May 3, 2011

pics #867 - #941

 

Wednesday April 13th - White Rythmic Dog 
This morning is sleeping in. We get to bed late at Adam's. He is a resourceful person, working on his own, with many projects on the go and good ideas to grow. I am taking note for later, inspired. He also has many good contacts related to bicycle and it seems that I found a perfect host, again. Besides it will certainly be hard or impossible to find special components for the maintenance of my "Panzer Farrhad" between here and Istanbul, unless I get to Roma to have a Weissenbier with Benedictus XXXII - it doubles when drunk-.
I spend all the day inside, writing the mailing list for my French speaking fans. Adam is a seeker in the broad domain of personal growth so I give him a short yoga class, spiced with ashtanga.

 

Thursday April 14th - Blue Resonant Monkey
Back to my morning routine and down to explore the city and in search for the yoga studios, not too far from Adam's place. Ce city looks nice with many monuments testifying of the rich history of Hungary, and with the wide Duna -the Danube- which crosses it.

           Parliament building

           Szabadság ter

           Vajdahunyad vára -castle-

           The fiery looking warriors of the Heros's square

 

Friday April 15th - Yellow Planetary Human
I hurry to the ashtanga studio seen yesterday to contact the teachers. I open to see an yogini laying in Shavasana, and to smell the good old ashtanga sweat. A bit of talk and I get the contact of the owner of the studio. Then I am meeting Flóra, my next host who readily offered me the keys of her room for a week before we even had met. We get to speak dutch about yoga teachers we know, Claudia, Katiza, Marlene : she did her yoga teacher training in the Netherlands as well. More coincidences, she practices at the studio which I just visited. As she is out of town for a week, I will replace her for teaching a class on Wednesday. Back at Adam, his friend gives me another yoga studio owner contact. Well, well, what a good start!

 

Saturday April 16th - Red Solar Skywalker  
Adam left early this morning and I have his flat's keys. I was carrying only two keys for my bike locks and now I have two sets of two different hosts! Saturday there is the organic market, so I get to buy healthy food, which is very expensive compared to the common people level of life. An observation that I made in all countries since I left Austria.

 

Sunday April 17th - White Planetary Wizard
This morning I move from Adam to Flóra, not easy as she lives truly on the height of Buda. Buda is the hilly side of the city, west from the river. Pest is flat, on the east side. Today it is full moon, looking fantastic above the parliament building

          

          

 

Monday April 18th - Blue Spectral Eagle
This morning I am going to the ashtanga studio to practice with the owner Kati. She does full Intermediate series, something I had not yet seen of my own eyes. Well there is still work to go for my part, as my Primary series practice is far from flowing. We agree that I will open the studio one Tuesday mornings for a Mysore style class. Even if I only practice Primary series she will coach me for the necessary adjustments on the Intermediate series, it does not seem to be a problem for her. And I get free access to all the other classes there, I would not look for any other studio anyway : this is THE ashtanga studio of Budapest, Yay!
Then, I buy the Rohloff hub oil from one of Adam's contacts. And back to Flóra's room where is a picture of Pattabhi Jois. It suddenly becomes clear, with a lot of gratitude for him, that I am on this road, this path, because of his teachings. Without this guru, no ashtanga class 3 years ago that was the origin of the change toward living MY life more fully and happily each day. No Kati, Boris, Barbara, Shirley, Esther or Claudia to teach me and to grow in ashtanga yoga. Without it how many decades or lifetimes would have it taken to find a way?

 

Tuesday April 19th - Yellow Crystal Warrior
As every day I go on with exploring the city. It is nice to get down the hill fast to the bridge. The coming back home is always longer though. I am looking for the studio where I replace Flóra tomorrow. There I meet the owner Szabi and his girlfriend. We talk in a cafe around a cake and he mentions that I could replace him on Saturday. Then I meet with Andi, who owns another studio and we agree on a weekly Vinyasa yoga class. I can hardly believe how easily I am filling my agenda with yoga classes to teach, in real studios. Wow!
Tonight there is a CouchSurfing meeting in a restaurant, I also want to meet locals. I meet many French people, always good to train my languages! And find one more hint for teaching yoga. Energy in Budapest is unbelievable. Definitely something want me to stay here.

