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How to “do” a yoga ashram in India

Mariellen — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:38:11 +0000

Yoga Ashram India series on TravelWireAsia

I write a regular ‘column’ for the TravelWireAsia website about India, yoga and travel in Asia (my favourite continent for travel!). Recently, I published a three-part series on How to “do” a yoga ashram in India. Here’s a synopsis of each post — to read the full article click on the link provided.

Part 1: How to find an ashram in India

HAVE you considered going to an ashram in India? This is a 3-part series on where to go, what you need to know and what to expect.

Holy men have been congregating in ashrams in India to meditate and chant since the dawn of time. But they’ve only become popular as a traveller’s destination since The Beatles went to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh in the late 1960s and yoga became a worldwide phenomenon.

The best way to find an ashram is to ask people you know, especially your yoga teacher. Some of the questions you should ask include: Does the ashram or school take foreign students; do they have a program for foreigners? Is instruction in English? Where, exactly, is the ashram or school; is it accessible and in a place that has access to trains, the Internet, etc. Click here to read the full article How to find an ashram.

Part 2: What to pack and how to get ready for your ashram adventure

Once you’ve decided to stay at an ashram in India, and you know where you’re going, it’s time to start getting ready. Find out everything you can about the ashram – including the amenities, daily routine, accommodations and what you need to bring. Talk to people who’ve been there to find out what it’s really like.

Ashrams are not hotels, they do not come equipped with mod cons and supplies. They tend to be very simple, and you have to bring almost everything you need with you – but remind yourself that you are not going to indulge in luxury. Bring what you need, but bring the bare minimum, such as: all the toiletries you need, including soap, shampoo and medications, a flashlight, a towel, a shawl or sweater (it can be chilly at night in winter and in the mountains), loose cotton clothes, preferably Indian-style (Lululemon spandex just doesn’t cut it), flipflops and/or sandals, etc. Click here to read the full article What to pack and how to get ready for your ashram adventure in India.

Yoga capital of the world: RIshikesh, India

Part 3: What to expect at an ashram and the daily routine

Preparations can only take you so far when you’re travelling or experiencing something new — you have to expect the unexpected. And this is doubly, triply true of travel in India! It’s also especially true of doing something that is off-the-radar for most people from the west, where spirituality, and even just the concept of looking within, is nowadays considered a radical notion.

Looking within is exactly what you do at an ashram, and if you’re new to it, you may not know where to start — or where to look. That’s what the daily routine is for. The daily routine grounds you in the life of the ashram and provides you with a map. The “destination” is your unique experience and epiphanies. When in doubt, follow the routine and have faith that something will happen! And if that something turns out to be a catharsis, the routine will support you as you go through it.

I always go through a few very uncomfortable days of unwinding when I first get to the ashram. I usually feel like I have the flu, but I know it’s the symptoms of a natural detoxification. Click here to read the full article What to expect at an ashram and the daily routine.

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Film review of Eat, Pray, Love

Mariellen — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 03:48:07 +0000

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Eat, Pray, Love is a Julia Roberts movie. Her elegantly chiseled features, distinctive curled upper lip and large, limpid brown eyes dominate the movie. It’s a travelogue all right – a travelogue of Julia’s face and her familiar, and limited, emotional range.

First, the positive

There are two things I like about Eat, Pray, Love. One, the male cast members. The filmmakers very wisely decided to surround the leading lady with excellent actors. James Franco, Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem are all excellent as the men in her life. The love story in Bali with Bardem is the best part of the movie. If they had simply made it a love story, set in the lush tropics of Bali, it would have been much more satisfying.

The star of the show is Richard Jenkins, who was also excellent in The Visitor. It’s worth the price of admission to see his scene on the roof of the ashram, when he tells Julia/Liz about losing his family. It’s the emotional centre of the film, and the raw honesty of that scene makes the rest of it look like an episode of The Love Boat.

The other think I like is, of course, the travel photography—the scenes of Italy and Bali are lovely. But how they could make sun-filled India look like Transylvania on a bad day is beyond me. And for the record, I stay in a lovely, clean ashram, full of white, airy buildings on acres of gorgeous gardens dripping with huge tropical flowers. It is a veritable garden-of-eden (to see pictures, read my post Auorvalley Ashram: A haven of peace and conscious living). I understand they chose this ashram in the movie because it’s close to the airport. They make it look like the airport hotel of ashrams. Oh, what a wasted opportunity to show how splendid and beautiful an ashram can be!

Missed opportunities

I have three main problems with the Eat, Pray, Love movie:

I don’t know what it is about,
it’s awash in wasted opportunities,
it makes India look dark and gloomy.

I have spent hours thinking about this movie, trying to figure out what it is about, I really have. And therein lies the problem – should a movie that purportedly celebrates the joy of traveling, eating, praying and loving in exotic destinations be so difficult to grasp?

Maybe there is nothing to grasp. Maybe that’s the problem. The main character – Eat, Pray, Love book author Elizabeth Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts – is not interesting and her situation is just not compelling. She’s young, beautiful and successful and keeps falling in love with hunky men, who fall madly in love with her, too. It’s really hard to feel sorry for her; it’s really hard to understand her angst. And the problem is compounded by the charismatic Ms. Roberts’ limited acting abilities.

EPL: Elephant Pushes Lady

This is movie that desperately needs a metaphor. Here’s one for you – and it is from one of my favourite scenes in the film. Julia/Liz is sitting outdoors at the ashram in India when a painted elephant starts walking towards her. She has been warned that a rogue elephant is on the loose, so she is naturally apprehensive. (By the way, this actually happened last spring when I was at my ashram in north India – though I never saw the elephant).

