Hari Om :)

Well my first week at the Asram is finally over and I have to say that I'm thrilled to have a day off. My schedule here is pretty intense and I'd be lying if I said I haven't cried or thought about running for the hills at least a couple times (and when I say hills I really mean massive rock formations that shoot into the sky in some of the most unique and beautiful shapes I've ever seen along the horizon) BUT... I'm still here. And I think I'm finally starting to get into the groove of things (god PLEASE tell me that I'm finally starting to get into the groove of things!) We're woken up every morning at 5am to the sound of a loud GONG that rings throughout the darkness and shakes us all from our sleep on small beds in a small room that sleeps four. Tea, half an hour of chanting, 2 hours of yoga, and an hour of volunteer work (karma yoga) all before 9am. Then breakfast, a 2 hour lecture, and a couple hours "study" time before another lecture and 2 more hours of yoga. Then more chanting to promote health for ourselves, our friends and family, dinner, another short lecture and bed. And thennnn.... GONG! Here we go again.
I struggled through the first couple of days, wondering if I made the right choice in leaving behind all the comfort that I know back home to come to this strange place all by myself and whether I really have what it takes to go home and teach yoga. But slowly, the more I learn, the more I start to remember why I love this ancient science so much and why it is I decided I wanted to help spread it to more people in the first place. The yoga over here is so different from anything we have in the west, and I really want to work to help people see why doing it in the traditional Indian style is really what it's all about. I can't wait to do my part to change the world one asana at a time, helping people to dive inside and discover all the bliss and happiness they can find inside of themselves. I've met some incredible people here who have made dealing with the loneliness and fears and challenges so much easier for me, including a wonderful British Psychologist (who refuses to give me a session!! lol) named Deborah, a beautiful mother from BC, and a gay dancer from Toronto. (yes there actually about 5 Canadians here doing the teacher's training!) We've all laughed together, sweat together, and cried together and I know by the end of the month it's going to be hard to leave them all behind, but I know like everything else, that our world is impermanent and our greatest lesson is to learn to gracefully leave behind what we know and set out on new and exciting adventures. Part of me is scared that tomorrow another week will start and will be even more challenging than the last, but after one week of intense self reflection, meditation and yoga I feel more grounded and ready than ever to take on whatever this crazy country can throw at me. I miss you all like crazy and can't wait to share all that I've learned over here so we can all live better, healthier lives for as long as this world will have us for.
Until next week... Namaste... Hari Om... Peace, Love and Light.

Matthew

The beginning...

After a quick but wonderful 24 layover in London, where I dragged my tired ass to the theater to see one of the greatest musicals ever,'Les Miserables', (how's that for a hardcore theater junkie!!) I boarded a plane headed for crazy Mumbai. At first I thought I was supposed to arrive at noon on New Years Eve, but after re-checking my ticket, I discovered I was actually going to be landing at midnight. Alone. In India. Terrifying. But, determined to face my fears head on, I grabbed my bag from off the belt, took a deep breath, and hopped into a taxi headed for the main tourist hub of the city, Colaba. It was dark outside so it was hard to see much of anything going on around me, and by the time we pulled onto the nearly deserted street it was almost 3am, and I was more than a little afraid to say the least. I quickly ran into the first guesthouse I saw, got a room, and dropped into bed with a proud smile and a congratulatory sigh at having made it through the first, and hopefully scariest part of my journey. (yeah right) I have arrived :-)
I could only sleep for four hours that first night as I was obviously way too excited to explore this city that I've spent so much time reading and dreaming about for the last few years of my life. I asked the guest house owner to tell me where I could get some good breakfast and he pointed me to the world famous 'Leopold's Cafe' which just happened to be right next door to my hostel. Now for any of you unfortunate people who haven't read the incredible novel, 'Shantaram', you won't understand the significance of this, but the cafe is written about throughout the entire book so it seemed like fate that I just happened to be staying next door. After all, 'Shantaram' was the one and only reason I decided I wanted to come to Mumbai in the first place. So if you haven't read it, get on it so you can share in the sheer excitement that I felt to go and order breakfast from the notorious cafe. Now because I was up so early, the street was nearly empty still and I was wondering just where all the crazy things I had heard about Colaba would take place, but by 2 in the afternoon it became apparent that I was staying directly in the center of it all. Thousands of people crowd the streets from afternoon until night as shops and stands open their doors and do anything they can to make a sale; hounding you, grabbing you, and screaming for you as you push your way through the crowd. My favorite is what is called a 'balloon-walla', a man who sells bigger balloons then you've ever seen before. Every time they ask if I want one (About 30 times a day) I have to laugh as I ask again and again, 'what would I want with a giant balloon?!?!) I've spent the last few days exploring the city, taking cab rides through the crazy and intense streets to see everything Mumbai has to offer. And trust me when I say crazy... as it doesn't seem like there is any order to the chaos that ensues when riding in a car here... swerving in and out of lanes, running red lights and piercingly loud horns blaring in your ears constantly. It's an interesting if not terrifying experience to say the least.
Yesterday I decided to escape the city and take a ferry over to 'Elephant Island', where ancient Hindu caves with massive carvings of Shiva and other gods burst from the walls. I met a French couple on the island who I ended up spending the day with, and it was nice to be away from all the loud bustle of the city and out in peaceful nature for a while. That being said, when our ferry brought us back to the crowded harbor, I knew that I was ready to leave the city. The thousands upon thousands of people that became bigger and bigger in my eyes as we got closer to land made my breath catch in my throat and my heart start to race. Yes... it is time to leave. And in just about perfect timing too! Today I will get on a bus headed on a two hour drive to Nasik, where I will spend the next month living and breathing yoga yoga and more yoga in a secluded ashram in the countryside. I can't wait :-) And if there happened to be any part of me that wasn't sure I was ready to move on from this place, seeing a young boy fall to the ground screaming in pain as his foot was run over by a taxi only an hour ago helped cure me of any of those doubts. It was horrible. It is time.
But before I go to catch my bus, I have just one more thing to say. Although I had my doubts about coming on this trip alone, I soon discovered that I'm not really alone here at all and I haven't had more than a single moment of loneliness. At first I wondered why it was I felt like this until I reached around my neck and felt my brothers ring that hangs on a chain there. In that instant, I knew almost more than I've known anything before in my life, that my brother Jesse is here with me, protecting me and guiding me along this journey so that he can bring me back safe to my family. It is truly one of the most bizarre feelings I've ever had, but I swear I can feel him beside me at all times, and any time I think of him all the hairs on my entire body stand up and chills run down my whole spine. It's crazy to think, but in some ways I've felt closer to him on this trip so far than I did in our life together. I feel that he is happy. I feel that he is peaceful. And I feel that he is thrilled that we get to go on this trip together. I love you brother :-)
I hope you are all doing well and trying your best not to miss me TOO much, haha.
Peace and Love...
Namaste...

Matthew