           The Synagogue

 

Wednesday April 20th - Red Cosmic Earth
A nice day, teaching my first yoga class in Budapest, certainly the first of many. Modified Primary Series, for two students, I learn the words "Inspire" and "Expire" in Magyar -hungarian-. I come home via the hill of the castle, offering a nice view over the city.

 

Thursday April 21st - White Magnetic Mirror
This morning after taking a yoga class, I got all the secrets of the studios to open it on Tuesday. Then I meet the guys from the other studio -where I teached yesterday- and we enjoy some cake again in a cool mood.
I notice a bit everywhere in the city that there are tramps, sleeping on benches in parks, looking for food in the bins, sitting at the corner of a street totally drunk.. Life does not look like a miracle for everyone.

           View from Mátyás templom square: Duna and Margit-sziget

 

Friday April 22nd - Blue Lunar Storm
I meet with Sara, a couchsurfer offering her living room for (guess what...) ... Yoga classes!! We talk together with her daughters in dutch, one of the language of the family. Two classes per week, sounds good. Coming back home, it is rather warm, and pollution is getting uncomfortable. I work on my bicycle, for the first time outdoors under the sun.

 

Saturday April 23rd - Yellow Electric Sun
Fortunately hungarian are relaxed on timing because I am late at the yoga studio for the class. I feel at ease teaching in English and adding as much as I can of 'bélekzes' and 'kelekzes' (breathe in,  breathe out). The second class takes place in a fitness center with people who walk-on-the-same spot and bicycle-without-moving, always so funny to see, especially in such a day, training inside while the weather is so enjoyable outside. The room is full of mirrors and students are taking a wide space so it is not easy to go for corrections/adjustments. The positive feedback of students is always nice, it is a drive to teach more and developing my skills. After that I relax reading under the sun in Margitsziget, an island as a green park.

 

Sunday April 24th - Red Self-Existing Dragon
A relaxed day, the only difficulty is to choose a book in the library of Flóra, they all seem so interesting.

 

Monday April 25th - White Overtone Wind
It is another relaxed day, Easter monday with a soft rain.

           Citadella hill (foreground), castle hill (background)

 

Tuesday April 26th - Blue Rhythmic Night
This morning, there is no one as I open the ashtanga studio at 7.30, but it is the first time so, hopefully better next time. So I do my self practice on one of the good old heavy black mats.
This evening Flóra comes back form a week of fasting, tired and shiny. I realize that I totally forgot fixing hosts for the coming days, enjoying her books and so enthusiastic in organizing yoga classes. As I have nothing to do in the city until the next week-end, I better leave tomorrow for wild camping. And let my kind host getting back to the busy city life.

 

Wednesday April  27th - Yellow Resonant Seed
I leave early in the morning, to get to a bicycle repair shop advised by Adam, they fix a few things for free! The guys are impressed by my rolling machine. Then taking advantage of the sun giving on the west side for pictures, I meet a cycle tourer from Switzerland, on a cigarette break, rushing to Romania. I notice myself hoping for canceling all the yoga classes and going on with cycling again without a schedule. But I did promises to yoga studios, and such an opportunity for me to teach, that may not happen again!

           Templom Szilágyi (foreground), Mátyás templom (background)

           Széchenyi lánchíd (foreground) Budavarí Palota (background)
So am I on the road until Saturday. Under the sun through forests and bloomed fields, without no goal nor destination. In three weeks, nature has changed, shy spring took maturity. When I set camp, I find back the singing of birds replacing hawling of police and ambulances sirens in the city, the most aggressive sounds I ever heard.

