Santa Comes to Dubai!

When I arrived in Dubai, after a 14 hour flight with little sleep, I marveled at the Christmas decorations in the airport. I have a fuzzy memory of thinking how amusing it was to see that. If Dubai is about shopping, than of course a secular version of Christmas would fit right in.

Today the Oasis Center's central area was completely filled in with Christmas trees, 'snow'men, reindeer, and even wolves and enormous stuffed squirrels. The Mall Manager greeted my photo op with a laugh and told me that Santa is coming to Oasis Center tomorrow, with elves, too. He appeared to be from India, and he told me that in Dubai, Christmas decorations are allowed, but no advertisements or billboards displaying Christmas 'propaganda.' He is also forbidden to have Christmas Carols in the center. He was required to remove the 'santa hats' from models in an advertisement.

In keeping with the Christmas and snow theme, the other day I made it the Mall of Emirates, which has the Ski Slope hotel attached to it. This photo is from the window in the mall. Some people living here have told me that they learned to ski here before going on a ski vacation, so I suppose it has a deeper purpose than simply novelty. There weren't tons of people there while I peeped in, but it was the day after a long, holiday weekend. Noura says it's often busy, and that she's been a few times. You can even rent Parkas and ski pants ... everything but gloves.

Turkish Coffee with a Hint of Cardamom

This is what fills my French Press these mornings; it's quite tasty. They don't seem to have half & half, as such. It's a bit of a challenge to find cream for my coffee, and what I've found comes in plastic containers that resemble ones that contain yogurt, sort of.

The alarm wakes me at 5:20 am. Coffee has been prepared the night before. In this apartment there is an electric kettle, which is total genius. A glass of hot lemon water goes done while the hot water steeps some flavor out of those coarse little granules, and I scurry to prepare myself. Teeth brushed, tongue scraped, and at least a little color on my face. Then, it's a mad dash to Skype my honey, check email, and peruse Facebook.

Raju picks me up at around 6:15 am, and I get to Oasis Center by 6:40 ish. The employees at the Center lay the mats out, and I often rearrange them just so. The ipod plugs directly into the wall, and their sound system speakers are hidden in the ceiling, I guess. We don't have lots of yoga props, but many of the students have brought some blocks and blankets.

Class goes essentially from 7 am to 4:30 pm, with a few breaks. I get 'home' by around 5:15 pm, or so, which is a pretty full day.

The training is almost complete, in that we conclude on Saturday. What's still difficult to wrap my mind around is that we still have about 40 hours together! The students have traveled quite a distance on their yoga path, and I'm feeling quite good about the foundation we have established together. They have teaching practice on Friday, in which half of them are teaching a full class while the other half practices; after the break, the roles switch for a different sequence.

They have all grown as yoga practitioners and are budding teachers, but what has also grown has been a community of tremendous support, respect and love. Yoga truly is for everyBODY, and may be the force that can indeed unite the world.

That Which is Ever New

In Yoga Philosophy, "OM" is said to be comprised of 4 parts: A - U - M (pronounced the Ahhh, the OOOh, and the Maaa) followed by the silence which 'carries the vibration.' These 4 parts of OM are said to correspond to such things as past, present, future and timeless-ness; Creation, Sustenance, Dissolution and that which is eternal ... also described as Beginnings, Middles and Ends and the formless reality which had no beginning and so can have no end. Manorama refers to this as the 'OM Cycle', which is continuously shaping and reshaping itself in each arising mOMent.

Today officially marks the end of the 2nd week of the Teacher Training Program I'm currently teaching in Dubai, U.A.E. In "OM Speak," we have just ended the middle part of the training, and have just begun the end phase. The end phase will have a beginning, a middle and an end. This, of course, as you in the States are in the 'middle' of your weekend, but here, the weekend is officially over, and tomorrow a new work week begins. We are still in the beginning of December, but it's toward the end of the year. As I write this now (9 hours ahead of the East Coast), it's the end of the day, and yet it's the beginning of the middle of the day in Philadelphia. Continuously colliding cycles create our experience of reality.

Another word for OM, according to the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, is Pranava. Some have said this word means, "sustains life and runs on prana, or the breath." Others have said the word means 'a humming sound.' Manorama has defined it as "That which is ever new."

To tune into Pranava, is to recognize that, even though things seem the same, this moment has never happened before. It is a trick of the mind to think, "been there, done that." Tapping into the power of OM is to remain vibrantly connected to the continuous unfolding of your life. By being attentive to how you conclude whatever is 'ending,' you have the power to create new beginnings. In fact, there is a new beginning tucked into every single breath.

As we slide through the middle of the holiday season and toward the end of 2011, rather than wishing it was over, see how attentive you can become to the entire cycle. As we approach the Winter Solstice, which is a great metaphor for the 'dissolution' phase of the cycle, ask yourself if there is anything you are finally ready to let go of in order to create the space for a new beginning. Can you release a grudge? Forgive someone a perceived wrong, even if that someone is yourself? Relinquish anger or resentment or blame? Forsake jealousy or pride or the indignation of having been hurt by life? Buried within the frozen hardness of winter are the seeds which will sprout springtime. Manage your endings skillfully, to create the space and the conditions for the next wave of OM.

Is it Tuesday?

