Lower your shakras. Relax your neck...face...nose. Raise your hands and interlock your finkies. Okay, our yoga instructor, Solaman, may say odd things with an even odder accent, but he's an excellent teacher. He demonstrates the poses well and adjusts each person during each pose when needed. The classes are small; this morning there were only five people. The Sakthi Yoga Centre is the covered roof of a three story building, and at seven in the morning a cool breeze moves across the floor. Despite the sore muscles, it's been a relaxing few days.

Coincidental with this relaxation, I've started taking pictures again. I don't know exactly the reason I stopped, or at least spent days without taking a single picture. (Just ask Leah how unusual this is.) There is the fact that photography was sometimes discourage at the ashram. (You are welcome to guess why they don't want pictures of residents who plan never to return to their former lives.) But, even after the stay, I didn't feel motivated. Maybe it was a string of cities that brought only traffic, noise, and pollution to mind. Or maybe, it was the general travel fatigue that Leah and I have been going through. Whatever the reason, and whatever the cure, the moment I walked on to the beach in Mamallapuram and saw a group of cows curled up to a colorful boat, I took out the camera and felt better again. Here are some pictures I uploaded yesterday:

Tamil Nadu

Now I just need to figure out how to relax my nose.

Posted by David | Permalink