little yoga session with the kids at SEAM tonight. I was a bit nervous about it, though, worried that I might not be able to hold their attention with my yogic fun and games.
So we lined the kids on the floor and did about 10 minutes or so of simple yoga poses with them — lots of breathing, lots of the sillier poses I thought they’d get a kick out of. It turns out, they did. They really took to it, and it was a great way to start our evening with them — on a very chill, and calm note. And it turns out, a past volunteer also did yoga with them recently. So after our little session, the kids started busting out all sorts of yoga poses they had learned — one at a time, proudly showing off their moves. It was all kinds of fun. (Oh, believe me. Pictures to come).
We wrapped up by passing around to them the cotton candy that some of the volunteers bought from a street vendor along the way. And then, it was so long to SEAM.
Earlier in the day, I went with the van to pick up the volunteers working today at Assisi. I wanted to say a proper goodbye to Sister Rose, who I didn’t get to see since I was sick on my last day. I wrote a little thank you note in her volunteer log, and she thanked me and gave me a wonderful checkered blanket as a gift. She told me to take care of myself. “You look dull,” she said. I think she meant to say, I still looked a little pale and under the weather. I told her how sad I was to leave — and that I’m very seriously considering a return next year.
On my way out, I saw the kids lined along the floor against the wall, napping in the cool darkness of the tile room. I looked for the little body I knew to be Augustine’s, tip-toed over and saw his eyes were open. I brushed his arm and he looked up. I kissed my hand, put it to his cheek and waved goodbye. He smiled and waved his tiny hand back and forth, and we both kept waving until I walked out the door.
Having missed my last day there, I was so glad to walk out with that little moment.
And now, dear readers…here’s to my final post in the Zoom cafe. My airport ride will be arriving in 45 minutes. Let’s hope my heavy bags make it onto the flight, and that they resurface at the airport in JFK.
But oh, there’s more to come. Keep reading — there’ll be all kinds of fun to see here after I arrive back home.
So long!
J
