Namaste/Namaskar/Hari Om,
Hope everyone is doing well wherever they are and whatever it is they may be doing. Well, after 30 days, I have finally left Yoga Niketan Ashram to see what else the city has to offer in terms of classes, facilities, and scenery. While I had quite a good stay at YN, met a lot of really great people, and learned a good deal about yoga, philosophy, and myself, I figured that confining myself to the first place I stumbled across would kind of limit my perspective of the city and what teachings it has to offer. Now, of course, this goes against the philosophy of being happy wherever you are and doing whatever you're doing, but...well...F it. My last week here was a good one though, despite getting a nasty, somewhat debilitating cold for a couple days. I met a ton of Japanese people and S. Koreans, who were all very friendly, and quite an animated group. I will say that meditation was not their strong point for the most part, as they were a very restless and excitable bunch, but a really happy and nice group all the same. By the time I left, the Occidental to Oriental ratio was about 1:10, which was quite different from when I arrived, but it's very nice to converse with different cultures and see what they're all about, and I'm glad to be able to get a taste of some other parts of the world, even if only through talk, besides just India. I had some intense religious and political philosophy discussions with a big group of Koreans, which I honestly think may have scared them a little bit, but I learned alot about their country, and told them a lot about mine. Let's just say I wouldn't make the best US Ambassador, as I have a lot of mistrust of certain governmental programs and policies, but they at least got a taste of the more hippie liberal perspective, that was probably a little different than what they were used to. I tried to explain to one Korean girl who had lived in Alabama for a year back when she was 11 why Alabama was one of the poorest and least respected states in the country, and I have to say that it was pretty interesting to explain that to a foreigner, who has very little perspective on the issue.
I finally got the rubber hose used for clearing the nasal passages all the way up my nose and out my throat with the help of the sadistic yoga teacher Naveen, who forcefully held my hand while my fingers were about a mile down my throat searching for the other end, with me violently gagging and protesting the whole time. No pain no gain though as they, whoever they are, say. Altogether the yoga was a good challenge, mentally and physically, and I was introduced to some things I didn't think I could do, and had never seen before. Overall though, I just felt the teachers didn't really teach many basics at all, and their style of instruction was to perform a ridiculous posture or action that no one was capable of doing, and then simply say "do it", despite numerous dumbfounded stares. Also they had us doing a lot of somewhat dangerous pranayamas (breating techniques) and energy raising techniques, with very limited instruction, and afterwards a couple times I found myself very off-balance mentally and physically, which is the opposite of what should be experienced. Anyway though, I might come back at the end of my trip to revisit all the teachers and staff and stay a few days. Really a very nice and interesting group of people, despite the sometimes militaristic attitude of the ashram and classes.
Anyhow, I wandered up the road and found a place to stay (briefly), called the "Namaste Peace Cottage" that cost $3 a night, and let's just say it cost $3 for a reason. Toilet didn't work, room was full of bugs (guess the geckos in the room had more than their fill), bed was damp, there were 3 dogs living right outside the room who would bark all day and night, and the faucet dripped constantly. I stayed there, or at least my stuff did, for all of 15 hours, most of which I was out exploring the city, looking for different ashrams and classes. For dinner I went to this Ayurvedic "restaurant", which was basically this family's home, who served Ayurvedic based health cuisine and also sold different herbs and essential oils. They had a big herbal and vegetable garden in their yard, so I expected I would be getting some fresh, healthy cooking, and I have to say I was very pleased. I went in and there was only one table with about 8 chairs around it, which I assume the family uses as their dining room table. My Tai Chi teacher Misha, who is a very experienced world traveler, advised me to never eat in a place where you're the only one, but I thought I'd take a chance on this place, as it's not your traditional restaurant. I ordered some tea and a good sounding meal, and watched the woman cook it in front of me, all the while hearing the sound of the grandmother clapping and singing constantly in the other room. Right as I was being served, the father and children got home, and just went about their normal family business like I wasn't there. Quite a weird experience, but I would go back in a second. It's amazing how some of these people support themselves with the meager business they seem to do, but I guess everyone gets by somehow.
After sleeping on top of some clothes and using my yoga mat for a pillow, I headed out at 5am for Anand Prakash Ashram, which I had stumbled upon the previous day, after deciding a quick change was needed. While this place has much smaller grounds than Yoga Niketan, and is located in a slightly more developed and residential area (it's hard to explain how the sprawling sections of developments are here, but let's just say...it's not very organized in any way, and quite different than what I'm used to), it is actually very quiet, and the views of the mountains far surpass those of YN. This place is only 400 rupees (<$10) a day, and you get two two-hour yoga classes, 3 fresh, healthy meals a day, and a clean and modern room that has hot water, with an absolutely amazing view of the mountains on all sides. The asana classes are much different than what I'm used to, and more "happy yoga" style, though we do a good deal of advanced stuff, and a lot of stuff I'm not used to. The classes are not very strenuous for the most part, and any time we do anything moderately intense, we take a good relaxation break for a minute or two before moving on. The classes are a good mix of meditation, asanas, pranayama, and chanting/toning, which keeps things interesting. I honestly have felt amazing after every class though. Super blissful and full of peace, and the teacher is a very animated, loving, and happy woman. In the mornings, we practice on the roof of the ashram, to the view of the sun rising over the Himalayas, which is incredible, and breathing in the mostly fresh pre-dawn mountain air is quite an experience. Right now there are only 5 people staying here, which is really awesome, and the place is ultra quiet, with very few distractions, which was not always the case at YN. I've taken to practicing a couple extra hours of asana and different body awareness techniques in one of the big yoga rooms every day, as I like to make sure I still work on more basic and advanced things excluded in the other classes, and it's a very nice, quiet, and spacious atmosphere to do so. This place doesn't have monkeys unfortunately, or large and beautiful grounds, but the mountains surrounding you on every side in the distance makes up for it, and the location is in a much more remote area on one end, as well as fairly close to a huge hub of activity on another end. I talked to an old Israeli woman named Edna who's been staying here the past couple weeks, and she told me the guy who founded it was actually an ex-teacher at Yoga Niketan, until he met a Canadian girl that he fell in love with, started this place, then moved to Canada. He comes back 2 or 3 times a year for a couple months to do Teacher Training courses, but in the meantime, every employee is one of his relatives, and I have to say they keep the place in tip-top shape, despite there being so few people here. The place has a decidedly more "new age" feel than YN's strict and militaristic attitude, and seems more "spiritually nurturing" (alright, I know that's gay, but, well, it's true) overall. I'm meditating more than ever here, and my mind seems incredibly quiet and centered pretty much all day long. I don't know if it's never talking, or if it's doing less strenuous physical activity or what, but whatever it is, it rules. My room is actually meant for two people, and if the place fills up, that would mean a roommate, and I'd probably leave at that point, but we'll see what happens. I think I'll probably stick around here for another month or so at least. It's definitely a bit creepy how few people there are staying here, related to how many staff members and family of the Yogi who started the place there are, but it's cool I guess. Sometimes I'm the only foreigner in the yoga classes, with the teachers relatives being the other members, and sometimes she'll just tell me to do whatever I want, and talk in Hindi to the others for a good 10 minutes. They have a kirtan twice a week, and on Monday I decided I'd give it a go, as I enjoyed the ones at YN a good deal. It was me, an old French guy, an Indian grandmother, 2 of her grandchildren, and her 30 year old son who is the office manager. I'll just say it was pretty awkward and weird, but hey, it is what it is.
The neighborhood this place is located in, if you can call it that, is very diverse as I mentioned earlier, with a hotel here, a small shack there, and a bunch of middle-class abodes scattered around. Everyone seems to have a deck on their roof, and in the evening times when standing out on my balcony, I'll see people eating up on the roof or singing songs together, which doesn't seem uncommon. Also see a lot of little kids playing cricket (India's national sport), in the street, which is fun to watch. This is definitely a whole other side of Rishikesh, and it's kind of nice to be living more among the locals than in the more touristy district, where everyone just wants your money. Lots of people own cows, and one guy owns a pack of mules, who walk right by my room every day carrying load after load of vegetables and grain, and leaving nasty little presents all along the way.
All in all I'm very happy to have found this place, and think it will be a very ideal setting for continuing physical, mental and spiritual development. I'm pretty much meditating something like 4 hours a day on my own, doing 5-6 hours of some kind of physical body awareness practice, reading tons of Vedanta, Yoga, and Buddhist philosophy books, and am even turning my meals into a meditation, taking close to an hour to eat (which definitely gets some strange looks). Life is quite excellent right now I'll say, and there is really no greater sensation than peace of mind. I'm starting to miss my friends and family on occassion, but I think I will be sticking to my one year resolution of stay. Too much good is coming from this to turn back now, and I would really recommend doing something like this to anyone serious about this kind of a pursuit. I think at some point before I go to Nepal before I can re-enter the country (every 6 months you have to leave the country for at least a day to stay in compliance with the "multi-entry visa"), I'm going to head to Bodhgaya, which is southeast from here about 800-1000km, to study some Buddhist meditation practices, and participate in at least one 10-day Vipassana meditation course, which I've always wanted to try. Bodhgaya is the site of the famed tree the Buddha sat under whenhe attained enlightenment. Not that I really care about that kind of thing, but the city has many learning opportunities for meditation, and I figure I shouldn't just limit myself to yoga philosophy while I'm here, and should see what other techniques for transcendence exist.
