Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 10
November 11th 2008
As I sit here with a belly full of delicious pizza after having watched the sunset over the Ganga in Freedom cafe, surrounded by gaggles of Israelis getting stoned, I muse about how different the turns that life take are from what we expect. And thank God. Am starting to realize that my journey is going to be so different from what I anticipated, as is the nature of my learning ... Being ill with a cough and cold as soon as I got to Rishikesh meant I had time to look around and find the right ashram, as opposed to jumping straight into the first one a fellow traveller recommended back in Pondicherry...and so I felt my sickness was a blessing in disguise and entered Anand Prakash ashram, a very new ashram run by an ... read more
November 1st 2008
It feels like the past month has been a kind of introduction to my real trip, which starts now with my arrival in Rishikesh. Yesterday I said my goodbyes to Adam after a month of travelling together and got on a 20 hour train to Haridwar, then a one hour bus to Rishikesh. To be honest, I have not really enjoyed the past month so much... although it has had it's moments, travelling for travellings sake turned out to be something I actually haven't been drawn to at this point in time and so feel so relieved to finally be able to stay put in a place and focus on something. I am constantly trying to be aware of myself labelling all my experiences and everything I encounter as 'good' or 'bad' and judging everything...and so ... read more
October 30th 2008
Finally! After weeks of living in an ashram, with virtually no internet access and 12 hour days of Yoga and Yoga Teacher Training, finally i am updating my blog and adding pics! Teacher Training was a fantastic experience. It took place at an ashram in northern India, in a city called Rishikesh. It is at the foothills of the himalayas, and is situated on the most holy Ganges river. My ashram, called Parmarth Niketan, is the largest ashram in Rishikesh, with over 1000 rooms, and beautifully landscaped gardens, temples, and yoga halls. Our group was 13 people, from all over the world. US, Canada, Europe, Korea, Iran, the UK, and our 2 teachers were from San Francisco and India/Khasakstan, respectively. The program was to obtain a 200 hour certificate as a yoga teacher, and allow registration ... read more
October 29th 2008
La trinidad hinduista está compuesta por Brahma, Vishnú y Shiva. Brahma es el gran creador, Vishnú el protector de la vida y Shiva el Dios de la destrucción. Pero la destrucción no tiene una connotación negativa necesariamente. Destrucción significa el fin de un ciclo y el comienzo de otro. Shiva es el dios que permite que la vida fluya, que evolucione de un estado al siguiente. La vida no es estática, corre como un río hacia el océano. Por mucho que queramos detener el tiempo y evitar el cambio, esto será imposible y sólo nos traerá sufrimiento. Por mucho que queramos aferrarnos a un momento en especial, sería un esfuerzo en vano. Sería como querer retener el Ganges porque no queremos que el agua que vemos se vaya. Sería imposible evitar que un niño se vuelva ... read more
October 21st 2008
Day one This was one trip that I was looking forward to for many days now. I was handling the biggest group of my life; it was 120 people for NDTV MEDIA. It began about a fortnight back, when Karan, from Priya kapoors called up our office and had a talk with harpreet. Then began the process of negotiating the costs and many other factors. To finalize everything Priya Kapoors herself came to Delhi and then visited the camp to inspect the facilities and services, after being satisfied with the arrangement we started the process of managing this mammoth group. The group began to reach Delhi on 9th Oct, it started at 6 in the evening with some misunderstanding with the training company people at the airport, but soon it was resolved. Almost 50% of ... read more
October 21st 2008
Day 02 Well after drinking till 3 in the morning, we never expected the group to be up before 10 am, but surprisingly everyone was up by 8 am and the breakfast was over by 9 am. Today like yesterday five teams went for rafting for marine drive to Shivpuri. The remaining five teams were kept busy by various activities by the Priya Kapoors people. They started by playing carpet volley, but due to non availability of enough linen they had to settle down to chappal (slippers) volley ball. While the whole group was busy we had nothing much to do, so we sat lied down on beach and enjoyed the volleyball game, in the sun. After the game the teams went to the upper camp for some more activities such as Australian walk and stepping ... read more
October 20th 2008
Back in Rishikesh, i am trying to stick to the Sahnti Shanti moto. The days are sunny and clear, and the nights are cool and windy. Its nice to visit all the places i know and love here: the beatles ashram, the lovely ganga beaches, the waterfalls, and of course all the great restaurants :) See you all soon.... read more
October 14th 2008
4:30 am. Está sonando la campana. Qué hora es? cuatro y media. Que sueño. No te levantes, duerme un ratico más, para que vas a ir a sentarte a ese salón a meditar, mejor acá calientico. No, no, tengo que tener voluntad. Para eso vine a este Ashram. Para desarrollar el poder de la voluntad y aquietar mi mente. No importa, duerme otro ratico, estás cansado. Basta, me paro ya. 4:45 am. Todo está oscuro. Dónde está la luz?. Un poco de agua en la cara, los ojos, me lavo los dientes y el inodoro. Je, je,... nunca pensé que no usar papel fuera tan cómodo. Me acuerdo cuando llegamos. Como se sentía de raro quedar mojado cada vez que iba al baño, pero ahora es delicioso. En los otros hoteles era una manguerita pero acá ... read more
October 7th 2008
For proof that adjectives are relative, all you need to do is compare words like "nice", "good" and "excellent" written in a guide book to your expectations. I think a monsoon blew through the other night. I haven't heard it rain like that in a long time. Its amazing that the power was only out for a couple of hours. I thought for sure it'd be down for days. The good thing is that the rain cleaned the streets. At least for a few hours until the cows had time to mark their territory once again. I have been in Rishikesh for several days now. It is very pleasant here compared to Delhi. The weather is cooler, it is more laid back (aside from the constant sound of horns honking) and the scenery is incredible. ... read more
October 3rd 2008
Rishikesh…the Mother Ganges and Sivananda Kutir, Om Namah Sivaya, Hari Om, Ram, Ram Jai Ram, Namaste, Where do I begin…this eclectic, high, yet calm energy paradise is a must see and experience pilgrimage. To the ignorant and uninformed this place is a “freak” show of wanderers and aimlessly lost souls, to those who have an interest in Hinduism or Eastern philosophy and know the sacredness of this place, it is holy. Everything that happens along the banks of the great Ganga has a purposeful intention behind it. The intention of a worshipper might vary, but in the end seekers and pilgrims congregate here to heal any separation from the divine. There is a seriousness about devotion here I have not ever seen. I have found myself in a very devotional state here. I bow my head ... read more