She gets up and touches the elephant and the elephant playfully responds, with no sign of aggression. The scene ends. It’s a lovely moment and the filmmakers do nothing with it. Julia/Liz doesn’t seem to learn anything from it; there is no epiphany; it doesn’t move the plot forward; nothing. That’s what this movie is like. Pushing an elephant. And missed opportunities.

There are so many missed opportunities in this movie! It’s heartbreaking. Kind of like visiting Shimla and seeing all the shabby cafes lining the ridge, in the way of the view of the Himalayas, rather than taking advantage of it.

Here’s another potential metaphor. Again at the ashram, our heroine gives up her SILENT badge to become a group hostess, kind of like Julie on The Love Boat. (Why does this movie keep making me think of The Love Boat?!?) She misses her opportunity to actually experience India, spiritual awareness and the chance to begin to transcend her ego.

So my top two problems are related – and ironic given that this story is supposedly about a woman who goes in search of herself to an ashram in India. From a yoga perspective, the Julia/Liz character confuses her ego with her Self. Her angst stems from her egotism and her inability to commit to anything larger than herself. And her character – and therefore the movie – is severely limited by this egotistic perspective. She doesn’t transcend her ego, she doesn’t have a spiritual epiphany, she doesn’t open herself to god – she just falls in love again. What’s in it for me, the viewer?

But I’m still puzzling about what this movie is about. I think it’s about how Julia/Liz had to travel to Bali to finally commit to a man. Maybe the scriptwriters got Eat, Pray, Love and author Elizabeth Gilbert’s following book, Committed, mixed up when they were writing.

Okay, I’ve done way too much hair pulling and teeth-knashing over this movie. I’m going to meditate.

My word for this movie is boring.

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Eat, Pray, Love contest winners

Mariellen — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:45:56 +0000

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This summer let yourself go

Thanks to everyone who entered BreatheDreamGo’s Eat, Pray, Love contest. These lucky people, listed below, won a double pass to the preview screenings of the Julia Roberts film Eat, Pray, Love based on the popular best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

This entry, by Traci Walters, gets honourable mention for being my favourite.

“I would love to travel to Haridwar to witness and experience the city’s vibrant colours, diverse foods, lights, people and spirituality. The absence of alcohol in the city must allow for pure interaction with the people and its culture. I can only dream of its magnificent temples and steps leading down to the great Ganges River. The sunset at the river must leave an imprint in ones’ mind forever. The little candles representing offerings floating down the river reminding us of the gifts from the universe must be a sight to behold. Seeing the Pilgrims bathing in the river that meets the great Himalayas must be a truly remarkable and unforgettable experience. I would love to be in the river with the Pilgrims at sunset to feel a sense of renewal and healing for the next half of my life.”

And the winners are…

Daniella V., Vancouver

Tomas H., Vancouver

Lori H., Vancouver

Julie O., Vancouver

Andrea E., Edmonton

Haley L., Calgary

Jillian W., Calgary

Sarah F. Calgary

Amy L., Calgary

Barbara B., Winnipeg

Heidi P., Winnipeg

Lauran M., Montreal

Sue B.,, Ottawa

Alison C., Ottawa

Traci W., Ontario

Janice S., Ottawa

Alicia T., Toronto

Christine L., Toronto

Waheed R., Toronto

Mike K., Toronto

Rita L. Toronto

Michele P., Toronto

Jassie S., Toronto

Natalie T., Toronto

Anita, Toronto

Stephanie, Toronto

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Eat, Pray, Love and India and the quest

Mariellen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:47:19 +0000

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

The biggest question of our time is not do you believe in god; or is global warming real; it’s where do stand on Eat, Pray, Love? The book about Elizabeth Gilbert’s quest to find “everything” in Italy, India and Bali is a publishing phenomenon: it was an international bestseller with more than seven million copies sold worldwide; and in 2008, Time Magazine named Gilbert one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Today, July 18, is Elizabeth Gilbert’s birthday. She is 41. And I want to salute her.

I can’t honestly say that I LOVED the book — there are better books about westerners in India (see my post Another top 10 Books about India) and I question whether Gilbert was on a “real” spiritual quest as she had a book advance, which means it could be argued that she was doing research — but I appreciate it. For one thing, it unearthed an enormous audience for the kind of writing I do: personal narrative / spiritual quest / travelogue. For another, it’s immensely popular AND about going to an ashram in India, which is almost an oxymoron (though that is changing).

And I defend Gilbert and the people who charge her with “self-absorbed narcissism” on the grounds that she did what she needed to do to recover from her divorce, heal herself and become productive and creative. Through her journey of self-recovery and self-discovery, and her ability to share it through her writing, she has inspired thousands, perhaps millions, of people.

In my books, that is not something to sneeze at.

Swami Brahmdev, Aurovalley Ashram, India

The idea of a soul quest or journey of self-discovery is not new. “Know thyself” was written above the entrance to the Delphi Oracle in ancient Greece. It has a long history and is highly respected. My teacher in India, Swami Brahmdev of Aurovalley Ashram, says the purpose of life is to know ourselves; to experience life, to learn, to change and to grow. There are many intelligent, respectable, highly spiritual, non-narcissistic people who think discovering ourselves is what we were put on earth to do!