Finally, I have a few pics to show you of Yoga Niketan and some other Rishikesh sites taken from various people I stayed with. It's not exactly the view I would give, but on the other hand, there are a couple really good shots. They're located in a post right below this one. Hopefully I'll be able to acquire more as I meet more people who take photos and post them online.
Take care everyone. Love and miss you, and hope to come back and see everyone happy and healthy.
Love,
Adam
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Rishikesh at twilight from afar
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram (abandoned for past 10 years) "rooms/pods/igloos"
Bathing ghats along the Ganges
Ram Jhula Footbridge, the larger of the 2 footbridges in Rishikesh. It was built 15 years ago by the Indian Gov't, so everything on the opposite side is of recent development and mainly geared towards tourism, though there are some beautiful new temples
Kirtan time at Yoga Niketan. I seemed to have become quite the favorite performer/singer by the end of my stay. I guess it's the closest thing I could get to karaoke in India. Hindus have some catchy as heck songs and some great singalongs.
Laxman Jhula Footbridge, originally wooden, but rebuilt by the British in the 50s, with 12 and 13 Story Temples in background
Shot taken from Parmarth Niketan Ghat
Group shot post-Kirtan (the 4 Indians on the bottom are the inhumanly strong and flexible yoga teachers)
Orange outfits and fanny packs mark the Shiva Festival pilgrims. A shame a more illustrative shot wasn't taken as this was but an iota of the amount of people, but gives you a little idea. Also one of the hundreds of cows roaming the streets.
Daily schedule at Yoga Niketan + a mischief-maker
Hatha Yoga Hall ^
Daily morning (4:30 am) and meal bell. It's louder than it looks.
Monday, August 4, 2008
4 weeks in...
Hey everyone. Well, another extremely productive week down at Yoga Niketan ashram. Much has been pondered and much experimentation with new philsophies and ideas are constantly taking place. I mean hell, what else have I got to do. Days seem like weeks, and weeks seem like months. I feel like I've been here a year already, which makes me really feel like I'm getting my money's worth if nothing else. I've been reading "In Woods of God-Realization", a 7 volume, 3000 page series of talks and writings by Swami Rama Tirtha, a man who lived only 33 years in a human body, but whose wisdom is like nothing I have ever glimpsed. To say the reading is deep would not come close to doing it justice, so I won't even try. It concerns the philosophy of Adavaita Vedanta, which I guess you can read more about on wikipedia if you're interested in knowing what kind of craziness I am getting into. It was a suggestion given to me by local Swami Yogeshwarananda, whose acquaintance I met earlier this week.
On Monday, after putting it off long enough, I decided to give Swami Yogeshwarananda a ring (the guy who gave some talks in Tallahassee about 3 months ago). I'd talked to him at his meditation workshop and told him I'd be in Rishikesh soon, so he gave me his contact info and told me to give him a call whenever. I finally talked to him, and after receiving some overly complex directions, the rickshaw driver was able luckily able to find it after stopping about 20 times to ask random people for directions. This was my first time taking a rickshaw, which was an interesting experience. The driver was a very dishonest man, and tried to swindle me in every way imaginable, but I think I was only moderately swindled in the end. Rickshaws by the way are these little 3 wheeled buggies without seatbelts or doors that are the most popular form of taxi in India. They are everywhere and it's easy to catch a ride anywhere you're at. Often I'll see close to 10 Indians crammed in the incredibly small space to get a good rate. They spew out tons of exhaust fumes though, and are incredibly noisy and the ride resembles that of a go-kart. so it's not exactly the height of comfort. But the horn is loud and that's all that really matters in India.
We finally got to the place, which was basically this huge mansion with golden Shiva statues out front and a big marble staircase. A couple bikini-clad Indian women led me to his indoor swimming pool, where he was surrounded by more beautiful women, and had a bunch of cocaine laid out, which he quickly offered me. We watched some MTV on his plasma screen TV and then played some xbox 360 for awhile before we went barhopping....haha, sorry I couldn't resist. No, seriously, he lived in a very modest apartment above another family, and had accommodations similar to mine at the ashram. He has a cook who lives with him, and I guess he supports the cook and his rent by the talks he gives 2-3 months out of the year in America and elsewhere, but that's just a guess. We sat down and chatted for awhile, and he asked me a bunch of questions about myself and also answered a bunch of my questions about life, as well as India. He first of all told me I got seriously ripped off by the rickshaw driver, whom I paid about $3 for the fare. He said it shouldn't cost more than $1 to get to where he lives (about 4km away from the ashram), and if I shared a cab with a bunch of other people, I could make it for about 25 cents. I'm still really fuming over that $2, let me tell you, but it's good to have people in the know point this kind of stuff out, so you have a good frame of reference for the future. I asked him about the reality of Indian mysticism, and he said to take it all with a grain of salt, as Indians like to...exaggerate quite a bit, but he said certain things are certainly possible, which many might not believe. But many stories are sensationalized heavily or downright fictionalized in order to convince people of the powers to be acquired through faith and meditation. He told me Rishikesh was a very chaotic city nowadays with all the tourists and pilgrims constantly going through, and that it has grown immensely in the past 40 years since he first came. He also told me my patience and anger would be tested many times by the very rude people living here. He said that generally people in the West are much more aware of manners and politeness, but that people here don't know any better. He's right, there are some ridiculously rude people all over the place, and a lot of very careless and thoughtless behavior, but I don't take it personally. He said when he originally came it was mostly forests and ashrams, and that 90% of the developed stuff was not here, but also said it's just a microcosm of economic development all over India and the world in general, so it's to be expected. I asked him if there were any decent places to go for a walk to get away from everyone, and he said there were only 2 to his knowledge, but told me about both, one of which is very close to where I stay, so I was very grateful for that. I'm very accustomed to taking walks alone in the woods in Tallahassee, and am glad I will be able to continue that here.
I actually went out on Wednesday to explore the destination, which was very quiet and secluded, and a very welcome respite from the constant noise in the streets below the ashram, which itself is not really big enough to go for a decent walk. I basically walked along an almost deserted street that steadily inclined up into the hills, and was parallel to a mostly barren canal that flows perpendicular to the Ganges. There were all kinds of people doing something or other in the canal all along the way, and I will just say it did not look like fun work, but hey, who knows? I found a sort of trail off into the forest, so I decided to follow it for as long as I could. When I say trail, I mean a bunch of rocks and large stones placed in the middle of this dense forest that probably served some sort of drainage purpose, that led through large rock faces, and big expanses of cool foreign vegetation. Never have I seen so many butterflies. They would literally land all over me if stopping for a rest or a bowel relief break, which I didn't mind. It's funny, if they didn't have such beautiful wings, I'm sure I would not be so keen on having such things crawling all over me, but I am still a slave to aesthetics, at least to a certain degree. I walked a couple kilometers in, searching for a nice open clearing to sit down, but none of the terrain was too welcoming unfortunately. On the way back, I heard a sudden loud grunt to my immediate right, which I will admit sent me into a temporary panic, but I think my reaction had the same effect on the grunter in question, and his/her companion. They were either boars or small cattle who were surprised by my presence, but I didn't stick around to investigate. I will admit I was a little apprehensive the whole time I was walking, due to my knowledge of some of the things living in these forests, but I had to at least check this place out to see if any hidden treasures existed. I let a large spiderweb be the end of my journey this time, but next time I think I'll venture a little further to see what I can find. Swami Y said that during the night, the tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and bears are on the prowl, so to never be out there after dark, which will not be a problem.
