Author Archives: cherethomas

Sunday with Nana Part 5 – Finishing up at the Fort

I only have a short time before class this morning so I’ll make this post a short one.

Last night’s talk by Prashant was very special. I’m hoping to get the audio recording on my thumb drive before I leave. I took a couple photos.

Sunitaji lighting candles at the altar
Prashantji giving a talk on the life of BKS Iyengar

Back at the Fort I was able to catch this video being recorded.

Of course, I had to get a selfie!

These young men were really fun. Evidently they’re members of some sort of WWF-type team. I even managed to get a video of them.

I’ll leave you with this for now as I have a long day ahead of me beginning with Abhijata’s general class.


Blogged on Amma’s MacBook from Pune with LOVE!

Sunday with Nana Part 1

Sunday afternoons are reserved for Nana who takes us wherever we want to go, and when we don’t know where we want to go he takes us wherever he wants.

First stop – chai! The following photos are of the chai and street food cart.

We went to the Honey Parlour but it was closed. Bummer. We’ll have to go another day.

Inside the clothing and material store next door to the Honey Parlour.

The next two are the alter and a painting hanging at the clothing store.

This is what Nana does while he’s waiting for us.

Views from the rickshaw…

Here are more views of the river after the water level went down a bit, and you can see a couple cars that suffered damage.

Selfie with and without masks.

Here’s a short YouTube glimpse of what it’s like riding with Nana through Pune.

We had a very tough class this morning with Raya. I should sleep well tonight!

Tomorrow is a national holiday, Independence Day, so we have the day off from classes at the Institute. It’ll be a good day for a nice practice and some rest and relaxation. Hopefully we’ll have some WiFi so I can easily do a blog post on my iPad.


Blogged on Amma’s iPhone (because WiFi is too slow) with LOVE!

The Many Colors of Pune

The WiFi in our flat has been less than adequate the past few days making it nearly impossible to download photos to WordPress in order to post on my blog. WiFi is still pretty slow so it’s taken me a long time to bring these photos to you.

The following photos were taken Friday and Saturday while I was either on foot or out in an Uber. Uber is the way to travel here nowadays. It costs less than $3 USD to get just about anywhere in town. It doesn’t matter what language the Uber driver speaks. The drivers have the destination and navigation so it’s foolproof … most of the time.

Shoes anyone?

This group sends the youngest ones out in traffic to beg for money. The second photo down shows this little girl in pink knocking on a driver’s window. She looks like she might be 6 or 7 years old.

A look from the backseat of an Uber. Most of them have decorated Ganeshas sitting on the dashboard.

This is the Maharashtra Store where I buy most of my groceries.

Here’s one of many produce carts near our flat.

Free Whilly …

Coffee Nation …

Live entertainment …

Waiting for the bus …

Fine artwork, and look, it has graffiti which is rare here.

So, it wasn’t raining when I walked to the store, but when I stepped out of the store to go home it started pouring!

Murtis outside RIMYI…

Hanuman …

The flat I’m staying in is on the ninth floor of this 10-story apartment building. RIMYI is next door to the left of the flat.


I can’t believe my trip is almost half way over. Five weeks sounds like a long time, but it’s going by fast. We’re still experiencing rain off and on daily and extended forecast still calls for lots of rain.

Blogged on Amma’s iPad from India with LOVE!

Rain Update

We’re getting a bit of a reprieve from the rain. It’s still raining every day, but not continuously. The 2-week forecast says we’re in for more rain, showers and/or thunderstorms every day and night. In fact, I just heard thunder …

The river water has gone down several feet. However, now the banks of the river are littered with piles of debris. Much of the debris is from homes in the slum areas destroyed by the river’s rushing water. The photos in this post were taken Wednesday when the banks of the river were still high.

By posting many random photos I hope to present the every day Pune I’m experiencing without too many words. While sitting in the back of a rickshaw or Uber, getting good, clear photos is not always possible. I trash many blurry photos but sometimes I choose to keep slightly blurry ones because they still convey a story.


