Yoga II

When their ride arrived at their somewhat long offroad trip, the place was far removed from the bustling and busy city.

It was a bit of jungle with a secluded atmosphere to it. Sullivan was even expecting that the place would have the elephants that he wanted to observe.

On the other hand, Alexander was attracted by the looming tower and the temple stairs which gave him the vibe that it was the right place to look.

Where else is there to look for when something reminiscent of a monk's hermit palace is practically right before his eyes?

"Mr. Ganesh, shall we proceed with the tour?" Sullivan asked the guide and with Mr. Ganesh's gesture, the entourage and the Creeds were now trekking the stony steps.

Alex worried a bit for his grandpa but seeing him walking, the hundred or so steps like, it was nothing. The worry was pushed out and remembered that the old men of now were different from the old men of the future.

The boy was now focused more on the open slopes by the sides of the stairs. Yoga practitioners were flexing their art as if they were becoming one with nature.

If this wasn't India and their art wasn't yoga, Alexander would have believed that the place was something out of a kung fu movie, with the martial school flexing their student's skills to a newbie student or visitors.

"Mr. Creed, I have called in earlier and the master yogis are happy to have an esteemed visitor such as yourself!" Ganesh spoke English quite fluently but with an Indian accent that reminded Alex about TBBT's Raj Koothrapali. "They have prepared these men and women as an exhibit of what their practice is all about."

Sullivan nodded at the small talk but his attention was attracted to the men and women who were contorting their bodies to the stretchable limit.

He associated it with another bodily practice he knows back at home and turned to his grandson with a weird, questioning look "Alexander, now that you've seen this yoga and know what it is! I seriously hope you don't consider being a man of gymnastics. I would be okay with you being muscle obsessed but not being one of those sissy, foldable gymnasts."

The boy could only roll his eyes at his grandpa's insensitive comments. Some of the practitioners similar to those sissy and foldable gymnasts are trying their best to impress him by the side.

Fortunately, these yogi artists weren't versed in the English language like Mr. Ganesh or his dear grandpa could have been scorned.

"Grandpa, I just want to learn not completely emulate. Besides, there should be something more under this yoga thing and all of these hillside acts are collectively just the tip of the iceberg."

"Whatever you say!"

Sullivan was appeased and Ganesh also defended the practice of his fellows.

"Mr. Creed, what young master says is correct about this being the simplest exterior. Even though they are complex and showy motions, each of these movements helps improve the many physical aspects of a man's body. You will be surprised what the masters have attained after perfecting a living in the art itself."

The old man was still in his skeptical stage but by the time he reached the summit and the true steps of the temple, he firmed his mind to not underestimate the craft.

The simple reason... old men that were decades older than him were finely muscled and exuding steadiness. Their charismatic aura wasn't at the level of Alexander's but their healthy complexion was enough to convey their physique's unnaturally optimized well-being.

Sullivan was confident in the looks department but his bloated elderly stomach was too much of an embarrassment compared to the seniors in front of him.

"See, gramps!" His grandfather's change of mind did not go unnoticed and Alexander was quick to point it out. "Why don't we have Mr. Ganesh translate to these esteemed seniors that you considered their practice quite similar to sissy and foldable gymnasts?"

The guide Ganesh along with Old Sullivan could only grimace at the little boy's joke.

With the help of their trusty guide and translator, the pleasantries were undergone and the cultural sharings of their art were laid out to the curious tourists.

Alexander was disappointed that it wasn't some sort of secret martial art as he thought it would be. On the bright side, he and his grandfather had their eyes opened and introduced to an impactful but easy training regimen of Indian yogis.

His theory also proved somewhat correct as the technique that they showed was more or less the same as how it would be decades later.

The only question left to answer is what is more effective: the one made by masters or the widely popular and commercialized one!

There is no denying was siding with the yoga he is seeing today. He was seeing firsthand how century-old grandmasters performed yoga forms that the young ones can't even compare to.

An ancient system that is meant to improve physical fitness at an indeterminable level is a discovery to be treasured.

Old Sullivan was now trying to convince these century-old masters to part with someone to serve as a personal trainer for the family. In exchange, he would give sizeable donations to their yoga cause from time to time.

The yoga people and the Creeds had their own agendas and it so happened that their agendas coincided with each other.

No matter how reclusive these masters are, they still need outside help

They had a great difference from the secretive and strict martial disciplines in China.

Their deals were given preliminary agreements from both parties. Although the specifics aren't settled yet, this prior contact already set the tone for future deals.

With that out of the way, the Creeds were about to descend and move to another destination on India's hotspots but they were asked to stay for a while.

The old masters invited them inside their temple and the entourage had no reason to turn down the offer.

"Mr. Ganesh, where are they taking us now?"

Ganesh sorted out the Indian conversation that he had with the masters and translated what he could glimpse from the fast conversation. "I am not too clear. They mentioned another Indian art that works perfectly with yoga but I am not too clear on what it is."

Sullivan shrugged but was highly anticipating some added bonus to this entire unexpected discovery.

Everything was proceeding well but when a male and female pair of yoga disciples was centered in a dimly-lit room, Sullivan felt that the scene was familiar.

When the yoga masters muttered the words 'Kama' and 'Sutra', the old man had a little heart attack.