Above – Young girl.

Catching up on some photos I was unable to post when the wifi was down. The following are photos from one of my rides with Nana in his rickshaw.

This is a Ducati motorcycle dealer. It’s a pretty high-class establishment for Pune.

Waiting for the bus.

Lovely artwork on the front of this building.

Looking down the Mutha River.

Below is a group of people preparing for the Independence Day celebrations that took place a couple weeks ago.

I’ve gone past this area several times and never saw water spilling out like this. Nana (who knows everything) didn’t have an explanation so it remains a mystery.

I may have posted this photo before but I don’t remember. It takes too much time and energy to go back through all my posts, so if you’ve seen it before I apologize. This is me and Nana.

This is my friend Kathleen from Milwaukee talking with Vasant, one of the merchants who sells t-shirts, yoga props and other things.

Selfie with Kathleen. I met Kathleen here in Pune in 2013. We stay in touch and met back up in Pune in 2015 and 2017.

ManYee trying on “Pune shorts” from Vasant. She’s a bit whacky.

You know it’s a crowded bus when the doors don’t close and people are hanging out the door.

More cows from the car ride to Ayurveda.

Now this is awesome. I’ve seen several of these contraptions around town. It’s like a big shop vac. What amazes me the most is that it doesn’t appear to have much vacuum power, so whoever is running the machine tends to walk around all day pushing garbage around. In other words, it doesn’t seem to work very well, if at all. You can see in this photo this guy is pushing some garbage with his foot. I’m guessing that never made it into the basin of the vacuum.

Nap time.

Pizza! Not the best pizza ever made, but I managed to eat half of it at one sitting.

Today was the first day I went back to class in over a week. I’m finally getting close to 100%. In fact, I yawned a few minutes ago and my ears popped so maybe the fuzziness is going away.

This morning’s class was Pranayama taught by Rajlaxmi. It was the best Pranayama class I’ve taken so far this month. After class I took a trip to Ayurjoti for another treatment, then back to the Institute for late afternoon practice. Many foreigners have left to go home so the practice hall was peaceful and quiet with a lot of space to spread out.

Tomorrow Jill and I have a last Sunday outing with Nana. I’m not sure what he has in store for us, but I can guarantee you will hear about it.

It’s raining here. Monsoon.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Random. Very random.

Below – On the road again with Nana. These photos were taken a couple weeks ago. With the Alandi and Fergusson College photos they got put on the back shelf.

This photo is taken from a very busy road. Behind the approx 5′ wall is a slum community. These slum communities can be found around just about any corner. They’re usually hidden behind walls or down alley-like roads. In fact there are two such areas very close to the flat where I’m stay. This is a rare photo for my blog, as I choose to not share these types of photos. I think this photo is in good taste because it shows mostly rooftops. The rest can be left to the imagination if so desired.

Two different style buildings on busy corners.

There’s standing room only on this bus. I’ve tried to get a good photo of a packed bus, but the pictures I’ve taken don’t give the same impression as seeing it with your own eyes.

Nana took me and Jill to a modern “western” grocery store called Dorabjee’s (pronounced dur-ob-geez). I took this photo because it made me think of the Olive Tree store down the street from us in OB. There’s no other significance here.

Here’s Jill going up the “travellator.” I found the name funny but quickly learned that an escalator is called a travellator in Australia too. I still find the name funny.

Here are instructions on using the travellator. I don’t know why, but I found this funny too.

Selfie while waiting for the sales clerk to bring me my free gift. Here’s what happened … I bought the grandkids a gift here. I got each of the boys a Hot Wheels car (I actually think I paid more for them here than I would have in the US). On the packaging it stated if you buy two, you get a third item free but they didn’t have that third item. I didn’t care. I just wanted the gifts I bought. The man at the check-out counter insisted someone look to see if they have the free gift. Waiting, waiting, waiting. No, they didn’t have it. But, to my surprise I was given a tupperware-type bowl with sealing lid! Something I didn’t need or want, but I was pretty much forced to take. I found that funny too.

