After having cried for the entire duration of my ride to Bangalore Int'l airport, I thought the life that I knew before my stay in Mysore never existed. How could it have existed - school, work, responsibilities, dreams set aside, fear? Contrary to what some think (parents, work colleagues and managers), one month in India was nowhere NEAR enough or a long time. And although I tried my absolute hardest to seize every second of my trip, I sometimes feel like I could have done so much more to make the moments last longer, or forever. But, here I am.. back in Dubai, back with my family, back at work, back to a familiar place with familiar faces, back to teaching. One month has passed since I got back, and the life that I once knew before Mysore is the life that still exists today, but better.
Life after Mysore
The post-Mysore blues had to end at one point, and my advice to any of you who might/will travel to Mysore is: don't be sad when you leave, because you WILL go back again and again and again. Adapting back to my normal daily routines - waking up for work in the morning, driving to the office, preparing for my field visits, selling to customers (I work in a Sales company), going back to the office and spending hours in front of the laptop, leaving work for a late yoga practice, driving home, passing out - as opposed to waking up in the ungodly hours of the morning for a 4:30 am Led class or a 6:00 am Mysore practice, having 1st breakfast, reading by the pool, meeting friends for banana smoothies (or gelato!), and going to bed at 7:30pm.. it was difficult to say the least. Many people I met in Mysore had been there for at least 6 weeks, some were there for 3 whole months. While we all love Mysore and love being there, a lot of them said they were ready to go back home. It wasn't something that I understood or could relate to at that moment, which isn't the case anymore. That is Mysore magic.
I've made a few changes to my daily 'routines'. Nowadays, I wake up for an early morning practice before work (truth be told, I'm not succeeding on a daily basis. I'm working on it). I go to work feeling more energized, and my mind is in a clearer state. When the work day ends, I come back home to call it an early night after an hour or two of reading, spending time with the family, or engaging in any other pass-time activity. On odd days, I teach yoga now that my evenings are no longer booked for my own practice.
I brought back a lot with me - tiny treasures and moments spent with friends that are very close to my heart. Every corner of my room reminds me of the significant experience I had, and the lessons I learned. My favorite thing to do is light incense and allow my mind to wander, whether it is reminiscing on my trip or planning for exciting things to do in Dubai to share all I that I learned.
Yoga comes first. It is beyond everything. The attitude should change, the way of thinking should change. This is the kind of personal transformation that happens within us. Yoga is a personal transformation.
...said my teacher, Sharath. While my experience has taught me a lot, the biggest lessons I learned were from Sunday conferences with Sharath. We would listen to him so carefully and note down every word he says, and watch how he smiles when addressing us. He makes everything seem so possible and simple, which probably is the reality for a lot of things. Sharath teaches the beauty of surrendering: to your practice, to life, to the divine, and to a teacher. He once said that "when you surrender to a teacher, only then will the knowledge be transmitted to you". I was instantly reminded of my teachers in Montreal, and how easy it was to trust and love them unconditionally for all they shared and taught me. It was sometimes hard to explain to someone how or why I felt this way towards a yoga teacher. Simply put, these teachers put in so much energy into helping you with your transformation, expecting and wanting nothing in return.
The journey is not over yet, it has only just begun.. with promises of returning back to Mysore, dreams to be fulfilled, and more experiences to be a part of. I feel confident, I am prepared, I am excited, I cannot stop dreaming, and I can't wait for you to be a part of it all.
Thank you, India. Thank you, Mysore.