Oatmeal!

I woke up this morning rearing and ready to go - from my warm and toasty bed to the frigid hall and bathroom that is ;) the bathroom in my flat reminds me SOOOO much of my bathroom in my flat in Greece some years back - same old fashioned bathtub, same cheap shower curtain, same cold airy feeling once you open the door, same smell even I think. Only difference here is that the water does heat up much faster than I remember it in Greece (I actually still have horrid memories of the several cold showers I had to take in that bathroom in Athens during the coldest winter they'd seen in 100 years.....ugh)...

But the shower here was rather lovely - well when put into perspective you know. The water was warm and, at the end of the day, that is all that really matters. You know I've taken a ton of cold showers/bucket baths in India - but it isn't quite so painful when its also warm outside...

After said shower, I got my layers on, packed my sack full or a change of clothes, locked zee door, unlocked my bike and took it downstairs (won't begin to go into the ordeal this is - takes a good five minutes to accomplish) and off I went into the windy, rainy, cold morning - made my way to the Yoga Room to practice with Chris and Rowena. I left at 7am and got there about 7:40am - ended up waiting about thirty minutes b/c I was early and they were late - but its all good cause I didn't know how long it would take me to get there from my flat - still learning a lot about this place - will likely continue to learn and adjust - and just when I feel like I've got this city down pat, I'll be getting my arse on a plane for my next adventure....oh well.....I digress....

anyway, once they arrived at the yoga shala we turned on the heaters (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha....was sooooo damn cold in there those wee little heaters would not possibly be able to heat the room completely, let alone in my lifetime....) So I opted to begin my practice with my socks and thermal on. The socks had to go by the start of Surya Namaskara B - but only because they were sliding off....my thermal stayed with me all the way til Marchi C - and it only came off then b/c I decided I didn't NEED it anymore ;) Don't get me wrong - it was still an lovely practice - any practice, having been completed, is a lovely one! That is the truth! I find that practice here takes on entirely different characteristics and has a bit of a different focus - but it is still the most important part of my daily life regardless of circumstances....and it is really great - this change that is - change in climate which alters my practice, change in consistency of location and time of practice, change in general - keeps me on my toes ;)

After practice I biked back to my flat - classes don't go full swing just yet so I had most of the day for me....I biked home in the windy, cold, rain (need you to FEEL this visual b/c I can't begin to describe the sensations I had during my ride - pleasure, pain, numbness, runny nose, huge smile, total visual stimulation from the castle looking out over the city.....) I came home and ate my flat! I was STarVinG... I had two, yes TWO bowls of porridge (or oatmeal as we call it back home ;) - I quite literally cooked a big bowl, ate it, cooked another helping, and ate that too! Then it was time for a nap - so much warm goodness required too much work from the digestive system - cut off some other systems in zee body - so I went back to my cozy, warm, COZY bedroom with my TWO down comforters and my amazing heater and I proceeded to nap away three more hours of my day :) gloriousness at its best!

When I woke up I attended to the UMPTEEN emails I had and did a few other necessary things before proceeding to prepare for my departure from the flat out into the cold, windy, rain. I had to teach a class in the center of town at 6pm and wanted to leave by 4:30pm as I figured it would take about an hour to walk there from my flat (and I was right :) - go me!!! The layers I put on my body were comical - you see this is what people here do during the winter - but this isn't yet their winter - god help me come November! But I must say that after my sports bra, shirt, thermal, mid layer jacket, jacket, and rain jacket - along with gloves, and my uber warm pink hat - I felt totally comfortable outside in the windy, cold, rain!

On my way to the class I noticed a little spa type shop - just poked my head down at the price list in the window b/c I was oh so curious as to how much a pedicure cost. While I had joked with friends in India about the astronomical cost of a pedicure - I was horrified to find out that my prediction was spot on - a whopping 26 pounds for a fu..ing pedicure! That's $52.00........................ Thank GOD I went to the trouble I did for that Final pedicure in Mysore before I left - the best 150 rupees I ever spent - and the last pedicure these feet will see for the next four months - oh the horror of even thinking about how disgusting my feet are gonna be....

Class at Virgin was lovely - was able to heat the room up more than I thought I would, and the students were wonderful!!! They all enjoyed class and I did too - this was my first official class since May....Always love coming back to teaching after a trip to India - not only feel fueled up but also feel like i haven't skipped a beat - love what I do - such a special gift I have to share with the world - just gotta always remember that when days are really long sometimes.

After class I spent an hour working out at the gym - place is so BIG and clean and BIG and CLEAN, and did I say big and clean? I enjoyed the workout and the heat production. I then re-CLOTHED myself and headed back out into the windy, cold, rain so I could walk home. There are buses here but I'd rather save those for the truly miserable days to come! Plus, I love walking and there is so much beautiful scenery around me here - it would be a SHAME to take the bus when I can walk and see the city....I just popped in my earbuds and jammed my way home....Besides, its only the last 15 minutes of the hour walk that become a bit, well a bit, ugh....like "enough of this wet rainy, windy, cold walk already!"

So now I'm home and I'm about to call it a night - guess what I had for dinner? More hot ass oatmeal - nothing else warms the soul like good old fashioned oats! Think that will be Krista's staple the next four months - good thing too cause its damn expensive to eat here ;) Well, ta ta for now people - wishing everyone everywhere a wonderful weekend ahead!