On the way out of the store these bakery items caught my eye. After I took this photo, I was told photos are not allowed in the store. Oops. I found that funny too.

On the way home …

I guess all it takes is a few buckets of water to keep the pigeons off the statute.

Does anyone care for a refreshing glass of water? No thank you …

That brings me to the next item. This handy Camelbak UV water purifier is a life saver. To purify water, fill to the line, put the lid on, press the blue button, then agitate the bottle for 60 seconds (when the blue UV light goes off). It neutralizes bacteria, cysts and viruses from tap water and other sources. I bought this before my first trip to India and have used it all three trips. In fact, I keep it in the kitchen and all my flat mates use it. Unfortunately it doesn’t make the water taste pure, but it’s kept me and my flat mates from contracting nasty gastrointestinal problems. The lid charges by USB which is very handy!

Here’s the lid charging on the only power source I brought with me. Conveniently, all the electronics I brought charge by this 6-port power adapter made by Anker – iPhone, MacBook, PMB bluetooth speaker (Evan bought me a couple years ago for my birthday), Bose noise canceling ear buds, Camelbak water purifier. That leaves one USB slot left for the dongle which I may not have to use again now that wifi’s up and running. I highly recommend this power adapter.

And here’s the US to India converter so I can plug into the only working power source in my room. It’s the little things in life …

Yesterday I did classic Sirsasana (head stand) for the first time since I got sick – 10 minutes without getting a sinus headache! Of course that was followed by a 10-minute Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) with no sinus pressure. Hopefully that means I’m on the road to recovery, although I don’t necessarily feel as though I’m improving at a very fast rate. Today is a Ganesh Chaturthi which is a holiday so I’m staying quiet and hopeful to make it to the women’s class in the morning.

Yesterday, Abhijata and Raya held a Q&A session. Abhi did most of the talking which started out with her asking everyone in attendance about the stories they heard about coming to Pune from their friends who came here before them. The talk went on to cover students’ fear of attending classes here and how to better improve the experience. Then there was considerable talk (at least an hour) regarding teacher training courses and assessments, and how they are conducted in different parts of the world. The message is clear that RIMYI wants to see mentorships grow above the need for teacher training courses which, it was made very clear, are not mandatory to become a certified teacher. I count my blessings for the mentorship I have with my teacher. Thank you Gloria!

It’s pouring down rain here.

I suppose that’s all for one post. Sleep well US.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and Macbook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Namaskar at the entrance of the Park next door to our flat (RIMYI on one side, beautiful park on the other side).

As I mentioned in my last post, I broke out and went for a walk yesterday for the first time since I got sick. I walked through the park to a little store on the other side to get eggs. The park is a beautiful place for a stroll.

During the three times I’ve been to Pune, I’ve taken many strolls through the park, never knowing when it’s going to be open. Here are the hours.

Oh, you probably don’t read Marathi. Neither do I. The park hours are: 6-11am and 4-8pm. I’m not sure what happens between 11 and 4, but you can guaranty there is no walking through the park during that time.

I’ve taken photos here before and have posted them on past trips, but they are definitely worthy of a re-take and re-share. Below is a huge bunch of bamboo.

Here are some of many small bird houses secured in tree tops. I would love to know how many different bird species visit this park daily.

A very large Indian boy using the inversion contraption.

I came upon this beauty.

Large banyan tree with many large roots reaching down to the ground.

This mushroom-like moss growing around this tree trunk looks like small steps up the tree.

Oh no … omen?

After the park, I walked to The Momo’s to get some take-out. This little gem is a favorite of mine. They make steamed vegetable dumplings and serve them with a very hot and spicy sauce that’s guaranteed to clear the sinuses. I was hoping for a miracle there.

Here’s what the inside of The Momo’s looks like. You need to “feel” the whole experience.

There are other things on the menu, none of which I’ve ever tried or wanted to try.