I asked him for some book recommendations, and he gave me a bunch of ancient spiritual Indian texts, which he said would do me no good unless I studied with a very wise person (like him?), so I asked him for some more general stuff and he gave me some good ones, which I picked up and am finding quite inspiring, one of which is the Swami Rama series I mentioned earlier, which, really, is some amazing stuff. I was quite curious about his life and development into Swamihood, so he answered a few of my questions. He said when he was about my age, he came to Rishikesh and stayed in an ashram for 2 years, before wandering farther up into the hills to live a more secluded life. I asked him about survival and food and safety and all that, and he basically said that there are several local agencies that cook and provide food for Swamis, so every day they just have to come down from wherever they stay, and collect their days food in these little metal buckets I often see them carrying around. Oh how the far right in the US would love that. Giving people food forever so they don't have to work or do anything except focus on themselves. India is a very religious and spiritual place, and they show great support to the holy men and encourage them to explore spirituality to the highest level possible. Not that they're providing steaks and caviar I assure you, but I think it's pretty cool. Here, instead of gaining the most respect through the amount of wealth you accumulate like in the US and most other nations, respect is gained through how many things you renounce, which I will admit I find very admirable. He said he lived in a tiny hut for about 30 years and spent all day meditating and studying religious texts. He says that Swamis live in little packs, though still in definite isolation from each other. He said they would convene daily and have hours long study sessions of scriptures and texts, with older Swamis providing a lot of guidance and mentorship. To become a Swami, all that has to happen is that another Swami has to initiate you, and the only requirement for initiation is a renunciation of worldly pleasures and desires and seeking a path of spirituality. I don't think just anyone can become one though. I think you have to dedicate many years to study prior, and prove that the life of renunciation is one you intend to keep, so as to not disgrace the orange robes they wear. The orange robe is symbolic of flame, which is said to consume and purify the human form, or ego, so that self/god-realization may occur. Similaraly Buddhists wear yellow robes, which to them signify the color of death and decay of the body, and Christian monks are placed in a coffin and read funeral rites before they are initiated, another act symbolizing death of the worldly self, and embracing of the spiritual self. He said he moved into his current home about 7 years ago, and wanted to share his teachings with the world after attaining a high level of self-realization up in the hills. He invited me to have lunch with him, and he had a Swiss woman staying there studying with him named Barbara. She seemed very meek and kind of nervous, so I couldn't really find out much about her, but I guess she'd known him for quite awhile and had visited before. We ate very mild and light food, almost identical to the stuff I eat daily at the ashram, but it tasted significantly fresher, and we had a nice treat of pomegranate seeds for dessert. I stayed for about 2.5 hours altogether, and it was a very pleasant experience. His answers to all of my questions absolutely reek of wisdom, and he seems to live and embody the philosophies which he embraces and teaches, at least that's what I got out of hanging with him for a couple hours. He says what I'm doing is definitely a good start, and with a lot of time and hard work, I will come to realize many things about the universe and how to experience peace in it. He said to call him up any time I like and to come by any time. I'm not sure I'll be a student of his any time soon necessarily, at least not until I become a lot more steeped in this kind of lifestyle, but it's good to know his door is always open. A very good man from what I can tell, and I feel honored to have been welcome at his table.
Love,
Adam
On Monday, after putting it off long enough, I decided to give Swami Yogeshwarananda a ring (the guy who gave some talks in Tallahassee about 3 months ago). I'd talked to him at his meditation workshop and told him I'd be in Rishikesh soon, so he gave me his contact info and told me to give him a call whenever. I finally talked to him, and after receiving some overly complex directions, the rickshaw driver was able luckily able to find it after stopping about 20 times to ask random people for directions. This was my first time taking a rickshaw, which was an interesting experience. The driver was a very dishonest man, and tried to swindle me in every way imaginable, but I think I was only moderately swindled in the end. Rickshaws by the way are these little 3 wheeled buggies without seatbelts or doors that are the most popular form of taxi in India. They are everywhere and it's easy to catch a ride anywhere you're at. Often I'll see close to 10 Indians crammed in the incredibly small space to get a good rate. They spew out tons of exhaust fumes though, and are incredibly noisy and the ride resembles that of a go-kart. so it's not exactly the height of comfort. But the horn is loud and that's all that really matters in India.
We finally got to the place, which was basically this huge mansion with golden Shiva statues out front and a big marble staircase. A couple bikini-clad Indian women led me to his indoor swimming pool, where he was surrounded by more beautiful women, and had a bunch of cocaine laid out, which he quickly offered me. We watched some MTV on his plasma screen TV and then played some xbox 360 for awhile before we went barhopping....haha, sorry I couldn't resist. No, seriously, he lived in a very modest apartment above another family, and had accommodations similar to mine at the ashram. He has a cook who lives with him, and I guess he supports the cook and his rent by the talks he gives 2-3 months out of the year in America and elsewhere, but that's just a guess. We sat down and chatted for awhile, and he asked me a bunch of questions about myself and also answered a bunch of my questions about life, as well as India. He first of all told me I got seriously ripped off by the rickshaw driver, whom I paid about $3 for the fare. He said it shouldn't cost more than $1 to get to where he lives (about 4km away from the ashram), and if I shared a cab with a bunch of other people, I could make it for about 25 cents. I'm still really fuming over that $2, let me tell you, but it's good to have people in the know point this kind of stuff out, so you have a good frame of reference for the future. I asked him about the reality of Indian mysticism, and he said to take it all with a grain of salt, as Indians like to...exaggerate quite a bit, but he said certain things are certainly possible, which many might not believe. But many stories are sensationalized heavily or downright fictionalized in order to convince people of the powers to be acquired through faith and meditation. He told me Rishikesh was a very chaotic city nowadays with all the tourists and pilgrims constantly going through, and that it has grown immensely in the past 40 years since he first came. He also told me my patience and anger would be tested many times by the very rude people living here. He said that generally people in the West are much more aware of manners and politeness, but that people here don't know any better. He's right, there are some ridiculously rude people all over the place, and a lot of very careless and thoughtless behavior, but I don't take it personally. He said when he originally came it was mostly forests and ashrams, and that 90% of the developed stuff was not here, but also said it's just a microcosm of economic development all over India and the world in general, so it's to be expected. I asked him if there were any decent places to go for a walk to get away from everyone, and he said there were only 2 to his knowledge, but told me about both, one of which is very close to where I stay, so I was very grateful for that. I'm very accustomed to taking walks alone in the woods in Tallahassee, and am glad I will be able to continue that here.
I actually went out on Wednesday to explore the destination, which was very quiet and secluded, and a very welcome respite from the constant noise in the streets below the ashram, which itself is not really big enough to go for a decent walk. I basically walked along an almost deserted street that steadily inclined up into the hills, and was parallel to a mostly barren canal that flows perpendicular to the Ganges. There were all kinds of people doing something or other in the canal all along the way, and I will just say it did not look like fun work, but hey, who knows? I found a sort of trail off into the forest, so I decided to follow it for as long as I could. When I say trail, I mean a bunch of rocks and large stones placed in the middle of this dense forest that probably served some sort of drainage purpose, that led through large rock faces, and big expanses of cool foreign vegetation. Never have I seen so many butterflies. They would literally land all over me if stopping for a rest or a bowel relief break, which I didn't mind. It's funny, if they didn't have such beautiful wings, I'm sure I would not be so keen on having such things crawling all over me, but I am still a slave to aesthetics, at least to a certain degree. I walked a couple kilometers in, searching for a nice open clearing to sit down, but none of the terrain was too welcoming unfortunately. On the way back, I heard a sudden loud grunt to my immediate right, which I will admit sent me into a temporary panic, but I think my reaction had the same effect on the grunter in question, and his/her companion. They were either boars or small cattle who were surprised by my presence, but I didn't stick around to investigate. I will admit I was a little apprehensive the whole time I was walking, due to my knowledge of some of the things living in these forests, but I had to at least check this place out to see if any hidden treasures existed. I let a large spiderweb be the end of my journey this time, but next time I think I'll venture a little further to see what I can find. Swami Y said that during the night, the tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and bears are on the prowl, so to never be out there after dark, which will not be a problem.
I asked him for some book recommendations, and he gave me a bunch of ancient spiritual Indian texts, which he said would do me no good unless I studied with a very wise person (like him?), so I asked him for some more general stuff and he gave me some good ones, which I picked up and am finding quite inspiring, one of which is the Swami Rama series I mentioned earlier, which, really, is some amazing stuff. I was quite curious about his life and development into Swamihood, so he answered a few of my questions. He said when he was about my age, he came to Rishikesh and stayed in an ashram for 2 years, before wandering farther up into the hills to live a more secluded life. I asked him about survival and food and safety and all that, and he basically said that there are several local agencies that cook and provide food for Swamis, so every day they just have to come down from wherever they stay, and collect their days food in these little metal buckets I often see them carrying around. Oh how the far right in the US would love that. Giving people food forever so they don't have to work or do anything except focus on themselves. India is a very religious and spiritual place, and they show great support to the holy men and encourage them to explore spirituality to the highest level possible. Not that they're providing steaks and caviar I assure you, but I think it's pretty cool. Here, instead of gaining the most respect through the amount of wealth you accumulate like in the US and most other nations, respect is gained through how many things you renounce, which I will admit I find very admirable. He said he lived in a tiny hut for about 30 years and spent all day meditating and studying religious texts. He says that Swamis live in little packs, though still in definite isolation from each other. He said they would convene daily and have hours long study sessions of scriptures and texts, with older Swamis providing a lot of guidance and mentorship. To become a Swami, all that has to happen is that another Swami has to initiate you, and the only requirement for initiation is a renunciation of worldly pleasures and desires and seeking a path of spirituality. I don't think just anyone can become one though. I think you have to dedicate many years to study prior, and prove that the life of renunciation is one you intend to keep, so as to not disgrace the orange robes they wear. The orange robe is symbolic of flame, which is said to consume and purify the human form, or ego, so that self/god-realization may occur. Similaraly Buddhists wear yellow robes, which to them signify the color of death and decay of the body, and Christian monks are placed in a coffin and read funeral rites before they are initiated, another act symbolizing death of the worldly self, and embracing of the spiritual self. He said he moved into his current home about 7 years ago, and wanted to share his teachings with the world after attaining a high level of self-realization up in the hills. He invited me to have lunch with him, and he had a Swiss woman staying there studying with him named Barbara. She seemed very meek and kind of nervous, so I couldn't really find out much about her, but I guess she'd known him for quite awhile and had visited before. We ate very mild and light food, almost identical to the stuff I eat daily at the ashram, but it tasted significantly fresher, and we had a nice treat of pomegranate seeds for dessert. I stayed for about 2.5 hours altogether, and it was a very pleasant experience. His answers to all of my questions absolutely reek of wisdom, and he seems to live and embody the philosophies which he embraces and teaches, at least that's what I got out of hanging with him for a couple hours. He says what I'm doing is definitely a good start, and with a lot of time and hard work, I will come to realize many things about the universe and how to experience peace in it. He said to call him up any time I like and to come by any time. I'm not sure I'll be a student of his any time soon necessarily, at least not until I become a lot more steeped in this kind of lifestyle, but it's good to know his door is always open. A very good man from what I can tell, and I feel honored to have been welcome at his table.
