I find it interesting that we travel 12000 km to come to the Aurovalley Ashram filled with people from all over the world to meet a lady at the front desk who is from Ottawa and lived in TO for three years; it really is a small world. The story is quite common “I came here for a week or a month and decided to stay so now I’ve been here for the last ___ year/s” they say. In all its oddities there are many things that I find quite appealing about living here:
- The accommodations are simple and quite clean
- The people are all looking for a simple life. They are offered beautiful spaces to live, meditate and practice yoga and in return they are asked to help the Ashram by working in the office, the kitchen or helping build and maintain the property.
- They receive 3 healthy meals each day
- Everyone in the Ashram is calm and appears to be in a good emotional/spiritual space
A selfie in my room
More later……I don’t want to miss the 6am meditation. ??
We’re half way through our stay and have enjoyed a number of different meals but today I just didn’t feel like eating the breakfast they served so instead I came back to my room for peanut butter, crackers and tea which I brought with me. The vegetarian meals (the whole Rishekesh area is vegetarian and no alcohol) are quite delicious however they often have the same theme; veggies or fruit, rice, lentils, naan and tea. They served porridge and yogurt one morning which was a nice change and we went out for pancakes the day we went to Rishekesh. The challenge for me is that the rice and veggies or lentils is served as a part of all three meals. As mentioned they are healthy and delicious, I’m just used to eating a wider variety.
In case you want to see their website: http://www.aurovalley.com
There is a schedule offered each day which you can choose to participate or not:
- 6 am Meditation
- 7 am Asanas
- 8 am Breakfast
- 9 am Karma yoga – this is for the people staying longer than 1 week and are asked to contribute to the Ashram by cooking, cleaning, etc
- 11:30 am Satsamg – currently the Swami is gone to a yoga event for the next 5 days however if he was here, this would be a group discussion with him on a variety of topics
- 1 pm Lunch
- 3:30 pm Tea
- 4 pm study/ Karma yoga
- 4:30 Asana’s
- 6 pm Meditation/ Kirtan
- Dinner
Outside of travelling to Rishekesh one day, we’ve been here, hanging out. We wash our own clothes and essentially take time to read or nap while fitting in yoga and meditation. Terri is still having problems sleeping and she feels like she’s fighting a bit of a cold so it’s the perfect place for her to take care of herself….especially before we start the next leg of the trip on tour.
We went for a two hour walk yesterday along the Ganges, just beside the Ashram. Saw a lovely lady walking her goats, they followed her like a pied pipper
Today we are spending much of the day taking it easy, which is not as easy to do as you might think. Upon the request of our readers comments, here is a picture of both Terri and I enjoying our trip
Today, March 1st is our last full day in the Ashram and there is a sadness in my heart that I must leave. Don’t get me wrong, I am very much looking forward to the next stage of our trip, it’s just that being here can be compared to lazy days at the cottage or an amazing yoga class….I just don’t want it to end.
There is a great sense of peace that I feel in this space, a calm that occurs on a physical, emotional and mental level. There are no expectations from us other than to do what feels best which might mean attending the yoga and meditation or it might mean napping. It’s a time to reflect on what ever comes to mind or it’s a time to read. It’s a time to nourish your body with wonderful, healthy food and a break from the busyness of life.
Terri, Brigitte and I attended Satsang this morning. We listened to a video of the Swami discussing how we all have the opportunity to either react to our thoughts and the occurances of life or we can be aware of what is happening, pause and choose how we want to react. This is called Integral yoga, not just the physical asana but the understanding of self…..introspection. Before we react, it’s best to look inside to see who wants to react: my emotions, my mind, my ego, my body and after that we can choose to react consciously. Again, not as easy as it sounds but a wonderful idea, especially if we want to change something in our life.
Brigitte says that “she looks at her mind and ego as two of her children; they are not always right but she tries to educate them so that she can make better decisions. I am not my mind, not my ego, they are always with me.” When we understand this and know which is reacting then we can choose to react with conciousness.
That may be too deep for a travel blog however it’s a perfect example of the kinds of conversations we have here.
This is the library where we enjoyed our Satsang
Today is March 2 and we say goodbye to the wonderful people and place of Aurovalley Ashram. Big thank you to Brigitte for helping make our stay so memorable
Add Comment