nose floss

the yoga here is not like anything i've ever done. i've taken a few different styles and levels of classes in the states, and even in korea... but this is crazy. in a really hard and intense but in a fun way. the schedule here is not completely in tune with my natural body rhythm, as those of you who are familiar with my preferred sleep schedule will recognize. it goes something like this:
4:30 wake up
5:00 meditation
6:30 yoga
8:00 breakfast
9:00 library time (though we sometimes sneak away to do things like check email and this very blog)
12 noon lunch
2:30 library time
3:15 lecture
4:00 afternoon tea
5:00 yoga
7:00 meditation
8:15 dinner
and then i'm ready for bed, though there's no enforcement on this. but i'm really enjoying it. the people are nice (though most of the students are westerners, which is not quite what i had expected/hoped for), and the instructors are very demanding but encouraging.

today we did a rather bizarre cleansing practice. basically we poured body-temperature salt water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. then, as if that wasn't enough, i had to take a thin rubber tube and insert it into my nose, thread it into my throat, pull it out through my mouth, and slide it back and forth. this was not exactly comfortable, but not painful like i thought it would be. the hardest part was pulling it through without hitting the gag reflex. i don't recommend trying it without supervision, but it does remind me of lunchroom days of people laughing so hard that milk came out their nose. and i'll leave you with that image.