On Friday I went out for another long walk, and went very far down this mostly abandoned road, but happened by a Business and Technical University back in the hills and saw several boys and girls in uniforms crossing the road. I met one guy named Girish (which sounds like Greece/grease when he says it), and after exchanging pleasantries, he invited me for a quick cup of chai at the university canteen before I went on my way. I had a couple hours left before I had to get back, so I thought, alright, this should be interesting. He introduced me to a bunch of friends, and they all seemed very fascinated by me and asked me a bunch of questions and we talked for a good half hour. Apparently there are around 1000 people at the university, with around 30% being locals. He offered to "walk" around and show me some good sights around town, which basically meant ride on his motorcycle, so I agreed. It was pouring rain though, and we were both soaked within seconds, so he offered to take me back to his family's home to dry off and let me borrow some dry clothes before we went into town. I went in and met his mother, sister-in-law, and 5 very cute nieces and nephews, and he gave me some more tea and cookies, as well as some pretty funny clothes to wear. No one in the home spoke English, but seemed like very welcoming and inviting people, and I shook hands repeatedly with all the smiling wide-eyed children. The residence was about 1 km away from the ashram I stay at, and was located back through a large network of very narrow alleys off of the main road. It was certainly not a home in a traditional american sense, and a lot of the space was open air, with rooms off to the side. I would definitely not call it luxury living, but it was a pretty neat little abode and I was happy to have gotten another glimpse of modest Indian living up close and personal. After changing, we headed back out and he took me to meet 2 of his brothers at their places of work, and took me to the opposite side of town to show me a couple sites briefly. I was pretty crunched for time, so he got me back after only a short time, but asked if I'd meet him the next day to more fully show me the sights. Apparently he serves as a guide in his spare time, so he knows a lot about the city and the popular places to go. I met him the next day in the mid-afternoon for another "walk", and we zoomed through huge crowds on his motorbike and rode all over the city. He took me to several of the very large and famous temples, and explained to me all of the statues and pictures of the different deities and their places in Hinduism, which I found to be pretty interesting. We sat down for awhile and discussed philosophy pretty deeply, and I found we shared a whole lot of the same ideals at the core. I told him a lot about America, which he says seems "too much fast", and he told me a lot about India which is "too much peaceful". The last place he took me to was the 12-story temple, which had over 100 different statues and shrines to different deities, as you slowly worked your way up the stairs, and the view from the top was spectacular. The range of mountains you could see was incredible, and could see for at least a hundred miles in every direction. One of the few times I really wished I had a camera. After that he took me down to a bathing ghat (one of many marble platforms along the Ganges where the Indians go to bathe), and sang me some Indian chants, and asked me to sing some Western songs, which I thought was pretty funny. I sang him a couple songs "you are my sunshine", "all you need is love", which he got a kick out of, but knowing so many songs, I really couldn't think of anything decent to do accapella, which Indian songs lend themselves to a lot more. I agreed to go with him tonight to the city's biggest Aarti, which is a large, complex religious celebration, with all kinds of chanting, bells, cymbals, and rituals. Should be interesting. I think he said there are usually 1000-2000 people in attendance for this particular one, which takes place every night fro m 5:30-6:30. He also said at some point he could set me up with a mountain trekking guide to go farther up into the Himalayas and really see the deep forests, so we'll see what happens. Really an impossibly friendly and helpful guy, who I think will be very valuable to know as long as I'm here. Another very nice example of the hospitable and friendly nature of some of the Indians around here. He said many people want to be helpful and friendly actually, but do not speak English, and so feel they cannot communicate and thus do not want to interact at all, which can be mistaken for rudeness.
Other than that, like I said, I've just been doing a lot of reading, insanely challenging yoga postures, and lots of meditation. I try to experience these philosophies and ideas I read in daily living and in meditation to see if they have any merit, as that is the only way to truly discover any sort of truth, and I have to say I am very pleased with the results so far. I feel very happy now here, perhaps the happiest I've ever been, and knowing that all that it takes to be happy is myself is an incredibly comforting and empowering thing. As I develop more of a routine, I find there is less and less to really write about, and I just feel too strange talking about a lot of these philosophies, as many seem the antithesis of western social, economic, and religious ideals, so the blog thing may slow down a bit. I may not write anything for a couple weeks, but it all depends what happens. I again thank you all for all your nice words, and am glad you are getting something out of the writing. I may be able to post some pictures next time, so stay tuned. Until then, take care, and thanks for reading.Love,
Adam
Sunday, August 3, 2008
3 weeks in...
Hi everyone. Thanks again for all the comments and emails. I'm glad some of you are enjoying my writing, and appreciate the kind words about my writing style. I'm trying to relay as much as possible, which I promised, so glad to know you're getting some entertainment.
Well, the inevitable happened this week...I got sick...as hell. After spending so much time in the internet cafe last week answering emails and writing that last blog, I realized I'd missed my lunch at the ashram, so I decided to brave a local restaurant and get some grub. I tried a place called the Tip Top Cafe, which gives a really nice view of the Ganges from it's upper deck dining spot, but the food doesn't exactly live up to its name. I don't know whether it was eating something so greasy and spicy after just having my insides completely cleaned out, but it, or at least something did a quite number on me. Luckily I had the intuition to invest in some toilet paper, because it may've been a significantly more miserable couple of days without it. I woke up Monday morning feeling quite bad, but was still was able to venture out to the post office, to mail some documents to my dad of some things still needing to be wrapped up back home. The post office was an interesting place. You walk up some stairs in the middle of the heavy bazaar, and there are 2 windows leading from a rundown concrete building with 4 men inside, 3 of whom speak no English. I asked the guy how much for a letter, and luckily he gave me an envelope and a couple stamps and told me it would be there in a week. There's not exactly priority mail, delivery confirmation, signature confirmation, etc., so we'll see if things worked out. Anyway, when I got back to my room, I was still feeling pretty gurgly down below, but thought a little lunch might help settle my stomach. I got down to the dining hall, but upon just the smell of the food, I felt the urge to either pass out or vomit, so had to run out of the place and head back to the "comfort" of my boiling hot room. Luckily there are some really nice people here, and they came and checked up on me and brought me some food and medicine. I ended up sleeping for about 20 hours straight, and don't think I ate anything for about 32 hours or so, so I was feeling pretty weak when I woke up the next morning, but managed to eat about 1 stale, day-0ld chappati, which gave me just enough energy to go to the Ayurveda doctor who I've been getting my Panchkarma treatment from. He didn't really seem to worried, and gave me some herbal anti-diarrheal medicines and told me getting my massage and continuing with treatment would make me feel better. I will admit he was quite right. Though my stomach was still raw and sensitive for the next few days, I felt pretty fine and am now completely back to normal as well as done with my Ayurvedic treatment. Reflecting back, it's hard to say whether it was worth it or not, but I feel great now, though I'm not sure it's any better than I felt beforehand, but at least I did it and got a new experience. I certainly suffered my share of humiliations, and let's just say there are few secrets between Ram, Shiva, and myself, but they were very professional guys, and I think it's good that they don't speak any English. Being sick certainly makes you appreciate being well, and waking up with that feeling of wellness is really invaluable after having suffered so much. It also really shows you that the people around you care about you. Almost everyone inquired as to how I was doing, and I had people checking up on me several times. My yoga teacher even gave me some psyillium husks and glucose powder, which he swore by. I'm not sure if they did much, but it's the thought that counts.
