Ok, better later than never… its time to finish the story of Mysore. This will be short and sweet because I am writing several months after the event! In fact, all I really want to do is post the last of the photos.

The last blog entry, was on the 10th Jan – so really it was only 5 days in Mysore that I didn’t get around to blogging about. From memory, the last 5 days were a bit hectic – picking up contact lenses, last minute shopping and missions to the post office to send stuff directly to New Zealand.

I remember being very unsettled and finding the pranyama difficult, this was mostly because the travel was about to end and I was preparing myself to get back to ‘reality’, I was sorting out getting work and planning the eventual move back to New Zealand. My mind was revving up, filling up with plans and ideas and I guess I was a little anxious about returning home ‘for good’. I remember in the last week my yoga practice improved a lot (after pushing through that really difficult period) – I do remember thinking that it would have been good to stay longer. … even an extra 2 weeks! But, alas – all good things must come to an end.

I am so glad that I finished my Nepal/India adventure in Mysore doing yoga, it was the best thing for me… it was great to stay put for 6 weeks, slow down and focus on my mind, body and spirit (wow, that sounds so hippy). I loved learning about the yoga lifestyle, I arrived in Mysore thinking that yoga was just a form of exercise – I learnt that it is much much more than that.

I am so grateful for my teacher Vinay Kumar… he has shown me that it is actually possible to take control of my mind (very very difficult, but it is actually possible), he taught me the importance of ‘the breath’ and of course – he taught me so much about what my body is capable of in the form of the yoga asanas. I remember the first few days thinking ‘I’ll just be happy if I can touch my toes at the end of this’ and towards the end I was doing all sorts of amazing things… often I would be doubtful of my capabilities but Vinay always knew what I was ready for. He is an amazing teacher, I am so grateful for having the opportunity to be in his class.

So – that is the end of my Mysore story. Something tells me I will be back – Mysore has a certain charm and of course some great yoga schools. : )

Here are some photos of where I lived for 6 weeks in Mysore. I stayed in a little ’studio apartment’, it was very basic but it had everything I wanted… even hot water!

It would be a shame not to mention my crazy crazy dog friend. Every day on the way to yoga this dog would come running out to greet me with an excessive amount of enthusiasm. I thought this dog was annoying but hilarious. He would chase me down the street, jump up on me and follow me for a good 5 mins before his little A.D.D brain would get bored and he would find something else to annoy.

During my final week Mysore I came to the conclusion that my Tevas had outlived their usefulness (to me) and were ready to find a new owner. So I decided instead of lugging them to New Zealand I would leave them behind in India.

My tevas were purchased in NZ prior to leaving for South East Asia in August 2007. They have spent a lot of time wandering around Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and India. They started to get stinky in Vietnam, they gave me stunning tan lines in Laos and started to fall apart in India – first in Agra (see post), then in Puskar (see post) where they were filmed by French TV.

So it is with great sadness I part with my Tevas…..

It is with even greater sadness that I will be replacing them with a pair of sensible work sandals.