Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 18

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Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 9th 2008

thankyou to all the family for my birthday cards and emails, my phone charger is broken so can't use my phone any more in case anyone text. My yoga lessons in Varanasi were a wonderful introduction to basic assanas (yogic positions), meditation and pranayam (breathing technique). They were one to one sessions with an Indian man in his mid 50's at his family home in the crowded alley ways of the old city. Up a steep flight of stairs was an open courtyard with rooms running off all around, and in one of these i had my lessons. It was wonderful working individually with someone who could concentrate entirely on what i was doing and correct me when i went wrong. After my first lesson he asked if i would like to have lunch with him ... read more

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 8th 2008

Our second day in Rishikesh began with a whimper. We'd planned on getting up early, but I needed some sleep. I'd picked up a minor cold, and decided the only cure was to stay in bed until noon. We made it down to a cafe arounf 2PM, had a leisurely lunch (breakfast?) before heading out to wander the town. Our first experience actually occured before we made it out of the cafe, as a hilarious of monkeys decided to play in the trees right ouside our window. Dropping several feet from branch to branch, swinging on some of the less well anchored tree parts, and basically just being awesome, a half dozen or so juvenile monkeys danced and played for more than an hour for our amusement. When the monkeys finally tired of their games, we ... read more
The view from our road
A hilarious of monkeys
A temple in Rishikesh

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 8th 2008

Having just read Jason's blog about "getting our spirituality on", I feel compelled to add some stuff: Our first sight of the Ganges was truly spectacular; the morning mist was heavy, and the thousands of pilgrims migrating towards the water's edge was very moving. The river is huge, and very fast moving at this point, and the river truly seems to be alive, a veritable god moving among the mountains. Jason had to remind me that it would probably be offensive if we too were to join the throngs below and throw ourselves in the water, but the desire to do so was great. Suddenly it seemed we had discovered a side of religion to which we could relate; a ceremony connecting all people to each other, and simultaneously connecting them to nature. A cleansing ritual ... read more
Lucy contemplates life on a rock
Between the Himalayas and the Ganges

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 8th 2008

We took an overbnight train from Jaipur to Hardiwar, the most important Hindu city in its province. Arriving at 5:45 in the morning, we stumbled our way out of the train station and into a rickshaw for a quick jaunt out to the fotstep of Krishna. So called because legend has it that Krishna came down from heaven, stepped on the land and cried a tear that turned into the Ganges river. The Ganges originates high in the Himalayas, with Hardiwar being the first city at the foot of the great mountain range. Much like Benares at Varanassi, millions of Hindus pilgrimage to Hardiwar every year to bathe in the Ganges. We came at the height of the pilgrimage season, and the spectacle was simply breathtaking. The Ganges is about 200 meters across at the point ... read more
Shiva statue
Hardiwar
Main street in Hardiwar

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 6th 2008

After six days of sadhana in the ashram, I take a walk to Ganga with my Canadian friend MJ on Beltane Eve. It’s a warm night, and glowworms lead our way as dusk sets in. When we get to my favourite Ganga beach, I notice a fire in the bushes on the hill behind us. It basks everything in a golden glow, and it feels as though this is our own personal Beltane fire. This is especially beautiful because it’s MJ’s first proper visit to Ma Ganga, and I watch her offer some incense, water, fruit and a prayer in the water. MJ is one of those rare people who profess that they have no particular spiritual beliefs or knowledge, but glide effortlessly into the world of ceremony and ritual as if they had done it ... read more
Devprayag: Meeting of the two rivers
MJ getting ready for ritual
Greeting the river

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 5th 2008

It is Day One of my five day silent retreat and I am starting to lose my voice. We are sitting around the ceremonial fire for the second time today, dripping with sweat in the afternoon heat, count our japa malas (a necklace of 108 beads which is used to count mantras: one bead for each mantra), feed the fire with copious amounts of ghee and herbs, and chant the Sanskrit Miritunjay mantra over and over again - 432 times (four japa malas) per ceremony, which takes roughly two hours. What I failed to realize when I signed up for this retreat was that the chanting of twenty japa malas a day would take me eleven and a half hours. In fact, I don’t think I have ever used my vocals chords as much as I ... read more
My sadhana room
My sadhana altar (including the japa mala)
Forest fire during the last night

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 4th 2008

This guy selling something we don't yet know about? ... read more

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh May 3rd 2008

Rishikesh, another holy place in India. Here the Ganges comes down out of the mountains. It’s fairly full of silt as particles suspended in the water, so it’s not limpid, but it’s clean and very cold. No brass monkeys in sight anywhere and with good reason. Snowmelt mixed with glacier water. Reminded me of swimming in Lake Superior. What’s key to remember here is not the cold. In Goa I was swimming in the sea all the time. Until Rishikesh, I have not been able to immerse myself fully in water anywhere. I get showers, which sort of make me clean. But India is a dirty place and riding a motorcycle makes you even dirtier than you might normally be. Here I never feel 100% clean unless I soak myself in water. So after a shower ... read more
Temples at Rishikesh.
Ganges at Rishikesh

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh April 23rd 2008

I swear that Rishikesh's alter ego is an octopus. It must be. Every time I try to leave, it wraps its sticky long tentacles around my restless soul and pulls me back into its comforting, slightly claustrophobic embrace. It is now the end of April, temperatures have soared up to 42 degrees Celsius (and my long-suffering friends know that I already reach for a fan and cry for ice packs when it’s 17 degrees back in the UK), with a meager 23 degrees at night time. The mosquitoes feast on my blood every night, with the midges, ants and flies adding a bit of variety. Still, I have not been able to move from Rishikesh bar a weekend trip to Kunjapuri Temple, towering a grand hour over Rishikesh - even if it takes Emma and I ... read more
This is the mantra I will be reciting thousands of times over the next few days...

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh April 15th 2008

i went to katmandu and stayed away from the tourist area and went to freak street next to durba square with its amazin temples. I went and fed the street kids up one of the ancient buddha temples late at night and hung out with them which was fun. I left nepal as the elections start soon and its going to kick off big time and i miss india. In katmandu the tibetans are protesting as the chinese are doing and have been doing horrific things to the tibetans. you dont see this much in the news but it basically a form of genicide and its disgusting how the olympics are being allowed to be held in beijing. also some chinese i met recently told me of the brainwashing and robotic tactics used during schooling ... read more
katmandu
katmandu
flight to delhi




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