So not only am I NOT against personal journeys of self-discovery … I, too, went on a personal journey to recover from loss. I wrote about it on my post, What it means to breathe, dream, go. Over the span of a few short years I lost both my parents (my Mother died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure and I found her body; my Father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I held his hand while he died); my fiancé left me (with an expensive wedding dress hanging in the closet); my sister married and moved out of town; we lost our family cottage; and I broke my elbow, which seriously affected my yoga practise.

It felt like a river of loss was sweeping through my life and by the end of it, I was exhausted from hanging onto the bank. I threw my faith into yoga to recover from depression and during yoga teacher training decided to go to India for six months. It felt like I was letting go; it felt counter-intuitive; and I was scared. But I felt compelled. I felt I HAD to go to India to save my life.

Me, at Aurovalley Ashram, India, 2010

In my case, I didn’t have a book advance and I went only to India (and oddly I was there the same year as Gilbert). It was a spiritual quest in the sense that I had no idea what would happen – even if I would live through it!

In fact, I fell in love with India and I fell in love with Ajay (my partner) and his wonderful family; and now I make part of my living sharing my love for India through my writing.

Going to India not only saved my life – it gave me a whole new life, a new man, a new family and a new home. I now consider India my second home.

So I “get” Elizabeth Gilbert. And I am encouraged by people who find success in the creative and/or spiritual fields. Happy birthday Elizabeth!

NOTE: If you feel inspired to go on your own journney of discovery, you should check out MeetPlanGo — a free event taking place in several cities in the USA and Canada to inspire people to fulfill their career break and long-term travel dreams.

P.S. Here is Elizabeth Gilbert giving a very inspiring TED talk about creativity and being an artist.

P.S.

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What is “authentic travel?”

Mariellen — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:50:23 +0000

Me, during Diwali puja in the family prayer room, Delhi

Authentic travel in India

I have been thinking about the concept of authentic travel for the past few days, ever since seeing the 76-second Travel Show with Robert Reid on this subject. He actually filmed one shot for the show at TBEX, the travel bloggers conference, and I was one of the audience members loudly saying “no, it’s not” in response to his statement: all travel is the quest for difference and the more exotic the better. But even though I went along with the gag, for the video, I do think a lot of people go to India because they perceive it to be so different and exotic.

India is one of those places where the question of authentic, or “real” often comes up. I have heard backpackers say that Pahar Ganj – the backpackers ghetto in Delhi – is the “real India,” whereas the Delhi-ites I know have almost never been there, and would probably be happy if it was bulldozed.

My own feeling is that backpacker culture is an import, and far from being “authentic” or “real” has actually caused the local culture to morph around it. It unwittingly creates a scene in which poor local people learn to cater to foreign tourists. And thus you find the Pink Floyd Café in the sacred town of Pushkar, and foreigners happily sipping beer in a place that is supposed to be entirely free of alcohol.

Authentic travel in India to me is:

- sitting on the living room floor around an open fire during the naming puja (religious ritual) for my partner Ajay’s nephew,

- going shopping for diyas (lights) and flowers during the pre-Diwali madness in Delhi with Ajay’s Mother,

- trying to wrap my head around teacher Swami Brahmdev’s answers during satsang (question and answer period – literally translated from the Sanskrit as a search for truth) under the mango trees at Aurovalley Ashram,

- watching the effect love and play has on the Tibetan refugee children in the Art Refuge program in Dharamsala – they become children again.

For me, “authentic” travel is about engagement. The more deeply involved I am, the more “authentic” it is.

But my experience of travel in India is rooted in my involvement with an Indian family, and has given me perhaps a different lens through which to view India. When I first landed in India in December 2005, Ajay picked me up at the airport and I stayed at his family home. (I had met him through a mutual friend about 13 years earlier, in 1992, when he visited Toronto.) We fell in love about three days later, and I was lucky to be warmly welcomed into his family.

So I live with my Ajay’s Indian family when I am in Delhi and try to blend in as much as I can – I am essentially Indian in Delhi. I live in non-touristy south Delhi, wear Indian clothes, rarely see or speak to non-Indians and move around the city as a local, not as a tourist. But of course I am not Indian so there is bound to be moments of friction as I assert my individuality or need for privacy. (Luckily his family is very tolerant.)

with my Indian family in Delhi

But the moment I start traveling and staying in guest houses, I am perceived as a foreigner and I can really sense the difference. In Delhi, I feel like I have crossed the cultural divide; I feel accepted for who I am. But on the road, I feel a bit like a target. I can sense a slightly condescending attitude (until I say I am married to an Indian, and the attitude completely evaporates); and of course I am often confronted with what one pundit called the “white tax” – inflated prices for foreigners.

Personally, I don’t like being a tourist in India – probably because I do have the experience of being in an Indian family for much of the time I am there. But I don’t know how to get around it when I am on the road.

In the end, if you have a profound and meaningful – or fun and enjoyable – personal experience, who is to judge whether it is authentic or not? After all, reality is perception.

Would love to hear about others’ experiences with authentic travel and thoughts on the subject.

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Yoga as a window into Indian culture

Mariellen — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:35:01 +0000

Outdoor yoga class at temple, Varanasi

India hits most foreign visitors with sensorial overload, especially during the first few weeks after arrival. It takes time to become acclimatized to the crowds, noise, pollution, language, culture, religious practises and the way people relate to each other, and to foreigners.

