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Woke up at 2 AM, dying of thirst and a little hungover from the glass of wine I had with dinner. Did a quick calculation of the amount of water I’d consumed over the past 24 hours and was appalled. I could have just gone back to sleep, but knew it’d mean a crappy practice if I let myself stay so dehydrated. So I got up and made a huge pot of mint tea. While I waited for the water to heat, I drank a couple of cups of tap water and chewed a couple of vitamin C tablets.

Felt better when the alarm rang at 6:30. Had a cup of coffee, surfed the web via iPhone, took a shower & headed to practice. I love being on a subway again. I know public transit can be a pain when you live in a city, but it’s MUCH more entertaining than driving in the suburbs. I adore people-watching, and hadn’t realized how starved I am for the opportunity. In Scottsdale, everyone drives everywhere, so it’s possible to pretty much never see anyone other than family and coworkers and shalamates, with occasional strangers thrown in at the supermarket or a restaurant. But 99.9% of people in Scottsdale are 99.9% the same. Same socioeconomic backgrounds, same race, same clothes, etc., etc. A super homogenous culture.

Yeah, so I’m thrilled to be here.

Okay, so I just have a couple of stops to get to Bethnal Green. Head upstairs and start walking. And walking. And… Okay, now I’m clearly past where the shala should be. Walk back a ways. Nope. Retrace my steps again. No, the shala has not magically appeared since the last time I walked this way. Try the other side of the street. Consider calling Susan. Oh, there it is! Thank goodness for a big sign.

Into a rather dark building and up a few flights of creaking stairs — this reminds me a little of the entry to Troy Lucero’s studio in Seattle. I find the entry door and step inside. A woman coming out of one room stops and looks at me.

“Karen?!” she asks.

Even as I say “yes,” she’s hugging me. Angeline (aka AC) is welcoming and irrepressible. Travelling can be exhausting, so her energetic spirit felt so refreshing. Next I met Kevin (aka Globie), equally hospitable, though more an introvert (like me). It always feels like a kind of refuge, going to a shala far from home.

The practice room was warm and bright, with 10 or so people already practicing when I went in. As I rolled out my mat, I heard Cary introducing a student to sun salutations. Perfect! She’d be busy with him, so I could just go about my deeply-vata-imbalanced-because-of-flying-and-being-dehydrated discombobulation.

Do I wish I were one of those people who can go anywhere and do anything and maintain centeredness and equanimity? Hell, yes! Sadly, though, I get spacey and pretty much leave my body when I’m stressed. Thank God for practice, though. With each breath I reeled myself back in. Talk about a refuge.

I got a great, grounding adjustment during baddha konasana. Enjoyed every speck of primary, did 5 urdhva dhanurasanas, then went in to closing. I wasn’t sure about doing dropbacks, largely because my heels go up and I just didn’t want to trot them out. Tmorrow’s a Moon Day, but perhaps I’ll give them a go on Tuesday. I feel like I need a disclaimer pasted on me during dropbacks: “Please pardon the mess — my heels go up. Sorry!”

After practice Susan, Angeline, Kevin and I went out for a leisurely three hour brunch, followed by a scenic walk through neighborhoods and marketplaces. A lovely morning/afternoon in East London.