At Kripalu

I have so far eating two meals here, both of them incredible. For those of you who know that i do not eat wheat and sugar on a general basis, you might understand how excited i was to see hot millet cream spiced with cardamom that i made crunchy with raisin granola and a side of *gasp* spelt toast! mmm! I was thrilled. The peanut butter was delicious too. So far the big challenge (that i'm happy to say i've been succeeding at) is not overreating.

That having been said, i've also attended two yoga classes since i've been here, one ending in a half hour meditation in which i did not fall asleep. And this morning, we had our first real program session (last night was orientation) in which we got to do some cool exercises that illustrate the real conflict going on in most people's lives between body, mind, energy level, and the outside observer trying to involve a sense of balance between the forces. On thing that yoga has done for me is that it's given me the tools to make them all play nice and to really find a sense of balance.

That ALSO having been said, some of the things are a bit hippy-dippy for me, but that might just have been the orientation. The actual program looks like it's going to have some EXCELLENT instruction, not to mention that the directors are wonderful. Going around the room last night talking about why we're all here and what yoga means to us, it was obvious, according to the directors, "that there is a tremendous amount of yoga knowledge in this room already. Don't feel like you don't have a foot to stand on, because you've come a long way already." That was nice to hear.

Waking up at 5:30 went a LOT better than i thought it would. With 9 other women in the room getting up at the same time, it was easier for me to drag myself out of bed. And the handful of nuts prevented me from GOING nuts before 6am yoga. We have a really packed schedule, beginning at 6am all days, and ending a 9pm on 5 out of the 9 days, ending at 5:45pm. Quiet hours start at 9:30, but i was relieved to hear that there is a room we can talk on our cell phones on any time we want, and we are free to rome the halls if we can't sleep. Indeed, i've already made friends with one of the assistants here who is also a night owl. Fortunately, meditation is very restful, so i don't feel particularly tired. One of these days, i'll have to find some time to spend in the Kripalu Store, which is filled with all sorts of incredible props, clothing, books, music, chanting tools, stationary (and i LOVE stationary...) ... and many more wonders, i am sure. It will just have to be on a night that i don't have a session, as i did last night and will again tonight.

And there is coffee for sale in the cafe for the modest price of $1.50 per cup and $0.75 per refill, and i can use the same cup to refill it all week, according to the lady behind the cash register. I've got people pulling for me.

I'm surprised to find myself hungry less often here, where i am moving so much, than i am at work. I suppose nervous energy works harder than i thought it did.

Last night while i walked into the first program orientation, i found myself feeling so overwhelmed with emotion -- with the good fortune i've had to come here, with the wonderful people i'm surrounded with, with the support i've had the whole way from my family, my friends, and my co-workers, and of course, daN. And i also miss him. It's not as painful as it could have been, but sleeping wasn't quite the same without him. In fact, i slept pretty terribly, predictably, until around 4am when i FINALLY started to get some good shut-eye... and had to get up an hour and a half later. Ah well. Perhaps tonight will be better. I think i woke up because of my tooth pain.

Speaking of which -- I'll be seeing an endocrynologist at my dentist's office so he can do a tooth test for sensitivity and see how the nerves are doing there. Woo!

Well, i think it's time for me to sign off. I have to grab lunch and would love to go for a walk outside while the sun is shining on this beautiful hillside on the 300 acre campus of Kripalu in the Berkshires.

Oh -- on a final note, it is much busier than it would normally be here this time of year since Deepak Choprah is here all weekend. I don't know much about him, which is just as well, because i would otherwise be quite put out by my inability to attend any of his sessions due to schedule conflict.

Love to all. Asshimha (compassion).