End of the course

Yes, the course is over, over, over. You are currently reading a message from a qualified teacher of Sivananda Yoga (not that I would dream of doing it without some more practice on family and friends...)

I will doubtlessly bore you all with stories about the final examination (imagine 160 people all sitting on the floor and writing for over three hours...) and the celebration that followed (imagine the same 160 people going berserk several hours later), but right now I'm all introspective and thoughtful, so you're going to have to bear with me and wait awhile for the juicy stories...

I left the ashram today and went with a few friends to a beach resort (for the Indians among you, you've probably been here before me - Varkala). The thing is - I wouldn't have come at all if it hadn't been for my room-mate, with whom I've become really good friends. I'm just here to spend another couple of days with her, and then I'm going back to the ashram.

No, I don't think you have to worry about my disappearing from the face of the earth just yet, but - my god!!! I didn't think it would be so hard to leave this place!!! I was originally going to start heading north today, but instead, I will probably stick around another week or so, and then see what happens. Yes, there is definitely a lot to be said for "going with the flow".

Another surprise is how tired I am - I was actually enjoying pretty much every moment (even the moments when I truly and sincerely thought that they were wasting my precious time, to put it lightly), but now that it's over, I feel like I've been through something really strenuous. I say this as an excuse, to explain why I'm not going to write much just now.

Basically, I just wanted to let you know that the course is over, and that all is well. And I wanted to ask, entreat, request, plead and beg my two dear sons to **WRITE ME** and tell me what is going on in your lives!!!!!!!! Where are you? What are you doing? What are you thinking? What are you feeling? A mother likes to know these things, so please write!!!

Also, Susan, Martin, I wanted to let you know that I got your letters, and thanks. I'll be writing more as soon as I get my head together. Just now, there are bits and pieces of it (my head) lying around in odd corners, and I have to collect, identify and mark them, pretty much the same as you might do with an archeological vase you might find buried under five feet of dust.

As you can probably see, I don't really know where I am this week, so this might be a good place to stop...