Here’s the view from inside looking out at the street. Sometimes there are plastic tables and chairs lined up toward the street so you can enjoy your Momo’s while people, dog and pig watching and listening to  horns honk. There’s a trash heap across the street (not pictured here) where pigs tend to rummage through the trash. It makes for good entertainment. I have the pig picture in my archives from 2015.

Back at the flat, here’s my Momo platter and sauce.

Here’s what they look like all dressed up! All this for 70 Rs ($1.12 US).

Feeling satisfied and still not up for a strong practice, here’s where I ended up – Supta Buddha Konasana (reclined bound angle pose).

This morning I observed the women’s class and glad I opted not to take the class. I’m still a little light headed and think I need another day or two rest before attending class.

Staying home has its own entertainment. Today two telephone men came to the flat to fix the telephone that’s been dead for several days. They checked everything and determined the wires need to be replaced. Did they fix it? No. Evidently they’ll be back tomorrow. Maybe. I find it astonishing that if a wire needs to be replaced, these cracker jack phone technicians were ill-prepared to replace it.

Then Darshana stopped by to bring the Pranayama pillows I ordered.

Sunita was also here cleaning the house and having a chai break.

While Anita finished cleaning up after making our lunch.

And then … DRUM ROLL …

A new router!! Yay!! It also takes two men to replace a router. That’s Govind sitting in the chair. He’s made a few trips here trying to get the wifi situation squared away.

Then Govind fixed the power plug in Jill’s room so it works. Temporarily. Very temporarily.

So this afternoon turned out to be a very busy afternoon in the flat. The best news of the day is wifi is not only up and running, but it’s faster than the speed of light, almost, and that makes me one happy blogger.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Another pose (Vrksasana – Tree Post) near the top of the hill.

Below – My post wouldn’t be complete without including some of the pretty flowers in bloom.

These were teeny tiny buds. They looked like little tomatoes, about a half inch in diameter.

Also very small …

Even smaller …

Large!

Tiny, but lots of them …

These two little ones were playing cricket next to the big boy field.

Dead center here is a small squirrel.

Cadets.

Here’s a before and after photo. Below, these students were crowded together looking at their cell phones and talking.

Here’s the result when they saw I was taking their photo.

I love this mailbox. It’s very old, set in concrete with a padlock on it, and although it’s a relic, it appears to still be in use.

Leaving the campus there is still a lot of greenery.

Oh, these two guards (Pune version of rent-a-cop) were characters. They were very happy to see us  and stopped to talk to us, asked us where we’re from and other small talk. They also had no problem posing for a photo.

This is the back side of the Electronics Science Lecture Hall. When I first saw it I thought it was living quarters because of the laundry hanging on the side of the structure.

But on the other side the sign above the door reads “M.Sc. Electronic Science Lecture Hall.” I would love to have seen the inside.

This map was posted near the exit (or entrance).

Alumni area.

A very overgrown “Tropical Garden.”

Lastly, this young gentleman was hanging around the guard booth. When I asked if I could take his photo he puffed up his chest and took this mighty fine stance.

And this, my friends, has been story of my trip. Yesterday two wifi technicians (??) were here to fix it and I was told after it still didn’t work that someone would be back in two hours. Two hours is the magical time period around here when something might happen. Well, nothing happened. Wifi was on the blink most of the day and into the night, coming in only intermittently. This is why I’m unable to post daily. I have found that morning wifi is more reliable, so if I get up at the crack of dawn or before I may have some luck.

I have been feeling a little better each day. Yesterday I ventured out of the flat for the first time (besides the doctor visit) and went for a walk, then later went to the Institute and sat through a 2-hour talk Raya gave on using the ceiling ropes properly and assisting those going up in Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) and Sirsasana (head stand) – new methods to me. He also told personal stories about his Sadhaka/Guru (student/teacher) relationship with Guruji. It was priceless.

I plan on observing the Women’s class at 9:30am today and if feeling up to it, I’ll practice in the hall (4-5:45). Otherwise, I’ll do another restorative practice here at the flat.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Young boy swinging on a rope near the sports complex.

Below – Students playing cricket.

Below – on the adjacent field, students playing soccer.