ManYee (flatmate) scored on this stylish rain jacket.

Not all bananas are this small, but I thought this one was cute. Because the water here is so bad, we can only eat cooked fruits and vegetables unless there’s a skin around it.

Chai and street food across the park.

Beautiful people of the park …


Happiness is coming back to the flat to see Anita in the kitchen. Her cooking is always good and by the time I sit down to eat it (even if I have to reheat it) I’m ravenous. By the way, these lady fingers (okra) … I really don’t like them so she made me a separate vegetable dish of green beans that was very yummy. She knows – no bell peppers, no lady fingers!

Anita showing off curry leaves she grows at her house.


From back home, these are my beautiful students who are practicing in my home studio every Tuesday evening while I’m in Pune. I provide the venue (actually Bruce is the one providing the venue in my absence) and the sequence, and all they have to do is show up. I can’t tell you how happy I am there’s such a good turnout for practice (L-R – Maribeth, Linda, Joyce, Monette, Katie & Eva). Way to go ladies, and thanks for sending the picture! I’m looking forward to seeing your Ardha Chandrasana in September …


My studio is also being used by Ron who’s showing up regularly to do therapy on his own while I’m gone. He’s got plenty to work on and a good foundation to make some progress without me. I took a private lesson with one of the senior teachers here, Abhay Javakhedkar, to go over the therapy we’re working on. He is tremendously knowledgeable and I feel fortunate to have this opportunity ?. Abhay is going to work with me again Tuesday, and perhaps this will be a weekly appointment while I’m here.


Why wear the mask while out and about in Pune? The pollution here is horrible. The vehicles emit disgusting black crud. Wearing the mask may not be fashionable but it’s much easier and better than holding a scarf to my nose and mouth.


Blogged on Amma’s iPad with love from Pune.

More Rain

This is Vasant, one of the locals who comes around on his bicycle carrying bags of items for us to rummage through – t-shirts, stationary, props, etc. I’ve known him since my first trip to Pune.

Spicy peanuts, and yes, they are very spicy.


The road to Ayurveda in the rain.

Although there is trash everywhere here, I’m not seeing the heaps and heaps of garbage I’ve seen in the past. Hopefully this means they’re making an effort to clean up these garbage heaps.

The poorest of the people here are often seen at busy intersections selling cheap products. Most I’ve seen since I arrived here are either selling these colorful umbrellas or small packages of garbage bags.

This young woman is carrying an infant.

I love the contrast in this photo.

I asked Nana what’s in the jugs. Milk.

Podi Kizhi (for joint pain and stiffness) at Ayurveda.


Lunch today at Geeta Bhojwani’s house… My friend Cyndy invited me and some other yogis to join her for lunch. I should have taken a photo of the dishes before we all dug in, but the next photo is of my plate so you can see everything there. Dal, fried potato, rice, sabzis (cabbage, corn and paneer) and chapati.

Here’s the group L-R Karen(Cleveland), Jill (Australia), Carolina(Chili), Geeta (Pune), Cyndy (San Diego), me.

Geeta gave us a ride home. By default being the tallest, I sat in front in perfect position to take this photo of the other four in the backseat of Geeta’s Prius. Look how much fun they had.


Keeping it short and sweet, blogged on Amma’s iPad from Pune with LOVE!

Sunday’s outing — mostly photos

Here are a LOT of photos I took on our Sunday outing. Don’t worry, I kept the narrative to a very minimum.

Lunchtime! Jill and I both had Masala Dosa and Nana ordered deep fried paneer and dal fry. All delicious!

The Masala Dosa is a potato mixture wrapped in a large flat pancake-type pastry. Very tasty!

This is a small complimentary pickled mango dish. It was very pickly and salty.

Inside a very colorful and clean shopping mall.

