No time, Really??

So when people first realize that I teach yoga! they give me a very mixed reaction. For some it's a wow thing and they even get intimidated. For others, it's like whatever. How does she manage to pay her bills?? Frankly, I don't always manage to do that and so I got married( I know many are cringing at my bad joke). But mostly people think that I would have a lot of time on my hand since I only work a few hours a week. It's when they get to know the other things I do, not directly for a living that I get a more serious reaction. 

How can you be into photography, read manuscripts, write columns and teach yoga?? And out of this, you only get paid to teach Yoga?? Why would you do that?? Yes, by those standards I probably work a 100 hours a week for measly returns. But it that the point?? The point is that with my short attention span I need to constantly keep doing newer things. This is often done to stay focused on the few basic things that I should be doing. 

I have been teaching Yoga for almost a decade now without a single boring day. Without even a passing feeling of wanting to quit. And that's because I am constantly doing so many other interesting things along with it that it always has the newness in it. It kind of charges me up for my other pursuits.

Obviously simplifying my life, having a great support system and enjoying each day has a charm to it that nothing else can match. Besides pursuing your passion and knowing that every person you know is envious of your life but just doesn't have the courage to live it!!

The 90s' child

So, I got to know this past Sunday that Ghungaroo has reopened in Delhi! Yes, the same 'it' place where you were'happening' if you got in. Growing up in the 90s is a completely different thing. I almost feel ancient writing about it, ok, nostalgic if you insist. 

We never went 'lounging' or 'to chill.' Our agenda of a night out was very straight. 'We would go dancing!' The first discotheque I went to was Mirage at The Surya. I was sixteen then. Yes, they would mostly not check your ID back then as long as you are dressed right- the shortest of skirts with the biggest block heels(ironically a lot of places check my ID now) and your friends appeared older(in my case, they were always older cousins!) The popular places were Mirage, Djinns and Float. You had to check out a new place when it opened. Stay loyal to it until the next big thing arrives(which would be usually about two years at least). 

Getting in to these places would be another story. The queues were long,the skirts short and hanging around just didn't guarantee entry. Wednesday nights were popular because of the ladies'night. Discs(as they were called back then) remained open till 4. And all we did from 10p.m.to 4a.m. was dance. You would see the same people at these places. Loyalties were strong. A Djinns patron wouldn't set foot in Float and vice versa. On a Wednesday you would know of your Saturday night plans. Nothing worked impromptu since you have to plan your clothes, your excuses at home etc. plans were made not on cell phones because none existed. I feel we are the last generation that's punctual because we didn't have cell phones to communicate enroute.

It was The Jessica Lall case that changed the party scene in Delhi. Suddenly parents became more protective. The deadlines changed- both for the bars and me! No bar could remain open after 1a.m. It seemed Delhi had come to a halt. The faces in the party circuit changed. There was a sadness in the air. You wouldn't be as carefree going out at night as you were. 

And soon after, with the advent of technology, exposure, the glorious decade had ended. The concept of dancing was vanishing, in came the lounge bars. And so many opened together that no more did anyone have to wait outside in a queue to get in. The queues got shorter, the spaces smaller. There is a watering hole in every neighbourhood now. But has that made life better? More fun?? Think about it, not necessarily!

The Unsaid Things

When you teach Yoga as a profession and not just do it for fun, suddenly things change. Everything is calculated in terms of how many classes translate into how much money, workshops versus private classes, private classes versus studio etc. currently I charge a thousand a class, more for workshops and I don't go lower than that. And I certainly know there are many who are willing to charge half of that. This hasn't happened overnight and you have to make it worthwhile otherwise you make yourself one of those thousand trainers who learnt yoga watching Baba Ramdev on TV.

It's hard to stay motivated when you work as a freelancer. There are times I go without a single class an entire week. There are times I am inundated with classes and sometimes I am watching TV or reading a book the entire day waiting... basically killing time. It was different when I started out... I met other trainers, we did yoga together, brainstormed, took retreats together, hung out in the evenings. It certainly is a non glamourous life. There aren't social events lined up for you(Delhi society feel ashamed getting out of their houses before 11p.m and that's when you should be fast asleep because you have a 6a.m class). 

Random people sometimes ask me about my very 'exciting' life. I just laugh it off saying its not like the Beatles'. Nobody tells you about the loneliness that comes with it. Unconventional working hours, meager wages, the pressure to 'look fit' always, no colleagues, days when you feel like a complete idiot for not choosing a conventional profession. For not moving towards goals that your MBA friends have set up for themselves. When you feel completely worthless for barely being able to take care of your own expenses. When you hate the glint in people's eyes when you describe your profession and they go 'Oh WOW!' You wanna scream out, 'Be in my shoe and then say it!' When you almost look for a normal job and even that scares you because you have never even thought do it, forget doing it.

And then, you sit back, content, because you are doing what you are passionate about. You are doing what people had warned you against. You are doing what all those friends want to do but don't have the courage to do it. When all you are doing is following your dream!

A different face of HKV!

For the uninitiated, HKV is Hauz Khas Village. My sojourn to the village began in 2008 when K, my best friend from high school, introduced me to its many facets. Before that I had never ventured beyond the Deer Park, and that, I always approached from SDA. Never knew HKV even existed. And this, when my parents stayed across the street in HK.

From the tiny designer stores to the newly opened restaurants. From empty bylanes to zero parking space, I seem to have seen it all at the village. I often went for Coffee with K at SDA and we walked upto the Village. The coffee often converted into a couple of drinks at TLR but the place was recently broken down, I hear. It remained one of the few big spaces in the Village. TLR gave a new identity to the upcoming talent of the city.

In due course of time, the rentals grew with the advent of new restaurants and pubs. The designers often complained about these restaurant-owners pushing up the rental value of the place. Some bought the place from the villagers, others moved out and there are still a few who are struggling to find a foothold there.

The charm of the Village gave way to rowdy crowds as people started to get to know about this hidden wonder. The beautification of the lake brought hope to the morning walkers  of Delhi born and breds. But with it, a disaster was waiting to happen. Every week a new place started to open up, eating the beautiful space which now exist in my memory. Gunpowder, Boheme', Kalista, Amour, Zo, OTB... the list is endless. The charm gave way to fear. The fear of being trapped on a fourth floor restaurant that has caught fire, with no emergency exits. The fear of being harrowed by parking attendants in the mddle of the day. The fear of going to my designer there and finding myself in a stampede in the bylanes because a fire has broken out somewhere.

The anger grows with each new establishment opening... HKV has become a monkeyland, with everyone else abandoning it like someone struck with an epidemic. Its a Palace of Illusions for me. The beautiful palace no longer remains. What remain is the illusion that someday it'll gain back its glory and charming self.

Back to Blogging...

I had started my first blog in 2009. But a year back was so cheesed off by 'everything being online.' And i deleted it completely. But i couldn't keep myself from writing for too long. Now with so much time on hand, it was just a good opportunity to go online and rant- not just about yoga but things other than that as well!

blogging is like an old marriage. you rant, you fight, you go your separate ways... But in the end, you are so used to it, that you come back. So I'm back with the hope that my virtual partners will be as supportive as they have always been!!