I asked this fine specimen of a student if I could take his photo. Me: May I take your photo? Him: What for? Me: For my blog. Him: Where are you from? Me: United States, San Diego. Him: Yes. He was the first person who questioned my motive. I figure I explained myself sufficiently.

This is a panorama from close to the top of the hill looking out over Pune.

This little temple was nestled away in the bushes.

In the following photo I tried to capture the beauty of this fern.

A little fun and frolic…

What you can’t tell from the photo below is that I’m standing on a foot wide rim of a large pool of water. Dirty, very dirty water.

Part of the path to the top. So typical here that even in the beauty of things, there is garbage.

At the top – another small temple.

We didn’t see any snakes besides the red one on this sign.

We can see the temple in the photo below from our flat.

I spoke with this nice man and his children who are from Pune but live in the US. They were here in Pune visiting their family.

View from the other side of the hill. The building right in the center is the Marriott.

There was quite a bit of cactus that appeared to have been planted here at some time. It seemed a bit out of place, surrounded by fern.

As you can see, we came across a lot of people walking up the hill. Many students, but also those who aren’t students who come to get a little exercise. It’s truly beautiful there.

It has been raining non-stop for over 24 hours, pouring down heavily, and I have a cold and have been sleeping all day. I missed the Punyathiti (death anniversary) held at the Institute this morning for Guruji. It has been three years since he died.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil (l-r – Jill, me & Manyee) in Malasana on the hill behind Fergusson College.

On Tuesday (Independence Day holiday) we took a walk to Fergusson College. Check out this cement mixer we saw along the way.

Shops were closed early in the morning.

A temple.

Here we are. I think you’ll find and agree with me that the structures on campus are amazing.

When I was here in 2015, there were groups of students gathered in this shelter.

The students are all so beautiful. They were happy to see us and even happier to pose for a picture.

Below – Our friend, Uni (Indonesia), me, ManYee and Jill.

Because of the holiday, their equivalent of ROTC was out in force marching in formation.

On the hill above Ferguson College. We hiked to the top where there was a 360 degree view. Here we are in a modified Malasana (head down), the city of Pune in the distance.

And a smile for you.

I have more photos like this I’ll share in the days to come.

I woke up this morning with a sore throat so I did a restorative at home. I felt better as the day went on and went to Nawaz’s Pranayama class. As it turns out, this was my last Friday Pranayama class because next Friday is another holiday – Ganesh Chaturthi, which is a Hindu festival. There are many stages being set up around town for the festival. If you’re interested to learn more about Ganesh Chaturthi, check out this wiki link: Ganesh Chaturthi.

Tomorrow is 9:30am women’s class with practice in the afternoon. My flatmates and I have a date tomorrow night at the Marriott for dinner where the food is guaranteed to be “safe.”

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

You may wonder why or how I can create a blog post on both my phone and MacBook. To make it simple to understand, it’s easier to upload photos from my phone into the WordPress app, and easier to edit and type my commentaries on the MacBook. So first I create the post on my iPhone and after I get all the photos uploaded I save the post as a draft and finish it on my MacBook. G’nite.

Above – My lunch today consisting of reheated homemade dal and chapati our cook, Anita, made yesterday. Anita cooks for us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The meals feed us lunch on those days with enough left over to have for lunch the next day. She always makes dal, chapati and rice along with a main dish which I wasn’t hungry for today. I mixed some of the rice in the dal to make it a bit heartier. Lunch is my main meal here. For dinner I usually have dahi (yogurt) and fruit (oranges, bananas, papayas) with Muesli. 

You might wonder what could I possibly see on the way back from Alandi I didn’t see on the way there. Well wonder no more.

We took a detour to visit one more temple and were surprised to find this agricultural oasis.

And, of course, cows.

This is the temple we visited. It’s very small and I only took this one photo.

Here’s another small temple we did not visit.

Within this oasis is this huge apartment construction site.

And a small school.

Back on the road to Pune.

These next three photos are of a a roadside marketplace along the highway. There’s a lot of very fertile farmland here.

