Jaya Ganesha!

Jaya Ganesha, Jaya Ganesha, Jaya Ganeshapahenam.
Shree Ganesha, Shree Ganesha, Shree Ganesha Rakshamam (and on and on and on...)
We wake up early and chant this 20 minute mantra, a salute to the "remover of obstacles" and about 100 other gods, starts and ends the day of yoga "Vacation".....
Life at the Sivananda Ashram, is yet again, another unique slice of India.

I arrived after winding down the Bengali coast of Tamil Nadu- carried by a screaming bus that scattered children and cows off the small town roads. I took the "express" bus, as I was concerned that i might not make my train from Villapuram to Trivandrum. I arrived to the station a good 3 hours before departure. Well ahead of time, and no one in sight.....Little did I know, the holiday was Pongal----harvest festival, where rituals are performed in fertile fields, fire ceremonies swirl through small roadside temples, and bulls are painted and captured by brave and foolish competitors. The women cook sweet rice dishes to serve in their family homes. Chalk mandalas read "Happy Pongal!" and trains are quiet and uncrowded...Rituals are not public, but I was guided to a small Ganesh (elephant god/remover of obstacles) by a kind man who wanted me to see the offerings---crowds were singing, incense and fruit were offered, smiles on everyone's faces, and a fourth of july like firework display in the backdrop....a sweet last taste of India, before turning inward...

My travels led me to Neyyar Dam where the Sivananda Ashram sits above the lake surrounded by forest and jade rolling mountains. Elephants rustle in the wilderness, lions can be heard mating, and stories of "lake crocodiles" keep the timid from swimming.
This being the "halfway" point of my journey, I planned to give myself two weeks of yoga practice, time for reflection, and detoxification---an opportunity to recharge my batteries for the remainder of the journey.
It is quite nice to drop the dusty bags and follow a rigid routine after days of logistics, decision making, and unknown experiences around every corner.
Here, at the ashram, life is safe, predictable, and affords one the opportunity to synthesize the adventures preceding arrival---or so i thought...actually, the schedule allows for little down time or reflection. This "Groundhog Day" reality follows an exacting schedule:
5:20am Wake up bell
6am-7am Meditation, chanting
7:30 chai break
8:00-10:00 yoga
10am brunch
10-30-12pm karma yoga---selfless service (yes, I'm cleaning toilets)
1:30 pm tea time
2:00 lecture
3:30-5:30pm yoga
6pm dinner
8pm-10am lecture/satsang/aarati
10:30pm lights out

Three days in, I feel lighter, well rested, and ready for the next adventures.
No access to internet, except one "off day" a week, and the connections are so slow, there's no time for uploading photos....