On my last day of conference at the KPJAYI shala one of my friends snapped this photo of myself and Sharath...Shame I hadn't brushed my hair...but hey story of my life.  Sharath is a wonderful intuitive teacher and nothing passes his watchful gaze ( even when you think he hasn't noticed something, he usually has). A couple of days into my stay in Mysore, Sharath said to me on a Monday " Wednesday you drop back " I said nothing but thought " I dont think so".  I have avoided drop backs since I took up Ashtanga yoga many moons ago, and whilst I had not mentioned this to Sharath, he just seems to know where you need some assistance  .... Wednesday I turn up, go through my practise and just when I think I can finish my back bends and clear off-he shows up on my mat (no idea how he remembers, with so many people in the room) and says " you drop back". The look of terror must have been on my face as he whispered "don't...

Not planning to give up my London life just yet-but this is a job I could possibly do-Rickshaw driving in Mysore India. Although I spent 5 weeks in Mysore I have no idea what the road rules are? (there don't appear to be  any, as far as I could see). I do know they drive on the same side of the road as we do in the UK and that you must not injure the cows that hang out in the middle of the road. You may also come across the odd herd of goats Blissed out yoga students And Monkeys eyeing up motor bikes for a spot of Joy riding. I think a rickshaw driver must be fairly entertained by the influx of yoga students that pass through Mysore during the season-Especially when they are asked to be taken to "magic school",  "you know like Harry Potter" -when in fact its "mystic school" and not a Harry Potter in sight....I reckon your day would be fairly interesting, and definitely one that requires nerves of steel, ...

Here in India  the term  "a dogs life" takes on a whole new meaning. This puppy who is currently named "lucky" ( for obvious reasons) manged to find his way to KPJAYI the Ashtanga yoga shala in Goklam Mysore  There are many street dogs here in India and most of them do not have a good life....This little fella found his way to the shala, got himself across the cattle grid (which in its self was quite a  challenge) and wandered in and amongst the yoga students, who were waiting out side to practise. He was brought home to our apartment by one of my flatmates and his new life begun. He was cuddled and watered and given somewhere to sleep, that is until the security guard at our building said he had to go! So off to the vets we went where Lucky was wormed and de-flee powder and special weaning food was purchased....now to find him somewhere to live..... We walked over to a place where we had been told a mother and her puppies were living. We could hear them...