Delhi

14 hours straight from Newark to Delhi... didn't get a wink of sleep, because the Bangali Babu (not my dad) next to me, kept whacking me with his elbow. I did watch a bunch of movies... two were really good "The Help" and "Life in a Day"... recommend both.
Anyhow can't sleep now, feeling under the weather, and we are staying at a hotel in Delhi... "The Emarald".
I would recommend it, cause its near Connaught Place, but its right next to the railway station, and some other shenanigans. However the people are being rather uncouth and noisy, really though why can't people be considerate? Is it just India? Need to be more observant.
Anyhow, my friend Romit picked me up from the airport, and ended up going to see the India Gate that night, and eating ice cream!

Then the next day we went to the "Parantha Valle Gully" and then to Red Fort. It was wonderful. That night we went to Nizamuddin and ate at Karim's. I met a goat who was rather large and friendly, and apparently a pet.
Sayan bought a nice coat. Also saw the inauguration of an art museum "Kiran Nader's _____ Museum". This was a live art piece that opened the museum up. It was interesting and reminiscent of my KFI days!

Day three I had a rental car, with tourist sign on it, and started with the Qutumbinar and Humayun's Tomb, both which I did not get to enjoy as much because - well they guessed I was foreign and made me pay foreigner's price of Rupees 250, instead of Indian ticket price of Rupees 10. Also there were like 10 schools visiting each location, and the kids were like the stampeding creatures that trampled Mufasa in the Lion King. Ok they weren't that bad, but you know kids! The next stop was Purane Kela, which was quiet and gorgeous and packed with lovers, who were obviously bunking work/school/college. Last but not least I went to Deer Park, which was also lovely, green, and quiet. Peace Peace Peace.
It was 3, and I had not had lunch, so driver took me to the mall, where I went to "Big Chill". This place was playing all the coldplay songs, and it was like a wanna be applebees, with more interesting food! The fresh juices is the best drink in Delhi! Untainted juice, freshly squeezed from fruit, right then and there, and no sugar added... pure bliss ya'll! Healthiest drinks ever! Yes I had pomegranate, orange, watermelon, and can't wait to drink more!

Got home (to Romit and Sayan's apartment) and soon Romit was home too, then we went to eat Dosa at a near by place, we got juice after that!

Day four - rested, watched Hindi movies. Evening - we went to Delhi Haat, and there were some cool programs like the East Indian Art of Cutting Cucumbers (while eyes are blindfolded). It was lovely yet scary. And some Bharatnatyam dancing. Then we ate - Bhel Puri, Papdi Chaat, Channa Batura, Maach Bhaaja and Chai. Later the guys helped me check in to the hotel, and we hit CP (Connaught Place) for dinner, although I had already eaten so much and felt like a pregnant horse. We ate at Zen (yes it was Indian Chinese Food). The guys met Babi (my dad) and then we parted. Miss hanging out with them already.

Day five- business meeting and setting up the booth at pragati maidan for the LED expo. When we got there, they sent us from one gate to the other (Pragati Maidan is huge). Then we had to fight to get in to take our "Maal" (exhibition stuff) in. We got to our booth, and it was so dusty, there were paan stains on the bottom of one board, the ENTIRE exhibition hall was in a mess, chaos, last minute preparations. This is the India I remember from 10-15 years ago. So I was not impressed, and frankly the people handling the organization of the whole hullabaloo of an exhibition were very - un-precise, un-prompt, forgetful and just lacked professionalism due to the above reasons. By this time I was feeling very sick - Dust, Dust, Dust, and the night before it was cold when we walked around CP. So got home and here I am unable to sleep and writing! Hopefully tomorrow will be awesome!

Breathe! (actually breathing here is tough with all the dust... I shall wear a mask and breath!)

 Humayun's Tomb

Connaught Place, at night!

And yes I wore my Vibrams everywhere!!!!

