Monsoon Yoga

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Monsoon Yoga

The jet lag has been really strong this trip.  Our sleep patterns are radically off but it feels like we are getting toward normal. Rain and thunder is the soundtrack in the background. Today is the new moon so we don’t have practice. We are free to explore the surrounds at our leisure.

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Yesterday I was awake at 2:45am. I figured this to be the perfect time to practice some meditation and was able to sit for an hour and then Ethan came in and joined me.  We were all awake by 4:00am and so we took our time getting ready for practice with Rolf at 7:00am.  We made the drive at 6:30am to Vagator from Candolim.  It was a very easy trip and the rain wasn’t too heavy for the beginning of the drive.  The early morning in Goa is a really nice calm time. People tend to sleep in a bit more here in Goa so the roads are quiet in morning with only some cows walking around enjoying the relaxed environment. Traveling by car is the mode of choice with family through the rain! Most tourists here rent motorbikes, especially during the dry season. The rule of thumb when driving in India is don’t stop.  If you stop you have been defeated. Luckily our driver is a sweet man who is not in a hurry.  This is a godsend in India!!

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The drive takes 25 minutes and we arrive to the shala where Rolf is set to teach and it is a thatched roof hut with a concrete floor. There is a concrete wall on one side with tarps strung about around the outside. There is a big blue Shiva statue greeting you as you walk into the courtyard and the area we are practicing in normally serves as a chill out pad during the dry season next to an attached restaurant or cooking area. By the time we had arrived the rain was coming down so hard that it managed to seep through the sides and flow like the Ganges river across the floor.  We found a dry patch and set up slightly up stream with Ethan’s mat unrolled in between ours. We sat and patiently awaited Rolf’s arrival. When he showed up he had the warmest smile and said, “so you decided to come during monsoon?!” He gave us both big hugs and it truly was so great to see him.  His presence is so incredible and he still looks amazing.  Rolf is a genuine yogi. There is nothing commercial about this man. He has been practicing yoga so intently for so long, just to see him you can feel the sublime quality of a life of dedicated practice. What a rare treat. So while mother nature was delivering a challenging array of elements the practice brings us a familiar calm and serenity.

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Today we were instructed to practice Primary Series. This was great to ease in as our bodies are feeling a bit stiff and lethargic.  We brought coloring books for Ethan which he very patiently worked on while we practiced. About mid way through he decided to jump in and he did some jump backs and up dog and down dogs and into poses following Tamara.  He worked through a couple of vinyasas and my heart completely melted. At 5 years old, he took his first practice in India with Rolf and I could hardly believe it! As always we leave it up to him if he would like to practice or not. He has been around the yoga since he was born, but this was the first time I saw him move like this. I am left speechless and very proud.  Rolf also took notice and commented how special our son is.

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We finished practice and it was still pouring down rain and so we suited up (full rain gear, crocs and umbrellas) and travelled back home. We had time to eat something and take a short rest. After we met with Savita of Children Walking Tall, the non profit organization in Mapusa (pronounced Mop-sa) which is about a 30 minute drive away. 

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We thank everyone back home who brought in clothes and donations for this organization.   We were overwhelmed with the generosity and goodwill that you all have expressed in helping us to raise some awareness toward those in need in this region.  We were able to tour the school and its facilities.  They do really good work here and help to brighten the lives of these small children.  They work with approximately 130 students with help of the staff and many volunteers.  The first time you see the slum in India it changes you.  We take so much for granted and I personally can’t imagine what it would be like living in these conditions… especially during monsoon!  It is our hope that if we work together like this then even the smallest gestures of kindness can amount to big change! They were so thankful! Children Walking Tall

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Just when you think it is raining so hard it starts to rain even harder. There is so much storm activity across this part of India right now. We had a bit of a laugh yesterday as we realized we may be just a little crazy!

Bussing through Goa

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Sunday, June 17th, 2012

Monsoon season here is so peaceful. Today there has been constant rain all day but still light enough that one can walk around comfortably with a rain coat and umbrella. We were joking wondering when is the last time you put on a rain coat at home and just went for a walk around town while it is raining? Usually when it rains at home I never think to do this. Here we are so intrigued by the scenery that it is quite fun to get out and walk around. As we have many rainy days ahead we will continue to explore rain or shine!

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Yesterday was our first full day here. We figured out that it is not a good idea to leave the house without an umbrella and rain coat. The previous day we tried to walk to the beach and as soon as we got close a thick cloud of rain started to come and everyone on the beach was running the other way. We did the same. So Saturday we tried again a little better prepared. We got down to the ocean and the waves were breaking really nice. It was an offshore wind and the swell was about 4-5ft. There were only a few locals on the beach and a couple of men were fishing from the shore.

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We decided to travel into town and we got on the local bus and headed to Panaji which is the capital city of Goa and it means “Land that never floods.” This is a good thing because it rains pretty serious here. There are many hills along the banks of the Mandovi River lined with classic red tiled roof houses that are reminiscent of Europe. Goa’s history dates back to 20,000 – 30,000 years with rock art engravings that show some of the earliest proof of human life in India. In more recent times Goa was ruled by the Portuguese from 1510-1961. Goa exhibits an interesting blend of Indian vibrancy with European fortitude.

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Traveling by local bus is a great way to see the culture of Goa. It is hot, sweaty, loud and colorful. The locals are friendly enough yet keep to themselves. Loud music plays to the liking of the driver ranging from Goan trance music to beautiful ballads sung in Hindi. The bus gets extremely overcrowded and it pulled over so many times and just sat still which we are still trying to figure out why. We later realized we were waiting for the possibility for more passengers! (not sure where they would fit) Traveling by bus is a great way to practice meditation. The intensity of it requires patience and the need to not focus on any one distraction too much. This experience is so much different from our local bus system at home…air conditioned and timely.

