Woke at 4:45 this morning to gale-force winds and the roar of the pounding surf. It had rained most of yesterday and this morning. The glass window above the studio’s front door had blown shut and was half-shattered, with glass covering the sidewalk. The studio’s back door had been open for a few hours while it was raining -- the carpet was soaked with water and gave off a slight mildew smell. I guess it’s winter in Encinitas.

Tim was back today. He seemed pretty happy to be home, although he didn’t say much, as per usual. He contracted a cold on the flight home, so pranayama was mellower than normal. The retentions were short, although he still used his patented six-hour-long inhales and exhales. Man, Tim’s breath is like a slow leak from a big tire. It just takes forever and ever to get anywhere.

He ended pranayama early to get to what I suspect he really treasures: kirtan. I figure he missed it the entire time he was in India.

He has such an electric presence in the studio. You can tell people had genuinely missed him, and were glad he had returned. For his part, he too seemed really glad to be home.

Asana practice was brilliant. It is Friday, after all, and for some reason my practice is very strong and light at the end of the week. Plus I had fasted for two days, which may have had something to do with my lightness.

By practice's end, I was forced to abandon my usual spot by the heater. The mildew smell was too strong, and I had to get away. It occured to me that our studio is in a rather run-down and dilapidated shell of a building. Like so many other Encinitas buildings from the '60s and '70s, it's not built to handle any temp below 60-degrees, or any weather other than sunny and mild.

After attempting a three-day fast (over Christmas, nonetheless), I’m going on record to say that fasting sucks. By sucks, I mean that it is very, very challenging. That first day was murder. I’ve discovered that I not only like to eat, I LOVE it. Rather dearly.

But I guess that’s the point.