Training the Mind

As I settle into life here in Mysore, I've been fortunate to meet so many people from around the world with great stories to share and at least 1 common thread (Ashtanga yoga), though usually there's more.

While I'm not rushing my time here in the least, plans to travel around other parts of India by train require an early reservation as seats sell out fast, so the adventure began yesterday with a lovely Norwegian friend I've met here and will travel with by train to Goa in mid-February. 

While the Ashtanga system of yoga is in fact a system, I'm neither happy nor sad, rather I'm simply reporting/ confirming that no such system exists for purchasing a train ticket. 

Beginning with the 'Enquiry' window where I reaffirmed something I learned first on the flight over while standing in line for the bathroom and in every line I've stood in since, that if space between you and the person standing in front of you exists, it WILL be filled by someone else regardless of who was there first!, to the travel agent who directed us to the men's ticket line, then redirected by a fellow line stander to the women and children only line to buy a ticket (10 mins at most), to being once again redirected to the other end of the same building where reservations are made (we were apparently in the same day women's ticket line), to sitting in the waiting area with our ticket number (only roughly 150 numbers were ahead of us), to striking up conversation with some other english speaking tourists who in fact redirected us to another 'Enquiry' window where we had to occupy space once again in another gentle pushing match to the counter to find out which train number we were buying a ticket for...to the ultimate discovery that we could actually book our ticket online IF there were any seats left or trains running on the day we hoped to travel (this part took about 2 hours in all)...to the coconut stand to re-fuel, obviously, and then to the internet cafe where another hour or so was spent unsuccessfully and then, thanks to the patience and persistence of my traveling partner and friend, an actual ticket purchase was confirmed. In all, purchasing a train ticket was roughly a 4 hour adventure, and I'm still not totally convinced that we have it; and I won't be until we get on the train, show our tickets and it pulls out of the station with us on the train!!

In Hatha yoga (which Ashtanga is a branch of) asana practice (or physical postures), while very popular and often the most familiar connection many people have with yoga, makes up only the first stage of one's yoga practice. This is in order to prepare the student to become more stable and establish a firm foundation, for instance, while sitting in meditation. 

With all due respect to the lineage and experience and evidence of this process,train reservations, I propose, may be another way to begin preparing or 'training' the mind :)

I can't wait to find out what the actual ride will bring...



I thought it very considerate to have a phone charging station that offered quite a complete selection of chargers to choose from:

A glimpse of a train as it pulled into the station:

A photo of the reservation waiting area. Similarly to a Jewish deli, you take a number and wait for it to be called. My number was 569. In the upper left corner, it's tough to see, but they were calling 374, 375, 376...hence the decision to try internet reservations.