Sunday, January 16, 2011

A Country of Contrasts







Pune is a city of 2.8 million people.Theses photos are of the Laxmi Road area of Pune, which houses the traditional Indian shopping markets.  “Laxmi” means prosperity.  You can find everything from fabric, ready made clothes, gold and silver jewelry, bangles (stay tuned for a bangle shopping blog post), candy, legumes, fruits and vegetables and trinkets of all sorts.





Now fast forward to the Pune Central shopping center, which is right across the street from the Iyengar Yoga Institute.  Notice the “Shop.  Eat.  Celebrate.” motto and the hip young woman that is depicted on the side of the building.  This is quite a switch from the sari-clad women of days gone by.  I went into Pune Central and turned around and came right back out.  The loud pulsating music made my head ache.



Pune Practice Tip for our Portland Iyengar Yoga students
Do Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose) on the lower or middle ropes.  To improvise the rope set up, loop a belt around secure doorknobs.  Instead of taking your hands to the floor, take your arms behind your back, clasp a pole (read broomstick) with the palms facing your back body.  Slowly bring the pole up toward the ceiling and toward your head. What is the result in your body of these actions? 

2 comments:

  1. I remember when I was studying India for a class in college, how it was such a country of contrasts, with so many people living the traditional life of their ancestors, and many others living a very modern life. And that was in the '80s. Technology has sped up the modernization by many times over, and yet there is that huge gulf between the modern and the traditional still.

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  2. I love the pictures of the market, and of the women in their saris, by the way.

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