After spending 9 days in an ashram in a beautiful part of Kerela, peace & quite, lots of chanting, meditating & yoga I have to say that coming to Bali which is tourist tastic, commercial, noisy & everyone wants you to buy something or have something done its quite a shock! Its certainly changed since I came last time, 13 years ago! So many more shops & swanky & not so swanky bars & restaurants!
I also miss my new friends that I made in the ashram (Lidia, Charlotte, Leane & Sonia). However I decided to spend a few days near the beach so that I could have some surfing lessons again, hoping that they end better than when i was in S.america & ended up with 5 stiches in my arm! So far 3x & really enjoyed it!
The humidity in Kerela was around 95% when I was there & man was it hot! I was looking forward to some cooler temperatures but Bali is also super hot but not as humid! I will be sleeping again during the mid day sun!
I am looking forward to starting my course & getting away from the shops & everyone hassling you to buy things!
Thursday 11 March 2010
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Feb 9th .. Leaving India
I cannot believe its been almost 5 wonderful months that i have been in India & now I am heading for new adventures to Bali via Kuala Lumpar. I have had an amazing time, experienced so many wonderful things & met so many fantastic people. I have gained invaluable teaching experiences & India has helped teach me so many things, one been the art of patience!! Things generally take a long time to get anything done & you just have to accept this.
Things i love about India are,
- The energy...
- the people, their positivity, beliefs & rituals & Pujas & open hearts.
- the diverse landscape
- their laissez faire attitude, yet they are very reserved about some things!
- Health & safety??? ahahhaha whats that in India! there isn't any!
- the beautiful colours & saris's etc that the women wear.
- the festivals & long weddings
Things I will not miss,
- the vile wretching & clearing of the throats that people do all the time.
- spitting!
- toilet use anywhere & everywhere
- everyone dropping litter
- Delhi!
I know that I will be back in the very near future & i look forward to returning to places I didnt spend very long in & also visiting so many places i didnt make it too. I knew I would love India but it definitely outweighed my expectations of what an amazing country it is! If you haven't been I would highly recommend it even though it may take a little time to get used to!
Things i love about India are,
- The energy...
- the people, their positivity, beliefs & rituals & Pujas & open hearts.
- the diverse landscape
- their laissez faire attitude, yet they are very reserved about some things!
- Health & safety??? ahahhaha whats that in India! there isn't any!
- the beautiful colours & saris's etc that the women wear.
- the festivals & long weddings
Things I will not miss,
- the vile wretching & clearing of the throats that people do all the time.
- spitting!
- toilet use anywhere & everywhere
- everyone dropping litter
- Delhi!
I know that I will be back in the very near future & i look forward to returning to places I didnt spend very long in & also visiting so many places i didnt make it too. I knew I would love India but it definitely outweighed my expectations of what an amazing country it is! If you haven't been I would highly recommend it even though it may take a little time to get used to!
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Sivananda ashram.. Neyyar Dam 25th Feb 2010
I headed off from Ama's ashram to catch a train to Trivandrum. I wasn't sorry to be moving on from Ama's but it was interesting place to visit. On the train there were loads of indian women carrying bags & bags of twigs. Apparently there was a festival happening in Trivandrum that was the biggest day for ladies, all the women would be lighting fires, have a Puja ceromony all along the streets. I was told they were aiming to get into the Gunieness book of records for the most amount of women with fires with offerings at once, or somethng like that!
I was slightly hot & bothered after getting up at 5am to chant & then meditate as I arrived in very very busy Trivandrum. The noise & number of people was the first thing i noticed & then i started to miss the peace & tranquility of ashram life!
After a couple of busy bus journeys I made it to the Sivinanda ashram just in time for tea! The first thing i noticed was that people welcomed you & the place had a kind of buzz about it. After dinner it was time for evening satsang (gathering of people to sing, chant). As it was Sat night it was also Talent show! I couldnt believe it 'Yoga butlins' or what! It seemed crazy to have a talent show & I ended up in it, only joining in with the girls in my dorm to do a chorus but it was pretty funny. The acts were good & there was no winner or looser so if nothing else it was entertaining.
Ashram Schedule
5.20 - first bell goes off
6am - Satsang, chanting & meditation
7.30am - Tea
8 - 10am - Yoga
10 - 11am - Yummy breakfast, the food is so good & this is the best meal of the day.
11 - 1pm - Karma yoga (i got to clean our dorm toilets!)
2 - 3pm - Lecture on Hatha yoga, Vedanta
3.30 - 5.30 - Yoga
6pm - 7pm - Dinner, tea!