Running the Right Way

So read this article recently and this is what i want to tell people getting into barefoot and vibram shoes running:

"simply putting something different on your feet doesn’t make you a gliding Tarahumara. The “one best way” isn’t about footwear. It’s about form. Learn to run gently, and you can wear anything. Fail to do so, and no shoe — or lack of shoe — will make a difference."

Barefoot shoes just re-teach you the right form/way. The article goes on to talk about how shoes have changed drastically since the 70s. Its amazing! Good read, good science, good unlearning and relearning!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=2

And I would encourage everyone to read it and run it... live it!

More Coming Soon!

Older Blog: http://evariyun.blogspot.com/2010/09/feeling-world-with-our-feet.html

Aliens and Hexes

As a child, I always loved climbing stuff. Maybe humans have a natural inclination to climb. I climbed buildings, football goal posts, trees, walls, rocks/boulders etc.
Then somewhere the climbing stopped as it was inappropriate all of a sudden.
I wanted to start climbing again when I saw the rock wall at the University of Akron and wanted to get in shape to climb. I thought it was all arm strength. Little did I know it involved so so so much more.

So I wanted to have a strong upper body, but it was actually the whole body, mind and spirit. It all had to be in tune in sync with each other - this is what I learned much later.

I finally began climbing in 2009. I would do easy routes at the rock gym. I bought my own shoes and harness, but didn't learn to belay until 2011 summer. Therefore I really got into it in 2011. In 2009 I didn't push myself, mental conditioning was lacking a lot, technique lacked, and didn't handle the challenges enough.

As of 2011: I climbed outdoors, indoors and have see and experienced great heights. Mental conditioning - there is no end to that. Our minds are brilliant yet we have a lot of barriers to overcome. It is much like the matrix - you HAVE to "free you mind" so you have to get over the fact that "I can not" and just do it, because you can! (there are many proofs that one CAN do it, no matter what).

Seneca rocks - The beauty and intensity was mind numbing. I'm still reeling from the experience which I loved, but filled me with a 1000 different emotions, all as intense as the other... love, hate, anger, frustration, fear, self loathing, determination, exhaustion, warmth, cold, dread, fear, dread, love...

I was nervous the whole trip... irrational fears filled me: KKK, aliens, satanic worshipers... yes... I was "fear vomiting", cause I knew I would be stressed by the exposure of the cliff face we would be climbing. We were studying the book of the routes, self saving techniques, etc... funny thing was both aliens and hexes were mentioned on the same page (Seneca Rocks Climbing Guide). So the book makes it sound easy, but you know reality is different. Reality! Its just not a climb, its you, your mind, your body with the earth - doing together, getting to a higher place of consciousness and overcoming obstacles which include the above (your mind, body, spirit and the earth).

I also had a deep drunken conversation with Keith about eating animals, vegetarianism... which gave me a lot to think about and question, about respect, love, friendship, life and death. YES this is LIFE! We think about what nourishes us, where it comes from, it makes us do what we do, and we need to respect it (the food), ourselves, and our bodies.

So in tune with nature, body, mind and deep deep feelings, thoughts, beliefs... = Intense and beautiful.

The beauty and the intensity made me shed a tear or two, but I know its a catharsis I still need to face and let flow.





Breathe.

Feeling the world with our feet

The Memories and Instinct:

                There is some sort of inherent need to move our bodies. It is most natural in all of us especially when we are children. To run, to play, to dance, to climb, to jump, frolic and leap. As children we can’t sit still, and then slowly our spirits and bodies get tamed.

                We grow up and put on shoes. All sorts of shoes, flip flops, sandals, sneakers, boots, high heels… it is then that we stop exercising our feet the way. They are just there, as an appendage. We use them day to day but do we ever think of them? The toes, the in-between the toes, the ball of the foot, the arch, the heel, the ankle…

                As a child I remember running through the jungles in India, cautious yet very care free. Running fast, wind in my hair, sand flying up behind me… Remember the time you walked barefoot on the beach, and the sand scrubs against the bottom of your feet, gently so. The waves wash over your feet, and you can wiggle your toes into the sand, and it slightly tickles.