When you visit or move to any new country, there are so many things to get used to. This is especially true if the new culture is extremely different from what you’re used to. And India is about as far from orderly, efficient, sparsely populated, wealthy and cold Canada as you can get.

However, one of India’s most popular cultural exports, yoga, was readily available in my hometown (Toronto) and I practiced and studied it for well over 10 years before I set foot in India for the first time.

Shiva, Rishikesh

On my first trip to India, I was lucky enough to stay with family friends in Delhi and was somewhat shielded from the inevitable culture shock first time-visitors to the subcontinent experience. But I will never forget the first time I traveled by car.

My friend drove me to one of his favourite restaurants, and I felt like I was on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. A simple drive to a restaurant a few kilometres away left me feeling lucky to be alive! As we careened in and out of traffic, cars and trucks honked noisily around us, motorcycles carrying entire families zipped by, cows strolled lazily along and no one was paying any attention to their lane … it was madness.

Yoga helped me feel more at home

Knowing yoga seemed to pave the way for me to gain a quicker understanding of India’s culture. It made my adaptation easier and my stay (12 months in total) much more satisfying. As I traveled throughout the country, I visited several yoga ashrams and studied with several teachers. I felt calm and confident in these environments and the experience gave me a deeper insight into the country’s spiritual life than I might have had.

Top floor yoga hall at Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram, Rishikesh

Yoga is one of the six schools of Hinduism, and India is a predominantly Hindu country (85% of the population is Hindu). Through yoga, I was introduced to the spiritual philosophy of Hinduism, which is very different from the Judeo-Christian worldview I was brought up with.

Through my yoga studies, I arrived in India already familiar with many spiritual and religious practices. I was very familiar with the om symbol, which is both the symbol for Hinduism and yoga; and I knew the Gayatri Mantra, which is one of the primary prayers in Hinduism. I also knew some common chants, and was familiar with Hindu imagery, some of the more popular gods, such as Shiva, and the “bible” of Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita – which is also one of the most important books in yoga.

Yoga hall at Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar

Yoga also gave me some familiarity with the language. Many of the terms used are in Sanskrit, the language Hindi derives from. For example, surya namaskar (sun salutation) is a common yoga practice, which taught me the words for sun (surya) and hello (namaskar).

Without my yoga studies, I would have had a much harder time understanding the behaviour of people who are not as achievement-oriented as we are in the west. Many people who go to India cannot understand why a shopkeeper would rather go home and have tea with his family than sell you something. India’s systems often seem archaic, inefficient and slow to us – but it is because they run on different values.

Yogi Vishvketu, cow, Ganges, Rishikesh

There is a big difference in the mindset and culture of a people who believe that you only live once, as compared to people who believe that you live again and again. Such an expansive view of time and opportunity seems to make people much more relaxed about things!

Yoga gave me a window into India’s culture. But I believe that studying dance, a musical instrument, history or some other aspect of the culture could have provided a similar window.

Finding something specific in a new culture and studying it before you arrive is a bit like creating your own welcome committee. And it can work with any culture.

Where to go for yoga in India

Yoga students from the west are extremely well received in India and there are lots of programs developed specifically for them. Sincerity is the only requirement; experience is not necessary. There are an unaccountable number of yoga ashrams in India, but many of them cater to Indians and would therefore be unsuitable to most foreigners. Listed below are some of the best ashrams and organizations for foreign students.

Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram, Risikesh

Rishikesh is the yoga capital of the world and foreign students flock there all year ‘round. There are many, many ashrams, courses and programs available – some are more suitable for foreigners than others. I stay at Anand Prakash, which was founded by an Indian yogi and his Canadian wife. Best of both worlds!

Aurovalley Ashram, Rishidwar

This is my “home” ashram. Situated between Rishikesh and Haridwar, the ashram is a garden, surrounded by meadows and ringed by a national park. Founder Swami Brahmdev teaches the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother: all life is yoga. There are no programs or courses here, and it is in a somewhat isolated location: it is an ashram best suited to people who do not need structure.

Art of Living Foundation, Bengaluru

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is one of the leading spiritual figures in India and his Art of Living courses are highly regarded. Headquarters is in Bengaluru (Bangalore), but there are courses in many places.

Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore

K. Pattabhi Jois developed Ashtanga Yoga, which became a world-wide phenomenon. The highly venerated teacher passed away recently, but his yoga shala is still going strong. It is situated in beautiful Mysore, which is also a yoga centre. You will have to sign up in advance for courses as they fill up.

Auroville, Tamil Nadu

Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual partner, The Mother, are considered leading spiritual figures of the 20^th century in India. The Mother established Auroville as an experimental, world community. Set among lush palm groves and white sand beaches north of Pondicherry, there are many accommodation options and courses available.

Bihar School of Yoga, Bihar

One of the leading schools of yoga in India for locals and foreigners alike. It is a very well-regarded school, but it is in a remote and poor region of the country. Students tend to go for extended courses.

BKS Iyengar Yoga, Pune

BKS Iyengar is probably one of the world’s most famous yoga teachers. His centre in Pune, near Mumbai, attracts students from all over the world.

International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, Kerala

Sivananda is world-wide organization that specializes in yoga teacher training. Their ashram in Kerala is very popular, and is situated in a lovely, lush area of beautiful Kerala.

Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai

Krishnamacharya was considered to be the teacher of teachers (Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois were among his students). This teaching centre is highly regarded and is perhaps the best place to learn therapeutic yoga. It is located in a very urban area of Chennai, India’s fourth largest city (formerly called Madras).

