The best of all medicines is resting and fasting – Benjamin Franklin
Today was the day! The day I could go back to eating after 4 days of fasting to cleanse the system, today was the day I would leave this centre for the one in Lakes & Mountains where I would spend the rest of my 11 days and today was the day I felt knee pain after the lovely hour-long walk yesterday evening in the fields. It’s amazing how many emotions one day can bring, in the morning itself.
Prompt to the clock, I reached yoga studio at 6.10am for my stretches before the class. After headstand and few other stretches, I lay down in Savasana until class started. We did some stretches concentrating on the shoulders. And just then something happened, I started sweating and suddenly felt a rush to my head suggesting me to stop at that very moment and I did. I rested on the mat until few minutes, heard the others do one of my favourite poses – the tree pose. It is my favourite as I am at an advance stage, where I can twist my leg to make the two knees meet. Shortly after, I joined the rest for the remainder of the class. At the end, the others asked what happened and I actually didn’t know but later realised that body was low in energy due to all the fasting and cleansing. After the class the yoga instructor cum doctor showed how the swing yoga works as they had two hanging from the ceiling and some few tried to hang upside down. Any other day, I would be there too but not today, not now.
At breakfast, I was thrilled and think that evidently came to my stomach as by the end of the meal I felt I was done for the day. Promising to go easy for lunch, I went for my consultation that was basically about the knees and neck. The doctor suggested a change in the treatment along with a new paste to apply after the treatment and shortly after, I was called for the first treatment of the day – Shirodhara. I enjoyed this one, starting with head massage then gentle face massage with oil and finishing with Shirodhara. Once back to room, I packed everything so I don’t rush later and started reading the book that I hoped to place back in the library by the afternoon. Lunch time was special as it was my ‘farewell’ meal with a special note, special food, a Diya on the table, banana chips and payasam as dessert served in individual cups to all. How sweet can they be, every gesture and every experience is amazing! I promised to say bye to others before I left, around tea time. The afternoon treatment was a discovery, after the facial and steam when it came time for the drops, I stood up as the sense was so sharp that I couldn’t breathe and started tearing. The entire room broke into laughter after asking me not to cry and later I wondered what had happened to me that I had to sit up after just one nostril? I would say it was purely breathing, we don’t appreciate the fact that even without realising we are breathing, it comes naturally so when someone blocks that, we panic and that’s what had happened to me as my right nostril was blocked and I was trying to breathe, later I used my mouth to keep it going.
After hugging the therapists, I went to my room for one last round of packing and hung my clothes for tea time. I went earlier to keep the book back in the library, wrote a full page in the visitor’s book and also checked for some spices to buy in the other centre before I depart India. I was hoping for mangoes as main fruit but they decided enough, so gave us all steamed bananas as apparently raw fruits don’t go with milk tea (what they had served for tea time) as per Ayurveda. After chatting, bidding good byes, hugging a few I went to the car. Just then, I was called for one more ritual before departure, to pray in papa’s house (their father who recently passed away, god bless his soul) and I joined to finish with amen.
All of this was getting too emotion to handle as I kept saying my goodbyes, but the good part was that some few would come to the other centre like the doctor and his wife for another session of cooking class. Waving at those at the door, the car left for an hour-ish long drive that was filled with curves. We reached the beautiful Lakes & Mountains centre and as usual I was welcomed by lovely people and flowers. This time, there were too short ladies who had an amazing smile of recognition on their faces. The ritual continued when I walked out of the car with lighting the Diyas and this time they took a photo. I had a lovely show around showcasing the vast area and openness of this place with Dr. Bhavana. Since yoga had already started, I opted to work on unpacking my luggage in the meantime, before dinner. The schedule here was that there is a walk in the morning and yoga was in the evenings, so I opted to do my practice in the mornings instead until the knees felt better to walk high and low.
There was something about this place that I really liked, maybe it’s the nature, openness, birds, lakes, mountains or a combination of all. I was told there were very little mosquitoes and I think I already attracted all of them to me. Different style of rooms or as they say cottages, from locks to the interiors and facilities, they even had an AC here and a pedestrian fan 🙂 Once at the diner, I found it to be empty and the door was closed. It was 6.35pm, I was surprised as by now everyone would come to dinner in Homestay, then I realised it may be because of the yoga class that finishes at 6.30pm. Suddenly one of the ladies called out and gestured me to enter the place as it was open. Even before I entered, I could see the views and OMG it was so so beautiful from there. I had enquired about the others currently in-house and was told there are 5 including me, one was the German lady who I had met in the other centre ‘homestay’ and two Indians (a couple) and one French guy called Mr. Austin. The dinner was familiar, soup but the other items were new, potatoes and soybean curry with coconut milk. I hadn’t seen these on the menu in the other place. Slowly the others came in and we all introduced ourselves. It became a chatty hall as we all shared our experiences and journey so far in brief. During dinner, a plan came up, to drive in the morning over the mountains and watch the sunrise. How I would love to join, so I said yes and asked if there was any walking? The Indian gentleman described the adventure as a 40-minute drive and 10 minutes’ walk up the hill. Hmmm I wondered, will my knees keep up? I said yes then and the time to meet was at 6.20am but later I kept on thinking if I did the right thing so when I saw him passing by, I thought best to decline the kind offer and be gentle on my knees so they can support me in the long run. Instead, I went to plan A of doing yoga in the beautiful yoga studio I saw during the show around. This was my first night in the new place and I hoped sleep was equally peaceful.
