Wine and Yoga

Went to an excellent wine dinner last night and an excellent yoga class this morning. Each on their own were fabulous but lets face it wine and yoga don't mix.

The wine dinner was at Caperberry's featuring Spanish Torres wines. About 60 people showed up which was surprising and most of them Indian. As always the dinners are as much about the people you meet as the wine you taste. And in this case we were lucky to have Anna Manchon, the Torres Head Wine Sommelier sit at our table.

We had a great time talking to Anna about wine and travel. Although she said Spanish wines are the best (she has to say that right?), we talked about Tuscany and Brunello di Montecino which we all agreed was the undisputed favorite Italian wine between us. Left me wishing Tom and Melissa (our Tuscany buddies) were at the table with us. Anna definitely has a passion for wines and with her Spanish accent can talk a mile a minute. Definitely a dream job - travelling all over the world promoting wine. A fun evening with good food as well!

My 1 1/2 hour yoga class started at 9:00am this morning. With only a few classes left my yoga teacher is pushing us to the limits even though she says we are still just doing the basics. She wants us to perfect the standing poses as well as shoulder stand, head stand, and many other asanas before we are sent off into the big wide world.

And now lots of coffee and lots of water to face the rest of the day. Off to the school to watch Alanna horseback riding and then bringing back three giggly girls for a sleepover. Craig will fly out the door as soon as he gets home to play cricket with his friends and tomorrow we will all look forward to sleeping in.

Settled?

After living in India for 19 months I think I’m finally feeling settled. I thought I was settled after six weeks but now I don’t think so. I was in the “adventure” stage for the first year. Everything was new and exciting. Then things started to get a bit frustrating. And now, as long as nothing major happens I just feel like this is normal. Maybe I’m kidding myself, is that really true – what is “normal” in India? I guess I’m more into a “normal” routine now than ever before. I’m kind of focused on two things right now and they are taking up most of my time: yoga and charities.


I go to yoga five or six times a week now and I feel like I am really improving. My Iyengar teacher has three classes a week (1 ½ hrs) and then I usually go to the Ashtanga class (1 hr) three times a week. I am learning a lot in the Iyengar class and always feel challenged. The Ashtanga class is quite repetitive doing a few asanas, 20 sun salutations and about 15 min. of pranayama. The thing is – it’s not like going to the gym - it doesn’t feel like work. It is tough and strengthens the body – I’m doing handstands and headstands and all sorts of twists – muscles strengthen and stretch in a good way. I’ve never found anything else that I would want to do six days in a row.

The charity committee is taking up more time now as all 25 charities have submitted their applications for this year. I’ve had to meet with each of the four that I am responsible for and go over all the paperwork, collect receipts from last year and make sure last year’s project is complete. We also have to check financial statements and tomorrow the committee will meet and start deciding what we will fund this year.

So that’s what’s been happening lately but of course the routine will get a good shake up soon – a friend of mine is coming to town for two weeks; cooking class in Goa; Craig goes to Leadership Camp; another photo competition...and of course more yoga and charity work.

More Updates

More Updates

1) I have updated my Bangalore Restaurant Guide and Book Recommendations.

2) I had my first yoga class with  my original teacher. She had moved back to her home country in July but miraculously she is back!One and a half hours of torture - wow - this is not hoity toity relaxation, deep breathing yoga (not that there is anything wrong with that). This is serious Iyengar Yoga and you must work every muscle and every part of your body. It's one of those "if it hurts so bad, it must be good for you" things. And it is. You know that you are doing each asana properly as she spends time with each of us (3 in the class today) making sure each body part is in proper alignment. So the "hurt" is from doing it properly, not from doing it "wrong."

3) Today the headlines scream "Ayodhya verdict will end six-decade-long wait. It's tomorrow @ 3:30pm." They have declared Thursday and Friday school "holidays" so the kids will be home. I really hope they do proceed and give the verdict this time because my kids have mid-term exams next week. At least they now have a four day weekend to study - that's not a bad thing.