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Memories of Rishidwar and saying goodbye to India (for now)

Mariellen — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:34:09 +0000

Front gate of "the Beatles ashram," Rishikesh

All you need is love

This blog is dedicated to my older brother Matthew. If it wasn’t for his Beatles obsession in the late 60s and early 70s, I might never have come to India. I used to follow him around when we were children, which meant listening to a lot of Beatles music. I remember looking intently at the pictures of the Beatles — especially George Harrison, my fave — wearing long hair, flowing shirts and marigold garlands. I had always loved anything “Oriental, exotic and mystical,” and when the Beatles went to India, I was entranced. I secretly wished I was old enough to be a “hippie” and join them.

Charming Bengali sadhu at Beatles ashram gate

And this year for the first time, I actually made it to the “Beatles ashram” — the former ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — on the outskirts of Rishikesh. It was a very hot day and I was stupidly not carrying water or a hat, but I was determined to go. When I got there, a very enganging Bengali sadhu was sitting at the entrance with two middle aged German men, also Beatles pilgrims. The gate was closed and the gatekeeper was not going to let me in until I waved my magic talisman at him — my letter of introduction from the Ministry of Tourism.

So I went in alone, and walked up the path towards the main building with the gatekeeper’s warnings about wild animals foremost in my mind. The ashram has been abandoned for many years and is overgrown by jungle and very creepy. But you can tell it must have been a beautiful spot and it still commands one of the best locations in Rishikesh.

Beatles ashram, pathway with "beehive" meditation huts

However, after only a few minutes of picture snapping, I noticed a tree nearby waving ominously and thought: “It’s either monkeys or an elephant and in either case, I’m outta here!” But in those brief moments I think I closed a loop, opened when I was a child. So much of my India experience has been about living my dreams, many of them first conceived when I was a “pensive” girl. I still really love so many of those India-inspired Beatles songs, such as Within You, Without You, Dear Prudence and Across the Universe (apparently the Beatles were extremely prolific during the weeks they spent in Rishikesh, writing more than 20 songs). So it was fun to connect to the spirit of the music through the place.

Shiva, god of yoga, seated in meditative bliss, Rishikesh

In the abode of Shiva

I actually spent only one night in Rishikesh this year, camping out on the floor of my friend and teacher’s living room. His ashram, Anand Prakash Yoga Ashram, was full, but as it turned out, I think I had the best room in the place as its big picture windows faced towards the mountains. All night I felt the rush of wind coming down from the foothills of the Himalayas. The Himalayas are the abode of Shiva and I really felt his presence in this scintillating wind, unlike any other wind I have ever felt.

Normally I love the peace of Rishikesh, and the natural beauty of its setting at the top of the valley, where the green Ganga river tumbles out of the mountains. It’s a gorgeous place, and at the top end of the town (Tapovan and Lakshman Jhula) are white sand beaches lining the fresh, clean, cool river. But this year, the entire area was overrun with Kumbh Mela pilgrims and I couldn’t wait to get to peaceful Aurovalley Ashram. So after walking through town and taking pictures of the Beatles ashram and the alabaster-white statue of Shiva, I was ready to leave.

The quiet end of Rishikesh

Going to Rishikesh was part of the “loop-closing” nature of this trip to India. I have come to realize the theme for this trip is “coming down to earth.” I fell in love with India on my first trip (2005-2006), and on this trip, my fourth, the honeymoon ended and the relationship began. It has been a bit of a bumpy landing, but I am open and accepting of this stage in the process as I know it will lead to a more balanced and realistiic view and experience of India; more clarity; and more reasonable expectations. Just like in any relationship, when the stardust evaporates from your eyes and you see the person as they really are.

Okay India bye bye

At sunrise on the Ganga near Aurovalley ashram

I’m writing this in Delhi, during my final week in India on this trip. I’ve been here for about three months this time, and in some ways it feels like a lifetime. I’ve been to Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai, Kolkata, Darjeeling and Sikkim; and more recently I spent almost a month at Aurovalley Ashram, which lies halfway between Rishikesh and Haridwar — home of this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela. This blog is not about my whole trip, but about the time I spent in Rishidwar (Rishikesh-Haridwar), and the realizations I gleaned from my meditative time there.

Beautiful Gopi lives at the ashram

I deliberately scheduled my introspective time for the end of my trip, to try and process everything I saw, felt, learned and experienced. Whenever I spend time at Aurovalley Ashram, I always feel that I have healed some part of myself; and I always feel my consciousness has grown. It’s hard to explain, but I always feel different. Last year for example, I realized that I had become vegetarian. It wasn’t a conscious choice; I had just evolved into being pure veg. It just felt right. This year, I turned my attention to my digestive problems and by eating slowly and consciously, I did a lot of deep healing work. And I also spent a lot of time just being with myself, and getting back in contact with my Self. This is probably the most important — and most underrated — activity of life.

Writing India

In future, I think I will be much more discerning about how I spend my time and money in India. I have now been to almost all of India’s big cities and I don’t need to go again unless there is a good reason (except for my home base in Delhi). I also don’t need to go to big tourist attractions again, like the Taj Mahal, the forts of Jaipur and Jodhpur, the Victoria Memorial, the Gateway to India, etc.

