Let me tell you about my summer in India. I enrolled myself in another yoga teaching training, this time in Rishikesh, because where else can you really learn the true teachings if not from Yoga’s home? On my way to  the ashram, I was delighted to just look through the car window mesmerized by the beautiful bright green forest, although many times I had flashbacks  of when driving in Mexico City due to so many bumps on the road. Finally I arrived with a very sore butt. The view was worth it though.
Next stop, a hotel besides the ashram, my new home for the first month. The entrance was at the back of the building, very narrow corridor, an unpaved street of mud and decorated with cow’s poop. I managed to pass through a broken gate and carry my luggage to the 2nd floor. They opened the door to this small dark room with a strong smell coming from the bathroom, no window or any kind of ventilation, no light at that time, only mold and dirt wherever you turned. Dungeon sweet dungeon! 
I ran to the school’s office and almost begged for a room change, they patiently listened to my kind of dramatic explanation and they managed to give me a room with a window facing the main street. A month of pilgrimage was just starting, all day and all night the “orange people” devoted to Shiva were passing by from all across India, cheering loudly at 4 am on their way to mother Ganga River. But I had my window…Lesson no. 1: karma.
First day was easy: Ceremony of Fire, welcome and introduction, nice traditional and ayurvedic lunch, and evening classes began. Now the fun begins: waking up 5 am for shatkarma, pranayama, breakfast, philosophy, ashtanga practice,  anatomy class, adjustments, hatha, meditation, sankalpa, dinner, and sleep. Learning was amazing. That time inside the shala was invaluable, but as soon as I stepped out, discomfort and dissatisfaction of everything else: the meals, the hygiene, the bugs, the poo, the poverty, the mold, the smells, the crowds, the noise…Lesson no 2: unfulfilled expectations create frustration.
Before this trip I used to consider myself as a non complainer kind of person. I saw myself more like a humble woman who understood that you need to adapt wherever and however. So little I knew about myself. I’ve never struggled so much accepting such circumstances. It was a daily battle with myself to feel comfort and contentment with what I had in that moment, and to be completely honest, I don’t think I really achieved that full peace and joy even though I was taught about it on daily basis during class…Lesson no 3: Self-knowledge is endless.
Western society has set the parameters to be happy, creates desires, and we seek  maximum comfort that gives us security and pleasure. We rarely experience how lucky we are to be part of a society that is able to get whatever it needs whenever it wants. I write need, not want because we are easily confused by it. 
So yes, we are very lucky but also we are doomed for lacking awareness and peace of mind, that peace of mind that is never satisfied because it will always be looking for more desires to satisfy.
My intention with these words is not to lecture anyone about anything, just to invite you to do a small and simple practice of acceptance and contentment. I realize how easy is to be blinded by comfort and privileges that you might aspire to, and that’s not bad. I am to. It’s part of the pursuit of a better quality of life. But while we are trying to feel that, don’t forget to feel grateful for whatever circumstances you have in life, pleasant and unpleasant. We cannot always control such circumstances, so our happiness should not depend on them.
Practicing these two qualities, acceptance and contentment is a huge step to give freedom to our Being and nurture compassion for others. These two words were the biggest gift I received and I will be grateful forever…My greatest lesson.

I say goodbye with this quote that captures the spirit of what  I'm trying to say:
“Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance”
-Unknown

Just for a laugh, some brief highlights of my experience:
Getting a catheter through mi nostril and pull it out through my mouth.
Feeding watermelon and bananas to cows.
Making peace with flies flying from poo to my face.
Falling 7 steps from very painful iron stairs with no broken bones.
Getting both my feet behind my head.
Standing up for myself when threatened by mean thieves monkeys.
A world record (must be) of eating rice and cauliflower every single day for 2 months.
Taking selfies with strangers.
Having mold everywhere, and when I mean everywhere I mean even in my passport.
Sharing my room with a tiny stubborn mouse.
Treating myself with delicious mangos and vegan home made chocolate.
Doing weekly laundry with my bare hands.
Dodge the endless poop of dogs, monkeys and cows.