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Oh, sweet India. How I have romanticized you for decades, with your spicy chai teas and beautiful faces and gift of yoga and curried lentils. I have watched you from the other side of the room, wondering when I should make my move, wishing that my first time be meaningful, memorable.

I wasn’t sure that this year would be our opportunity. I mean, the timeframe of only one month to explore is an injustice to your cultural diversity and assorted landscapes. I began to wonder if perhaps it would be best to leave you on your pedestal, and to visit at a different point in my life, a period with more time and more focus. Maybe I should wait?

But in this year of traveling, only twelve nations will make the list. I couldn’t imagine leaving you, my darling India, excluded. I hummed and I hawed, and eventually gave myself permission to have an experience that didn’t necessarily align with my preconceived notions of what my first time in India would look like. Chances are I won’t find the meaning to life while levitating on a northern mountain. Bummer.

So here I am, in Mumbai, getting ready to transfer down to Goa. I’m late arriving to my October destination because of the process of applying for the Indian Tourist Visa. I won’t bore you with the details, but I can advise you that if a trip to India is in your future, try to plan in advance. These folks have an affinity for paperwork.

When it came time to decide on a host site, I certainly had my ideals. Originally I thought that an Ashram would align with my romantic ideals of visiting India, but then I asked myself if scared spiritual centres would have WiFi, or if they would appreciate a western man wandering around with a camera every day.  And so I realized that an Ashram wouldn’t really align with the priorities of my travels. Besides, do I really want any Eat. Prey. Love. comparisons?

But I was still enchanted by the idea of yoga in India. So when I came across Yogagypsis during my research on HelpX.net, I was immediately intrigued. There seemed to be a good balance of travelers and locals, of yoga and nature. It seemed to have reflective/spiritual values presented in a digestible fashion.

Here is their introductory description from their website:

“Imagine a tropical paradise just yards from the warm Arabian Sea, nestling beneath palm groves with a constant cooling breeze. Visualize traditional Indian huts, Portuguese villas, tree houses and Tipis set amidst tropical gardens. Experience calm and serenity as you wander around the temple complex with yoga devotees, tai chi and other holistic arts practitioners. Hear the music of ancient and modern. Taste the food of many traditions. Journey to YogaGyspsys the best that Goa has to offer.”

To be honest, I’m not really sure what my tasks as a work-exchanger will be. When liaising with my host, I was forewarned that my job would not be to offer sun salutations for the Gods. Initial emails mentioned, “It’s a lot of hard ‘graft’ moving furniture, painting, planting, its 3000 sqm of land, with 9 units plus tipi’s to erect (weather permitting) etc etc.”

I don’t fear hard work. But I am cognizant that this experience risks going in various directions. Will I be a slave to folks with fundamental spiritual/lifestyle values, such as in Costa Rica? Or will I discover people working on an inspired project, like I did in France? Will India be everything that I imagined it to be?

I guess you’ll just have to tune in to find out.

EXPECTATIONS:

- To sweat buckets
- To eat a lot of delicious curries
- To reestablish my practice of asanas (physical yoga)
- To jump in the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea) everyday
- To get sick from something: food poisoning, malaria, random dog bite (something has to happen EVENTUALLY on this trip to land me in the hospital)

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