I've been having many strange and very vivid dreams of Tallahassee, often with a feeling that I'm about to leave for India, or have somehow already come back and am just visiting for awhile. Hard to describe, but they recur very often. Anyhow, after a couple days of feeling under the weather and having to skip my yoga classes, I was ready for a little adventure, so me Reagan, Susan, and Henry decided to wander over to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, which is about a 3o minute hike from where we're at. If you don't know about the Maharishi, he was basically the Beatles' guru for a short time in the 60s when they were really starting to explore Eastern religion. As strange to think as it is, had the Beatles not brought these ideas over to the west and to Europe, I would most likely not be sitting here today. Though there is certainly some controversy about the Maharishi, he is definitely the reason Rishikesh is so well-known to foreigners, and probably a big reason for the surge of yoga and meditation in the west. With that said, it was rainy, and the mosquitoes were everywhere as we ventured to the abandoned ashram. One man lives there and mans the gate, and offered to let us in for 50 rupees a piece, which was fine by me (that's like $1.20). My companions were not so ready to be let in at such a high price, so some heavy haggling ensued, mostly lead by Henry, and he got him down to half price and we were let in. The place is in very poor condition, and is currently closed due to governmental rights issues. It would certainly be a huge tourist attraction and could make the city loads of money if given the opportunity and with the right investors, but for now, it is overgrown and quite unattractive. The coolest thing were all the little igloo-like pods that the inmates (yes, that's what they call people living in ashrams over here) would stay in. Very very austere living compared to what I'm currently doing, but very cool all the same, and probably kept things relatively cool with the design. We wandered around for about 45 minutes before losing interest and headed back. It is certainly not a great place to visit, but I figured I'd pay homage to the place that put Rishikesh on the map, and may be the reason for so much enlightenment in the West, so I'm glad I got to say I saw it.
We had a pretty fun treat on Saturday in our yoga class. The first 20 minutes we did a ridiculously strenous workout, but then the teacher quickly called us outside, where he had 2 buckets of water waiting and a can of salt. He had about 30 neti pots, which are basically tea-kettle shaped containers, that you stick a spout in one nostril, and let the water drain out the other to clear your sinuses. This was certainly not foreign to me as I've been doing it the last couple years, but a lot of people were not having a good time of it, and there was a lot of sneezing, gagging, and snot covering the ground. After that, the teacher demonstrated a technique where he would fill his throat with water, and then make the water drain out of his nostrils immediately. No one really seemed to be able to do it, but I had a little success by the end, and know with a little practice I could do it. These are just a couple of a number of bodily purificatory methods that yogis practice that include some very scary and intense things. Some of which we got to see. Afterwards, we each took a thin, 10" rubber hose, and attempted to shove it so far up our nostril that it came out the back of our throat, so you could wring out and widen the hole. The teacher could easily do it in both nostrils quickly and simultaneously, and I got mine at least halfway up there, which was a strange sensation, and could feel it in the back of my throat, but didn't have the balls to stick my fingers far enough back there to grab the other end. A couple girls had success though, and had people snap pictures of their successes. Ah if only the ancient yogis could see us now. Next, just to show off, the teacher took a 20 foot strip of thing cloth, and proceeded to slowly swallow it all down his gullet, up until the very tip. Then he yanked it out foot by foot, smiling all the while. Then he proceeded to chug about 1.5 litres of water very quickly, shoved a large rubber hose down his throat, and then basically controlled the flow of the water so that all of it slowly came out of the hose. He said that next week we should all be prepared to drink about the same amount of water and induce vomiting to clean out are inner workings. I've admittedly done it once before after seeing it in a yoga book, and it really wasn't so bad. It's nothing like bulimia, as you don't puke out any solid matter, and is just a way to get rid of some excess bile and mucus. Like I said, there are all kinds of other horrific methods of cleaning the body that the yogis practice. Before the asanas (postures), this was the system of purification they used to ready themselves for meditation. To be a real yogi, you have to conquer all fears of the body, and eventually death, so that you are ready to fully let go of everything to experience the cosmic bliss of surrender. Anyhow, next week should be fun...
Things have been pretty humdrum lately other than that, but I've gotten back into the swing of twice daily yogasana and meditation classes after being in the dumps for a few days, which is a very welcome change of pace. Definitely making good progress in my focus and relaxation, as well as strength, balance and flexibility, though some days are better than others. It's getting harder to organize these things into cohesive thoughts, so here are some random observations, musings and events I've been noting and experiencing:
-Everywhere you go you see pepsi, gatorade, dove, skittles, coke, etc. wrappers strung together to form a sort of tarp, which many businesses use to serve as a waterproofing mechanism to place their goods on in this heavy rainy season. Also, local people use them as makeshift ponchos, which is really pretty funny. They are also sold in sheets on the side of the road. I guess you can never really get away from the heavy advertising back home, but it's a neat form of recycling I guess, which these people don't seem to practice to much other than that. There aren't really any trash cans anywhere or any trash collection or recycling service. People just throw trash all over the streets and into the Ganges, as well as burn it, despite the "burning plastic is drastic" signs that are everywhere. In all honesty though, these people produce much less waste than we do back home, but everything that is produced is easily viewable until it is sent into the atmosphere or washed away downstream. There is also no drainage system, so every time it rains (which is always), the streets flood really badly, and you have to be very careful to not have huge puddles of mud splashed on you by the constant stream of motorcyclist and rickshaw drivers zooming by you. I guess these people don't pay many taxes around here, but I guess they also don't really seem to complain about the conditions.
- This festival they've been having basically seems to be over, so the city is a lot less crowded with pedestrians, although the amount of rickshaws (taxis) are completely out of control now, and I get hounded constantly by about 50 different drivers the second I step out of the ashram gates. Apparently this festival/pilgrimmage is only around 5 years old. I guess some famous holy man said it was a noble thing to do to go pay homage to this Shiva shrine here, so tons of kids use it as an excuse to go with their friends and have a good time for a couple of weeks. The locals are certainly not a fan at all of all the extra people, but I'm sure the merchants welcome the business. Anyway, it's nice to have the town more navigable now and I think I'll be willing to venture a little farther away and explore more of the outskirts to see what's out there.
- Some of the local people are starting to recognize me, and a couple have asked me when I would shave and recommended some places to go. I am sticking by my resolution to not trim my sparse whiskers, though I have a nice moustache/goatee combo coming along, which are red-colored interestingly enough. It'll probably be a few years before I can match the magnificence of my younger brother's beard, but I'll keep striving. There are certainly some amazing beards and hairdos around here from the wandering ascetics that they've been working on for probably 50 years or more. Something to shoot for I guess.
- There is a lot of business competition here, with many shops and stands selling exactly the same items right next door to each other. There's not a whole lot of variety of produce here, and I have seen nothing but mangoes, apples, cucumbers, citrus, and bananas. I've had a couple glasses of fresh-squeezed citrus juice, which don't seem to be made in the most sanitary conditions, but they're good and a quick pick me up when roaming the streets. Have also bought some apples, which honestly aren't very good, but make for a good breakfast if I don't feel like eating the yellow rice goo or porridge they usually serve us.
- Every Monday and Friday we have a kirtan after dinner, which I think is traditionally supposed to be call and response-type devotional chanting, but we have a pretty mixed bags. Instruments are passed around, including cymbals, a mrindingam (indian hand drum), and some sort of makeshift tambourines, and everyone else just claps along to the rhythm, while an Indian ashram worker or yoga teacher sings his repetitive chant to set the mood and get everyone in the groove. Also, from time to time, the guests will get up and sing, which is a nice treat (sometimes). Things can get a little humdrum, so it's a real treat when Gambir (one of the ashram workers) gets up and does his amazing dances. Gambir is quite a funny fellow. He owns exactly 3 t-shirts, which he wears every day. One has the McDonald's arches, and on the back says "Marijana: over 1 billion served". Another says simply "professional beer drinker". And another says "lose weight now, ask me how". This guy basically speaks no English, so it's hard to know what's going through his mind when he picked these out to be his 3 workshirts. He is also known effectively as "chappati man", as, literally every 2 minutes during mealtimes, he comes by and tries to push chappatis on you like there's no tomorrow. Anyway, I was feeling pretty feisty on Friday night, and inspired by his moves, I decided to get up and join him and danced up quite a storm. I got a quite a reaction from the ashram workers and the other inmates, and I think one girl even got a video of it, which she said she'll share with me eventually, so who knows, maybe you'll get to see it. I seem to have a newfound respect among the employees after that, so I'm glad to have done it.
- The wildlife here still never ceases to amaze me. The other day, after purchasing some apples, a monkey sidled behind me and tried to snatch them out of my hands. Luckily due to my kung-fu reflexes, he didn't stand a chance, but I certainly kept a wary eye the rest of the way home. Also, I left a bit of trash outside my room as I didn't want any ants coming in, and a group of monkeys got into the hallway and tore it all to shreds. I even saw one monkey in a tree wearing a big plastic bag like a dress. Definitely gotta be careful of these cheeky bastards. There's also a little problem with a couple stray cats who I see around occassionally. Henry told me that he was bitten on an exposed toe while he was out having tea after dinner by one stray cat, and another day, a cat ran into the meditation hall in the middle of the teachers lecture and caused a bit of commotion. I guess there is certainly not a whole lot for them to eat around here, so it's best to be careful. I'm also starting to see why the Hindus worship cows so much. Aside from provided the much needed milk, cows also, basically, just don't care about anything. They will lay in the middle of the most crowded and noisiest streets without moving an inch and sleep lazily through all the chaos. It certainly plays with the go-with-the-flow attitude of yoga, and with the concept of not getting your passions aroused by anything.
