A M o n t h i n M y s o r e , I n d i aMister Barker’s Travels November 2013

Hi, Everyone!

I hope those of you back in the UK are keeping warm and aren’t feeling too overwhelmed with Christmas careering towards us!

I’ve been here in India for a month now so thought it would be a good time for a little update. My plan was to stay in Mysore for a week before seeing more of the country including Goa and Hampi amongst other places.

I had a really good feeling about Mysore as soon as I arrived and when the day came for me to catch my flight to leave, I was having second thoughts.

On the morning of my departure, I arrived at the airport to find that my flight to Goa had been cancelled. Although I was offered the chance to fly the day after, I decided that maybe it was some sort of ‘sign’ so I declined the offer in favour of staying on in Mysore for a month. A few days after deciding to stay, I met Beth from New York and Jean from Seattle (top right!). Beth and Jean were here to study yoga and looking for a 3rd person to share their flat. After a quick chat about it at the local coconut stand, I decided to move from my serviced apartment and move in with my American chums. We now live in an area where we are amongst the locals and it’s feeling much more like an ‘authentic ‘ experience. We’ve even popped next door to visit our neighbours - an extended Indian family who treated us to snacks and juice whilst we chatted to mum, grandma, grandpa, and their little ones.

As I’ve been practicing Ashtanga Yoga for a while and since I’m here in Mysore, it seemed like a good opportunity to see if I could register at the world famous Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute.

Yoga enthusiasts and teachers from the world over come here to practice at the school and students are usually expected to book a minimum of 2 months in advance. I thought I’d have a go at sidelining the rules and asked if I could register - I got lucky.

Beth and Jean also registered with me, so we now live together and also practice yoga together - every morning from 6am (although I start a little later than the others). I’m just not fond of getting up getting up in the dark......

The style of teaching (known as Mysore style) is different from most yoga classes. There is a set sequence that all students must learn and follow. Rather than following the directions of a teacher, everyone works and their own pace, arriving and leaving at different times over a 4 hour period. Beth and Jean are both super bendy & do more advance postures than me but we all work between 1.5 to 2 hours per day. We get crunched into all sorts of shapes by our teacher Saraswahti and her assistants. Some days it feels like medieval torture but I feel like I’m making good progress. There are some very dedicated practitioners here with some people coming for up to 3 months per visit.

There is a Brighton collective here in Mysore. Sarah who teaches back in Brighton was here when I arrived - I enjoyed hanging out with her for a bit. Guy, Leia, Louise and Doug have also made the journey for some early morning bending, stretching and breathing!

For me, I think it was just what I needed. It’s so quite here in the suburb of Gokulam. Most of the yoga community wind down by 8pm so I’m getting to bed early, eating well and enjoying break from drinking alcohol. Late nights and early morning classes just aren’t compatible! My aim is to try and keep this going when I come back in the spring - Inshalla......

M y s o r e A r c h i t e c t u r e

‘Gokulam is the Beverly Hills of Mysore’, is a phrase that I overheard in my first week here. The architecture is certainly very striking and not what you’d expect to see in India - perhaps more befitting a suburb from 1950’s America. There are also the more traditional colonial style buildings, but the mid century design influence is everywhere you go. I never tire of strolling the streets here and snapping pictures of these iconic looking buildings.

Far left: Even the Ashtanga Yoga Institute building is in keeping with the popular modernist style.

Left: Another typical Mysore house with equally lovely manicured gardens.

Below: The Green Hotel - more in keeping with traditional, colonial style of Indian buildings

G r e e n F i n g e r e d M y s o r i a n s

The gardens in Mysore are just as note worthy as the architecture - Many of the houses on the streets of Gokulam look like something from Channel 4‘s Grand Designs and are all surrounded by trees and shrubs which are adorned with some of the most exotic flowers I’ve ever seen. People take the upkeep of their outdoor spaces really seriously here. It’s a huge part of what makes Mysore so special for me.

O u r M y s o r e H o m e : T r i v i a l T i t b i t s

• We live opposite Dr Ramesh’s Piles Hospital

• I sleep on ‘Happy Valentine Day’ sheets

• If we’re lucky enough to sleep through packs of howling dogs at night, we rarely escape being woken up by the cockerels.....

Despite occasionally feeling that I’m in a strange yogic bubble here in Mysore, I’ve made plans to continue with my daily yoga regime and leave exploring India for another trip. I’ve thought about home a lot - I’m half way through my travels now and feel and like I’ll be ready to come home in the spring. I plan to fly home on 28th February so that British winter better have done it’s worst by then please. (who am i kidding?)

In 4 weeks time I’ll set off for Thailand where I’ll be joined by Mr Simon Kent, Ma & Pa Barker and hopefully meet up with me old chum Trudy Burns to enjoy a bit of Island Life.

Will send more updates soon. - until then - O m S h a n t i S h a n t i S h a n t i i i i i i i i !