Bridges lights over the Ganga, Haridwar

My interests are in rural/traditional and wilderness areas (especially protecting the tiger), spiritual India, culture (music, dance, books, film) and the welfare of women and children. I am always looking for real people, places and projects in these areas for my blog or print articles, and I will continue to do so; especially off the beaten path (I am setting my sights on Gujurat, Madya Pradesh and Orissa for future trips). I want to refine and focus my travel in India, and my writing topics — and of course I will continue on my mission to share the beauty of India’s wisdom and culture with the world.

Govinda Baba is originally from Toronto. I met him in Benares in 2009 and bumped into him this year at the Kumbh Mela.

As ususal, I met a lot of amazing people on this trip. My community in India is growing and strengthening all the time, and my sense of having a second home is becoming more substantial. I am working in India for the first time (writing for several Indian magazines), which also helps to bring the experience of being here down to earth.

I am ending this trip with a stay at the Haveli Hari Ganga in Haridwar, living in the family home in Delhi, and an upper respiratory tract infection — which was exactly how I began my first trip to India in December 2005. It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another: my introductory or honeymoon period to India has ended and the real relationship has begun.

So thank you to India, to the people of India, for making my trip relatively problem-free, and full of memorable and magical moments that I will never forget. Enjoy the pictures. India is a photographer’s — and artist’s — paradise. It even turns amatuers like me into enthusiasts.

Cleansing the Ganga with milk during aarti in Haridwar

Upcoming on BreatheDreamGo

I will be publishing lots more India travel blogs after I return to Canada. I have lots of material — photos, interviews, adventures — that I haven’t written about yet. You will meet the director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the King of Darjeeling tea; you will have tours of some wonderful places to stay in India, such as Haveli Hari Ganga and the Windamere Hotel; you will be able to enjoy my interviews with several spiritual masters, including Sri Sri Ravi Shankar; and you will find out about some magical nights I spent in Delhi attending a Sufi music festival (where the star performer reminded me of Janis Joplin) and an intimate night of music and dance hosted by Pandit Ravi Shankar in honour of George Harrison’s birthday. Yes, that George Harrison.

Sign on terrace in Haridwar

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Aurovalley Ashram: A haven of peace and conscious living

Mariellen — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:40:44 +0000

Swamiji entering one of the gates of Aurovalley Ashram

A peaceful, safe yoga ashram in India

One evening at Aurovalley Ashram, I walked out of the circular white meditation hall and into the verdant Rishidwar valley soaked in a mauve sunset. The air was filled with devotion. Devotional chants came from both the nearby sadhu’s ashram on the Ganga and from the Kumbh Mela 12 kms down the valley, in Haridwar. Even from the ashram grounds, I could see the lights of Kumbh Mela temples blazing on the hill tops around the sacred city. Many varieties of birds added their songs of love to the devotional mix, as did the warm breeze that blew down from the Himalayan foothills.

coming out of the meditation hall at sunset

I was surrounded completely by nature – by the trees, flowers and birds on the ashram grounds, and the meadows and mist-covered Shivalik Hills of Rajaji National Park that surround the ashram and run alongside the Ganga, India’s most sacred river. I truly felt I was in a paradise created by, and devoted to, the love of the divine.

The next morning after breakfast, I cycled to a peaceful local Hindu temple, and from there to a spot near the ashram gate where I could walk down a rocky path to the Ganga. At the foot of the path, on the river, is a tiny temple and ghat (steps). Although it was only about 9:30 am, it was already very hot and sunny.

The glorious Ganga near Aurovalley Ashram

I sat in the cool shade of the temple watching the rolling blue-green river and listening to the water gurgle happily over a shoal. The Ganga here is luminous, it seems lit from within, and just watching it induces a refreshing feeling of peace and contentment. After some time, a sadhu (holy man) in saffron orange robes came by and dunked himself in the river. After washing himself, he proceeded to wash his orange kurtah and robes, and scrub his brass vessel with mud to clean it.

The ghat on the Ganga

At this place, the Ganga travels through a national park and there are almost no people, no buildings here – only pristine nature. On the other side of the river are the mountains and jungles of the park – which, I am told, are home to elephants, king cobras and panthers. To see this sadhu performing his ablutions in this setting, is to see an ancient ritual that has been played out countless times by countless sadhus stretching back thousands of years: It is both commonplace and sublime.

For me it is all part of the remarkable magic of Aurovalley Ashram.

I am writing this on the white marble terrace in front of my airy room at Aurovalley Ashram. I love it here, it is probably my favourite place on earth. I have tried before to describe the peace of this place. There are some such places on earth where nature and man conspire to create havens of solitude and beauty. Aurovalley is one such place.

the guest house terrace

There is a subtle but powerful energy here that is both peaceful and healing. I have described before how I first came to this ashram on the advice of my friend Kailash, who has been coming here for many years. Soon after arriving I fell into a deep, restful, loving sleep. I slept for only about half an hour but it felt like the best sleep of my life. It was as if loving maternal arms held me as I slept. I woke and felt something I had never felt in my adult life: I felt I was at home.

Aurovalley is my spiritual home. It has everything I need to recover, heal, grow, create, do my inner work and commune with the divine. The ashram is between Rishikesh and Haridwar, but both of those sacred cities feel like three-ring circuses compared to here. It is set in the countryside, about three kilometres from the nearest village, surrounded by meadows that are ringed by Rajaji National Park. It is not only surrounded by nature, it is a celebration of nature. The ashram grounds are filled with gardens and trees, flowers and birds – it is a garden of eden, a paradise, carefully nurtured and maintained by founder Swami Brahmdev (Swamiji) and the loving people who live and work here.

inside the circular meditation hall

I love Aurovalley for the peaceful energy and nature-oriented environment, but that’s not all. I also love the intelligently designed buildings, spaces and daily programme. My room is a simple design, all in white, and air and sunlight flow through unimpeded. It is elegant in its cleanliness and simplicity. I love meditating in the white marble circular meditation hall. Normally, I cannot achieve a deep meditation without asana practice, but in this hall there is so much help, so much deep energy that meditation is actually easy and I have had some remarkably profound insightful and healing experiences.