I guess that's all for now folks. This internet cafe I'm using is absolutely sweltering, and the power has gone off 3 times already. Luckily this thing has an autosave feature which it activates every few seconds. Also, there has been an angry hornet that insists on terrorizing me constantly. Just know that a lot of blood and sweat go into these blogs, so I hope you enjoy them. All in all, things are still going very well for me. Just committed to 15 more days at the ashram, so after that, we shall see. Love you guys. Take care and peace be with you.
Adam
Well, the inevitable happened this week...I got sick...as hell. After spending so much time in the internet cafe last week answering emails and writing that last blog, I realized I'd missed my lunch at the ashram, so I decided to brave a local restaurant and get some grub. I tried a place called the Tip Top Cafe, which gives a really nice view of the Ganges from it's upper deck dining spot, but the food doesn't exactly live up to its name. I don't know whether it was eating something so greasy and spicy after just having my insides completely cleaned out, but it, or at least something did a quite number on me. Luckily I had the intuition to invest in some toilet paper, because it may've been a significantly more miserable couple of days without it. I woke up Monday morning feeling quite bad, but was still was able to venture out to the post office, to mail some documents to my dad of some things still needing to be wrapped up back home. The post office was an interesting place. You walk up some stairs in the middle of the heavy bazaar, and there are 2 windows leading from a rundown concrete building with 4 men inside, 3 of whom speak no English. I asked the guy how much for a letter, and luckily he gave me an envelope and a couple stamps and told me it would be there in a week. There's not exactly priority mail, delivery confirmation, signature confirmation, etc., so we'll see if things worked out. Anyway, when I got back to my room, I was still feeling pretty gurgly down below, but thought a little lunch might help settle my stomach. I got down to the dining hall, but upon just the smell of the food, I felt the urge to either pass out or vomit, so had to run out of the place and head back to the "comfort" of my boiling hot room. Luckily there are some really nice people here, and they came and checked up on me and brought me some food and medicine. I ended up sleeping for about 20 hours straight, and don't think I ate anything for about 32 hours or so, so I was feeling pretty weak when I woke up the next morning, but managed to eat about 1 stale, day-0ld chappati, which gave me just enough energy to go to the Ayurveda doctor who I've been getting my Panchkarma treatment from. He didn't really seem to worried, and gave me some herbal anti-diarrheal medicines and told me getting my massage and continuing with treatment would make me feel better. I will admit he was quite right. Though my stomach was still raw and sensitive for the next few days, I felt pretty fine and am now completely back to normal as well as done with my Ayurvedic treatment. Reflecting back, it's hard to say whether it was worth it or not, but I feel great now, though I'm not sure it's any better than I felt beforehand, but at least I did it and got a new experience. I certainly suffered my share of humiliations, and let's just say there are few secrets between Ram, Shiva, and myself, but they were very professional guys, and I think it's good that they don't speak any English. Being sick certainly makes you appreciate being well, and waking up with that feeling of wellness is really invaluable after having suffered so much. It also really shows you that the people around you care about you. Almost everyone inquired as to how I was doing, and I had people checking up on me several times. My yoga teacher even gave me some psyillium husks and glucose powder, which he swore by. I'm not sure if they did much, but it's the thought that counts.
I've been having many strange and very vivid dreams of Tallahassee, often with a feeling that I'm about to leave for India, or have somehow already come back and am just visiting for awhile. Hard to describe, but they recur very often. Anyhow, after a couple days of feeling under the weather and having to skip my yoga classes, I was ready for a little adventure, so me Reagan, Susan, and Henry decided to wander over to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, which is about a 3o minute hike from where we're at. If you don't know about the Maharishi, he was basically the Beatles' guru for a short time in the 60s when they were really starting to explore Eastern religion. As strange to think as it is, had the Beatles not brought these ideas over to the west and to Europe, I would most likely not be sitting here today. Though there is certainly some controversy about the Maharishi, he is definitely the reason Rishikesh is so well-known to foreigners, and probably a big reason for the surge of yoga and meditation in the west. With that said, it was rainy, and the mosquitoes were everywhere as we ventured to the abandoned ashram. One man lives there and mans the gate, and offered to let us in for 50 rupees a piece, which was fine by me (that's like $1.20). My companions were not so ready to be let in at such a high price, so some heavy haggling ensued, mostly lead by Henry, and he got him down to half price and we were let in. The place is in very poor condition, and is currently closed due to governmental rights issues. It would certainly be a huge tourist attraction and could make the city loads of money if given the opportunity and with the right investors, but for now, it is overgrown and quite unattractive. The coolest thing were all the little igloo-like pods that the inmates (yes, that's what they call people living in ashrams over here) would stay in. Very very austere living compared to what I'm currently doing, but very cool all the same, and probably kept things relatively cool with the design. We wandered around for about 45 minutes before losing interest and headed back. It is certainly not a great place to visit, but I figured I'd pay homage to the place that put Rishikesh on the map, and may be the reason for so much enlightenment in the West, so I'm glad I got to say I saw it.
We had a pretty fun treat on Saturday in our yoga class. The first 20 minutes we did a ridiculously strenous workout, but then the teacher quickly called us outside, where he had 2 buckets of water waiting and a can of salt. He had about 30 neti pots, which are basically tea-kettle shaped containers, that you stick a spout in one nostril, and let the water drain out the other to clear your sinuses. This was certainly not foreign to me as I've been doing it the last couple years, but a lot of people were not having a good time of it, and there was a lot of sneezing, gagging, and snot covering the ground. After that, the teacher demonstrated a technique where he would fill his throat with water, and then make the water drain out of his nostrils immediately. No one really seemed to be able to do it, but I had a little success by the end, and know with a little practice I could do it. These are just a couple of a number of bodily purificatory methods that yogis practice that include some very scary and intense things. Some of which we got to see. Afterwards, we each took a thin, 10" rubber hose, and attempted to shove it so far up our nostril that it came out the back of our throat, so you could wring out and widen the hole. The teacher could easily do it in both nostrils quickly and simultaneously, and I got mine at least halfway up there, which was a strange sensation, and could feel it in the back of my throat, but didn't have the balls to stick my fingers far enough back there to grab the other end. A couple girls had success though, and had people snap pictures of their successes. Ah if only the ancient yogis could see us now. Next, just to show off, the teacher took a 20 foot strip of thing cloth, and proceeded to slowly swallow it all down his gullet, up until the very tip. Then he yanked it out foot by foot, smiling all the while. Then he proceeded to chug about 1.5 litres of water very quickly, shoved a large rubber hose down his throat, and then basically controlled the flow of the water so that all of it slowly came out of the hose. He said that next week we should all be prepared to drink about the same amount of water and induce vomiting to clean out are inner workings. I've admittedly done it once before after seeing it in a yoga book, and it really wasn't so bad. It's nothing like bulimia, as you don't puke out any solid matter, and is just a way to get rid of some excess bile and mucus. Like I said, there are all kinds of other horrific methods of cleaning the body that the yogis practice. Before the asanas (postures), this was the system of purification they used to ready themselves for meditation. To be a real yogi, you have to conquer all fears of the body, and eventually death, so that you are ready to fully let go of everything to experience the cosmic bliss of surrender. Anyhow, next week should be fun...
Things have been pretty humdrum lately other than that, but I've gotten back into the swing of twice daily yogasana and meditation classes after being in the dumps for a few days, which is a very welcome change of pace. Definitely making good progress in my focus and relaxation, as well as strength, balance and flexibility, though some days are better than others. It's getting harder to organize these things into cohesive thoughts, so here are some random observations, musings and events I've been noting and experiencing:
-Everywhere you go you see pepsi, gatorade, dove, skittles, coke, etc. wrappers strung together to form a sort of tarp, which many businesses use to serve as a waterproofing mechanism to place their goods on in this heavy rainy season. Also, local people use them as makeshift ponchos, which is really pretty funny. They are also sold in sheets on the side of the road. I guess you can never really get away from the heavy advertising back home, but it's a neat form of recycling I guess, which these people don't seem to practice to much other than that. There aren't really any trash cans anywhere or any trash collection or recycling service. People just throw trash all over the streets and into the Ganges, as well as burn it, despite the "burning plastic is drastic" signs that are everywhere. In all honesty though, these people produce much less waste than we do back home, but everything that is produced is easily viewable until it is sent into the atmosphere or washed away downstream. There is also no drainage system, so every time it rains (which is always), the streets flood really badly, and you have to be very careful to not have huge puddles of mud splashed on you by the constant stream of motorcyclist and rickshaw drivers zooming by you. I guess these people don't pay many taxes around here, but I guess they also don't really seem to complain about the conditions.