Yay buffalo! When asking for milk at the store, it’s not uncommon for the clerk to ask “Buffalo or cow?” The first time I bought milk here this trip they were out of cow’s milk so I got buffalo milk instead for my morning coffee. It’s a good alternative.

Most of the public walls are painted and/or have messages on them. Graffiti hasn’t caught on here… yet.

The family vehicle …

Rain coat anyone?

This BBQ’d corn smelled so good!

Here’s a good look at the river’s water level. I’ve posted photos from previous trips here of buffalo roaming this river bed.

Lots of people lined up on the bridge watching the water.

Saving the best for last, here’s Nana explaining why Indians honk their horns all the time.


The “featured image” today (at the top of this blog post) is a special “find.” Tara is approximately 12″ tall and 8″ wide. She’s hanging in the dining room of our flat for now so we can all enjoy her beautiful, serene face. She’s very light so she won’t be too heavy for the flight home, but I’ll no doubt have to drag her out of my carry on every time I go through security. After September 1 she may be seen hanging over one of the windows in my yoga studio.

If you’re looking at this post in email, you’ll have to view the post online to see the featured image. If you click on the blog title you should be redirected to the link.


Blogged on Amma’s iPad with LOVE from a very rainy Pune.

Rain

It has rained every day consistently since I arrived. Yesterday, being a Sunday and a day off from asana classes at the Institute, Jill and I went on an outing with Nana. We had planned to go on an adventure but because of the rain we opted to take Nana to lunch and go shopping for some not-so-needed items …

It poured most of the day but we were able to stay dry in the back of the rickshaw. On the way home we drove over the Mula Mutha River twice (it winds around like a snake) which is filled to over capacity right now. People were stopped on the bridge and lined up to take pictures. Nana pulled over so we could get out and and join the gawkers. I took this 1-minute video so you can see how fast the water is moving.

I always have this remote thought whenever I take a video that I might unknowingly capture something special in the background. If you didn’t catch it the first time, watch again and pay close attention to the man in white standing near the bridge both at the beginning of the video when I began my 360 and at the end when I made it back full circle.

Meanwhile, as the rain continues the situation is getting worse. The river has swelled even more, causing serious concern there will be more flooding in some of the low lying areas. Today schools were closed, workers were told to go home early, and one of the bridges closed. The 2-week forecast calls for rain, thunderstorms or showers every day. I have more rain photos to share in the next post.


Here are some photos I took at the park which is right next to our flat. This little plant is the only one blooming right now.

Birdhouses.

That’s my flatmate, Jill, under the umbrella.

For some reason there’s an intersection in the park complete with stop lights, crosswalks and a stop sign.

Yuck.

Bee hive. Yikes, this is pretty much right below our flat.


Photos of RIMYI (Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute).


Leftover homemade Indian food our cook made.

Blogged on Amma’s iPad from rainy Pune with LOVE.

One week down, four to go …

It appears my feature image from the other day didn’t populate into my blog post, so I am including it here. This is Nana and me having ginger chai in the rickshaw. Nana is a dear friend, who is not only a good driver, but he seems to know everything about Pune and its outskirts. He has taken us on many journeys – to Alandi, sightseeing to many temples, shopping to various parts of Pune, the doctor when I was sick, and to Ayurveda, to name only a few. He speaks very good English, keeps in touch while we’re here and watches out for us in every way. It is absolutely wonderful to make this connection with him again.

Some sites around Model Colony (this is the name of the suburb in Pune where I’m staying).

Front and back side of this amazing vegetable cart about a 5 minute walk from the flat.

Snacks hanging at the little store near the vegetable cart.


Friday I went to Ayurveda (via Nana). Here are my photos along the journey.

Here’s the outside of the Ayurjyoti office.

I returned via Uber so some of these photos were taken through dirty windows.

This is the Kadki War Cemetery.


