Last year I lost a handbag with cash, cellphone, keys, credit cards, drivers license and so much more. The bag itself was precious, but lost it on a bus in Bangalore. The bus was crowded. I had just landed in Bangalore one day prior to this. I had quite a few things in the bag, luckily I had taken my passport and left it at home just before this. I was traveling in Asia before I went to Bangalore. I was so afraid of losing my passport and credit cards while traveling elsewhere and I was so careful. When I went to Bangalore, I was not on guard. Two women with a baby came so close to me and the next second my bag was gone. It took me a few seconds to figure out, by then they were gone. I got off when the bus slowed down for signal and I was running through Bangalore roads. I did not know what to do. Then it took me days even to file a complaint in Bangalore. The police needed so much proof. The first time I went to a police station which had the jail units as well. I saw many men inside looking at me. It was weird. For some reason, I made peace with the loss right there. I thought it was just cash and stuff. May be some really poor people had a few meals off of it.

Losing a passport in a foreign country is a scary thought. I watched a film a last year, wah do dem which was so well made with a great soundtrack. This guy loses his passport, money and clothes just about everything in Jamaica. It was a hilarious film, but so real. In some ways, you do learn not to get too attached to things.

People who steal are ayogis (awful people), shortcuts don’t last for long. I prefer people asking for a quarter instead of these thieves. But, the biggest thieves I come across are my banks, mortgage and the regular accounts. I wish there was a better way to keep my money.

I was at a “vinyasa” class last week. Music was Jazz. Sade and others were taking turns to provide the vocals.  The instructor told us to press on the golden egg between the root chakra and the genitals. Some more chakra talk continued. My golden rule of thumb had always been to avoid a class where the teacher talks about chakras. I normally draw the line at bandhas. Most instructors understand bandhas. Chakra talk is so DC (Deepak Chopra) and is what I classify as saccharine sweet. It is mostly mumbo jumbo to me. I understand chakras in the real yogic sense, but not in a yoga class where the instructor is trying to sound cool.

In my home practice, I follow the KYM and astanga style. The breath is super long, the asanas look like it is done in slow motion. There is no hurry to jump through things in milliseconds. The “Vinyasa power” uses a lot of movements so quickly, that my knees buckle. Moving from a mostly hyper extended trikonasana to warrior 2 to ardha chandrasana to standing splits. What does it all mean to the knee? Is it okay to put your knee through all these movements one after the other? This style is torture to my knees and my breath. My knee screams violence. Especially the ardha chandrasana, the standing splits and the lunges. The darling poses of western vinyasa power.

One aspect of my issue is the knee injury, for sure. What matters is also the yoga instructor. I believe any style of yoga can be good if the instructor is good. I have attended amazing Bikram, Vinyasa, Hatha, Astanga classes. Each one of them can turn bad if the instructor is just so so. The yoga education, practice of a teacher matters a lot and how they translate their knowledge to guide the class. It is a combination of things.

For now, I have decided to take a break from vinyasa power in Vancouver. It is quite possible the teachers are not as good as in San Francisco. Or it may be that I am attached to my experiences of San Francisco. I have also been studying a lot about Yoga and I have changed a lot too since I went to India and KYM. My understanding of Yoga has gained a lot of depth as well.

Vinyasa power feels like Bollywood yoga and Disney combined in one. Everything is perfect, color coordinated, sweet, cute, lots of songs, nice outfits and so predictable. I have decided to go Indie and try other styles. “Hatha” seems to make sense to me as the asanas are done at a much slower pace and does not feel too scripted. I keep reading about Yin. I will try that as well. Ultimately, I will be happy in a yoga class which does not use music. Silence must be encouraged and that is the style what I enjoy the most. Astanga fits the bill for most part, but just a little too aggressive for me.

I am looking for a style that has no music and a little mild. I hope this is not too much to ask. No offense to Sade, Marvin Gaye, Beatles, Reggae, Rock, Trance and others.

What a performance, Team Canada! The theme of downtown’s party was that the USA got pucked : ) Gold Canada, Gold!

The design of the cauldron is beautiful. In the night, it has the icy blue feel to it and it is so Vancouver, transparent glass. I love it!

I could not understand the craze for the olympic pins. People were buying and trading these pins everywhere. I could not get excited about it. It looks like a lot of clutter to me. But, people were so crazy about it. Every pin had value to it and some were being released in limited edition.

Check out the blue skies! It should be called Spring Olympics.

Go Canada!

Just like a lot of buildings in Vancouver, it uses a lot of glass. I guess it is because of the constant grayness of the winter. It has six levels filled with tons of books.  It is so spacious and designed so well. Even if someone is on the phone, it does  not feel very loud.

Just like any other library in the west, it is home to homeless people, the unemployed, the old, students, immigrants and the book worms.

Checkout the roof of the concourse. It is glass again. In case any of you have forgotten,  Olympics starts in a few days. Just about every inch of Vancouver has been decorated for the Olympics. For sure it is an overdose, but hey it is Olympics. There are many flat screens on display inside the library concourse. I guess they must be screening some events from the Olympics.