Teacher Training is going great. I am definitely here to work. Waking at 5 am each day has been great, but after 'holding space' for the group, keeping everything on track, adapting as appropriate, and working to keep all of the students' energy 'up,' I am exhausted at the end of the day! I think tonight I will end with a steam at the spa ... it really is the loveliest place to hold a training. The on-site staff couldn't be more accommodating, and the showers and towels ... not to mention treatments are totally sublime.

The spa is also associated with Balance Cafe, which is an ayurvedic cafe just down the hall. I've only been there so far for breakfast, which has been ok. Yesterday, however, I looked at their afternoon menu, which looks amazing. We get a 15% discount there, so I think I'll be having dinner there tonight.

Extolling the Virtues of a DAY OFF

Saturday is like Sunday here. Tomorrow is the Islamic New Year, so some offices will be closed. The city seemed a little quiet-ish, I guess, but Noura and I headed toward what I think is called "Old Dubai." We walked through the textile markets, and took a water taxi across to visit the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk, marveling at how the water actually looks gold in front of the one bank. Each of the merchants tried to entice us into their stores by wrapping a scarf around my head, or placing a spice in my hand and asking, "what do you think this is?" It's always good to travel with a local, because once Noura started speaking Arabic with them, they knew they couldn't rip us off. I only picked up a few things ... some 'thank you gifts' for the teachers who agreed to cover my classes in my absence. Haven't yet found THE PERFECT Dubai t-shirt for my dad, the man who never asks for anything but requested this. I almost bought a kid's book called "Humpy Grumpy" about camel, along with a camel hand puppet for my nephew, but Noura convinced me their asking price was double the value. Alas.

Noura and I got on like childhood friends, and she even felt like a tourist in her own city visiting places she rarely goes to. The weather was absolutely perfect. Stellar day off.

T.A.I.T.

Weekends here are Friday and Saturday. Rather than saying "T.G.I.F" I'm told they say, "T.A.I.T." (Thank Allah it's Thursday!). As the group trickled in on Friday, slowly, and without a tremendous amount of vim and vigor, Hitesh said, "It's been a long time since any of us has had to 'work' on a Friday." In an effort to be sensitive to their plight, we continued past the typical afternoon break so that we could cover the necessary information, and we could end a little early. Each one of them taught half of a Lunging Surya Namaskara to 3 of the students, while the rest of the class observed. They applauded each other and felt very proud of what they had learned in our short time together. Ok, maybe not that short ... (6) 9 1/2 hour days in a row, but integrating this even while going home to care for children and families is no small thing. For many of them, it's like learning a foreign language (Yoga/Sanskrit) in a foreign language (English). They're working so earnestly it's inspiring. I'd love to audio-record them so when I'm back home in the states I can listen to them teaching.

After we ended on Friday, I got an ayurvedic treatment called "Shirodhara." It's my absolute favorite indulgence. The woman gave me a light, relaxing oil massage, and then proceeded to stream warm sesame oil back and forth over my forehead (3rd eye) for around 45 minutes. The warm oil drips off of the head and through the hair, and she would massage my head periodically. I've heard it called the "mind eraser" because your thoughts come in and out but can't be followed, and your awareness drifts to the far outer reaches of the cosmos ... or you fall asleep. I woke myself up a few times with a little snore. It is A-MAZ-ING. After, she wrapped my hair up in a towel and directed me into a very hot steam room, where I sat for about 10 minutes, so that the oil could be absorbed into my skin. After a shower, I was toast.

Had hoped to go out and experience some of this legendary Dubai nightlife, but could barely muster a quiet, local dinner with Noura before sleepwalking home. I slept 14 hours. In a row. Without waking even once. A cab driver in New York City once told me that a good night's sleep is a gift from God. I felt quite devout in the morning!

Thanksgiving in Dubai

Gratitude can be celebrated in every moment!

The lovely fellow who works at Starbucks in the Oasis Center asked me if I was missing my holiday. I answered that I can feel grateful any time and any where, and that I don't eat turkey anyway!

Today was day 5 of the program. The students are doing great. It's thrilling to watch their faces during their 'a-ha' mOMents, when they make associations/connections and really GET IT.

During the breaks, many of the students share meals together, and get to know each other in a more personal way. Its so affirming to me that yoga can benefit everyone. I've never taught yoga to a large percentage of Muslim students, so it's really enlightening to learn how they respond to my understanding of the path and practice of yoga. Yoga itself is not a religion, but inspires great reverence and humility and leads one toward an experience of the infinite. How each student relates to that is perhaps unique, and the words we use to describe it may be different. But until each one of experiences that state of being, all of the beliefs we have about it are just that: beliefs. Until we know that by which all is known, everything we think we know is just a thought.

When I spoke with Paul (my husband) last night, he asked what I did after work. When he learned that I pretty much work all day, then walked to the grocery store to buy food and finally made some dinner (which was just heating up pre-packaged Indian food ... does it count as Thanksgiving if the 'Indian' component is from India rather than Native America?) ... he said, 'wow, it's a pretty austere life.' I'm definitely here to work, and 9 1/2 hour days, now 6 days in a row take a lot of energy, focus, and clarity. I don't have much left at the end of the day. But this work is so satisfying to me that I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all. As Manorama's teacher Sri Brahmananda Saraswati has said, "Yoga is the state in which you are missing nothing." I feel pretty complete. Ok, maybe a little tired!