Integral Yoga Institute in Coimbatore

7 January 2010, Noon, Coimbatore:  The thing that has surprised me the most during this trip is the diversity of languages in India.  Today's yoga class was given in Tamil.  Actually, it was given in Tamglish.... a combination of Tamil and English.  I was able to follow without too much trouble because I know the Integral Yoga routine so well and could also catch a word or two of English here and there. Tamil is quite distinguishable from Hindi.  Catherine described it perfectly this morning when she said that it is "rolling"... it's as if the words roll over each other.  Hindi sounds more like sanskrit, which we are somewhat familiar with due to all the Yoga and Vedanta that we have studied.

Whenever we hear someone talking on the phone, they always mix in English words with their Hindi or Tamil.  It reminds me of when I was growing up, my mother and grandmother would always speak Greeklish amongst themselves, and in Southern California (where I grew up), my Chicano friends spoke Spanglish.

Can an economy thrive when that economy has 27 different languages?  The lack of a common language acts like friction in the drive train of the economy.  If India had only one or two languages, I would invest a good chunk of my portfolio here, but the language thing gives me pause.

I think India must have the highest number of small businesses per capita in the entire world.  We walk down the street in Coimbatore, and it is filled with small mom and pop shops.  This is vibrant small business entrepenurship at its finest.

Unlike Pondicherry, there are no open sewers here.  They seem to have mastered modern plumbing in Coimbatore.  However, when walking down the street, just like in Pondicherry, one encounters open electrical junction boxes with exposed conductors.  At least they are up high enough where a child can't reach them.

We walked to the Western Union office down the street from the Institute to get a cash advance from the credit card.  The lady there, who spoke very good English, said that we would have to go to another of their offices across town.  A man who worked there took me on the back of his motorcycle to the other office while Catherine returned to the Institute.  It was about a 15 minute ride.  My mantra was, "little children do this all the time, and they are not afraid, so there is no reason for a grown man to be afraid".  This turned out to be a very effective mantra, as I arrived calm and safe.

The Integral Yoga Institute is run jointly by a wonderful man and a wonderful woman.  She is a Doctor of Naturopathy and he has a Bachelor of Science.  They have yoga classes twice per day (a beginner's class, a mixed Hatha I/Hatha II class, and a ladies class).  Catherine and I take the mixed class, which typically has about 3 women and about 12 men.  When they chant here, there are many off-tune voices, but there is no inhibition like there usually is in our yoga classes back home.  They really project their voices.  They have 3 group meditations per day.  They also have a little snack bar that serves soup, juice and snacks.  The accommodations are simple but adequate.  We feel very much at home here.

To give you some idea of costs:  Exchange rate is about 45 rupees to the dollar.  Breakfast costs about 50 rupees per person (roughly $1).  A 15 minute taxi ride costs 150 rupees (roughly $3). 

The motor rickshaws have 2 cycle engines, so they put a little oil in with the fuel when they fill up.  Street signs here are in Tamil and English, or in Tamil exclusively, and not all streets are labeled (sort of like New Hampshire).