                Climbing a tree, we can feel all the different textures of the bark. Using our feet to grasp, hug and cling to the tree limbs, almost monkey like. To dangle our feet from the tree and feel the breeze caress our bare soles. Climbing rocks, feeling the marble of the Taj Mahal under your feet, the hot desert sand, the furry dog. Go ahead take your shoes off, wiggle your toes, and stretch the feet!

                Now by habit we put on shoes before going out, we even wear them indoors. We wear shoes so often that wearing fresh socks is such an exhilarating sensation for our feet! Our shoes do protect us from getting our toes stubbed, protects our feet from all sorts of damages, apart from surviving many other functions. What is missing, however, in this foot-shoe relationship, is the connection between us and the environment. The shoe creates a gap between that. We stop feeling the world with our feet.

The Science:

                I read an article in Cleveland Fitness magazine about barefoot running, and how more people are doing it. It actually helps the feet grow stronger, more muscles are used in the entire body. There is less impact, because instead of striking the ground with the heel each time, you land on the mid to upper parts of the sole (excuse me for I do not know the exact terminology for parts of the foot). Of course barefoot running maybe painful; after so many years of wearing shoes our feet are so tender, soft and sensitive, that most rough and hard surfaces hurt our feet. So I would say start little at a time. However after reading the article I began running, with the thought in my head - heck I did this as a child, I should be able to run miles barefoot. Alas, my thinking was wrong, and to just run 3 miles barefoot on a trail is a bad idea, and can lead to injuries especially when those muscles have not been used in a while. So start by walking short distance, and then increasing slowly. Then jog, and then run, over a longer period of time. There are many videos online, and websites which talk about this, and studies have been done.

                After much research I also found anti-barefoot websites. Seemed like Shoes were the major religion, and barefoot was the anti-religion, it was rather odd to see such hatred against people who just choose not to wear shoes. On a tangent... aren't there tonnes of guys who work outdoors in the summer with no t-shirts on? How is not wearing shoes SUCH A BAD THING? Seems a little extreme. However I think we have done it before, we can try it again.

(for more reading: "Born to Run" - Christopher McDougall;
http://www.chrismcdougall.com/
http://www.barefootrunningbook.com/ ;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_running#Prominent_barefooters ;
http://therunningbarefoot.com/ ;
http://www.barefootrunner.com/ ;
http://www.barefoot-running.com/ ;
http://www.runbare.com/ ;
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127134241.htm ;
http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm ;
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319--6728-0,00.html ;
http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/training/alternative/barefoot.asp ;
http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-running/ ;
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/technology/4314401 ;
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/01/28/shoeless_running_may_spare_feet/ ; http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/ ;
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-01/barefoot-running-study-finds-your-sneakers-are-unnatural ; http://ezinearticles.com/?Research-on-Barefoot-Running&id=4343746 ;
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/04/running-technique-footstrike.html ;
http://www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009-05/running-barefoot ;

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100127/barefoot-running-laced-with-health-benefits ;
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/runningworkouts/a/Barefoot-Running.htm ;
http://www.therunningfront.com/natural-running/beware-of-barefoot-running-injuries/ ;
http://www.foot-health-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17587

        

The Non-Shoe Shoe:

               The Vibram FiveFingers, a little over priced, but an awesome shoe with technology that makes being barefoot fun yet reduces the stress and pain of running barefoot for the first time. There are different types, with different amounts of support, and thickness of the sole. I tried them on and loved it, I was looking for new hiking/running shoes and settled for this. Although I should have started slowly, I kinda jumped into it, and now I'm taking it slowly, after reading about it a lot.

Barefoot:

             Finally, let's say you have urge to go hiking after work and you just don't have your shoes for some reason, go barefoot run on the grassy portions. Just go barefoot!