DakshinaChitra and Yoga

Dr. Hamsa Priya during a break

A yoga session

Textile Art

Sari weaver

Lunch on a banana leaf

We arrived at DakshinaChitra in the early afternoon.  DakshinaChitra (which means "view of the south") is a heritage village and craft cooperative.  They have brought traditional houses and other buildings from several regions of southern India, and demonstrate and sell local arts and crafts such as textiles, stone and wood carvings, and jewelry.  We saw a weaver working on a silk sari and were told that it takes him 10 days working at least 8 hours a day to make one six meter sari. Our group was housed in the guest houses at the site and did our yoga lessons in the assembly hall.  The meals were all vegetarian and represented south Indian cuisine (and were delicious!).  The yoga lessons were taught by Dr. HamsaPriya, who took up the Art of Living yoga after she retired as a professor of political science.  She has taught the Art of Living yoga to Semester at Sea groups for several years, and also has served as an interport lecturer on India for other voyages.  The Art of Living form of yoga stresses control of breathing and meditation.  The sessions were intense, with stretching exercises, chanting, and long periods of meditation.