A Week of Firsts

Today is Father's Day, so first I want to wish my dad a very happy day! Thank you for my FIRST care package delivery in India. It made it in good condition with all contents accounted for! I'm trying to ration appropriately, but it is so hard to not devour all the yummies at once!

This week marks the end of my FIRST month in Bangalore. In many ways time has flown by, and in many others, this has been one of the longest months of my life. I miss my family, my friends, my cat. I miss my bed, my big bathtub, my car. Getting anywhere here can be such a hassle. I have to call Uber or reserve the hotel car. These are convenient, yes, but not as convenient as my car. And it takes forever to get anywhere. Traffic is a beast. We think morning rush hour on 2499 is a nightmare, but that is like a lonely highway through a deserted town compared to Bangalore traffic. But, all my complaining aside, this is a magical place with magical people, opportunities and experiences!

I met a lovely woman online before I left the States, and last week, I met her in person. We met at the opulent Leela Palace Hotel for coffee, and I discovered we have much in common (most notably, shopping!) Last Saturday, Melissa took me to a great little music venue, the Humming Tree, to listen to her husband's band. They are called the Ministry of Blues, and they play American classic blues rock. The bar was packed with kids and grandparents alike. Music truly connects us all. Melissa is my FIRST new friend here, and I look forward to a lasting friendship with her.

Later in the week, I returned to Leela Palace for my FIRST Thursday Morning Coffee with the Overseas Women's Club of Bangalore. Yep. I've become a joiner. It kinda weirds me out, too, but let's go with it. This club is charity driven and its members include women from every corner of the world. I met the most lovely Texan woman, Jean, whom I just adored at our first hug. I met other women from India, Dubai, Europe, the US and some places I've never heard of. I look forward to more Thursday mornings, to making more friends, and to becoming involved in the events and charity work hosted by the OWC.

The biggest FIRST this past week was the inaugural event celebrating the very FIRST International Day of Yoga. On 11 December 2014, the UN declared 21 June, the day of Summer Solstice, as the International Day of Yoga. Yoga was celebrated all over the world today, and I was privileged and blessed to take part in a celebration here in Bangalore. The celebration was led by Grand Master Akshar. Lillie attends his academy here in Indiranagar. I learned Pranayam which was at first strange, but is a wonderful breathing exercise that made me feel cleaner and lighter. I also learned that I am not ready for the more advanced power yoga, Surya Namaskar, but it's something I can practice towards. It was such a beautiful and breathtaking and breathgiving experience I was a part of today. Before we left, a group of special needs kids performed asanas for 20+ minutes. They executed postures and showed a discipline and joy for yoga that we should all strive for. Let me emphasize that these kids should never be labeled as disabled, they are an inspiration and a joy. I realized again today how I misuse and how little I actually move my body. I am sore, but I feel alive. I let my yoga practice die off over a year ago. I hope to not do that again.

http://iydbengaluru.com/

My certificate. I have to say that I'm super proud of this.

Grand Master Akshar

Performance by the instructors at Akshar Academy

Grand Master Akshar

Performance by the Angels

Waiting for the next flow...

In preparation for my FIRST solo vacation which starts next Friday, I trekked out to Whitefield to Decathlon, which is kind of an Indian version of REI/Academy/Dick's. Stay tuned for the next update which should be a feast for the eyes. I'm headed to the "Scotland of India"!!