Today is Sunday and a day off from asana classes at the Institute. I’ll be observing the Children’s Class this morning at 8, followed by Prashant’s Sutra Study class, then an excursion with Nana. I’ve had three good nights of sleep and I feel like I’m finally getting caught up. All is well in Pune.

Did I mention it’s raining?


Blogged on Amma’s iPad from Pune with LOVE!

Dimpex & Nana

Above – Having chai with Nana in the rickshaw.


These lovely people (Sudhir and his wife, Alka) are the owners of Dimpex, the establishment where I have my OBYoga t-shirts batiked. I brought 66 t-shirts with me – 52 short sleeve (4 crew neck/48 v-neck) and 14 long sleeve hoodies. They took up one entire carry-on sized suitcase and a third of my check-in bag. It’s very moist here because of the rain so it’ll take a long time for the t-shirts to dry in between colors, and I probably won’t get them back until just before I leave. I’m really excited to see how the long sleeve hoodies turn out. With the exception of only one small t-shirt which is going to be pink, all the rest are being done in purple, green or blue. Designs for this batch are Ganesha (as seen hanging in the background), 2 elephants, and the Om symbol in a lotus petal. I’m very excited!


Views from the rickshaw …

Nana took Jill to the phone store and I tagged along because, well, there’s never a dull moment on a rickshaw ride. These motorcycles and motor scooters were parked outside the phone store. I’m not sure what happens when the person who owns the motorcycle in the middle needs to get out. As it turns out, Jill didn’t get a SIM card here because it was going to take 10 DAYS for the card to activate.

From the rickshaw …

We passed the Hotel Sapna. I took this picture and texted it to my friend, Sapna.

The next phone store had a “Server Room.” I wasn’t sure if there’s a real server behind the door or if it’s called that because there’s a coffee maker in there.

Sidewalk art. I believe this is some kind of education center.

This is the scene at every intersection where there’s a street light.

At our drop off, outside our flat.


Later in the day we went for a walk.

Very small alter set up on the side of the sidewalk.

Through the gates of the Hare Krishna Temple just down the street from our flat, hence why the name of our street is Hare Krishna Mandir.


Prashant – Do you “do” yoga or do you “know” yoga? Yoga is not to be “done,” It is to be “known.”


Blogged on Amma’s iPad with LOVE from Pune.

First Full Day in Pune

Above – Poster of Geetaji in the courtyard at RIMYI.


Below – Photos taken on the way “home” from the airport. The driver who picked me up at the airport didn’t waste any time conditioning me for heavy traffic in the rain India-style.

The good thing about water buffalo in the road is that they have the right of way. No one else does.

The Poona Golf Club.


This large poster of Guruji is hanging on the living quarters facing the courtyard at RIMYI.


Out for a walk with my flat mate, Jill, sporting our pollution masks, and then some random photos I took along the way.

This is a portion of a block wall with interesting bricks …

Typical-looking Indian brick house.

Patanjali on the counter at the Chetak Hotel where we stopped to pay our rent for the month.

My first cup of ginger chai this trip.

Raksha Bandhan “Brothers Day” (August 15) is observed by most Indians around the world. It’s a celebration where Rakhi bracelets are given as a symbol of devotion between a brother and sister, and also between close friends.

Below – One of the stores where we shopped for food.

One of many many un-neutered stray dogs showing off his “package.”

Why trim the tree when you can create your fence around it?

At the kitchen store this nice young man took the electric kettle we bought off the shelf, poured water in it and made sure it worked. No, we didn’t ask him to do this.


Anita making our lunch.


I lost a day on the trip here and with that, I lost some sleep. Yesterday was a pretty fuzzy-in-the-head day for me but I got a good night’s sleep and I’m ready to head out for practice at the Institute. Tomorrow is my first day of classes, beginning with a 9am general class taught by Abhijata.

Rain and thunder today.


Blogged on Amma’s iPad from Pune with LOVE!