Here are some beauties.

I caught this boy-cow mid yawn.

Back in Pune.

Anybody for a Sweet trEat?

Who needs a jack?

SURPRISE! A camel!!

Prashant’s class this morning was typical except we did a lot more Bharadvajasana than usual. Then out of the blue he called out Purvottanasana which we must’ve done a million times – for the back, for the spine, for the stomach, for the arms, for the shoulders, for the mind, for the neck, and so on. This was followed by Parivrtta Upavistha Konasana which was remarkable.

On the days we attend Prashant’s 7am classes (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), we have practice following class from 9-noon. This morning Dr. Knight conducted another led practice from 10-noon. These optional led practices are new. They didn’t offer them when I was here in 2013 or 2015. It’s a great addition to the schedule. Those who don’t want to participate can do their own practice in the back of the room. This morning Dr. Knight led us through all sorts of twists, from the very basic (Dandasana turning to the side) to more advanced twists such as Marichyasana 4 and everything in between, plus a long Parsva Sirsasana (headstand twisting to the side), Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) and Parsva Halasana (plow pose turned to the side – feet in line with the head!). He went on to talk about how the revolved poses “wring” out the organic body (the abdominal region where all the organs are) to cleanse out toxins. It was a strenuous class but also a lot of fun. This was the fourth led practice this month.

Tomorrow we have practice from 9-noon then Pranayama from 6-7:30 pm, most likely taught by Nawaz.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Me (aka warcari) and one of my many new friends.

Below – a man selling hats and things.

As soon as I walked up to this book seller the man selling books tossed the blue one in the middle on top of the stack. It’s the only book in English.

Thumbs up!

I had to pay this man 10 Rs ($0.16 US) to take his picture. It was worth it.

I finally bought some of these skillet roasted peanuts. The peanuts were pretty good, although different than you’d expect. The shell was blackened but the peanut inside was still rather raw tasting. Not bad, but not necessarily good either.

Walking across the bridge on the way back to the rickshaw.

Another look up the river from the bridge.

And a final look at Alandi, also from the bridge.

This guy is washing his motorcycle in the river.

No trip to Alandi is complete without cow sightings.

On the way out we stopped at another temple. These ladies arrived just as we got there.

The temple in the background is under construction. Nana said he thinks it’ll be done by next year.

Tractor hauling away dirt from a construction site.

Cobbler.

Class with Sunita this morning was a surprise – inversions, working on hip actions. We did a 20 minute Sirsasana broken down into 4 parts (about 5 minutes each). We came down in between each of these versions – Sirsasana with Parsva Sirsasana and came down, then we went up again and redid Parsva Sirsasana, then we came down and went back up for Parivrtta Ekaipada Sirsasana, then we came down again and went back up for Ekaipada Sirsasana. For those of you not knowing Sanskrit, that’s four different versions of headstand.

To answer Edith’s question, Geetaji has not taught any classes this month. I’ve seen her only one time this month sitting on the porch with Sunita but haven’t seen her since. As sad as I am to not have any classes with Geeta, I feel very fortunate to have Sunita teaching.

I’m off to bed now. I’ve got 7am class tomorrow with Prashant followed by another led practice after class.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – A dog’s (closed) eye view. This happy, healthy and very content dog enjoyed a Samadhi in Alandi.

The people of Alandi are among the most beautiful and nicest people I’ve ever met. They come here from all around to pay homage to the site where Saint Dnyaneshwar took his last Samadhi. It’s a very holy pilgrimage village where it’s common to see people praying, meditating and reading the Bhagavad Gita on the temple grounds. Photos aren’t allowed on the temple grounds, but there are plenty of photo opportunities everywhere else.

I think it’s important to say most of the people in Alandi aren’t accustomed to seeing westerners so we get a lot of attention in the friendliest of ways.

The banks of the Indriyani River where people swim, bathe, wash clothes and many other things.

I took a photo of some men on a wall which turned into a dominos effect.

You’ve gotta love these two characters.