Swamiji at satsang, answering our questions with love and humour

I love satsang (Sanskrit for “search for truth”) with Swamiji. He sits every morning from 11:30 until 1 pm, lunch time, under a grove of trees outside the library and answers questions, which is the time-honoured method of spiritual instruction in India. Swamiji teaches sadhaks (people who stay at the ashram) to increase their conscious awareness and aspire to live in full faith of the divine. He is a disciple of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Sri Aurobindo’s non-fiction masterwork is The Integral Yoga — which posits that All Life is Yoga. (His fiction masterwork is the epic mystical poem Savitiri.)

You cannot “do” yoga

But this is not the usual yoga you find at North American yoga studios. Swamiji says, “Millions of people are saying they are doing yoga, but what they are doing has nothing to do with yoga. They are doing some kind of exercises and other things. Yoga means to become One, and to become One is to be centred, to be a balanced person, a conscious person. It is not an outer thing, it is an internal thing. No one can see you are doing yoga. If anybody sees that you are doing yoga, this is not yoga. Yoga us a very secret internal process; it is a way of living with a very high understanding, with clarity. Yoga is not a subject of doing. Yoga is not to do. Yoga is an attitude. You never see a yogi doing yoga.”

the vegetable garden

The ashram takes care of all needs, including the physical: there is a daily asana class in the newly built and sun-filled yoga hall, three delicious vegetarian meals a day in the communal dining hall (some of the produce comes from the ashram’s organic garden), a library, Internet café, a store that sells books by and about Sri Aurobindo and The Mother (and lovely Auroshika products such as mala beads, oils and incense) and a new Ayurveda clinic. The clinic is staffed by a Colombian allopathic doctor who trained in Ayurveda at a university in Gujurat. She offers complete pancha karma treatment.

For me, the other main highlight of Aurovalley Ashram is its proximity to Ganga Ma, the Ganges River, mother river of India. It is only a short walk through a meadow to the river, which in this place is in a completely natural environment.

sunrise on the Ganga on morning of auspicious bathing day

Spirituality means simplicity

Upstream from here is Rishikesh and downstream is Haridwar. This year the Maha Kumbh Mela is taking place in Haridwar and it is attracting millions of devotees. The Maha Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of humanity on earth. On a recent major bathing day, I went down to the Ganga at sunrise and was for some time the only person on the small ghats (steps) down to the river. It was chilly and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go in the cool water. But something bigger than me impelled me and I found myself carried by a wave of energy into the river. Coming up, I felt such exhilaration. It is very hard to explain. I was joined soon after by four Brahmin men, and we each did our puja and took our dip in silence and separateness. It was lovely, peaceful and deeply moving.

As the sun came up, it tinged the sky and glossy surface of the water an iridescent rosy pink. It was a beautiful scene, primordial in its pristine beauty, and the Hindu ritual to honour the river is ancient, too. I felt such reverence for nature; and such reverence from nature. Indeed, I feel these are the times when I feel closest to the divine

Meanwhile, downstream in Haridwar there were probably literally millions streaming into the Ganga at that same moment. I could hear the chants blaring from loudspeakers 12 kms away. I know some people love the intense energy of such a big crowd and all the attendant music, chanting, pujas, swamis, babas and the like, but I was very content with my peaceful bath.

Life at the ashram offers the rare opportunity for a very quiet, simple existence, centred around inner reflection. Lots of time for reading, writing, walking in nature, meditating. I find that I am healing on a deep level just by being here and participating in the ashram lifestyle. Every moment is an opportunity to live consciously and to grow in understanding. A carving at the entrance to the ancient oracle of Delphi said “know thyself” and that, too, could be the motto of this ashram. In this day and age it is so amazing to find a place like this that completely supports someone who wants to “know thyself” and therefore become a better person and contribute to a better world.

“Know thyself” is a way of life

But lest you think being at Aurovalley is an escape from life, or from yourself; or that it offers a naïve and unrealistic “peace and love” panacea, you have only to read some of the *inspirational* signs that are placed around the ashram grounds to discover that this ashram is quite the opposite. In fact, because Swamiji is so clear, honest and rigorous in his thinking and approach; and because the ashram provides so few distractions, there is no escape from yourself here. It is the perfect place to confront yourself and discover how you are: how you think, how you judge, how you avoid, how you evade, etc.

Swamiji is one of the most honest people I know. Some people may find his honesty bracing, but after years of Gestalt therapy I am ready for it and I find it refreshing. For example, I asked him about the concepts of samadhi, nirvana, moksha and enlightenment and he replied that they are, “varieties of ignorance.” He doesn’t agree with the idea of renouncing life or living in a cave in the Himalayas. Life is for living he says. It is to experience, to grow, to move, to change. We live in a garden and we are all gardeners. Our job is to make the garden beautiful – and we do this by living with fearless courage AND consciousness. He says, “Live in the world, but do not let the world live in you.”

