Authenticity

Today, our Chinese word is zhenzheng. It means, according to my dictionary, “genuine, true, real.” Of course, I’m having all sorts of zhenzheng experiences here, like eating zhenzheng Chinese food (no 100-item buffets in sight), riding zhenzheng buses (today, one was so crowded that I seriously wondered how long the oxygen supply would last), and even taking zhenzheng Chinese medicine for the cold I now seem to have (at first, I thought it was just the effects of the air pollution, but no, it’s really a cold). I’m a little worried because the pharmacist (or at least the lady in the white coat in the medicine place) told me to take a total of 12 pills for my first dose of the medication, which seems like a lot of pills. This is a time when linguistic understanding is very important, but the package also seems to agree with her.

However, these are not my only zhenzheng experiences. On Sunday, I had a zhenzheng yoga experience, which you think would be almost impossible in China. However, this one came complete with Real Yoga Teacher From India. I decided to try yoga here in Beijing and wanted to give the Ashtanga class at BeijingYoga a try. Well, let me just tip my metaphorical hat to any of you who seriously practice Ashtanga Yoga. I was still hurting four days after the class. I’d like to think that the class was just really hard due to its really zhenzheng nature, real Indian yogi teacher and all, but I’m not so sure. All I know was that I felt like a totally clueless, absolutely unfit blob. Actually, a blob would have had a better chance of getting into some of those postures. About every other new pose the zhenzheng yogi, whose name was actually Bharath, would offer me a new prop to help me. Here, try this strap! Here, put this towel under your butt—now put this towel under the other side!

I may go back to BeijingYoga again—this was the “Basic Ashtanga” class, and there is actually a “Beginner Ashtanga” class that I may have to venture into instead. However, next I’m off to Yoga Yard to try vinyasa yoga—probably less zhenzheng, since most of the teachers seem to be Chinese or American, but perhaps I’m also just not cut out for certain forms of zhenzheng-ness.