Desperation Part II: The Day I Tried to Find God and Found Govindas
What is Govindas, you ask? It sounds like chocolate, but no. Govindas is a yoga instructor whose real name is Ira. I guess Ira didn’t quite sit well with the (now) Govindas. Ira isn’t a name for a yoga guru connected with the divine. Ira is a science fiction addict who eats In n’ Out french fries in the library. Govindas. Now there’s a yoga guru.
Govindas helped me find a spot to lay out my mat where I could compare myself to everyone else in the class. Yes, I know that yoga is not about comparing my flexibility or muscle tone, or ability to find inner peace with anyone else in the class, BUT GET REAL GOVINDAS, THIS IS AMERICA AND I WANT TO WIN! So, I spent a good deal of time staring at the pretty ladies who could do the (INSERT YOGA SANSKRIT WORD) pose without wobbling as much as I do, and feeling like I lost the race to inner peace. The highlight came when Govindas came over and HELPED ME WITH MY POSE! I felt very special, like a cult member who has been chosen to have sex with the leader.
At the end Govindas sang a song and I went into either a deep meditation or sleep, I’m still not sure what it was.
I didn’t find God at PowerYoga on second street in Santa Monica, but I did feel like an official resident of Los Angeles, now that I have adapted yet another LA cultural cliche (the first one was getting blond highlights streaked in my hair). I think culture is like air, you just breathe it and then it’s inside of you.
Just for today, I like yoga.