Soukya Holistic Health Centre

Michael and I spent a night at Soukya Holistic Health Centre. I blogged about it a few weeks ago when I went there on a tour with the OWC. I was impressed with the entire facility and intrigued enough to want to try it out. Whereas most people go there for a minimum of two weeks, we only went for two days. Still it was an interesting experience into a different way of looking at preventitive and acute health care.

We arrived at 7:15am and were each given a gorgeous flower garland, quickly shown to our room and then whisked off to the yoga hall for an hour of "loosening of the joints" and asanas led by a Naturopathic Doctor.

Breakfast was followed by a Dr.'s consult and an ayurvedic massage. Since we were there for such a short time and we are relatively healthy there was not much feedback from the Dr.

Many of the other people staying at the Centre were there for medical/wellness reasons: MS, chronic backpain, arthritis, digestive problems. Some were on a "medical tourism package" and had surgery in Bangalore and then were at the centre to recover and take advantage of holistic post op treatments. They were staying anywhere from two to five weeks and many had been there before. Those staying for long periods would have a full holistic workup done and treatments specific to their condition.

Being an OR Nurse, I found it fascinating and couldn't help compare this highly individual treatment to our western highly impersonal treatment. In the west a patient is commonly known as "an appendectomy", cancer of the stomach or "the gallbladder." Patients wait all day to see the Dr. and are given as little time as possible because there are so many others the Dr. must see.

Here at Soukya, Dr.s know your name, they teach yoga.. Oils and herbs and treatments are made to suit the individual and time is given to each person on a daily basis.

Diet is also important. No meat, no alcohol, no coffee. Michael may have found this a little difficult as he asked me if I had packed any chips or cookies, and talked about steak and coffee far too much. One would have thought he was going through the DT's...and that was just the first day.

Yoga meditation at 4:30 - 5:30 was different. We sat cross legged for the entire hour and did breathing and eye exercises. Michael lasted 1/2 hr and left feeling neaseous and unable to sit in that position so long. Even I had a difficult time and my right leg fell asleep - I had to keep crossing and uncrossing.

The second day was a similar routine but our treatment was reflexology and mud packs to the eyes (for the eye muscles?)and abdomen (for digestion). I must say Michael enjoyed the treatments more than the yoga and infact he didn't go to yoga the second day. Too bad because I know he would have loved the afternoon meditation session which turned out to be yogic sleeping!

We lied down the entire time and did breathing and visualization. One is not actually supposed to sleep, but in this state when done properly, it is supposed to be the equivalent of six hours of deep sleep - it was wonderful!

All in all a really unique experience, highly recommended for anyone who has a medical condition or has a family history of a particular disease (they also treat eating disorders etc. etc.). For those who want to try a different type of health care - preventitive or acute.

The rooms are lovely, it is calm and relaxed atmosphere. The grounds are well kept with lots of flowers and trees. Food is limited in choice but vegetarian and healthy: they grow all their own organic herbs and vegetables. The ayurvedic oils are made on site as well. Two thumbs up from both of us.

A Day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre

Click for the most recent version A Day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre

I spent the day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre with the OWC group. The centre is only twenty minutes from where I live, a place where people come from around the world for "high quality holistic health and integrative medical services." The recommended stay is a minimum of two weeks and I take it people stay much longer and they have repeat customers every year.

Whether you are there for medical or wellness reasons you would be given a Doctor's consultation and then an individualized programme would be designed you for the length of your stay. Many systems of medicine are used: Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Allopathy, etc. As well, therapies such as yoga, reflexology, counselling, nutrition etc. contribute to the programme.

The centre is situated on 30 acres of land, the rooms and gardens are beautiful and relaxing. There is a restaurant, a pool, and a yoga centre. The food is vegetarian and they grow their own organic food on site. There is a wonderful organic medicinal garden which are used in treatments and to prepare medicated oils.

