Om shanti shanti shanti

Dave and I are now in Rishikesh which has named itself the "yoga capital of the world". The place is right on the ganga river, flanked with mountains and humming with new-age stuff, ashrams and ppl looking like newtown hippies.

We've just come for the yoga and to chill and read for a few days. I've dragged Dave along to yoga and he seems to be enjoying it. Our day starts with a 2.5hr yoga class, followed by a masala chai and breakfast in the sun, then a couple of hours reading followed by a walk. In the evening we head down to the ganga river for the daily ganga aarti - river worship ceremony with singing and ppl sending marigolds, incense and candles down the river. Pretty cool sight watching the floating candles over the ganges during sunset.

I'm really enjoying tucking into yoga again although I dread the last part of the class because of the breathing exercises (which border pornographic). Dave and I try not to look at each other otherwise we start laughing. Today's exercise was just too funny (standing up, legs apart, big breath in then lunge forward with hands on knees, bum out, and expelling all the air from your lungs with a huge grunt followed by continuously convulsing your stomach muscles for a minute).

I'm not into the meditation part either and imagining you're a bird, lotus flower, or a silver tube. I spend most of the class trying to figure out what type of bird/flower/item I want to be and by that time it's all over.

Anyway, I hear there is a swiss lady who only does the yoga and focusses on correct positioning so I am off to find her today. I've heard that she yells but they all seem to including our guy in the morning who screams out "RELAAAAAXXXXX".