Wow! What a month... I just finished my Yoga Teacher Training at Kailash Tribal School in Mc Leod Ganj / Dharamsala and I can honestly say that it was the *Best Month of my Life*! Big statement indeed, let me explain: when is that last time you spent a whole month not wanting to be anywhere and anytime else but where and when you were right then? Not longing for the past, not looking forward to any future plans but simply fully enjoying the present moment... Well, that's exactly what I experienced for an entire month. 
The environment had a lot to do it - I felt so attuned with nature, easily waking up at 5am to the sound of chirping birds, cows, goats and dogs, practicing in one of the most beautiful yoga hall I've been to, overlooking bright colored houses, moutain tops and open skies. Backdrop for meals were equally beautiful and grounding at nearby cafe and terasses - Kunga's Guesthouse being one of my favorite spot.
But let's get back to the core of my hapiness during this past month: what I learned - from yogic philosophy, written 5,000 years ago, yet so relevant to today's practical world, to yogic and ayurvedic lifestyle to sustain a healthy mind, body and soul, to anatomy and the miracle that our human body real is. Yoga is so much more than what we tend to believe in the West: a bunch of stretching exercices for flexible people. Let me quote my dear teacher Yogi Sivadas who shared his wisdom so fully, openly and honestly yet made sure we practiced discriminative awareness to question, ponder and keep with us only what truly resonnated within - here is what sticked with me and what I'd like to share with you:
"Yoga is tuning to your true nature, to the timing of your own life, being comfortable with you individuality - it's living with awareness" 
"Understand that you're a by-product of cosmic, inherited and acquired information. As a yogi, I have no nationality, I don't represent any parts of the world, I represent cosmic consciousness"
"Joy and pleasure can be pursued but happiness cannot. Happiness is our natural state. Happiness comes from understanding our true nature, life, wisdom"
"Being in harmony with ourselves, walking around like a bubble of joy impacts the universe moment to moment. Every human being has a CHOICE to maintain harmony within. It's a question of attitude and perspective"
"The journey is more important than the destination. Destination is just a possiblilty. Enjoy the effort, not the result"
"Real spirituality unites people, it doesn't divide"
"Yoga is the unconditionning needed to let go of anything that stops you from knowing who you truly are"
"The goal of yoga is to expand and increase awareness into our hidden dimension. Asanas bring us connection to our physical bodies" 
"Be in service to yourself, keep your inner light bright and light up the rest of the world"
"An advanced yogi doesn't walk up the stairs up-side-down, he walk up the stairs with awareness"

Yoga is a journey, a quest about life and I'm so excited that mine is only getting started....

A year ago I was living in Paris getting ready for my next professional move across the Atlantic Ocean, 6 months ago I was wondering how to get myself out of that situation and quit the corporate world and now, I'm having lunch on a sunny terrasse of  Mc Leod Ganj, on my break from Yoga Teacher Training... Thank God I finally decide to use my right hemisphere - my left one could have never come up with a better plan... Mc Leod Ganj is this sweet village right above Dharamsala, hanging along the Himalaya slopes. Here, the air is light and crisp, the temperature and weather perfect for yoga practice (after the heat and humidity of the south - my energy level is back to full capacity!) and the bells always seemed to ring in the background... It doesn't exactly feel like India here... Mc Leod Ganj is this interesting mix of Tibetan monks, spiritual seekers, conscious tourists,  masala chai and chat street vendors, yogis, hikers, vedic astrologers and perhaps the nicest people I've met here so far. Sanjay, who's been working 24/7 at Kunga Guesthouse restaurant for over 12 years, welcomes you with the same warm and humble smile every time you walk in for lunch... The old Sikh who runs the supermarket behind his till and big turban always has a kind word to say on the way out... The internet cafe manager gave me dhoop (incense cone) as a gift when I told him I loved the smell of his shop... And of course, let me not forget my yoga teacher! How could I best describe him? As a Rock-and-Roll-Yogi! Flexible, wise, spiritual yet unconventional, caring, funny and... hairy (see pictures below) - what more could I ask for? We start the day on our own with kryias (cleansing practices) and pranayamas (breathing exercises then meet with Yogi Sivadas at 7am for sanskrit mantra chanting to tune in to our true nature and inner cosmic vibration (oh yeah). We then proceed with 2 hours of Ashtanga Yoga and resume training with our 2pm lecture - topics as diverse as the concept of India, Hindu philosophies, Yogic cleansing and diet, Ayurveda, Patanjali Yoga Sutras.... tout ce que j'aime! Then off to another 2 hours of Hatha Yoga and a whole lot of studying in between! My brain is eating up this new knowledge, my body is happy to move and getting strong, my mind is getting still(er), my ego (who's spoiled brat) takes the whole thing for granted every now and then but when I pinch myself  and remember that all this is not a dream, my soul smiles...
PS: Where will I be in 6 months? That is a very good question that I could not care less to answer that right NOW...

... when driving, keeping a hand on the horn is as essential as keeping a foot on the break
... 3 lane highways are really 5 lane highways...
... even buses and trucks are colorful and beautiful
... planes and trains run on time and cab drivers show up as planned - every is so smooth so far (I'm either really lucky or I was lied to about always expecting the unexpected)
... domestic flights are like a big playground for kids - don't plan on catching up with some sleep...
... masala chai is the new nespresso
... orange is the new black
... women wear saris and men wear skirts (called dhoti - so who wear the pants?? Sorry, couldn't help it)

I always thought of Goa as a big party/drug scene and was not interested in going there during my Indian journey. But I started hearing good things along the way and after a few weeks, Bombay was getting hot and sticky, so I decided to go for a few days and relax before starting my yoga teacher training in Dharamsala (I know, not very logical in terms of traveling directions, but that's what happen when you let your guts rather than your head leading the way...) 
Now the dilemma was to decide whether to go to south or north Goa (north supposedly being more of the party scene while south more of a laid back quiet one). Because I always need to taste a bit of everything, I decided to start with 2 days in a beach hut in Patnem (south) and 2 days in a yoga retreat in the north (Satsanga, between Anjuna and Mapusa). And because all plans are meant to be broken, mine did too. I only ended up staying 1 night in Patnem after coming to the conclusion that India is just not a beach destination, at least not for me. Laying down among stray dogs peeing and pooping all over had nothing appealing to me... Thank God India is so flexible! It only took me the blink of an eye to check out and head to Satsanga day earlier, where I spent 3 blissful days... Beautiful rooms, garden, pool in the middle of nowhere, amazing yoga morning classes with Jodi and Amrita, in a studio high up a few steep steps offering a glorious view over a sea of green... And delicious ayurvedic food, that I got to learn by taking a cooking class with Mani, their beloved-authentic-intuitive cook from Kerala. Outside of Satsanga, I got to experience beautiful sunset at Vagator Beach (sitting on a rock with my clothes on, I didn't mind the dogs so much) but what I loved more than anything were the local markets. I first went to the Mapusa market where locals come for their fruits, veggies, dry fish, spices (there is nothing more vibrant than a spice display in an Indian market...). I then got to go the Arpora Saturday Night Market, an amazing concept of outdoor shops of all kinds, street food and live music! So Goa has not been what I expected but it's been the highlight of my trip in terms of beautiful, colorful and vibrant sceneries. I hope the pictures will convey at least a bit of the magic and leave you as speachless as I was...