We began our morning with an hour and a half drive out of the city to Lonavala, home of the Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute. I've become somewhat of a hero on these long rides with my supply of M & Ms and mini Snickers. The good news is that my suitcase is getting lighter.
This part of India is particularly well known for its yoga schools. This one was established by Swami Kuvalayananda (try to say that 5 times fast) in 1924. People come to this facility to live on campus for a minimum of 7 days to take classes, but also, there is a yogic hospital and healthcare center on the campus. It was a very serene garden setting with numerous signs telling us that we were in a quiet zone. We went to an upstairs studio for an introductory yoga session. With all of the open windows and hearing the rainfall outside, the experience was quite relaxing for everyone. In fact, I think almost all of us slept on the long ride back to Pune!
Our afternoon program proved to be a favorite of many. We went to the University of Pune to watch present and former students present a cultural program that had been designed for our Fulbright group. It included traditional dance and vocal pieces performed beautifully by the students (all pics). After hearing lectures in Delhi on traditional music, it was wonderful to actually get to see and hear it!
Our Indian tour guide who is with us the entire trip celebrated his birthday today, so we went to a restaurant to eat birthday cake and sample South Indian food, since that will be our next destination. Tomorrow is Sunday (our free day) and folks are busy making plans to shop, rest, take a yoga class here at the hotel, etc. Believe it or not, I found a Methodist Church not too far from the hotel. I plan to see if I can make it there in an auto rickshaw in one piece and in time for the 9:00 A.M. service.
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