Touring Day

Somewhere in Karnactaka
Last stop after a full day of touring

Today was a moon day so we were able to go touring around.  We had the fortunate opportunity to go with a small group of English and American Yogis and their families.  People come to Mysore with their families and this makes for a most amazing family trip.  The age ranges of the kids in the families was 3 1/2 to 10.  It is refreshing to see this younger set enjoying the sites very much and with little complaint about heat or tired feet.   Everyone participated in the journey.

Arriving in two small vans after a 3 hour drive we walked 620 steps up to the Gommateshwara Statue.   The statue is very clean as they do rituals of cleaning it as part of the prayer ceremonies and it represents absolution of material wealth and promotes peace and non violence.    I attached a link for reference on this as It is a fun adventure and something very worth visiting.  Parker was able to relax the guard that he has had up, knowing that we were in good company and that as a group things would be pretty cool.    Unlike the tour with me the day before in Mysore City at the Devaraja market which was somewhat overwhelming for him.   It is supposed to be chaotic but some panic set it as we got deeper into the market.   Our feelings relating to our experiences inside ourselves were just about on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

It is interesting when you start to learn something about yourself.  He realized that he is not much of a city person.  Not that you want to get stuck in something when you really don’t have the experience but you understand the comfortable feeling verses the ones that bring up some anxiety.  The yoga gives us a chance to experience silence so that we can go inward and see what masks we wear and start to shed them.  It helps us deal with the uncomfortable places that you find yourself in and to face those obstacles in our practice, in our life on and off the mat.   Yoga is bringing about communication, openness, letting go and a tapping in that cannot come about easily in other ways.

It was refreshing to come home to Gokulum and have a nice meal at Tins’a Cafe.   It is the country here in this small village and we are feeling more and more at ease and just happier.   Tomorrow is led primary for him and I get another day of rest.