First Mysore dream and Pink Saris

All these Mysore blogs and tweets floating around at the moment seem to have caused me to have a Mysore dream. Perhaps watching pink Saris last night was a contributing factor.

India, India, starting to play on my mind

...but anyway the dream, drifting away now but it was one of those long ones that seem to run all night. I remember arriving, being in a very small room/space, almost like boot camp (hmmm perhaps that's telling). Practice was strange though, you started one end of the room and ended up working towards the other as the practice progressed, not sure how that worked but the room looked just like in the pictures and youtube videos.

And then the shala seemed to be in a different place, more rural, beautiful. There was a tent like extension to the Shala which looked out onto a/the desert. Seems I was still in Mysore though because walking around I bumped into OvO who was scandalized that I hadn't visited some park and took me there right away telling me somebody was there (forget who, but was excited about it while she was telling me ).

Then there was practice again and it was hot and sweaty and I was paranoid I hadn't brought enough practice gear. Oh I think I heard, rather than saw Jamie : )

And there was something else, I saw Sharath say something to an 'assistant' who told me I had to practice in the old man area, that was his exact words (think that might have been the tent extension) but then the next day I was told to practice in the main Shala again.

That's all I remember, still befuddled and dopey and all over the place, hate long dreams. Time to practice ( 2nd, was going to do the David Williams Advanced A today but am too dazed ), going to be all over the place in Standing.

UPDATE : Nope Can't stand up straight, going to do the Advanced A later instead.

Oh and Pink Saris, great doc, virtually no narration. watch it if you get the chance. In the UK you can probably still catch it on 4OD. Just checked and it's no longer available but here's what they say about it.

Acclaimed filmmaker Kim Longinotto's award-winning Pink Saris celebrates Sampat Pal, a woman fighting social injustices against other women in northern India.

Pink saris are worn by the Gulabi Gang, a group of female vigilantes in northern India - from the 'untouchable caste' - who have resisted being condescended to as the lowest social class.

And they have a champion in Sampat Pal, who takes up cases of social injustice and domestic abuse against women. The crimes are often perpetrated by the husbands' extended families, with whom the abused women are forced to live.

Declaring, 'What do women have but their tears?', Sampat Pal has learnt from experience. In circumstances that are far from unusual, she was married at a young age and beaten by her in-laws. But, she fought back and escaped the family.

Now beleaguered women from throughout Uttar Pradesh seek her out, looking for the support and strength to do the same.

And here's a clip

UPDATE

Clauda just told me that the video clip above is in the way making it difficult to comment, so a few lines then to create some space between button and video.

So........ lovely weather we're having, OK not really, pretty lousy weather in fact...

So practice was OK this morning, actually, come to think of it that was pretty lousy too. Advanced A the David Williams version but wasn't really into it just wanted to do Primary and a long baddha Konasana ( see yesterdays post) but it's my day off and I thought I should make the most of it.

Did, finally, work out the press to handstand, post to come on that and one on the state of backbends too seeing as it's the beginning of the year. What else, another evening practice post (leading to yogidandasana) and a couple of interviews from Ramaswami that I hope to transcribe little by little over a couple of posts.

Enough space Claudia, want to give it another try : )