Om! Yogi Jon

---

Can't believe...just lost the whole entry...with a view that it was probably too long anyway, here's the brief version.

Went to Varkala to hang out on the beach for a few days...met some people who had been to Sri Sivananda's Yoga ashram and knew a lady I had met at Amma's who had also recommended I go.

With the decision to go made...I finally gave in and bought some fisherman pants to do me Yoga in.

bumped into the couple from Hull again, got a lift from a british guy on the back of his enfield to the train station, wicked journey.

Got to Ashram, met some wicked people...the bloke called Vera, was a star, his wife worked at the ashram...he showed me all was not a pure at the ashram as you might have been led to believe...not for this blog!

Spent 4 days doing 4 hours of Yoga a day, getting up at 5.30 and doing the whole Satsung bit too...prayers and chanting.

Highlight...the silent meditation walk where all we could hear was the loudspeaker of an evangelical minister in hindi, shouting "praise Jesus", to then begin chanting the usual Jaya Ganesha chant trying to compete with the loudspeaker...an absolute farce. The next day I left.

It was good, and the above makes it sound like I had no time for it...not true...It was a really peaceful place, met some really great people...bit full of westerners, unlike Amma's which had a real mix. This ashram however is well set up for westerners as it does two week Yoga holidays, and teacher training courses. The spirit of the place was cool...to coin a phrase I learnt in India...there was a great energy there....that's it...I'm a hippy!

Headed off to Kovalam with a few of the kids from the Ashram to then spend the day trying to sort out getting back up to Trichur...yep I thought I might not be in the area....but, as others were going it made sense to take in the festival and then head over to Munnar and Madurai.

Made it on the train to Trichur and as some of the girls from the Ashram had overlapped with the previous weeks students we met up with them at a place called Vattaparathi. One of the staff at the funky art cafe in Varkala (my hang out while I was there), had invited a few people over to go to the pooram...from 4 invitee's there ended up being 11 of us...all bedded down in his brothers house...still it has to have been one of the best experiences yet, we were welcomed with open arms....the neighbours came over to and one guy was a singer and entertained us for part of the evening...we then reciprocated with a range of cub songs...ging gang goolie...being one....a real internation contingent aswell...I didn't realise these campfire songs were Europe wide.

We were all brought there on a bit alterior motive as the guy was pitching for us to invest in his home town, where he wanted to build huts for tourists to stay in...all for 300 euro...bargain....and you would get a cottage for life...it was pretty tempting, but not yet.

So much more to tell, bloody computer...still the shorter the better I reckon...pics are the best bit anyway eh!

Next day headed off to Trichur Pooram....15 in toe by the end of the day!!

---

Photos

Om!
Yogi Jon - having reached bliss