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