10 days

ten days left in india! oh boy. mixed feelings with eeeeverything that's going on. 

first of all this yoga ttc, it has been so good but also so hard physically, mentally and emotionally. using muscles and joints everyday for many hours that arent used to it has made the joints ache and muscles tight. so more stretching is needed to make them relax. 

silent walk on the beach at 6.30am

meditation

but yoga is so much more than a way of excercising. it is a philosophy, a set of mind and a way of life, and it resonates in so many levels with my thoughts and the way of life im going towards. it helpes quitening the mind, improves concentration, balances emotions and so much more. 

im also reading a book called a new light on ascension, where similar things are explained in a deeper way, and im excited to understand more about how the universe actually works. at the same time expanding my awareness of spirituality is exhausting. but it helps to see the bigger picture instead of focusing on small annoyances.

at home there will be so much to do. so many lovely people i want to spend time with. oblications i must face that i escaped on october. i have to start thinking about money again. i want to practice teaching yoga to my friends and family, or to whoever wants to do it. i want to continue meditating, i've heard and read so fascinating things about what you can do while meditating and the benefits of it and i really want to try what will happen to me. i need to choose where i want to do my next work practice (vienna, australia, india, else?). so good to go home tho, i love everything in my life there. i only hope i wont get too stressed out. but that's where yoga will help me.

im gonna miss india so bad. my friends, the relaxed and free way of life, the ocean, the colours, the nature, the food (not kidding) and the free time. although i think i have lots of free time at home too. whatever i choose. everything ends eventually and this is the end of this trip. next one starts after 10 days. 

lots of love, c

half a teacher and a day off in varkala

two weeks done,  two weeks to go! this course is awesome. teachers are great, yoga is great (im improving!), classmates are lovely, food is good, room is good. weather is so warm though that i didnt sleep that well on the second week (had to try sleeping on the floor cause it was cooler there). 

beginning ceremony

art of adjustment class

couple yoga on valentine's day, me and celine

today is monday and i came to varkala for the day off. feels good to be here, i dont like kovalam that much. chiku and his three friends came to pick me up last night and it was good to be on a bike again. feeling the breeze, letting the hair fly free and looking at the stars, heh so romantic. 

we went to chikus home which is now rented out for a year to three kashmiri guys who started a shop here. there was also one french girl. we had such a funny night, it was like a comedy movie for me, laughed alot. i really like this local way of being, it's hard to explain but they are so real. and the languages are so funny too. kashmiris speak kashmir, keralans speak malayalam, together they speak english but sometimes hindi, when they dont want everyone to hear.

today i wanna go see baby mango, sanu and ali took another place which is on the cliff near the black beach. that means ima have to walk the cliff from beginning to the end. glad to do that! i've missed the cliff people. ♡ also i want to go to the beach. i cant go back to finland without a nice tan! 

two more weeks. they say that the third week is hardest. first two weeks were about practicing asanas by the teachers and teaching 1 to 3 asanas or series to each other in small groups, next week will be practicing also by yourself in your own rythm and designing your own yoga class for 1,5h. also we teach now more asanas to each other in small groups. 

it's  9.20 now, i guess i should get out of the bed and head for breakfast. or i could try and sleep a bit more. was a late nite last night. ciao. xx

but why im excited to go home

i get to wear sweaters, hoodies, woollen socks, winter boots, pipos(!) and whatever clothes i want and not feel too warm

i get to cook my own food! i love indian food (here) but four months of it (till today) is a bit too heavy. so much rice and wheat. sure i've eaten salads for example but god i make so much better salads myself

i get to go back in my own special zen home! ♡

i get to use good showers, toilets and saunas !!!

i get to wash my clothes properly (or not me but the machine)

i dont need wifi to call my friends and i get to listen to whatever music anywhere i like (not only what i downloaded on spotify)

i get to see and hang out with my awesome friends and family members 

i dont need to bargain when buying stuff, everything has it's price tag

i get to have a glimpse of winter before the awesome spring when people are getting excited about summer

and i get to start planning my next travels, europe and australia, maybe little goa in between, just for a little while..;)

three weeks and im coming home *stillcounting*

xxx, c

why i love india

maybe i love india because i'm on holiday. or because it's warm. or because it's much cheaper to live and eat here than in finland.

