When I set out to India, an ashram experience (basically a centre to practise yoga and meditation away from worldly distractions - spiritual, calming and gentle) was pretty high on my to do list, but what I found was so disappointing. Almost all aspects of Sivananda's 'yogacation' seemed like a money making, controlling, stifling, almost brain washing set up and though I wanted to stick it out, I realised I was wasting my time feeling more angry and more discontent. Here's a little of what happened during my four days there...
Still feeling the sinful pull of luxury travel, Debs and I opted for a rickshaw instead of a public bus. We knew it was 300 rupees well spent as the rickshaw trundled up the steep hill we would have otherwise been walking up!
Upon arrival at the ashram , we were given the usual sign in forms along with a medical sheet, rules and a hefty timetable. Soon after, we were handed piles of bedding and taken to the 20 bed form. At first it seemed pretty cushty, but after 10 minutes or so I started to noticed how rude and negative the people were there. I had envisaged a really peaceful, positive place, so this was a massive shock.
Our first real introduction to ashram life was dinner. For maybe ten minutes, we all queued outside and then the chanting began. "Hari Khrishna, Hari Khrishna." The chanting continued until the dinner hall was full, then we had to freeze wherever we were and listen to the prayers. From then on dinner time was silent. We ate on the floor and sat knee to knee with a metal thali tray balanced on our laps. You could get more of anything you wanted, but with only half an hour to eat and at least two rounds of people to get through, eating was done quickly.
After dinner, we had to buy yoga supplies - mats and trousers, from the ashram shop and then attempt to work out what was next.
Honestly, I wish we hadn't worked it out...next was our first satsang. Satsang was our twice a day meditation time. It started with silent meditation, which included a waft of burning tyre incense to the face! Then a good chunk of chanting to the Hindu gods, and in the evenings we ended with a lecture.
This first night was a soft introduction as we just had to sit through meditation, chanting and 90 minutes of people displaying their skills in 'Ashram's got talent'. Some were incredible, we saw acro-yoga and heard some amazing singers, but some were just plain awful and I wanted nothing more than to climb in to my little bed.
By 10pm, I was practically sleeping cross-legged, a tricky skill. When we were set free at around 10:30pm, I almost ran to bed not knowing that the dorm nazis had enforced a fan ban! I sweated, tossed, turned and just as I dropped off I was rudely awoken with a couple of clanging hand-bells to the face. Apparently, this was the standard treatment for those still in bed by 5:30am.
I managed to drag myself out of bed, wash my face and set off for the first morning satsang. Unsure of what to do and where to go, we wandered around cursing the ten extra minutes in bed we could have had. Finally, us newbies were rounded up and told that meditation that morning would be a walk - a very gentle and easy introduction to the ashram.
We walked through the local village for around thirty minutes, until we came to a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived at this tranquil spot, the chanting began again.
We suffered through 4 or 5 long chants before heading back for morning tea and our first two hours of yoga. It was sweet, delicious chai and knowing this was the only pre-yoga energy I would get, I downed as much as possible!
We headed to the yoga session and our teacher was a wonderful happy Indian man who explained what we were doing and why. Apart from the incredibly long time spent rolling our eyes about, this was my favourite time of day.
From yoga, we headed to brunch, chanted, ate and escaped as soon as possible to enjoy our little fragment of free time! Debs napped and I lazed around in the garden, just happy to not be under the strict regime 24/7.
The first real day became even lovelier when the 2pm lecture was cancelled and nap time could continue!
Sleep was soon interrupted by the next scheduled yoga session. It seemed our second session would be run by three trainees. One of whom, the leader, had an incredibly sing song voice and his call out for annn-kullllss during relaxation always had me in fits of giggles.
Dinner passed quickly and soon it was time for the much dreaded evening satstang. It was full power too! Thirty minutes of silent meditation, thirty minutes chanting and an hour long lecture about a mystery topic. It's fair to say it didn't hold my attention. Bed was the only thin I could think about and once more, when we were released, I ran back to the dorm.
Before I knew it, the bells started again. This time morning satsang showed its true colours! We were ushered into the hall, asked to sit "comfortably" with crossed legs and a straight spine and bombarded again. Meditation. Chanting. Back-ache. Chanting. Lecture. The only positive thing for me was the sound of roaring lions that could be heard during the meditation, but I then had to struggle not to tap Debs and ask if she heard!
The day continued as the previous one - tea, yoga, brunch, yoga, dinner, satsang, but we had the addition of our initiation, a reinforcement of the rules, the dishing out of Karma Yoga jobs, fittingly, I received the role of librarian, and finally an extra afternoon lecture, this one of the roots of yoga.
I managed to hide out during the lecture, but wasn't so clever when it came to the evening satsang. Instead, I had to endure the usual routine, plus a painful hour long talk on ayuverdic medicine. Although I wasn't particularly enthralled, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the bloke giving the talk as almost half of the people there spoke over him, played on their phone and were generally ignorant.
He was so distracted that he stuttered, repeated himself and finally gave up. I felt terrible for him, but relieved that I could stand up, lay down or do something other than sit cross legged on the floor!
The next day went on the same way and it was beginning to drag me down. I never thought I lacked discipline until I was put in to such a strict environment. When it came to the third evening's satsang, I couldn't take it anymore and hid in the toilets whilst everyone else was rounded up! Those 2 precious house were blissful.
On our final day, we went to morning satsang and decided it was all too much. We agreed to do one more yoga session and then make our great escape!
