I have arrived... and so it begins!

I don't know about you but packing is not something I am that great with... I thought it would be easy and did not imagine the difficulties in decisions of necessities vs wants! Poor Chris stood at the helm of forcing decision as the weight of my baggage increased and then some! The last day at home was somewhat frantic with loose ends to complete, people to confirm notice and endless thoughts of what lay ahead in this precious and most humbling journey... So sorry not to have connected with those that I mentioned I would as the hours counted down I was innundated with 'oh, I thought I had done that already! yikes!', moments........
Chandra, Mother Moon, lit up the sky and in her cooling, poised glow I remembered to be with the breath, stop snapping at my beloved Chris!, and have sraddha, faith, that every angel needed in every moment will appear...This I am most certain of... Is that an Oprah line.... Hmmmm
The journey began early in the morning of January 16 with a flight to Frankfurt via Montreal and then on to Salzburg when I stayed, slept rather!, in a familiar hostel, the Yoho, with only one drunk roommate this time from Melbourne, Australia... She hadn't intended to get drunk she said, it just happened and so my 'wakeup call' at 2am just 'happened'!
After a rather light breakfast, I decided to move on to Piesendorf instead of staying in Salzburg as my checkout time was 10am and a train was available at 11:04am. After this module of study, advanced study of chapters 1 & 2 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, ends on January 27 I will be in Salzburg until January 30 anyway so I can relax and leisurely take in the city then.
I arrived in Piesendorf and at the hotel/hostel where the studies are held, at around 130pm. Lunch was being served and so with an invitation from the host, and my study mate, Frederike Sugimoto, I joined a small group of students that had arrived as well as our teacher, Kausthub Desikachar, for some much needed sustenance. Having transported my rather heavy luggage from the train station and getting a little workout! Thank goodness most will be staying here as I have my Europe and India attire sharing space!
The afternoon was spent making myself at home in room 104 and resting. It is the same room I shared with my american friends in November during the first module of study with the Vedic Chanting Teacher Training group. This time it is with Pam from Sussex, England, who has been a student of this tradition for a very long time (maybe she will share some secrets!) and Kelly from Melbourne, Australia, who is a teacher in this tradition and a student of Kausthub's with the Yoga Therapist 4 year course. Ahhh... I dream of completing that someday too!
I feel quite at home....
Dinner was shared at 7pm and 8pm we met in the hall for orientation and introduction of the 'international' class. Again, I am the lone 'maple leaf' here! There are four couples though which is quite unique and interestingly the four men in the group of 34 are the spouse who 'in some way or another were introduced or forced into yoga by their mates'! HAHAHAH
Of those four men one is a teacher in the tradition (he has also just published a handbook on Vedic Chanting for teachers and students and just happens to be a student of my chanting teacher Radha as well) and the others are incredibly curious to pursue their studies... Hey Chris, what do you think? Nudge nudge!!!!
Like the Vedic Chanting Sanga (community, group), this group is a mix of culture, language, age, experience and passion. There are numerous Swedes here! I think 6 at least if I remember correctly, lots of English, German, Italian, a couple of Scots, a couple from Estonia, a number of Aussies, Nauca from Tokyo, French, Mexico City, Spain, Belgium and a few Americans, Ria is from New Jersey but has lived in Munich the last 20 years! There are around 5 of us under 40 years with rest of the group spanning upwards to 75 years! How inspiring!!!
And so it all begins as everything does, from the beginning and although I feel quite restless in a deep, profound and gentle excitement, I welcome the unfolding of a chapter that has not yet been written, has not been seen and has not yet been felt but is honored with gratitude for its existence and its moments which shall open in their own time in their own environment and with their own trust just as the flower bud blossoms in the wake of the sun....
I hope this finds you all well and I send my love from afar only in geography, not far at all in the heart... Thank you for sharing this journey. It is possible only because of the love, kindness, support, devotion and compassion of my beloved partner and friend, Chris and the cheering on, of course, with unending love of you dear friends.
Ciao and good night
Om
Jennifer xo