Another example: I asked Swamiji why people go to the Kumbh Mela. He said, “People have within them a need for entertainment.” Of course, he went on the explain that nature has many ways to move and change people; and people have created many ways, too, such as amusements like the Kumbh Mela, movies, etc. I exclaimed, “Is going to a movie the same as the Kumbh Mela?!” and he replied, with lightness, “Well, if it’s a very good movie,” and everyone laughed.

When asked about pain or difficulties, Swamiji says that we do not have difficulties – we have only our own rigid natures. Pain he calls a filter, and suffering a gift – they are both teachers. It seems almost everything Swamiji says has the same message: that we are here to learn, change, move and grow, and that it is nature’s, or the divine’s, way to teach us, with whatever means possible. The more positive we are in our response to life, the more conscious we become, the faster we learn.

Harmony is the hallmark of consciousness

Almost every morning satsang is eye-opening (perhaps I should say third-eye opening!). Recently, he talked at length about healing, and about how nature is filled with healing forces. He made a very persuasive argument for positive thinking and conscious healing as the best *doctor.* In fact, he said “no doctor, no illness.” He teaches that we become what we think. If we think we are healthy, we will be. If we think we are sick, we will be.

two children who live at the ashram

There are many wonderful people who work hard and contribute to making this such a clean, well-maintained and conscious place, but it is primarily the vision of Swamiji, who came here more than 20 years ago when it was just a jungle, and who slowly built it into what it is today – a sanctuary of conscious living. If harmony is the hallmark of consciousness, as Swamiji remarked during satsang, then Aurovalley must be a highly conscious place indeed.

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Do’s and Don’ts in India

Mariellen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:04:49 +0000

Moi, with friends, at the Taj Mahal

Do:

- Go to the Taj Mahal. Yes, it’s worth it. It may be one of the few times in your life when all the hype and hyperbole actually fails to capture the spectacular beauty of the real thing.

- Take the train. Traveling by train in India is an adventure. Indian Railway is the world’s biggest employer (1.2 million employees) and everyone takes the train, from ministers to farmers. It takes a bit of time to master the class system (2AC is a good choice); the new online ticket system really helps. You will meet lots of friendly people, no matter which class you travel.

- Learn a few words of Hindi. Most educated people speak English, but working class people and villagers rarely speak more than a few words. “Namaste” is a common greeting; “theek hai” is okay; “accha” is, is that right?; “jaao” is go away’ “chai” is tea; “paani” is water.

- Wear kurtahs (long shirts) if you are a man; and salwar kameez (also called a “suit,” it’s a long tunic over pants, and topped with a long scarf) if you are a woman.

- Take a yoga class or stay at a yoga ashram.

- Try a homestay guest house. The family is the backbone of the social system in India and you will learn a lot about the culture — and have a great time — by living with a family.

Don’t:

- Hand out money to beggars in crowded places. You will be swarmed. In fact, authorities advise that you don’t give money to anyone asking for a handout. If you want to give, by all means do so — India has many, many worthwhile charitable organizations. Your money will go to a better cause of you give it to a charitable organization. Many beggars work for gangsters, so the money you give to them, just ends up in the gangster’s pocket.

- Wear your shoes in a temple, mosque, gurdwara — any house of worship or sacred place.

- Dress in scanty or provocative clothing.

- Use your left hand for eating, if you are eating with your hands (this is especially true in South India). Also, use only your right hand for any religious or sacred gesture; and don’t point with your feet, or touch things with your feet.

- Eat street food unless you absolutely know it is hygienic. Same goes for salads.

- Take any risks with drinking water. Always ensure the water is completely safe. Buy sealed bottles only.

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Breathedreamgo » ashram

How to “do” a yoga ashram in India

Yoga Ashram India series on TravelWireAsia

Part 1: How to find an ashram in India

Part 2: What to pack and how to get ready for your ashram adventure

Part 3: What to expect at an ashram and the daily routine

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Film review of Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love is a Julia Roberts movie. Her elegantly chiseled features, distinctive curled upper lip and large, limpid brown eyes dominate the movie. It’s a travelogue all right – a travelogue of Julia’s face and her familiar, and limited, emotional range.

First, the positive

Missed opportunities

EPL: Elephant Pushes Lady

Eat, Pray, Love contest winners

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This summer let yourself go

Thanks to everyone who entered BreatheDreamGo’s Eat, Pray, Love contest. These lucky people, listed below, won a double pass to the preview screenings of the Julia Roberts film Eat, Pray, Love based on the popular best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

And the winners are…

Daniella V., Vancouver

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Julie O., Vancouver

Andrea E., Edmonton

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Stephanie, Toronto

Eat, Pray, Love and India and the quest

What is “authentic travel?”

Me, during Diwali puja in the family prayer room, Delhi Authentic travel in India

Authentic travel in India to me is:

Yoga as a window into Indian culture

Yoga helped me feel more at home

Where to go for yoga in India

Memories of Rishidwar and saying goodbye to India (for now)

All you need is love

In the abode of Shiva

Okay India bye bye

Writing India

Upcoming on BreatheDreamGo

Aurovalley Ashram: A haven of peace and conscious living

A peaceful, safe yoga ashram in India

For me it is all part of the remarkable magic of Aurovalley Ashram.

You cannot “do” yoga

Spirituality means simplicity

“Know thyself” is a way of life

Harmony is the hallmark of consciousness

Do’s and Don’ts in India

Do:

Don’t:

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This summer let yourself go

Me, during Diwali puja in the family prayer room, Delhi

Authentic travel in India