Sivananda Ashram (or How I learned to stop worrying and meditate with lions)
Namaste!
I'm here.
I pause with trembling fingers and try to decide how to tackle the thousand and one lives I've lived over the past...what's today? Saturday. Holy cow! It's been an absolute whirlwind!
We landed in Mumbai late, or rather in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and I decided instantly that New York has to take a back seat to the actual city that never sleeps. It seemed to be more like 8pm than 2am as we cruised along the busy streets of delightful Mumbai.
Yes, it's noisy, busy, polluted, but it's also charming. Art Deco buildings look over the bay that the Portuguese called Bom Bahai (hence Bombay), fish used to make Bombay Duck dries along the shore caught by the very people who have lived there forever and ever and whose goddess Mumba lends her name to the current incarnation.
My mom and I crashed at the Eastern International, a grubby hotel calling itself 5 star. It does have a pooldeck with a beautiful sunset view of Juhu Beach....if you can tolerate the smell that is ;)
Just as we drifted off at about 3am, Security came banging down the door. We called down to reception and they said they didn't know anything about it. Hmmm. Worrying. So I bolted it and told them to leave us alone. More banging and shouting. I called reception again. They're checking into it 'Don't worry.' Reassuring.
So that was fun.
We woke up and took a whirlwind tour with a surly driver. Saw the grand centre and the Gate of India and oh so many other things. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
That evening we got to grips with the interesting Indian economy airline system. Much like everything else on this dear continent it involved quite a bit of push-&-shove.
But all in all no real hassles. Arrived in hot and humid Kerala, God's Country, very late on Wednesday and were taken by a darling old man in his ancient taxi harbouring a swarm of mosquitoes to the yucky Hotel Ganesh. Lonely Planet couldn't have been more wrong. Filthy room, dreadful owner, not good. Except that in our exhausted state my mom and I foud it all totally hilarious :)
In the morning we bid our less than fond farewell to that dump and with the help of a persistent auto-rickshaw driver discovered a wonderful place for breaky. Darling doc who believes everything I do about the healing properties of food and how and what to eat to truly benefit. That was great.
Hailed a white tin box (taxi) and journeyed off into the jungle.
So, the ashram. It's BEAUTIFUL. Truly. Views of the Western ghats, surrounded by jungle and how's this, first yoga class down beside the Neyyar dam we were accompanied by the loud grunts and roars of lions. It was just too good to be true. The food -- divine! Yesterday was Friday which meant an outing, so I went along to the Southern tip of the Indian continent, visited stunning ancient Hindu temples, a waterfall, islands, a wooden temple...quite a day!
Got back late and had to be up at 5:30 for Satsang....meditation and chanting. Followed by a strong yoga class, delicious breakfast, lecture on yoga, karma yoga (I get to mop the floor of one of the halls) and now I really need to crash!
All's well. Hot sticky tired, but happy.
My mom's dreaming of escape ;)
I'll keep you posted.
Om Tat Sat
I'm here.
I pause with trembling fingers and try to decide how to tackle the thousand and one lives I've lived over the past...what's today? Saturday. Holy cow! It's been an absolute whirlwind!
We landed in Mumbai late, or rather in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and I decided instantly that New York has to take a back seat to the actual city that never sleeps. It seemed to be more like 8pm than 2am as we cruised along the busy streets of delightful Mumbai.
Yes, it's noisy, busy, polluted, but it's also charming. Art Deco buildings look over the bay that the Portuguese called Bom Bahai (hence Bombay), fish used to make Bombay Duck dries along the shore caught by the very people who have lived there forever and ever and whose goddess Mumba lends her name to the current incarnation.
My mom and I crashed at the Eastern International, a grubby hotel calling itself 5 star. It does have a pooldeck with a beautiful sunset view of Juhu Beach....if you can tolerate the smell that is ;)
Just as we drifted off at about 3am, Security came banging down the door. We called down to reception and they said they didn't know anything about it. Hmmm. Worrying. So I bolted it and told them to leave us alone. More banging and shouting. I called reception again. They're checking into it 'Don't worry.' Reassuring.
So that was fun.
We woke up and took a whirlwind tour with a surly driver. Saw the grand centre and the Gate of India and oh so many other things. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
That evening we got to grips with the interesting Indian economy airline system. Much like everything else on this dear continent it involved quite a bit of push-&-shove.
But all in all no real hassles. Arrived in hot and humid Kerala, God's Country, very late on Wednesday and were taken by a darling old man in his ancient taxi harbouring a swarm of mosquitoes to the yucky Hotel Ganesh. Lonely Planet couldn't have been more wrong. Filthy room, dreadful owner, not good. Except that in our exhausted state my mom and I foud it all totally hilarious :)
In the morning we bid our less than fond farewell to that dump and with the help of a persistent auto-rickshaw driver discovered a wonderful place for breaky. Darling doc who believes everything I do about the healing properties of food and how and what to eat to truly benefit. That was great.
Hailed a white tin box (taxi) and journeyed off into the jungle.
So, the ashram. It's BEAUTIFUL. Truly. Views of the Western ghats, surrounded by jungle and how's this, first yoga class down beside the Neyyar dam we were accompanied by the loud grunts and roars of lions. It was just too good to be true. The food -- divine! Yesterday was Friday which meant an outing, so I went along to the Southern tip of the Indian continent, visited stunning ancient Hindu temples, a waterfall, islands, a wooden temple...quite a day!
Got back late and had to be up at 5:30 for Satsang....meditation and chanting. Followed by a strong yoga class, delicious breakfast, lecture on yoga, karma yoga (I get to mop the floor of one of the halls) and now I really need to crash!
All's well. Hot sticky tired, but happy.
My mom's dreaming of escape ;)
I'll keep you posted.
Om Tat Sat
Comments
Seriously.
Thank you and DITTO ;)
guess by now you must have left the ashram. i absolutely treasure my first experience of yoga at sivananda ashram,neyyar dam.
i was curious to know how "tiger" ( the kitten at the reception) is doing :)