8pm 9.30pm - Evening Satsang
We eat in a hall & chant before our food, all sitting in long rows on the floor, then we eat with our right hand! To get extra food, which obviously i do alot, you are supposed to call the person dishing up the food by saying 'Om (Aum)', i refuse & say excuse me. Thats one thing they over do at the ashram is the use of 'Om'! its Om this & Om that!
Holy Festival - On the 1st of march the north of India & some parts of the south celebrate HOly by wearing white & throwing bright coloured paint & water over one another. Been in Kerela i thought i would miss this as they dont celebrate but alot of people had mentioned it so we had a ashram HOly party down by the lake. It was 11am & they put on some fun music & everyone started dancing & then proceeded to throw paint & water everywhere. It was so much fun, I hadnt danced for ages! I thought that there was no way this would happen in the UK, everyone would be too reserved or need alot of drinks to let go & dance in this manner. I love India for its lack of rules & anything goes attitude.
Teachers teach with microphones
150 people or more in the classes!
No alignment & odd sequencing
Beautiful environment & really friendly place.
Took a week but getting into the chanting. Enjoy the walking meditation to the lake, where we chant either at sunrise or under moon light.
Amazing musicians came in to do bhujans, it went off.
Watched a film, v.good the variety of things that go on at the ashram. ON a skeptical note i don't like the way everyone wears the ashram om t.shirts & they over use Om (AUM) even at dinner people say Om to get more food. YOu sit in lines on the floor to eat, its supposed to be in silence but it never is! Lovely people though & good atmos!
I feel privileged that I have got on to the Anusara yoga teacher training in Bali with 3 amazing teachers as I watch the Advanced teacher trainers at the ashram here. There must be about 150+ people on the course! Crazy! On my course there are only 24 people a much more manageable, number of people & more intimate!
I was slightly hot & bothered after getting up at 5am to chant & then meditate as I arrived in very very busy Trivandrum. The noise & number of people was the first thing i noticed & then i started to miss the peace & tranquility of ashram life!
After a couple of busy bus journeys I made it to the Sivinanda ashram just in time for tea! The first thing i noticed was that people welcomed you & the place had a kind of buzz about it. After dinner it was time for evening satsang (gathering of people to sing, chant). As it was Sat night it was also Talent show! I couldnt believe it 'Yoga butlins' or what! It seemed crazy to have a talent show & I ended up in it, only joining in with the girls in my dorm to do a chorus but it was pretty funny. The acts were good & there was no winner or looser so if nothing else it was entertaining.
Ashram Schedule
5.20 - first bell goes off
6am - Satsang, chanting & meditation
7.30am - Tea
8 - 10am - Yoga
10 - 11am - Yummy breakfast, the food is so good & this is the best meal of the day.
11 - 1pm - Karma yoga (i got to clean our dorm toilets!)
2 - 3pm - Lecture on Hatha yoga, Vedanta
3.30 - 5.30 - Yoga
6pm - 7pm - Dinner, tea!
8pm 9.30pm - Evening Satsang
We eat in a hall & chant before our food, all sitting in long rows on the floor, then we eat with our right hand! To get extra food, which obviously i do alot, you are supposed to call the person dishing up the food by saying 'Om (Aum)', i refuse & say excuse me. Thats one thing they over do at the ashram is the use of 'Om'! its Om this & Om that!
Holy Festival - On the 1st of march the north of India & some parts of the south celebrate HOly by wearing white & throwing bright coloured paint & water over one another. Been in Kerela i thought i would miss this as they dont celebrate but alot of people had mentioned it so we had a ashram HOly party down by the lake. It was 11am & they put on some fun music & everyone started dancing & then proceeded to throw paint & water everywhere. It was so much fun, I hadnt danced for ages! I thought that there was no way this would happen in the UK, everyone would be too reserved or need alot of drinks to let go & dance in this manner. I love India for its lack of rules & anything goes attitude.
Teachers teach with microphones
150 people or more in the classes!
No alignment & odd sequencing
Beautiful environment & really friendly place.
Took a week but getting into the chanting. Enjoy the walking meditation to the lake, where we chant either at sunrise or under moon light.
Amazing musicians came in to do bhujans, it went off.
Watched a film, v.good the variety of things that go on at the ashram. ON a skeptical note i don't like the way everyone wears the ashram om t.shirts & they over use Om (AUM) even at dinner people say Om to get more food. YOu sit in lines on the floor to eat, its supposed to be in silence but it never is! Lovely people though & good atmos!
I feel privileged that I have got on to the Anusara yoga teacher training in Bali with 3 amazing teachers as I watch the Advanced teacher trainers at the ashram here. There must be about 150+ people on the course! Crazy! On my course there are only 24 people a much more manageable, number of people & more intimate!
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