I could be doing this…but instead I’m doing this.
International Living Postcards– your daily escape
Friday, June 9, 2006
Kottayam, India
Dear International Living Reader,
"Ohmmmmmmm…"
I could be lazing in a hammock, beer in hand, admiring the red and violet pools of a Lake Vembanad sunset. But I’m not. I’m sitting cross-legged in a Keralan wooden pavilion facing some guru-type fellow in a white robe. And he’s urging me to make "ohm" noises.
What madness possessed me to sign up for Coconut Lagoon’s (admittedly, one of the world’s top 25 getaways) evening yoga and meditation session, I don’t know. If this guy…sorry, Yoga Master…expects me to perform lotus positions, headstands, and various other limb entanglements, I’m out of here.
I’m not the only one with a half-petrified expression. This is also a new experience for my companions–five middle-aged British women on vacation. As no man has turned up for the session–which is free–I wonder if this Indian spiritual stuff appeals more to females.
Thankfully this is yoga for beginners–no headstands. However, the Yoga Master persuades us to do rather painful leg raises to alleviate trapped wind. (Delicate readers may want to look away…but after my recent intestinal tribulations, I most definitely do not have trapped wind.) Lying flat on the floor, eyes closed, we then try to relax every part of the body in turn.
"You are relaxing your li-verrr. Your kid-neeeys. Your hea-aart". The Master chants away about our various organs and body parts in a high-pitched singsong. His voice is worryingly hypnotic. Hope I’m not about to be transformed into some touchy-feely, tree-hugging, health-conscious New-Ager…
Steenie Harvey
Roving Travel Writer, International Living
P.S. That’s it for India. Assuming I can escape Lake Vembanad, in a few days I leave for the other side of the world, to attend the sold-out Import/Export Workshop in Panama City. Well, not attend, exactly…I’ll be sneaking in a side door and taking notes at the back of the room, and I’ll report back to you on the best opportunities I discover. Stay tuned.
Then it’s back home to Ireland for a short rest before I’m off again–to Denver, Colorado for The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop (July 20-23), where I’m one of the main speakers. Among other things, I’ll teach attendees how to land the best travel writing assignments. If you’d like to join us, there are still a few places left: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/denver/il (you can also read about the other speakers, and the tricks they’ll teach you).
