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Hello I have arrived back in Seattle and began teaching today. It feels great to be back and see familiar peeps. I wanted to tell you about the last week I spent in India. My new friends and I visited the Agakhan palace also known as Gandhi National Memorial. Gandhi, his wife Kasturba, and his secretary where interned or imprisoned here from 1942-1944. Also part of Gandhi's ashes are kept here. I ate my first southern Thali dinner which is composed of little cups of various dishes that they keep filling up as long as you can keep emptying the. Some sweet and some spicy and a lot of different breads which india has so many different kinds of. I also visited a Synagogue which was built in the Gothic church style made from red brick. In india they have a very elaborate breath freshener as seen on the green leaves. I didn't try it but men eat it after they smoke and so tobacco rolled cigarettes are sold from the same cart. And finally my friends and I went to a defunct organic farm but is now just a bunch of restaurants including the Moroccan one that we are at. There were once various treatment rooms here as well. I look forward to sharing the rest my stories and experiences with you in the yoga classes to come. I hope I can distill as much of this amazing institute and city to you as possible. I will resume teaching yoga classes starting February 4th. And I will continue to blog here as a way to communicate yoga to you.

Sincerely,
Tara

Hello friends,
I've been in Pune for four days but it feels like longer. First things first my favorite chai place is at hotel Chatek. You can get a small pot of chai or as they call it ginger tea. Its very inexpensive two and half cups of glorious creamy tea for one dollar. I stayed at hotel Chatek for two nights when I first got here. After I moved to Manohar residency which is where I will stay for the rest of my time. It is located across the street from the Rimyi institute I have a roommate from Hong Kong her name is Helena. Pune is a loud large city. I hear honking constantly. I was reminded of how much they love their horns when I was riding from Mumbai to Pune at 300am when I arrived. Trucks only drive at night to cut down on day traffic. On many of the trucks the slogan honk welcome is painted on the side or back of the truck. The truckers prefer that you honk when passing or changing lanes. That's why there is constant honking all day long. As well as dogs barking.

Another characteristic of India which is very different then the states is the wild dogs every where. Its tough enough for me to cross the street. But the dogs seem to be able to navigate the crossing easily although I have not encountered much road kill ,thank the goddess ,but a student friend says she has wanted to adopt a dog and bring it back to the states. She has since rescued a dog here during her two month stay. Its easy to get attached to the tough mutts. Speaking of crossing the street I have to remind myself to look right before crossing. There are defiantly no pedestrian right of ways here.

There is a lovely park near the institute which I sit in daily and inhale deeply. Its I bit like an art exhibit with the bases of the trees all painted with stripes. For some strange reason their are no wild dogs here just a walking lap about 1/16 mile around. That's lot of laps if you want to get your 30 minute aerobic workout done.

The institute is amazing. I have one class a day taught by one of the Iyengars and then a practice session. There are about 170 of us in the hall during these classes. The practice hall is shaped like a half circle with green tiles on the back wall and there are wall ropes attached to this wall. There's plenty of equipment stacked In the back. In The front of the hall there is a platform where the teacher and demonstrator assistants are. The teacher sits on the platform while the demonstrators do the pose and explain the actions or the philosophy . Our mats come out from the stage like a prism. The practice sessions are so wonderful. Its like being in a candy store filled with Iyengar students each practicing their own variation of the poses that we love. I have never seen so many variations on a theme. I can't help but keep my mouth from dropping open. This is where the magic lives.