Staff seems extremely knowledgeable and committed. It's a bit pricey but seems to be an excellent centre where one could truly benefit in many ways: medically and in learning to prevent diseases and just change ones lifestyle for the better longterm. One that I sure wouldn't mind trying out - hmm, now I wonder if anyone would miss me for a couple weeks?

Daily Living

The kids are back to school, they are just finishing their first full week today. They seem to be ok with it and settling in well to the routine. They both refuse to eat breakfast or lunch at school so they have breakfast at home and make their own lunch. Craigs only complaint is that he only gets gym once a week now, which isn't much at all. They are each suppossed to be getting laptops from school, but surprisingly enough (not) the company hasn't delivered them yet "tomorrow, tomorrow."

I started a new yoga class today, it is different but seems ok. This teacher concentrates a lot on yoga breathing also known  as Pranayama. I'm sure it all has health benefits but it can be quite comical. One technique for the thyroid: take a deep breath in, both eyes look towards mid temple, stick tongue out and curved down as far as possible and make a loud (demonlike) sound from your throat. Luckily we only did that one twice.

I have also spent too much time waiting around for people to fix things. Our outside water tank is leaking, more electrical problems, sliding shower door that refuses to slide, a lot of mold on our upper outside decks and some mold on one of the kitchen cabinets.

Finally yesterday it looked like we were getting somewhere. My buddy in the orange jumpsuit from "Handyman" came and fixed some electrical problems. One of which was a little embarrassing when he told me there was no light bulb in the light above a desk - no wonder it didn't work. Our ceilings are high and of course he didn't have a ladder with him so he proceeded to put my step ladder on the kitchen table to fix the light. I've also seen people balance on the back of two kitchen chairs to get high enough.

Someone also came to inspect the mold on the decks and check the shower door. Both of them said they would be back today to fix same. Neither have shown up.

However the milkman came by today although I've never bought any from him.  And the flower guy came by as well and for 300Rp ($7 Can) I bought a lovely bouquet of ten Bird of Paradise. He shows me everything on the doorstep and then trims what I choose and puts it nicely into one of my vases.

Looks like we are settling back into India just fine.

Yoga

“Words fail to convey the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced.” B.K.S. Iyengar

Initially, when we moved to India last June, I didn’t want to join anything. I didn’t want to feel like I had to be somewhere at a certain time. I wanted to be free to go here or there on a whim and not be chained to a schedule.

But then after Christmas I realized the impossible had happened – weight gain in India! So I started to go to the gym once in a while. Friends of mine had started taking yoga and raved about it. I still put it off but in February I decided the gym wasn’t all that fun, maybe I should give yoga a try.

I called up the yoga instructor and she said she had an opening for an 8:00am class.

“How about 9:30 I asked?” I didn’t mention that I'd rather have my coffee and read the paper or watch Friends reruns at 8:00am. But, no luck. So I told her to call if she had any openings for later classes.

Well, she didn’t call. So a few weeks later I called again and said I would try it, even at the earlier time. I went and I haven’t looked back. In fact the early classes are much better. You are supposed to wait three hours after a meal to do yoga or an hour after a snack. Thus, the earlier the better otherwise you starve. And it’s true, with all the twisting and turning it doesn’t feel good to do yoga on a full stomach.

Now, I’m totally on the yoga bandwagon. I’ve bought two books on yoga and I’m doing it at home, as well as classes twice a week (1 ½ hours each). I think it is such good way to keep fit. It strengthens every part of your body and it feels good. Unlike going to the gym where you feel exhausted at the end of it, with yoga you feel rejuvenated, like you are doing something really good for the body.

Problem: my yoga instructor is leaving in July! I’m so disappointed. I’ll have to find someone else but so far I haven’t found anyone that teachers the type of yoga I am doing: Iyengar Yoga. The closest teacher seems to be in Jayanagar, an hour from my house. Not only that but the class is Sunday mornings at 8:00am. So far Sunday morning coffee looks like it is going to win out, but you never know…