India: Gone Goa

I'm in Goa, transitioning from the Mysore bubble of Ashtanga community and practice to the states, California and my 'home.' It's beautiful here, I can walk barefoot from door to beach in less than five minutes, the sun and sand are warm and I'll get a week of practice with a Certified Ashtanga teacher, Rolf and his partner, Marci. Goa reminds me of Bolinas crossed with Nice crossed with the Cinque Terre of Italy. That is equal parts India, Europe and the grooviest parts of US. Three months in Mysore have touched me deeply and as much as I'm ready for the states, and as soothing a balm these beaches are, my heart is really tender here. Fortunately, right before I left I made a last trip up Chamundi Hill, visiting Swamiji, a well-spirited, seen-it-all saddhu who lives at the Shiva Cave Temple, to whom some of my first teachers introduced me, for a reminder that the divine is everywhere, inside and out, if you're willing to look. ...and that a sense of humor goes a long way on just about every front.