here are some things i'd like to point out why india is so close to my heart.

spirituality

india is the home of spiritual awareness. with the ancient wisdom of yoga, meditation, different religions and philosophies, india attracts people that are into spirituality and therefore is a country where you find likeminded fellow travellers. if you are not yet into spirituality, india most possibly (if you are ready and an open minded person) will make you be.

creativity

maybe because of the spiritual vibes, many people feel creative under the indian sun. many come to india to make jewellery, music, draw, paint, write or read and learn whatever they like. also using bodies by moving them in different ways is easily noticable.

promoting health

as a home of ayurveda and yoga, india is good at promoting health. being a vegetarian is easy and in every corner there is a shop that sells aloe vera and other natural products. many restaurants offer fresh fruits and healthy juices mixed with ginger, lemon or mint for example. coconuts and coconut products are everywhere, as well as spices, herbs and teas.

cultural paradise

with different cultures, lifestyles and histories all gathered together, hearing inspirational stories of nearly everyone you talk to is almost everyday life. of course everything is up to you, what you are looking for and what you choose to see and what to ignore. everyone is unique and everyone has thousands of stories. the universe works in mysterious ways and gives everyone what they are ready to take in.

no pretending

as i've made friends with locals from all around india, i've noticed they do not pretend to be anything other than what they are. to each other i mean. they say what they think and if theey get upset by what someone says, they deal with it right then and there. they dont keep the feelings inside and make them grow inside. they shout it out immediately and then it's out of the system. also in local restaurants the service is just enough to get your order, your food on the table and your bill on the table. no need to pretend smily, happy or polite or any other. and if boys like you they show their interest, and are very open about their feelings. at least most of them.

family comes first

indian families are wonderful. the care i've seen parents give for their children is so good. families are big because all the cousins are considered as brothers also. family members help each other, they work for each other and they have family businesses.

i have two homes here now. one is varkala in kerala and other one is anjuna region in goa. cant wait to go back to goa. it's a place i could easily spend a few months. maybe next time i come to india i'll do some parts of the north and stay in goa for longer. i love all my local friends from both places.

yoga teacher training course and last week in varkala

one of the main reasons i came to india for was to do a yoga teacher training course. while i was busy making friends and hanging out with travellers and locals, i almost didnt manage to get myself in any course. one swedish girl, bella (sashas girlfriend) told me about this course in kovalam ( she did it on december) so i looked it up online. the course was full but because we were friends on facebook, i got in! and now im finally doing it.

hatha yoga (the style i'll be learning to teach) ttc includes teaching of over 100 postures, yoga for pregnancy, core strengthening and back pain, yogic anatomy and physiology, introduction to pranic energy, chakras and nadis, meditation techniques, chanting and philosophy of patanjali's yoga sutras.

the schedule for the next four weeks is this (mondays free):

6.30 meditation, mantra chanting & pranayama (breathing exercise)

7.00 practical session 1 (yoga)

8.30 breakfast

10.00 theory session

11.00 teaching methodology

12.15 group practice

13.30 lunch & self study

16.30 practical session 2

17.45 discussion & break

19.00 dinner

i'm so excited to be here and do this! it's been only three days and my muscles love this already. also i feel more energetic every day. teachers are good, other students are nice (mainly french, few american and few from elsewhere) food is good (vegetarian = non-violent), yoga is good, kovalam is nice (but so touristy and with mainly old couples).

the last week in varkala was nice. i stayed at mango and hung out a lot with mango guys (vanessa, sanu, ali, prasad, abhi and chiku). sam (brisbane) i met in gokarna was also there and was good company. also it was good to see anna again after our one month of separation. she didnt sttay at mango this time but everyday we did something together. after all she's my austrian sister. ♡ i'll try and visit her in vienna before summer. for example we went to the golden island with chiku and rajiv. it was good to see everyone from the cliff. all the lovely boys and the girls and kids from the shops. dogs too. neighbour mangos jacky boy had grown a lot ! 

till nextt time, good nite ! xxx

P.S. FOUR WEEKS AND IM HOME