Not Exactly Like Back Home

On every trip Trice and I have taken abroad, we have gotten massages. Thailand had the best ones to date and were all about working the muscles and joints. Staying in line with tradition we decided to try an Ayurveda massage. Neither one of us knew exactly what to expect, but we just assumed it was like any other massage we have had. Nope. That would be the mistake of the century. Here is how it went.

I went into the room, escorted by two women, and was told to completely undress, underwear included. Red flag number one. The one young woman preceded to tie a small string around my waist and then took a piece of cloth between my legs and secured it with the string. Lying down on the table, for the most part completely naked except for my small shroud, with no sheets in sight. None to cover the bed and none to cover me. Red flag number two. Now, I have been through midwifery school and am not shy or modest, but this was a whole new level of exposure. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. The massage began with a pouring of oil, about the amount in a liter of soda, all over me. I was completely drenched in oil. Then, both women began to vigerously rub. Now for those of you who have never had the experience of a massage in the states, the chest/torso/butt area is usually off limits. Not so much here. All areas were game. This continued for about 30 minutes, with me flipping from from front to back like a little greasy fish. Once that was completed, the finale consisted of being placed in a steam box, where only my head poked out from the top.

This was an experience. Maybe not exactly the one I was looking for, but I am chalking it up to being a medicinal massage with lots of healing properties. That is my best attempted to see the rainbow:)

We took cooking classes today. I am so excited to possibly finally be able to cook something Indian. The food was so tasty and the woman was a joy to learn from. I have posed some pictures of the food that was made.

There is a festival going on this week that celebrates the harvest. In celebration the people paint the cows because they are part of harvesting the fields. I have posted a picture of a very pretty cow with her horns painted green.

I have been noticing that I have been posting far more about non-yoga things. I am not sure why this is. The yoga is why I came here and yet I have shared more about the culture and the "goings-on" than anything. I think I am still absorbing a lot about the yoga. The practice seems so personal at times, a process, that to blog about it would make very little sense to a reader. I am sure that time will reveal more and something worth sharing.