Roll Call

So normally, part of the academic experience is continually moving and leaving former lives behind.  Which can be a little sad.  In my years in Norman, Oklahoma, I put a lot of energy into yogaing with the group I found there.  But alas my stay was only destined to be for three years.  When I discovered that I was moving to India, a very far place, that was actually good news for a couple of them, because they regularly visit India.  And they're coming on Friday!  So I think a post to introduce Team Ashtanga Oklahoma (TAO) is in order.

Jennifer is a super-friendly yoga instructor, under whom I studied the most at the studio.   We both enjoy early morning yoga ("Mysore") and ordering breakfast (called "Ujjayi Breakfast"), so we became great friends.  She runs classes called "Ashtanga Playground" and "Circus Mysore".   She let me take over the former once to teach a JYoga class.  Later she visited my Quaker group and led a fantastic yoga workshop, aimed towards elder folks.  Also Jennifer can be a determined blogger; in November alone she blogged more than I ever have.  Fun all around.

Stacy is Jennifer's usual globe-trotting partner, and another instructor at the studio.  She was my only classmate for many of the Mysore classes, and my main partner in Acroyoga.  We even performed in a couple shows together (which makes her Kevin Bacon number 4 or less).  She also owns a unicycle.  If you're someone (my mom) who's worried about my medical health when touring India, you'll be relieved to know that she is a nurse by profession.  Full of boundless energy, perhaps the most outgoing of the TAO, she's sure to land us into memorable predicaments.

Courtney has seen much of the world.  A Peace Corps alum, she worked for two years in Gambia, Africa.  She's also been to Costa Rica and is an avid climber.  At home Courtney is a mainstay of Norman's art scene, serving up poetry, dance, and, you know, art.  She currently holds a TAO record by having three blogs.  I only really met her once at a Wednesday Dinner for about ten seconds, but she's as welcome to visit as any loyal DAI fan!

Steven is an American Indian, or at least he's an American who's trying out "being Indian" for a while.  Born in the mountains of Pennsylvania, raised in the forests of New Jersey, he likes being a mathematician because you get to meditate for a living.  Recently India has been creating many attractive jobs in mathematics, while the U.S. has been destroying such.  Last year Steven's friend Raghuram invited him to a math institute in Pune to be a professor and add momentum to their new Ph.D. program.  There's some bureaucracy for that, so meanwhile he's chilling at the Tata Institute, where his job is basically to be collegial.  It's a neat place, but lately he's been itching for a vacation "within the vacation", so TAO is arriving at a great time.

So that's the TAO roundup.  We plan to explore Mumbai, Delhi, the Taj Mahal and Rishikesh.  Jennifer and Stacy are experts already at traveling in India.  We look forward to touring and taking pictures and blogging and (j)yogaing.  And being stared at a lot.