See more photos of our trip in our India 2006 Gallery

On a cold day in January 2006, eight Yoga practioners from Nunavut, Ontario and the Maritimes set out for South India to live and study Yoga and Ayurveda for 5 weeks. After 28 hours of airplanes and airports, the tropical warmth of Chennai (Madras) India embraced us. Goodbye winter.

We stayed where “all visiting Yoga students must stay”; the New Woodlands Hotel, a 15 min auto rickshaw ride from the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandarim. We each had an appointment for private consultation and personal Yoga practice at KYM. I was thrilled to be there the evening Desikachar was in attendance practicing chant, preparing for a ceremony where he was to be honored by the Indian government for all the Krishnamacharya Yoga lineage had done for India. Some of us also attended a pranayama and meditation class lead by Desikachar in observance of Pongal-a celebration of the directional change of the sun. Although Desikachar is a quiet and humble man, it was obvious we were in the presence of a very great and honorable person.