These two were more interested in me photographing their food and them eating it. They wouldn’t let me take the photo until they were all set to take a bite.

Such a sweet boy.

There’s Jill taking a selfie.

A me selfie.

Then of course a great big group photo.

Here’s looking down the river.

The opposite view up the river.

It’s really not hard to get a photo of this many people. All it takes is two Westerners holding a cell phone taking photos. Next thing you know, the object of the photo multiplies.

This man spoke very good English and stuck around to translate while Nana went to the toilet.

Beautiful kids …

Beautiful women.

Young family.

Here’s the marketplace on the walk to the temple.

Offerings to place at the altars.

We each became a “warcari.” In 2015 two boys put the paint on our brow. This year it was two holy men.

When we arrived at the river people were setting up a stage for some sort of celebration, which may have been for Independence Day. I took a video to capture the moment.

Today is Independence Day. It’s 10:15pm, live music is still playing loudly somewhere nearby and there have been fireworks going off the past couple hours that we can see from the window in our flat. I’m guessing it will be quite a while before the noise settles down and I’ll be able to go to sleep.

Because there were no classes today my flatmates and I left the house early for a walk to Ferguson College where we took a hike to the top of a small mountain and where I took a ton of photos (go figure). The campus is beautiful and the people there are very friendly, but you’ll have to wait until I get through my Alandi photos before I share those.

Tomorrow class doesn’t start until 9:30am so I get to sleep in, whatever that means since the birds in the park wake me up around 4:45am every morning.

btw, Bruce brought to my attention that my featured image (“Women carrying their laundry to wash in the Indrayani River…” ) yesterday was missing. I fixed that so if you scroll down just a bit to yesterday’s post you will see it. I think it’s one of the best photos of my trip so you don’t want to miss it.

Also, if you’re a new subscriber to my blog and you receive emails notifying you when a new post is published, you’ll want to click on the caption in your email to view the blog online. Otherwise you’ll miss the featured images which are typically the best photo of the post.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Women carrying their laundry to wash in the Indrayani River which runs through Alandi.

We stopped at another temple along the way. I’d tell you the name of the temple if I could read this signage.

This sweet dog came out and made itself comfortable at the temple entrance. Someone’s been feeding this one and I was pleased to see he had been neutered. I choose not to take and share photos of the dogs here. There are a lot of them. I’ll leave it at that.

Stairs on the way up to the temple door.

A large pillar in front of the temple.

Inside the temple.

Hanuman.

This man is selling a hot item.

Remember this truck … You’ll see why farther down in this post …

There’s major road construction close to Alandi.

There are many goats grazing at the top of this cliff.

New construction.

Goods carrier.

This small economy car is packed with people. This is ok here.

Statues are made here. I had to take a second look at that man who isn’t really a man at all.

More laundry.

Here’s a sneak peek at the river.

About that truck photo you saw a minute ago … Take a close look here (& I’m sorry it’s not very clear) at the number of people packed into and getting out of this large truck.

A view from the bridge over the river.

Chai with Nana before walking into Alandi.

Ron – These next three photos are for you.

See, there is a sink with real soap and running water, but it’s outside the bathroom.

Something I haven’t mentioned is that we’ve had bees in our flat, mostly in ManYee’s room. This morning during Prashant’s class we were instructed to close all the windows in the practice hall because of the bees. As it turns out, the bee hive was on the terrace of OUR building, one story up from our flat! No wonder we’ve had bees.

Here is the bee worker in his bee suit holding up a honeycomb with his protective gloves.

Tomorrow is Independence Day in India and a holiday. No classes. My flat mates and I are heading out around 8am for a walk to Ferguson College and then out to lunch. Ferguson College is a beautiful campus about a mile away from the flat.

This morning’s class with Prashant was intense backbends followed by a 2-hour practice where I worked on hip openers. Prashant’s talks the last few classes have been about evacuation. Something has to be evacuated in order to let something in, and what can be evacuated and what can be let in? Of course, this has led to some serious considerations as to what kind of evacuations are required or necessary.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!