The first sounds of the morning, the sounds
to which I awaken, I hear even through the droning of the ceiling fan above my
head. The tweeting birds settle
outside our window. They are the first to arrive. It is 4:43. If I stay awake,
soon the birds that caw will join them. And then after that those that cackle
and squawk. By 7:00 there will be a cacophony of sound.
The village awakens and I do the same. The
bird music is my alarm, beckoning me to make my way to yoga. I don’t commit to
a morning practise. If I am awake. If it is right, I go. So far, I haven’t
missed a morning.
Adjusting to the time change is always a
challenge for me. This year the heat in Kerala is oppressive and my body is
slower to adjust. Still, I am happy to be here. The ceiling fan lends relief to
the intense heat, except during power outages when there is no possibility of
finding cool except under a shower.
Being in Fort Cochin I feel a sense of
home. It’s really hot. The culture shock is experienced more in the climate
change than in the people and the language. Sometimes I feel so familiar to the
Indian people. It is easy for me to interact and communicate. I get a sense of
belonging, as if I have been Indian in some previous existence. And at other
times, I feel so different and I know that we really don’t understand each
other. Or perhaps I simply don’t understand. Usually, it doesn't really matter.
We have settled in to our homestay. Our
room is simple, with a window that faces the next building's wall. It is covered with
a mosquito net so we are invited to leave it open. There are two single beds,
which we pushed together and a desk with 2 drawers. A cubby space on the wall
has 3 shelves for our belongings and a few hangers on a metal rod.
The bathroom is small. The toilet, sink and
shower are all in one space. When we shower, we need to close the toilet seat
and remove the toilet paper from the room to keep it dry. A hose in the wall is
for use after using the toilet, a typical Indian practise and a way to
eliminate the use of paper. It is really very civilized and extremely clean. We don’t have hot water, but we don’t miss
it. The weather is just so hot. The cool water is a reprieve.
Our focus for the next month in Fort Cochin
is healing. Yoga, Ayurvedic massage, dental appointments, eye doctor
examinations, are all part of our agenda. We borrowed two bikes from our
friends here and we’ve been getting around beautifully. There is nothing like
riding my bike through the streets here. Paul gets a little frightened. Driving
on the left side of the rode is unfamiliar and he thinks I’m a bit reckless
anyway!
I’ve been going to yoga twice a day,
getting my body back into a regular routine. I definitely have some work to do
while I’m here. I have lost my sense of self over the last few months. My Yoga
practise has been limited to the classes I teach each week. I have been feeling
ugly, out of shape, over weight and out of control. I strive to get to a place
where I remember the beauty in the world and focus on the inspirations that
excite me. I want to be satisfied and appreciative,
and revel in the small miracles that abound. I want to remember how wonderful
is life… my life, and to be grateful for all that I have and all that I
am.
I am finding more and more, that when I
lose joy, it isn’t really lost. It is being ignored. Joy is
inside me. I can’t look for it anywhere else…. not in my work, my social life,
my books. I won’t find it in my relationships with Paul, or my children or with
my friends. I am needing to look within for that joy and re-establish
connection with my own goodness. Then I can share what I find. That’s true joy!
I think I am in the right place for that.
Home for now…Fort Cochin.
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