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<p>What an absolutely outstanding class – backbends with Abhijata. Her teaching is completely focussed; she gets through the poses, gives clear and relevant teaching points, paces herself perfectly so that there is time for all the inversions but still gives plenty of reference to yoga sutra and philosophy. She pushes you hard but is not [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We had scariest ever rickshaw ride today en route to the Incense shop in Phadke Haud. Over the weeks we’ve been here we’ve hardened ourselves to the twists and turns of an average rickshaw ride – but this was something else. First off he careened out onto the wrong side of the dual carriageway – [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It’s getting hot in here. Very, very hot. Even at the start of Raya’s class, before a single word had been spoken, I was drenched with sweat. Trying to keep the fluid level up to cope with the fluid loss is a challenge. Backbend week – I made it! I seem to have spent an [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I was surprised how good my body felt waking up this morning – we didn&#8217;t do much in Rajalaxmi’s class last night, but what we did do was deceptively powerful. We headed off for Women’s class on a very warm and close morning – I think the temperature is beginning to creep up as we [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I enjoyed planting up my pot this morning to brighten up our balcony – the white rose smells exquisite and the scent wafts around in the heat. Lovely. I still need a bit more earth though &#8211; one of my blog reading local indian friends has offered to help with that! Every time I’ve come [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Awoke in the deep dark to a knock on our door – it was pre-yoga tea being delivered. Opened the curtains and sipped lemon balm tea as the sun came up and the lake gradually brightened into its full glorious beauty. We skipped the yoga class and practiced on a sunny outdoor terrace overlooking the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>&nbsp; Sunday morning whizzing through the streets of Pune, what a visual feast! The KARE van came to collect me at 9.30am for just over an hour’s drive to the hills on the outskirts of Pune, overlooking Mulshi Lake. The streets were full of life, people going about their Sunday morning business; the coffee shops [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I felt a curious resistance going into the institute today – I wasn’t really sure I was up for it, having worked hard all week both in standing poses and the parivrrta seated poses, as well as in my own practice. I felt still more apprehension as Sunita walked in, remembering Wednesday’s tough class. I [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As I was contemplating writing today’s blog and feeling perhaps that I could do with a few more adventures to report on – I remembered a chuckle my friend Frances and I often have &#8211; about how, as long as we have the space to practice yoga, life for us is good. So even the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>&nbsp; Had a looong practice this morning and a restful afternoon (by ‘restful’ read ‘long snooze’ – I feel guilty mentioning this as I know just how hard my partner at home is having to work while I’m away). Headed into Raya’s class knowing it would be busy, as Prasant’s normal class this morning was [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Stayed up stupidly late last night for no particular reason so was tired and a bit droopy this morning. Headed over to Women’s class and as always there was a slight frission of expectation in the air – who would we get? The men’s enclave needed room for expansion so we were asked to move [&hellip;]</p>

<p>As I went into the institute I bumped into Zoe who I hadn’t seen for a few days, she explained she’d been having terrible problems with her knee and had an MRI scan on it, giving her the good news that it was an injury that could heal, rather than arthritis. As I took my [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Indulged in a very long practice this morning – what a luxury to have our time freed up like this for yoga. No cooking, no cleaning, no children to attend to, homework to help, no lessons to plan or classes to teach. Just lots and lots of yoga! I am so happy to be finally [&hellip;]</p>

<p>&nbsp; A blissful day &#8211; I love waking up in my room here with yesterday’s yoga radiating around my body – there are a remarkable array of birds and they are very vocal! Also we have had an incredibly long bout of wet and windy weather back in the UK so it’s just so uplifting [&hellip;]</p>

<p>&nbsp; A blissful day &#8211; I love waking up in my room here with yesterday’s yoga radiating around my body – there are a remarkable array of birds and they are very vocal! Also we have had an incredibly long bout of wet and windy weather back in the UK so it’s just so uplifting [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The day started with Women’s Class, once again taught by Abhi (link to full sequence below). Today she taught jumpings – from Adho Mukha Svanasana to the standing poses and all in the inversions repeatedly one leg up, one leg down – lots of fast, light sequences – which gave the opposite effect to that [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Awoke feeling fantastic after Raya’s strengthening class last night and thoroughly enjoyed my personal practice. I love the process of investigating the possibilities of a new environment – tomorrow we have ropes being delivered for the grille that surrounds our balcony.  Part of my programme for Diabetes is a very straight pinca mayurasana and to [&hellip;]</p>

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<p>&nbsp; As I sit here and catch up with today’s blog I am feeling a deeply pleasant sort of sleepiness – the kind where you could just curl up and fall into a delicious, deep and restful sleep. We’ve just come from Raya’s Intermediate level 2 class. This was by far the hardest class I [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We headed across the park for Women’s class starting at 9.30am quite early, as previous years have taught us you need to get there in good time if you don’t want to be squashed up at the back on a threadbare mat, struggling to hear over the sound of the traffic. I had a panic [&hellip;]</p>