Daily Routine

Its a very relaxing atmosphere here. There is no sense of urgency and things happen naturally. Each morning Jen and I wake up about 2hours before our practice time so we can do our first Vipassana meditation and a few morning rituals (bath, coffee, stretching, etc). We walk to the shala where we wait our turn to enter. Practice lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours. After practice, right outside the shala there is a man with a small truck full of coconuts. For 10 rupees (abt 50cents) he'll use his machete to cut the top off so you can drink it with a straw. If its a sweet coconut, there is jelly inside that he opens up and you can scoop it out and eat it. We'll have a nice big breakfast either at home or in one of the local Indian eateries or western restaurants that have opened up to cater to us foreign yoga students. The rest of the days lately have been filled with reading, writing, walks and naps. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are a bit busier with three classes on each day - chanting, Sanskrit and Bhagavad Gita lessons. Each evening we close with our second daily Vipassana meditation and are in bed around 8pm. I'm getting lots of sleep and rest and I'm loving it!
My birthday on Saturday was no exception. Totally relaxing. I met 6 friends at the Green Hotel for lunch and chocolate birthday cake! It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and I enjoyed every minute of it. Plus - having your birthday in India makes it last >36hours. Since we are 10.5hours ahead, i was getting birthday wishes for two days. Thanks everyone!!