at the kirtan and Gita class

There's a yoga place I went to once or twice last year called The Meditation Retreat Center and Lotus Garden Yoga Studio in Carmichael. They don't have a website! Last night I went there for their kirtan and Gita class for the first time.

I arrived at 7--Erik dropped me off. I didn't know where to go, but I peeked into a building that had a lot of shoes out front, and I saw a young Asian woman, who got me a glass of water and told me the kirtan was upstairs and people would be showing up soon. I was really nervous and looked out the window at three goats playing in their pen.

People started showing up, including a guy with gray-white hair, wearing all black, with a guitar, and he started playing. A tall young guy named Ty introduced himself to me with a handshake. A older Indian woman showed up with her little daughter, who brought toys to play with. More and more people came, about 20 total, but I wasn't familiar with the chants, and they didn't seem to be on the handout the young Asian woman gave me.

Everyone who came into the room bowed down, and they bowed down right before leavnig too, but the confusing thing is that they weren't all bowing down in the same direction. I think they bowed down to whatever painting they wanted to. All the paintings in the large room were of Krishna, I think.

I was in a corner, near the Indian woman, and could survey everything. Eventually we got to a chant that was on the handout, so I could chant along, which was nice. I noticed Ty reminded me of kids I knew as a teenager in Christian youth groups. Some were performing "getting into it" in a way that grates on me, cloying. While other people were matter-of-fact and seemed fine, like people I might like to know.

No one paid much attention to me, but the woman who runs the place introduced herself to me. "Is this your first time here?" she asked. She seemed really nice.

Suddenly the kirtan was over, and the Gita class started. The man wearing all black who had been leading the kirtan was now leading the class. We read a few verses, he preached about them a bit, then there was a question-and-answer period. I don't like him. He seems overly-confident and not trustworthy. I found myself wondering, "What are his credentials? Why should I be listening to him?" though he didn't say anything odd or objectionable. He told a story I had heard my Swami tell before.

I left in a good mood, feeling quite happy, and told Erik it was a good way to spend a Friday night among people, better than going to the movies or something. "Better than going to the mall," he suggested. Which of course I don't do, and Friday nights don't mean much to me, but I was thinking of the whole idea of being out.

I need to find out more about this place. They seem to be a Krishna-focused sect of Hinduism, but I would like to know how long they've been there, if they belong to a larger organization, who the gray-white haired dude is, how many people live there, what their views on gender and sex are, what their main texts are, and lots of stuff I would read on the website if only they had one!