This is the hand bag/yoga bag I use whilst in Mysore, so it is now referred to as my "Mysore Bag". It was given to me by a dear friend and she knows it comes travelling with me. It's a bit different to a lot of the yoga students bags I suppose, as its not really fit for purpose (i.e. carrying a yoga mat). It does however contain my rupees, my trusty torch, my mosquito zapper, my shala pass and factor 40 face cream. What more does a girl need? It is not really suitable for day to day life in London, but perfect for Mysore and I could step out at any red carpet event here in Gokulam, should I get a last minute invite. Indeed it's wonderful arm candy for sitting in a chauffeur driven rickshaw to loyal world (food shopping, like Waitrose but not). Again, not exactly fit for purpose but it is a beautiful bag. So if you see this bag wandering around in India, please say hello to its owner :-)  If Lulu Guinness does a remake of this bag or one sim

So for the past four weeks the security man outside my apartment block has greeted me everyday with the word "bye". This has been regardless of  me coming in or going out of the building and often in response to me saying "hello". Imagine my surprise when entering the building yesterday... He said "hello, how are you?" (in the same voice as Manuel in Fawlty Towers does). I was so taken aback I just looked blankly at him at first and then respond "very good". When I got inside the apartment I laughed my head off. He really has had a crash course in English and took me completely by surprise. I wondered if he would revert back to "bye" this morning... But no, his response to my "how are you? was "fine" ( with, of course, an Indian sideways nod of the head). Everyone keeps you on your toes here in India.

Took a day trip from Gokulam in Mysore to the monastery in Bylakuppe yesterday. Myself and some other yoga students took our life in our hands with a taxi ride that took a few hours (a taxi ride here is an experience in itself). Bylakuppe is a beautiful, tranquil place and attracts people from all faiths. I saw Christian nuns, women clad in burqas and of course many Hindus. There was a festival going on in the temple and I feel we were very lucky to have witnessed this.

So I'm here in Mysore India to practice yoga at the Ashtanga yoga institute. I could write a long monologue of my practice, the shala, the students, the gossip and all the other "stuff" that keeps the yoga students entertained when they are not practising asana. Instead I will give you a glimpse into the life of the people of India who are teaching me lessons every day that I am here.

The hugging guru Amma is currently here in Mysore India. It is said that she has embraced over 32 million people, spreading a message of love and compassion. Whilst I didn't actually get a hug myself (I couldn't wait until midnight), it was amazing to be part of this huge spiritual gathering and Amma was clearly offering hope to a lot of people both rich and poor. Amma is also the guru made famous by the book and film "Eat, Love, Pray" in which her ashram appears.

So my new mobile phone here in India is called "Guru Samsung"! This made me laugh a lot. No need to get up at 5am to practice yoga, read ancient texts, chanting, meditating etc... Just get yourself a guru in the form of a mobile phone ;)

So I have finally arrived in Mysore after an EPIC journey (both physically and metaphorically). I have the same room in the same apartment and practising yoga in the same shala with the same teacher as I did 11 months ago. A lot has happened in those months but especially in the past few weeks. When I registered at the shala I mentioned to Sharath that I have a healing wound in my chest. He gave me a reasonable time slot and told me to "take it easy". First two days of practice were on the stage. When placed here last year I was terrified. Having been through bigger issues since, I really didn't bat an eyelid -What's changed? I have Gratitude!  

So I should be sunning myself in India right now, but because London had some snow I am still waiting to start my journey. Yes, I was one of the many sat on the tarmac at terminal 5 for 7 hours on Friday waiting to be de-iced, blow dried and all the other scenarios we were told were happening to the plane. British Airways had looked after me when boarding the plane, and had allocated me two seats to myself (as I am recovering from a medical procedure). Having had the week from hell and not being able to control the outcome, sitting on this flight was fairly minor in the greater scheme of things. I understand we have no control over the weather but many European cities deal with snow on a daily basis, so I don't understand why an airport as large as this one gets it so wrong. We were shipped off the plane and left to our own devices. There was no information whatsoever. After waiting a couple of hours for my baggage, I overheard someone say "no more bags will be c

Breakfast Luxury 5 rupee toilet bath Luxury toilet in reality                                                                                                            The scenery                                                                   Priests                                                                               Temple                                                           Selling his wares                                                                        Sanskrit                                                                     Friends                                                                                                Goat feeding ( coconuts)