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While in Old Goa we visited the Se Cathedral of Santa Catarina. It is the largest church in India and probably the most celebrated religious buildings in Goa. It exhibits a Tuscan exterior and a Corinthian interior and reminds me so much of being in Florence. There are about 24 million Christians in India which constitutes 2.3 percent of the total population. Historically the Christians and Muslims have not practiced tolerance for other religions and culture. So with this said I wonder if all Indians were happy that the Portuguese got kicked out? Not so. The popular opinion seems to be that this region was much better off from the work the Portuguese Catholics have done here. They say the infrastructure was so much much stronger and that there was a lot less corruption then as there is now. I remember on our first trip to India I had the thought that Gandhi was a hero to all of India. Then I met some Indians that said Gandhi was not practicing for the best interest of the people. I was shocked. So once again, India turns all my misconceptions on their heads. Another reason why I love this country so much.

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Mumbai to Goa

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Mumbai to Goa

We took the “easy” route! We chose to fly from Mumbai to Goa. One of our hopes in traveling to India with Ethan is to ease him in slowly to the joy and intensity of India. So rather than taking the 12 hour train from Mumbai to Goa which would undoubtedly put us in the heart and pulse of the country right away we flew above the clouds and back down through them into the rain of Goa.

We have chosen to travel to Goa to practice yoga with our teacher Rolf Naujokat and his wife Marci. Some 8 years ago Tam and I were traveling round the world from California toward India via Thailand. First studying Thai massage in Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand and after talking with new friends we mentioned that we were on our way to India to practice Ashtanga Yoga with Sri K Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. Being new to the  Ashtanga yoga method our friend had recommended us to go and practice Ashtanga with an accomplished yogi named Rolf in Kho Phangan a small island in South Thailand. We thought we could extend our trip slightly to visit Rolf and we were accepted warmly to practice with him. We planned on staying 1 week and stayed 3…

Our eyes were blown wide open! We will never forget walking up the hillside on a beaten path through the rainforest to the small bungalow on stilts perched perfectly on the Thai hillside. As we got closer we could hear the resonate sound of the deep breathing inherent to the Ashtanga practice. We could also hear the bass like thumps on the floor resulting from practitioners landing from their jumps and vinyasas. We were a bit nervous. We felt a long way from home and wondered if we were ready for practice on this level. We climbed up the stairs and saw all these advanced students whom have travelled from around the globe practicing postures we never imagined possible. We both looked at each other and without saying anything agreed we had made the right move. At that point Rolf greeted us and allowed us to practice side by side since we were still memorizing the routine of Primary Series. The three weeks that we had with Rolf were life changing. His kindness and patience just really stuck us for which we were always grateful . This was our first experience practicing Mysore method of Ashtanga and we became totally hooked. There is such a beautiful blend of discipline and personal attentiveness inherent in this method that we felt completely drawn to. Leaving Rolf in that idyllic setting was difficult yet it paved the way beautifully for our experience to come in Mysore.

The yoga practice itself engages the physical and yet enables us an opportunity to come into contact with our authentic nature. Sometimes people are curious as to why one would travel so far to practice yoga. There is so much more to the yoga practice and sometimes it requires being in the presence of an accomplished teacher to allow these shifts of awareness to take place.

India is that place…

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Miami to Mumbai

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After about 20 hours of travel we made it to Mumbai via London. Ethan was a trooper and managed to sneak a couple of winks while navigating the airport in Mumbai. We have a 5 hour layover here from 12:00am to 5:45am and then just a 1 hour flight to Goa and then about an hour by car to Candolim Beach. The thought of being able to lay down and sleep sounds so good right now. All our bags made it but one which happened to be my surfboard. They said they would bring it to us in Goa tomorrow. This I will love to see!! The check point opened and we are on our way.

Todd & Tamara McLaughlin www.nativeyogacenter.com

News from Children Walking Tall in India

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Thank you so much to everyone who has donated children’s clothes in the past few weeks.  In about three weeks we will be traveling to Goa, India and we will be able to bring 100lbs of clothing to Children Walking Tall for underprivileged children. You can also donate through our donation page at Virgin Money Giving/ Native Yoga.

We received and email from the director at Children Walking Tall.  Below I have copied her note to help you understand the mission that they are involved in and which we can all participate.

“Hi Todd and Tamara,

We were really thrilled to see that you had decided to fundraise for Children Walking Tall – its really very kind of you. Almost all of our funding comes from Fundraising and Donations so you can be sure that your efforts will make a difference to children’s lives. We’re also poleased to see that you will visit Mango House shortly and so you will see the work on the ground first hand. I’ve copied Savita in to my email – she manages Mango House and I’m sure will look forward to your visit.

Although its the long school holidays in Goa Mango house has been really busy. As soon as school breaks up Savita is straight on with measuring up for 100s of uniforms and organising bags, stationery, shoes, rain gear etc etc. Its a really big undertaking. In a few weeks the new school year will be starting and we’re happy to report that many of the Morning School children will be going to full time school for the first time. We’re always really pleased to see them join – being able to start school is a tremendous achievement for the children. Its difficult enough for them to learn to concentrate etc but imagine going to school and being taught in a language you can’t understand. The start they get from having attended Morning School means they are well prepared to succeed and hopefully over the years will gain education and skills which will help them out of the poverty cycle.

Do let us know if you need anything from us. So that you are aware we do get a report every week (sometimes two weeks) that summarises all donations in the previous week. As people donate they get an automatic thank you from us via the Virgin site but we also send an individual thank you when we get the report from Virgin.

Thanks again
Jane”

All of your support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Todd and Tamara

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