- This festival they've been having basically seems to be over, so the city is a lot less crowded with pedestrians, although the amount of rickshaws (taxis) are completely out of control now, and I get hounded constantly by about 50 different drivers the second I step out of the ashram gates. Apparently this festival/pilgrimmage is only around 5 years old. I guess some famous holy man said it was a noble thing to do to go pay homage to this Shiva shrine here, so tons of kids use it as an excuse to go with their friends and have a good time for a couple of weeks. The locals are certainly not a fan at all of all the extra people, but I'm sure the merchants welcome the business. Anyway, it's nice to have the town more navigable now and I think I'll be willing to venture a little farther away and explore more of the outskirts to see what's out there.
- Some of the local people are starting to recognize me, and a couple have asked me when I would shave and recommended some places to go. I am sticking by my resolution to not trim my sparse whiskers, though I have a nice moustache/goatee combo coming along, which are red-colored interestingly enough. It'll probably be a few years before I can match the magnificence of my younger brother's beard, but I'll keep striving. There are certainly some amazing beards and hairdos around here from the wandering ascetics that they've been working on for probably 50 years or more. Something to shoot for I guess.
- There is a lot of business competition here, with many shops and stands selling exactly the same items right next door to each other. There's not a whole lot of variety of produce here, and I have seen nothing but mangoes, apples, cucumbers, citrus, and bananas. I've had a couple glasses of fresh-squeezed citrus juice, which don't seem to be made in the most sanitary conditions, but they're good and a quick pick me up when roaming the streets. Have also bought some apples, which honestly aren't very good, but make for a good breakfast if I don't feel like eating the yellow rice goo or porridge they usually serve us.
- Every Monday and Friday we have a kirtan after dinner, which I think is traditionally supposed to be call and response-type devotional chanting, but we have a pretty mixed bags. Instruments are passed around, including cymbals, a mrindingam (indian hand drum), and some sort of makeshift tambourines, and everyone else just claps along to the rhythm, while an Indian ashram worker or yoga teacher sings his repetitive chant to set the mood and get everyone in the groove. Also, from time to time, the guests will get up and sing, which is a nice treat (sometimes). Things can get a little humdrum, so it's a real treat when Gambir (one of the ashram workers) gets up and does his amazing dances. Gambir is quite a funny fellow. He owns exactly 3 t-shirts, which he wears every day. One has the McDonald's arches, and on the back says "Marijana: over 1 billion served". Another says simply "professional beer drinker". And another says "lose weight now, ask me how". This guy basically speaks no English, so it's hard to know what's going through his mind when he picked these out to be his 3 workshirts. He is also known effectively as "chappati man", as, literally every 2 minutes during mealtimes, he comes by and tries to push chappatis on you like there's no tomorrow. Anyway, I was feeling pretty feisty on Friday night, and inspired by his moves, I decided to get up and join him and danced up quite a storm. I got a quite a reaction from the ashram workers and the other inmates, and I think one girl even got a video of it, which she said she'll share with me eventually, so who knows, maybe you'll get to see it. I seem to have a newfound respect among the employees after that, so I'm glad to have done it.
- The wildlife here still never ceases to amaze me. The other day, after purchasing some apples, a monkey sidled behind me and tried to snatch them out of my hands. Luckily due to my kung-fu reflexes, he didn't stand a chance, but I certainly kept a wary eye the rest of the way home. Also, I left a bit of trash outside my room as I didn't want any ants coming in, and a group of monkeys got into the hallway and tore it all to shreds. I even saw one monkey in a tree wearing a big plastic bag like a dress. Definitely gotta be careful of these cheeky bastards. There's also a little problem with a couple stray cats who I see around occassionally. Henry told me that he was bitten on an exposed toe while he was out having tea after dinner by one stray cat, and another day, a cat ran into the meditation hall in the middle of the teachers lecture and caused a bit of commotion. I guess there is certainly not a whole lot for them to eat around here, so it's best to be careful. I'm also starting to see why the Hindus worship cows so much. Aside from provided the much needed milk, cows also, basically, just don't care about anything. They will lay in the middle of the most crowded and noisiest streets without moving an inch and sleep lazily through all the chaos. It certainly plays with the go-with-the-flow attitude of yoga, and with the concept of not getting your passions aroused by anything.
I guess that's all for now folks. This internet cafe I'm using is absolutely sweltering, and the power has gone off 3 times already. Luckily this thing has an autosave feature which it activates every few seconds. Also, there has been an angry hornet that insists on terrorizing me constantly. Just know that a lot of blood and sweat go into these blogs, so I hope you enjoy them. All in all, things are still going very well for me. Just committed to 15 more days at the ashram, so after that, we shall see. Love you guys. Take care and peace be with you.
Adam
Saturday, July 26, 2008
2 weeks in
Hey everyone. Many thanks for all the nice comments and emails. It's nice to know I have so many good friends who care about me back home. It's only when you leave do you really realize what great people you left behind. That said, things are still ruling quite hard, and I've had some pretty interesting experiences this first full week in this holy city.
As I said before, there are 2 million extra people in town from July 15-August 15, and since this town is 11 square km in size, that's a lot of friggin people. From 4am until 12pm, the city is always crowded as hell, and motorcycles, bicyclists, cab drivers, and the occassional SUVs battle the crowds with incessant honking, angry shouts, and even the occassional hit with a stick for the obstinately unyielding pedestrians. If you thought driving in America was aggressive and dangerous, just know that the stress these guys must go through to go even 2km is astounding.
I still get lots of dumbfounded stares from the shy, but friendly Indian lads, and have posed for a good number of pics, shaken a lot of hands, and said many hellos and namastes. The huge majority of the people here are boys/men (at least a 75 or 100:1 male/female ratio) between the age of 12 and 25, who are participating in the holy festival, while the women are most likely back at home slaving away. I've introduced a lot of kids to the high-five and thumbs up, which they seem to get a big kick out of. Literally every single one of these guys wears an orange shirt with a picture of Shiva on it, or some variation thereof, orange shorts, and a black fanny pack. It may just be the fashion wave of the future, who knows? For once, I will admit that I don't feel like the skinniest person around, though I'm certainly not putting on any weight with all the yoga I'm doing, and all of the low-fat/low-protein food I'm eating. This is a very un-sexually promiscuous place and culture (though I'm sure behind the curtains things are a different story) and a common site to see is boys and men holding hands or each others shoulders as they walk the streets without a second thought, something very foreign to our largely homophobic culture. Most marriages here are still arranged, and the idea of attracting someone is not something you really seem to have focus on too much or worry about the way you are perceived sexually.
As far as asham living, it's pretty darn modest, but from what I've seen around town, could be a whole lot worse. We keep and wash our own dishes (1 plate, small bowl for dal (lentils/beans), spoon, and cup, all stainless steel), which teaches you a little responsibility I suppose. I'm trying not to keep any secrets, or have much ego about this experience, so I'll say that I have experimented with cleaning myself post-restroom the Indian way, which isn't really pleasant, but I can handle it (no pun intended). Toilet paper is not an easily found commodity, and most Indians don't even understand the concept when asked. I am a lot more aware of keeping thing hygenic though because of this fact, and hand sanitizer is a frequently used commodity. I handwashed and line-dried my first load of laundry yesterday, which was really not a bad experience at all and not nearly as much work as I assumed (though I'm not sure why assumed it would be much work in the first place). Washing machines and dryers use a lot of energy, and after doing this just once, I don't think I'll ever really need them again. It is ridiculously hot here (at least 95-100 every day) and could be unbearable if it didn't rain every single day. Without the fan in my room on full blast, I'm not sure I could survive, but so far so good, though some nights, it takes a little while to get to sleep.
I've met quite a few interesting characters staying at the ashram. There's Paul, the chainsmoking Irish lad who works as a civil engineer back home. Anna from Britain. Henry, ex-spaworker from Seattle and relationship guru. Sunshine, 30-something ex-Southern Baptist Georgia girl, who has stayed at the ashram for nearly a year (by far the longest stay of any non-Indian person). Betty, 40ish Irish-born UK schoolteacher. Ellike, the 27 year old Duchess from Holland and impressive yoga practitioner, who makes sure to tell you she is NOT FROM AMSTERDAM. Jason, the dreadlocked psyhcedelic fiend from Colorado in search of quick enlightenment. Jim, the Australian world traveller who seems to have gone everywhere and done everything (many of those things not appropriate to mention here). Reagan, the 30 year old massage therapist, who tries to cram as much into his life as possible, as well as, as many words into a single minute as possible. A quartet of Japanese boys and girls, whose names I cannot begin to remember, who are all incredibly polite and happy-seeming. A French guy from LA whose name escapes me, but who is an author and documentary film-maker among numerous other hobbies, as well as very funny dancer. Alfred, the very proper Austrian fellow who's been here about 5 weeks, but finds the times between classes "frightfully boring". And Unki, the 28 year old Shanghai Mayahana Buddhist, here to sort her life out and find out what who she really is so she can go back home and sort out her life relationship issues.
