The town where I live seems to be filled with people who have amazing life experiences. It's an incredibly social town, and at any gathering, you are bound to come across someone interesting who makes good, inspiring, informing, or just plain fun conversation!
My guest blogger is no exception! Despite the fact that our children began kindergarten together last fall, I never had the fortune to strike up a conversation with Elizabeth until our kids were on the same t-ball team this past Spring. Once I did, I soon found we had some interesting things in common, and really should have struck up conversation sooner. Especially since she was about to move. To India. Talk about life experience! This is not to say that Elizabeth's transition (it's ongoing!) to life in the Eastern Hemisphere has been a walk in the park. She's been great about sharing some of the eye-opening and jaw-dropping day-to-day experiences, and to say the least, she's going to emerge quite a bit stronger at the end of this. But looking on the bright side, as Patanjali would have us do, she has an amazing opportunity ahead of her, especially when the subject of practicing yoga in the "Motherland" comes up!
So, after reading her commentaries on Facebook, I had the great idea of asking her to be a guest blogger on lil' ol' YATS, and she graciously agreed! Full disclosure, this is more like an interview, rather than a "Guest Blog", but it's still an experience I wanted to hear more about, and I thought it would be fun to share on the blog. Elizabeth, of course, was game, so here goes!
Me: I'm assuming you did a yoga class or two before heading over to India. What brought you to the mat the first time?
EA: I actually took yoga in "Super-Saturday" classes in my town when I was about 5-6 years old, but I didn't start again until I tried Bikram (hot yoga) in my early thirties in London. But, Pilates was my true passion for a long time. I got slowly back into yoga in NY when I found a good teacher with challenging flows and nice, quiet energy.
Me: So, do you practice yoga at a studio? I saw your pictures of your new place (on Facebook), and you have a "Yoga House"...what's that all about?
EA: Currently, I practice in a multi-purpose room at the American Club. I intend to start at a yoga studio close to my house which is run/owned by Indians. I do have a yoga house, which is the perfect place to have private lessons - haven't used it as such yet. It's definitely not the norm to have that.
Me: Now that you're on the mat in the Motherland, how has your practice changed? ie - do you feel physically or emotionally different?
EA: My practice hasn't changed so much in India, but my dedication has. The vinyasas are very challenging (chaturangas galore!) and inversions (which are my weak point) keep me humble and striving to improve.
Me: Is it a national "pasttime" of sorts? ie - is everyone doing yoga, is it a way of life there?
EA: There are billboards around on how to live a healthy life - don't smoke, don't drink, do yoga. It is definitely THE go-to exercise regimen. ie, you don't see joggers on the streets of India! Then again, I don't know how many people are actually practicing here - a huge percentage of people live on very little money and don't have much free time to dedicate to yoga.
Me: When you take a class does it feel like they have "dumbed it down" for Westerners?
EA: I am not noticing any new asanas, but there are tweaks about proper posture/positioning that I find varies from teacher to teacher, whether in the US or India - everyone teaches yoga a little differently.
Me: Magazines and books in the US tout yoga's calming benefits. If so many people in India are practicing, are they a nation of chilled-out people? ie - is it obvious that they subscribe to a yogic way of life?
EA: I wouldn't say that - Indian people can lose their cool just like any other society, but they are also very accepting of circumstance (karma) and dutiful. Maybe yoga fits in there somewhere.
Me: In India, is it more spiritual-based rather than fitness-based?
EA: I would say yes - since most Indians are Hindus, the quiet and stillness you can cultivate with yoga is promoted to get more in touch with the spiritual, and the goal is to break the cycle of Karma/rebirth. No one ever talks here about losing 5 lbs or reshaping the body - it's not about that.
So, that's about it. I'm so grateful that Elizabeth was willing to share this small piece of her experience of being an expat in India, and I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about it, too (even if it was through the lens of my questions)!Thank you SO much, Elizabeth! The light within me salutes the light within you. Namaste.
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