Thursday was Arun's birthday according to the Hindu calendar. I don't think I've ever seen such an elaborate, huge, celebration. There were so many things going on at the same time, it was challenging to pick one thing to watch in fear you might miss something else.
From what I understand, the day celebrates his life from before birth to the present time. Once of the rituals is tying the knot, another one is getting a shower from the guests. The shower is given by the guests who poured water over Arun and his wife's head. I didn't have the heart to do it as it went on for what seemed a long time to me. There was also an amazing 28+ course meal served, and I am positive all the guests including myself ate too much. Later that evening we gathered at the yoga school where the celebration (which included Diwali) continued. There were speeches, singers, and dancers, and even a very short "talent show" in which the international students sang happy birthday to Arun is different languages. It was a very lovely, sweet evening.
The festivities ended with lighting fireworks in the street for Diwali. The amount of fireworks, and firecrackers is wild. It is reminiscent of the old days of fourth of July when we too were allowed to light these things up in the street. One of the traditions of Diwali is handing out sweets. We've been handing our American chocolate to kids and even merchants we buy supplies from. The little children are especially delighted to receive these goodies. One little boys face lit up so bright, I think is was he who stopped the rain and brought out the sunshine.
There was a break from the festivities on Friday, but the day was wonderful in that I took three classes with Arun. The first class was a ladies only class which is always sweet well attended. I love the way Arun recognizes and modifies the practice for everyone. He quickly noticed the dryness in my body due to menopause and gave me modifications so as not to make my situation worse. Wow, is it that obvious in my body? Maybe, but it's more that he sees beyond what most don't including yours truly. So I head back to the hotel after class for a lunch and to ponder my practice.
The two evening classes were sequenced so amazingly. With the help of Jim Coughlin, we were able to write down the sequences. Hopefully I will be able to decipher my notes later when I get home and not completely forget the sequences.
From what I understand, the day celebrates his life from before birth to the present time. Once of the rituals is tying the knot, another one is getting a shower from the guests. The shower is given by the guests who poured water over Arun and his wife's head. I didn't have the heart to do it as it went on for what seemed a long time to me. There was also an amazing 28+ course meal served, and I am positive all the guests including myself ate too much. Later that evening we gathered at the yoga school where the celebration (which included Diwali) continued. There were speeches, singers, and dancers, and even a very short "talent show" in which the international students sang happy birthday to Arun is different languages. It was a very lovely, sweet evening.
The festivities ended with lighting fireworks in the street for Diwali. The amount of fireworks, and firecrackers is wild. It is reminiscent of the old days of fourth of July when we too were allowed to light these things up in the street. One of the traditions of Diwali is handing out sweets. We've been handing our American chocolate to kids and even merchants we buy supplies from. The little children are especially delighted to receive these goodies. One little boys face lit up so bright, I think is was he who stopped the rain and brought out the sunshine.
There was a break from the festivities on Friday, but the day was wonderful in that I took three classes with Arun. The first class was a ladies only class which is always sweet well attended. I love the way Arun recognizes and modifies the practice for everyone. He quickly noticed the dryness in my body due to menopause and gave me modifications so as not to make my situation worse. Wow, is it that obvious in my body? Maybe, but it's more that he sees beyond what most don't including yours truly. So I head back to the hotel after class for a lunch and to ponder my practice.
The two evening classes were sequenced so amazingly. With the help of Jim Coughlin, we were able to write down the sequences. Hopefully I will be able to decipher my notes later when I get home and not completely forget the sequences.
What a wonderful trip you're having! Hopefully you can bring those sequences back to us when you return.
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