Looking for my inner hippie... wait... nope, not there.

I arrived in McLeod Ganj last Saturday, so I’ve been here just over a week now. McLeod Ganj is a little town in Dharamsala in the Himalayas.  There are a few little mountain villages above each other, McLeod Ganj (MG), Bhagsu and above that Dharamkot.  MG is where where the Dalai Lama lives in exile, other than that there’s really not much else here. It's pretty grungy here - maybe they should call it Mcleod Grunge. It’s an interesting clash between Indian and Tibetan culture.  There a lot of monks walking around in their maroon coloured robes. Some on cell phones. This is very strange to me. Not sure where they get the money.  A lot of wealthy Punjabi families and honeymooners come here to play on the weekends. MG is a very busy place.
Above MG is Bhagsu (a 15 minute walk up the mountain).  Bhagsu is a popular destination for the Israeli hippie crowd and various yoga and spiritual seekers - mostly Westerners. And above Bhagsu, another 15 minute walk up the mountain is Dharamkot - even less busy and full of Israeli cafes.  All of these towns/villages are made up of narrow roads that switchback across the mountain. It's very beautiful.  And I can see snow covered mountains!

The purpose of me coming here was to do a yoga course for one month. I wanted some time to focus on myself and just relax in one spot, turn off my brain for a while and do something healthy for me, physically and mentally. The second day I was here I made my way up to Bhagsu to find the yoga center I was planning on attending.  And after a long and unintentional hike through the mountains (which was really beautiful) I found it in Upper Bhagsu.  It was amongst loads of other small yoga centers and hippie cafes.  People were everywhere and I immediately started to feel like a complete cliche and very very out of place.  I didn't feel like I fit here mentally or fashion-wise. And now felt a little out of sorts.

I spoke with someone at the yoga center.  She seemed nice and said the course I was planning on taking was "beautiful".  I then spoke with the teacher who gave me a leaflet and when I read the words "mystical" and "telepathy" I knew it wasn't the right place for me.  It also teaches a lot of Tantric yoga, which is fine, but not what I'm looking for at the moment.  Overall, I just didn't get the "beautiful" vibe that was going on there. 

As a non-yoga person and with so much choice here it was very difficult to find a place or even know where to start to look.  I felt a bit overwhelmed and very deflated.  "What the f*#k am I doing here?" was really more like what was going through my head.  But I decided to give it a couple more days and talk to some people and get their recommendations.

I met a woman at Moonpeak cafe (where I hang out often and found the BEST omelet I've ever had in my life) who mentioned another place which sounded appealing and they do both yoga and meditation - which I'm interested in learning about.  So I went to the MG branch and the teacher and I hiked up the mountain, in the heat, to Upper Bhagsu to talk to the head instructor/guru there.  The main instructor was dressed in white, longish hair and sported a bindi.  He asked me to come and sit with him in the studio so he could tell me a little about the practice.  This was all fine but when he started to pause, close his eyes and be silent in between thoughts I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying anymore. Just imagine me sitting there in front of this guy - awww-kward. This and the fact that two students there said this was not a good place for beginners were my clues that this place wasn't for me either.  The two students kindly (and subtly) directed me to another place. Ugh.  On to the next...

The next day I hiked up to the Himalyan Iyengar Yoga Centre between Bhagsu and Dharamkot.  It's stunning location on the mountain side.  Just seeing the place I got a good feeling.  I spoke with the instructor there and signed up for the 5-day beginner class which every new student, no matter how long they've been practicing yoga must complete.  Perfect.

The next morning, I got up early, checked out of my hotel in MG (with plans to move more into the mountains and closer to the yoga center) and to the yoga center by 9am.

A little about Iyengar Yoga:
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Iyengar Yoga is a type of Hatha yoga which is known for using props like bolsters, blocks, chairs, belts and ropes to help people get more benefit out of the asanas (postures). This is really great for beginners and works very well for people with injuries or health issues.  The instructors are very thorough in explaining postures - how they work, what your body should be doing and feeling.  It's not a meditative type yoga.  The instructors are constantly talking and giving instruction.
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The first class was really great and the instructor, Sharat, was amazing. He's in his 50s, average height, skinny, long-haired, yogi.  Wears white loose cotton pants.  Totally what you would imagine an Indian yogi to be like. And maybe a little cocky, but fun.

I'm really happy that this place isn't all new agey and stuff (it really makes me uncomfortable) When Sharat asked a student what they were feeling and the student replied that he felt “the energy flowing through his body” and Sharat shut him down saying that energy was just an idea he wants to know what he was feeling in his body... this seems to be my kind of place!

We do about 3 hours of yoga in the morning. And then I have my afternoons free. So I have leisurely lunch with friends I've met in class, have a nap and then take a walk through the mountains or through the villages.. or update my blog :) . There are pockets of peacefulness here. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm last night. The thunder rolled softly for what seemed like ages.  It was amazing.

Right now I’m staying at a little resort directly above the yoga center. I equate it to "Kellerman's" but instead of the Foxtrot and Charades, it's Bollywood and Cricket.  Awesome.  Now I just need to decide what I want... be around more people and move closer to the village center or hang out here. Not sure yet.

More soon... with pictures too...
xoxo