           Troglodyte cellar ?

           Not moving is one good strategy to be invisible

 

Thursday April 28th - Red Galactic Serpent
I enjoy my calm spot this morning to sew a small bag for wheat germ -very nutritious-. After breakfast I take the direction of Velencei-tó, a lake. A group of cyclists follow me, and they invite me for a tea. They are students in religion, jesuites, and we share an interesting conversation. I feel how we are on a similar path. They reveal that one of their counselor advised them to practice yoga exercises before prayer. We are far from the Polish telling their country is very catholic as I mention yoga! We ride together until our roads separate, they will take a train. I find a camping spot by the lake, amongst flowers. Mosquitos enjoy my legs in Sarvangasana.

           Velencei-tó

 

Friday April 29th - White Solar Worldbridger
Weather is hot and heavy, big drops fall from the sky. Not much, not long, fortunately. It is not simple to follow the bicycle tracks to Budapest, they are regularly interrupted, or lead through long detours. Once in the city I go directly for an Ashtanga yoga class. It fells good to practice near students, build heat together and receive adjustments. And being on a flat floor, although practicing in the wild has its advantages.

           the path under a hot sun

 

Saturday April 30th - Blue Planetary Hand
I join a trans-breathing workshop, again heard by from Adam. Through specific breathing patterns, we reach modified states of consciousness. After a dynamic phase it slows down. Very good sensations in my heart region. I feel peaceful and happy.  Then at 16.00 starts the Critical Mass in Budapest, the biggest in the world. Because of a soft rain, there are "30.000 people only" . It is again a pleasure to ride on wide roads and avenues  especially on the bridges which are so badly thought for cyclists. It takes time to gather all the cyclists around and over a hill in the Varosliget while the sound system gives us good portest songs from The Clash or Asian Dub Foundation. And then it is the moment of pride: thousands of cyclists holding their bicycle high above their head. I can't, my loaded machine weight nearly 40kg, so I scream twice as loud. And it is the occasion for my 4000km picture, it will not grow much in the coming months. Then I meet with my host for the week-end.

           Critical Mass on Andrássy út

           4000km during that special moment!            Rise up! Critical mass pride

 

Sunday May 1st - Yellow Spectral Sun
In the morning while my hosts are sleeping in, I lay the yoga mat in the kitchen, only spot where it is possible. The big black cat wants to join but he soon gets away seeing  my movements, unexpected for a human being. The guys have a nice music taste, we start the day with Alan Stivell songs. Now every time I hear celtic music my heart beats a bit harder with nostalgia. I always said I was Breton by heart after all. The day goes on relaxed, after all it is labour day and in the four years I lived under sea level, I could not celebrate it.

 

Monday May 2nd - Red Crystal Moon
Janko and Marco are really cool hosts and we get on passionate talks about train and the stupidity of government projects about it. It seem a fad in Europe, politics doing total stupidity just to show who has the power. I am off to take an ashtanga class. And meet David, who offers me a flat to live in, for free! And he is again a friend of Adam. The place is very near the islands, and also the green hills. There is a washing machine and an oven, I will bake cakes!
My last host tonight is Eva, friendly woman, with original questions about my trip, changing from the regular "Why, How, What". She is herself a traveler. We walk her playful little dog in the park and have a nice soup.

 

Tuesday May 3rd - White Galactic Dog
I have to get early today to open the Ashtanga studio at 7.30, and there are three students. One of them practice the Intermediate series with a mastery that is inspiring, another has such fluidity in her Primary series that I feel the long way ahead for me. And the third one is a total beginner so I can teach him the sequence, and adjust the other ones in between. When they are done, I do my own practice. In the afternoon, while we are sitting with Flóra in a park, the wind blows and temperature drops heavily. In the evening I teach a class at Sara's place, before going back to Eva. I do feel like having made a big step in my life to do something I like and I believe is beneficial for the world: teaching yoga. Tomorrow I sleep at home!