Winter In Mysore

Inspired by the discussions I've been having with fellow Iyengar student, Joe, about meditation, I sat in my room the other night for about an hour. Eyes closed, I conjured up images that felt "divine" (a mode of advice given to me by the Guruji). The first thing that came to mind was my horse, Cosby. So I meditated on Cosby for a while. It's easy to meditate on him. He is pretty perfectly divine. I used to go out to the barn when upset about things in my adolescent youth and sit in his stall. His huge head would swing around the stall from his food to me, to his food, to me...I remember thinking he reminded me of a brontosaurus with his long head swinging like that. He would put his big muzzle to my hair and blow his breath all over me and then eat some more food. He reminded me of everything that was peaceful as my hair filled with hay and and the smell of him, his eyes twinkling at me. Thinking about ideas such as God or a Divine Mother, or Jesus, or Buddha, or whatever has brought me to consider what things have made me feel...connected, in my life. Cosby has this affect on me...a lot of animals do. India itself is enough, also. A few people I have known or loved, like my little brother, make it easy to feel like there is definitely a "super-soul" shining brightly through the eyes or leaves or tears or roots or colors of beings and things. It is nice to notice these things, and to think about them more often than I ever have.

After sitting and meditating on Cosby for a while, I laid on my bed and watched a candle burn for a long while until I felt sleepy. It was so lovely to just lay and do absolutely nothing but let this candle flicker gently in my peripheral vision, feeling the warmth and calm and peace I had just cultivated set in. I slept like a baby that night, and awoke to the sound of a powerful rainstorm engulfing the shala and all of Mysore. It reminded me of Seattle, and what is probably a cozy winter setting in there. I thought of pumpkins and stew and cider and scarves and Madison Market.

Today it is a balmy overcast. About seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Last night I spent the evening on mats in a garden eating heaps of amazing organic Indian food with a bunch of fellow yogis I have met here. I am starting to feel like I am a stable and known part of the community, my ukulele ever-present, of course. People come to Mysore once and come back again and again and again...I can see why. I could get used to this.