PRASAD

one new pose has totally altered my body. just when the hips were opening, SLAM! shut again, thanks to this asana. this practice plays this game constantly-your back is open, new pose comes, SLAM! closed. every part of your body. non-attachment is the sane way to go, believe me. this new asana seems to be about balance and strengthening the hip flexors. it's hard to be flexible and strong in all areas of the body, but astanga addresses it all, that is if you are one of the few practitioners who sticks with the practice long enough to realize this. it really takes tons of patience and many years-i've been at it 9 years and feel like an embryo in the womb.

when i first met gwendoline hunt, it was my good fortune that she whispered a wonderful snack of wisdom in my ear which has stayed with me always. she told me, "the more you do this practice, the more you will understand it." SO TRUE.

PRASAD-offerings of sweets to a god or a guest (guests ARE god to indians)
usually a sugar bomb in any thousand of shapes and textures. some dense, like almond balls, some light and airy, like these pillows of coconut balls siva gave me at the internet yesterday. he left me with 10 and i ate every single one! "what are they?" "bombay sweets!" fresh coconut balls of heaven! and straight after yoga, a woman gives me dense cookie types that fall apart in your mouth! sugary buttery goodness! and i don't know why, but i feel like a god when i am eating these.
prasad is also the name of a small young extremely sweet waiter at the lonely planet. he was born with the perfect name! he wears a tiny t-shirt that says "try me."

i'm reading my 5th book this month called "being indian-the truth about why the 21st century will be indias" by parvan k. varma. it's a bit on the scholarly side, but pretty insightful. it discusses the traits that indians have so non indians can better understand them. they have a lot going for them. resiliant people who've had to deal with adversity constantly-even the middle and upper classes have to deal with traffic, polution, water and electrical shortages on a daily basis. they are also a detached people and spiritual, constantly getting forgiveness from "sins" or "wrong-doings"-a jump in the ganga does the trick, or several hundred mantras.
yesterday i read in the hindu that there were 80,000 indians admitted into top american schools last year! this is very good news for india. bright people, hard working, curious. that will get you a lot in this life.