After three weeks of being separated, the longest span of time we’ve been apart in our entire 35 years of living together in (sometimes very) close quarters, we were finally ready to reunite in the fascinating city of Rishikesh — where Kimberly had been studying to be a yoga teacher, while Dennis was doing volunteer teaching several miles away in Raiwala.

Dennis: The Final Lesson

DENNIS: At last, my final day of teaching comes around. I wish I could say I made my exit on a positive note. But alas, it was anything but.

My final class is Eleventh Grade Literature. Some of the boys have a habit of dragging their heels getting to class, but on this day they’re even tardier than usual; the class period is half over, and many of them still haven’t shown their faces. But then the principal and three male teachers round them up from wherever they’ve been loitering, and herd them in.

The principal slaps one boy about three times and sends him out. (Physical abuse is something we’ve witnessed before in Indian schools; not only do teachers do it to students, but we’ve seen older students doing it to younger. We’ve even been told that it’s okay if we ourselves slap the students. No, it isn’t.) Then she stands in front of the class and yells at them in Hindi, so I don’t know exactly what she’s saying, though I get the gist of it. She’s holding a stick about a yard long, and she goes to the rear of the room and whacks a couple of them across the back.

The next morning when my bags are packed and I’m waiting for the tuk-tuk to whisk me away, the principal calls me into her office to say goodbye, and present me with a thank you gift: a mug with the school logo on it. It’s a relief to know that my efforts have been appreciated. There were times when I had my doubts.

With Raiwala behind me, I rumble into Rishikesh to the Airbnb we have booked, just up the street (literally up, since it’s on a hill) from the yoga school. I had messaged the host that I would probably arrive at about 1:00, but instead I show up at 11:00 (because the tuk-tuk driver had requested getting an earlier start), so the host is still cleaning the room. But he is soon finished, and I move in, to be joined later by Kimberly, for a few days at what promises to be a considerably more comfortable stay than what I just left.

Kimberly: The Final Exam

KIMBERLY: My 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course at Vinyasa Yogashala is coming to an end. Our Philosophy Teacher opts to hold our final class on the roof top, although most of us are distracted by the workers dangling from a rope painting the side of a 5 story building next to us with no safety harness.

For the final lesson we are asked to pass our notebooks around the circle and write about the person who’s notebook we are holding. It is a great exercise for reflection and creates a special memory for each of us. Our teacher, ever the philosopher, goes on to explain that the words we have written in someone else’s book are really how we truly see ourselves.

The final three days we will have exams. However I learn that I have to take both the written and practical exam on the same day. Which is severely stressful for me, as I have little time to review my notes. I can’t remember the last time I had to pass an exam of any type. Maybe during my one semester of college back in 1986? But on the plus side, it also means I get two days off.

For our practical exam, we have to lead a 45-minute yoga class from start to finish. with the other 3-4 teachers-in-training in our group serving as our students. We can choose to teach any of the various styles we’ve been studying: Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin or Ashtanga. Most expected me to teach Ashtanga, as it is the style I am most comfortable with. And I strongly considered it. However, I decide to take a risk and lean on my experience working with kids, and get playful. Plus, I can see practical application, as it will most likely be what I teach in the future.

So I design a class that could be taught to youngsters who are learning English. I look for a simple “kids” mantra that I could use for the opening, since this is the part I feel least prepared for and in my mind a mantra for kids should be easier to learn. On YouTube I stumble upon a mantra dedicated to Ganesha, a Hindu god that I learn is part elephant. Whenever I have a free moment I put on my earphones and play it on loop, trying to memorize it or at the very least learn not to butcher the pronunciation.

Ganesha also becomes the inspirational theme for my class. I put together a class that incorporates the Eka Hasta Bhujasana or “Elephant Trunk Pose” and focus on overcoming obstacles. I would have loved to have at least half a day to prepare, but it was going to have to do. Needless to say the class, I end up teaching is nothing like the other students’ classes but it works for me. I am encouraged by the energy and positive feedback.

The written exam is intense. I crammed and rewrote my handwritten notes. Some of the teachers were generous in helping us prepare, letting us know exactly what would be on the test. Others left us hanging in the wind and grasping at straws, giving us no clue about what to expect. And in the case of our Mantra Class we only studied the first week. Well, to be fair we said mantras at the beginning of most of our other classes but we just followed along. Nothing was sticking in my mind. I have always struggled with foreign languages; I have spent over a year in Cambodia and am still learning the basics of Khmer. So when it comes to the test, I have to leave blank the section that asks us to write a mantra from memory. I do my best at reconstructing the mantra for Ganesh, but without my notes I know I’m not going to pass that section of the test.

One more selfie with my Ashtanga Teacher and fabulous roommates, who have shared room 205 with me. And then, seeing as how I am done with studying and testing I move my stuff across the street to join Dennis in our Airbnb, before the program officially has ended.

And now we’re reunited in our cozy new temporary living space, without having any (other) roommates, and with the creature comforts that at least one of us has been sorely missing. And even though it’s been less than a month that we’ve gone our separate ways, we both have quite some stories to tell.

Events occurred 11/17-21/2024