Yoga on the ocean and tender coconuts

I have a really nice morning routine. I roll out of bed at 6 am, put on some clothes, and jump on my bicycle to go the beach road where I have yoga class. The roads are very peaceful at this time, and you can cruise down the street enjoying the morning breeze without the blaring horns. I share the road with a lot of ox-drawn carriages, and pass sleeping rickshaw drivers. In less than 10 minutes I get to the ocean and it is swarming with people in their tennis shoes doing their morning walk and calisthenics. I love it.





The yoga class itself I find a little bizarre, but I have a feeling I will still learn something from it. More importantly, I enjoy being in a beautiful studio in front of an open window with a view of the rolling waves and fishermen out to sea. So I do these asanas, while breathing deeply and meditating in the early morning sun. I really enjoy how my teacher often reminds us to “Breathe through a smiley face”. So we are a class of all these smiling people with their eyes closed holding poses while listening to the ocean. We purify our chakras by doing all sorts of things I've never done before, including swaying back and forth like you are waltzing, jumping up with your arms and saying “huh!” multiple times, and speaking in tongues. I am an opened minded person so I go along with all of this with a smiley face. It certainly makes me feel good, and this is important. I will look into the philosophy behind all of this, and will let you know what it is all about. In the meantime, I am still looking for an Iyengar teacher in Pondy. But that does not mean I will desert my spot on the beach!

On my way home, I stop at the tender coconut guy's stand (a pile of green coconuts on the side of the road), to get some coconut water. It is really hot here and coconut water helps cool your body; it's totally natural gatorade and full of electrolytes. The coconut dealer picks me a coconut from the pile, skillfully chips off the top with his machete, and carves a little hole in the top for a straw. When you are finished slurping, you hand it back to him and he hacks it open, chipping away part of the shell so you have a spoon to scoop out the tender meat. Then you throw it in the discard pile! 10 ruppees. 20 cents. One young coconut in the states can cost you up to $3! (NYC prices.) You can only get tender coconuts before 8am. After that, the dudes wearing longis and carrying machetes disappear and you are SOL.