Mysore Phoenix Blog
To Study the Self is to Forget the Self
Yoga in the form of action has three parts: training and purifying the senses (tapas), self-study in the context of teachings (svadhyaya), and 3) devotion and letting go into the creative source from which we emerged (ishvara pranidhana). – Yoga Sutras 2.1 Last time,...
Keeping the Fire Burning
Yoga in the form of action has three parts: training and purifying the senses (tapas), self-study in the context of teachings (svadhyaya), and 3) devotion and letting go into the creative source from which we emerged (ishvara pranidhana). – Yoga Sutras 2.1 I want to...
Choose Your Own Adventure
“Regular practice is compulsory for everyone. Don’t worry about how much you’re bending or not. Be on the mat. Try to do whatever asanas you can.” – Sharath Jois People new to Ashtanga are fascinated by (& perhaps a bit scared of!) the crazy poses. And indeed the...
Salutations & Welcome
Salutations to that reality in which all the elements and all the animate and inanimate beings shine as if they have an independent existence, and in which they exist for a time and into which they merge. Salutations to that consciousness which is the source of the...
Trunk
Lots of people who come to Mysore return year after year. I’ve always stayed at serviced apartments until this year. This year, my apartment is attached to a family residence. It’s a fantastic place. But staying here meant I had to buy some household things: sheets,...
Gokul Chats
One afternoon, after a bit of a walk, we decided to check out another local place, Gokul Chats. Gokulam is the name of the suburb we’re in, and Chats means snacks. Gokul Chats is an open air place that serves lunch and snacks – and, we’d heard, some really...
A visitor
Is eating all we do here? Nope. I entertain visitors when they come and scratch on my front door.This is Shiba, my landlady’s pug. Shiba and her daughter, Siri, and son, Telly, live downstairs.Shiba scratched on the door and when I let her in, she headed straight to...
Other meals
Do we just eat Sri Durga food? No, we do not. Though Sri Durga is a daily visit, we need breakfast after yoga practice. And for that, there are ragi flakes.Okay, ragi is millet, so ragi flakes are millet flakes. They also include jowar (sorghum) and rice.One of the...
More Sri Durga
So what happens when you ask what’s good and Manju says, “Rice bath,” and then you ask, “Do you have curd rice?” This is what happens:He brings you both rice bath (right), curd rice (left) and throws in some bajji (bottom right). The bajji are fritters. I believe he...
Sri Durga: Thali
First thing Manju wanted to hear today was how our trip to buy steel had gone. We told him we had fun and he asked what we bought and how much we paid. He seemed pleased with our answers.Then he said something about “pongal today,” and asked “Big or small?”I took this...
Side trip, initiated by Manju
As we’ve been enjoying our lunches, we’ve also been admiring the Sri Durga tableware. Who doesn’t love a plate that keeps all of the food items separate? And stainless steel cups and bowls. And spoons that nest perfectly.We asked Manju about the tableware and whether...
Sri Durga: Can’t resist ordering my favorite
I’ve held out long enough. I intended to save my favorite dish for last, but Manju mentioned that they had chow chow bath, and I couldn’t resist.Chow chow bathChow chow bath is a two in one dish combining kesari bath and khara bath (kesari is on the left, khara...