Getting out wasn't hard, but it wasn't exactly simple either. You needed and exit card to get past the security car and that meant paper work.
Eventually, we were handed our 'get out of jail free' cards and headed for the bus. First Trivandrum and then Kovalam - beach number 2!
Still feeling the sinful pull of luxury travel, Debs and I opted for a rickshaw instead of a public bus. We knew it was 300 rupees well spent as the rickshaw trundled up the steep hill we would have otherwise been walking up!
Upon arrival at the ashram , we were given the usual sign in forms along with a medical sheet, rules and a hefty timetable. Soon after, we were handed piles of bedding and taken to the 20 bed form. At first it seemed pretty cushty, but after 10 minutes or so I started to noticed how rude and negative the people were there. I had envisaged a really peaceful, positive place, so this was a massive shock.
Our first real introduction to ashram life was dinner. For maybe ten minutes, we all queued outside and then the chanting began. "Hari Khrishna, Hari Khrishna." The chanting continued until the dinner hall was full, then we had to freeze wherever we were and listen to the prayers. From then on dinner time was silent. We ate on the floor and sat knee to knee with a metal thali tray balanced on our laps. You could get more of anything you wanted, but with only half an hour to eat and at least two rounds of people to get through, eating was done quickly.
After dinner, we had to buy yoga supplies - mats and trousers, from the ashram shop and then attempt to work out what was next.
Honestly, I wish we hadn't worked it out...next was our first satsang. Satsang was our twice a day meditation time. It started with silent meditation, which included a waft of burning tyre incense to the face! Then a good chunk of chanting to the Hindu gods, and in the evenings we ended with a lecture.
This first night was a soft introduction as we just had to sit through meditation, chanting and 90 minutes of people displaying their skills in 'Ashram's got talent'. Some were incredible, we saw acro-yoga and heard some amazing singers, but some were just plain awful and I wanted nothing more than to climb in to my little bed.
By 10pm, I was practically sleeping cross-legged, a tricky skill. When we were set free at around 10:30pm, I almost ran to bed not knowing that the dorm nazis had enforced a fan ban! I sweated, tossed, turned and just as I dropped off I was rudely awoken with a couple of clanging hand-bells to the face. Apparently, this was the standard treatment for those still in bed by 5:30am.
I managed to drag myself out of bed, wash my face and set off for the first morning satsang. Unsure of what to do and where to go, we wandered around cursing the ten extra minutes in bed we could have had. Finally, us newbies were rounded up and told that meditation that morning would be a walk - a very gentle and easy introduction to the ashram.
We walked through the local village for around thirty minutes, until we came to a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived at this tranquil spot, the chanting began again.
We suffered through 4 or 5 long chants before heading back for morning tea and our first two hours of yoga. It was sweet, delicious chai and knowing this was the only pre-yoga energy I would get, I downed as much as possible!
We headed to the yoga session and our teacher was a wonderful happy Indian man who explained what we were doing and why. Apart from the incredibly long time spent rolling our eyes about, this was my favourite time of day.
From yoga, we headed to brunch, chanted, ate and escaped as soon as possible to enjoy our little fragment of free time! Debs napped and I lazed around in the garden, just happy to not be under the strict regime 24/7.
The first real day became even lovelier when the 2pm lecture was cancelled and nap time could continue!
Sleep was soon interrupted by the next scheduled yoga session. It seemed our second session would be run by three trainees. One of whom, the leader, had an incredibly sing song voice and his call out for annn-kullllss during relaxation always had me in fits of giggles.
Dinner passed quickly and soon it was time for the much dreaded evening satstang. It was full power too! Thirty minutes of silent meditation, thirty minutes chanting and an hour long lecture about a mystery topic. It's fair to say it didn't hold my attention. Bed was the only thin I could think about and once more, when we were released, I ran back to the dorm.
Before I knew it, the bells started again. This time morning satsang showed its true colours! We were ushered into the hall, asked to sit "comfortably" with crossed legs and a straight spine and bombarded again. Meditation. Chanting. Back-ache. Chanting. Lecture. The only positive thing for me was the sound of roaring lions that could be heard during the meditation, but I then had to struggle not to tap Debs and ask if she heard!
The day continued as the previous one - tea, yoga, brunch, yoga, dinner, satsang, but we had the addition of our initiation, a reinforcement of the rules, the dishing out of Karma Yoga jobs, fittingly, I received the role of librarian, and finally an extra afternoon lecture, this one of the roots of yoga.
I managed to hide out during the lecture, but wasn't so clever when it came to the evening satsang. Instead, I had to endure the usual routine, plus a painful hour long talk on ayuverdic medicine. Although I wasn't particularly enthralled, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the bloke giving the talk as almost half of the people there spoke over him, played on their phone and were generally ignorant.
He was so distracted that he stuttered, repeated himself and finally gave up. I felt terrible for him, but relieved that I could stand up, lay down or do something other than sit cross legged on the floor!
The next day went on the same way and it was beginning to drag me down. I never thought I lacked discipline until I was put in to such a strict environment. When it came to the third evening's satsang, I couldn't take it anymore and hid in the toilets whilst everyone else was rounded up! Those 2 precious house were blissful.
On our final day, we went to morning satsang and decided it was all too much. We agreed to do one more yoga session and then make our great escape!
Getting out wasn't hard, but it wasn't exactly simple either. You needed and exit card to get past the security car and that meant paper work.
Eventually, we were handed our 'get out of jail free' cards and headed for the bus. First Trivandrum and then Kovalam - beach number 2!
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