I befriended Unki on the first day and took her to town, which seemed a pretty traumatic experience for her. She had to pose for probably 50-75 photos, and by the end was practically running away, like a celebrity from the Paprazzi from the eager Indian boys, begging for "one more please". She has a camera, and agreed to let me take some pictures, which she'll upload to me when she gets back in a couple months, so I'll have something to show you guys eventually. I brought basically nothing here other than clothes and toiletries, and will go back home to nothing. A very cleansing experience, and an important one for me personally. While getting some sort of hair beauty treatment, she managed to meet the former mayor of Rishikesh, and was invited to dine with him and his wife and participate in an aarti (devotional chant/complex religious ceremony) and invited me along. The service was incredibly complex, with a long complicated chant, which the mayor was very proud of, saying it was over 3000 years old, and contained the energy and wisdom of all those years of great saints and sages. We prayed in front of a shrine to Hanuman he had in his residence (the famed monkey-god of India) and cymbals and bells were rung/clanged constantly throughout. I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the clanging and singing, which was a welcome change from the honking horns and shouts going on outside and did feel like a pretty divine experience. Afterwards, a boy came out and performed a complex ritual involving chanting and incensing certain objects, and he applied some sort of bindi (red dot, along with rice) to all of our foreheads, as well as a red bracelet. Though I do find it somewhat odd that the Hindus worship so many different deities, I really think it is just a constant reinforcement that there are many things greater than "you", and the way they humble themselves before these idols is definitely a way to constantly be free from the ego and realize there is something greater and more important than the "I', which I greatly respect. The same is true of their elders and teachers, who they prostrate themselves before and surrender all intentions to. A very respectful people.
Afterwards, we joined the mayor for dinner, and he told us all about his service to leper colonies, helping out the poor, demonstrations against unfair police treatment, and his popularity in the city. He is of the Brahmin caste (highest caste) but sees everyone as equal and all as an expression of divinity. He said when he was an infant, Swami Sivananda (arguably the most famous modern-day yogi in India) held him in his arms and blessed him, and said his father was good friends with him, something I found to be pretty awesome. His wife served us some very tasty items in comparison to the normal ashram fare, so it was a nice change of pace. He says he owns no automobile, and simply has to step foot outside his house before he gets numerous offers to take him anywhere he pleases. His wife was a very submissive and subordinate woman, but very kind. He was remarking on some well-respected guy and said something to the effect of "he even cooked and ate his own meals sometimes, such a great man". I guess here it is still a very common thing for the wife to serve her husband and make sure his happiness is paramount. Feminism is certainly not a well-known term. All in all it was an interesting experience and kind of cool to meet such an important man. I will say he was not too modest about his benevolence and selfless service, and prided himself a lot in the good he does and constantly talked about it, but he was a very kind man, and invited me and Unki back whenever we liked to either participate in the aarti, or have a nice bite.
Also met a nice ashram worker named Raj, who insisted on buying me a cup of chai (tea mixed with milk and spices, very common in India) to cement the fact that we are "good friends". He said he has studied 2 years at the yoga academy in Mumbai, as well as had a year of ayurvedic massage training. He hopes to become a teacher at the ashram (there are 3 right now), but will have to work very hard over the next few months. I tried to thank him for the tea, but he said it was insulting, and just asked that I say we are "good friends", which I did. On the way back, he grabbed my hand and led me across the street, which, I thought was pretty funny. I know what you're thinking, a yoga teacher and massage therapist invites me for a cup of tea and then holds my hand. Looks a little funny, eh? But seriously, this is India...it happens. Really a very nice guy, who now refers to me as "friend" every time he sees me. He told me he makes, and I'm pretty sure I understood this right, 1500 rupees A YEAR. That's like...$40. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I thought I heard him right. Luckily he's from a wealthy family, and is just doing this to get yoga training and experience. All his meals and accommodations are free, and I guess $40 goes a long way here for frivolous items, but still...geez. We have it so well in the US it's almost unbelievable. This money is pretty much like monopoly money here, and I think nothing of giving a 100 rupee tip, which is huge to most of these people. Anyway...
On a different note, I've always been interested in trying an ayurvedic treatment (ancient system of Indian medicine) after all the books I've read, so on a whim, I went to a clinic across the street on Tuesday and signed up for an 11-day Panchakarma (internal and external cleansing) procedure. I figured, though I feel great, you can always feel better, and hey, you only live once (or several million times depending on your school of thought). The doctor has been practicing for 25 years, and he and his 2 assistants, Ram and Shiva, who stand at a towering 4'11 and speak virtually no English, have travelled to 12 different countries where they've set up shop and have much experience in the art he assures me. Every day I get a one-hour, intense ayurvedic massage from Ram and Shiva (who are verrry good), using medicated oils and ghee (clarified butter) on my scalp, face, and entire body. Each day, I change into a paper thong, which I must wear for the entirety, and does not do a very good job of...containing me. Also, they insist every time I walk on the floor I wear these pink sandals that are at least 5 sizes too small for me, but I try to respect their wishes. The treatment actually takes place at the doctors apartment, and not his office, so we walk a good 10 minutes through the crowds, to a very nice place by Indian standards where the work is done. Sometimes his son comes home while I'm getting the massage, but hey, you can't have much ego when you're having something like this done, especially some of things, which I'll mention shortly. After the massage, I undergo somewhat less enjoyable processes. The first three days, I would drink a large cup of ghee, and wash it down with water, then have 10 drops of ghee placed in each eye (which was pretty brutal), and then get a large amount of hot oil applied to my lumbar spine for several minutes, which was actually pretty nice. The last 3 days I got nasya, which consists of sitting over a boiling hot humidifier, and inhaling the water, treated with some sort of mentholated oil, then having Shiva put a few drops of ghee in each nostril and snort them up as far as they'll go, then gargle some sort of mentholated water, then repeat the process several times. It's not very pleasant, but afterwards my nasal passages feel miles wide. In addition to this I get a basti, which is...basically an oil injection in the other end. The first 2 days were not bad, as it was a very small amount of oil and easily retained, but today...Shiva looked at me apologetically and said "today...big basti", and he wasn't lying. I won't go into all the gory details, but let's just say...this better be worth it. I have 5 days more to go, and who knows whether it's all the yoga, meditation, healthy eating, or what, but I am feeling the best I've ever felt in my life, so I'll stick with it, despite some of the discomforts and humiliations.
I'm doing about 3-4 hours of yogasana (a good deal by myself, and a good deal in the INSANELY difficult classes) every day, and at least 3-4 hours of seated or standing meditation. Every day it gets easier and more enjoyable, and I have had some incredible experiences while meditating, unlike anything I've felt before in a natural state, though I won't elaborate too much, as I was once told that it is harmful to talk in detail about your experiences. I will just say that the importance of trust, love, and surrender to something other than your ego is of paramount importance in achieving the bliss of meditation. Will also say that meditation is a lot more than just relaxation. It takes an incredible amount of focus, and is very mentally exhausting, but the feeling you have afterwards is indescribable. Fifty more years of this and who knows... I will say that I am spending my time very productively, and grow to love this system of yoga more and more every day. The name or word you choose to call your "God" or item of surrender/worship is of no importance. As long as you can realize you are nothing in the scheme of things, that is when the mind really becomes clear and quiet, and awareness greatly enhanced. I think I will be a much more spiritual and religious person after this experience, and while no one is really teaching me anything here (the yoga teachers just tell you what to do and provide very little guidance, and the meditation teacher is completely non-understandable) I have heard many times that you are your own best teacher, you just have to be quiet and listen, and that is of the utmost truth.
Alright, well, I think that's quite enough for now. I know I've left a lot out, and could go on for hours about the philosophical ponderings I've undergone with my immense amount of spare time, but I'll spare you for now. Plus, my eyes are starting to hurt and my back is starting to ache, as I've become unaccustomed to staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day.
I am so thankful for this opportunity, and really feel the most at peace with myself and the universe that I ever had. Onward and upward in this bodily temple of infinite space and bliss. God bless you all and may peace be with you.
Love,
Adam
As I said before, there are 2 million extra people in town from July 15-August 15, and since this town is 11 square km in size, that's a lot of friggin people. From 4am until 12pm, the city is always crowded as hell, and motorcycles, bicyclists, cab drivers, and the occassional SUVs battle the crowds with incessant honking, angry shouts, and even the occassional hit with a stick for the obstinately unyielding pedestrians. If you thought driving in America was aggressive and dangerous, just know that the stress these guys must go through to go even 2km is astounding.
I still get lots of dumbfounded stares from the shy, but friendly Indian lads, and have posed for a good number of pics, shaken a lot of hands, and said many hellos and namastes. The huge majority of the people here are boys/men (at least a 75 or 100:1 male/female ratio) between the age of 12 and 25, who are participating in the holy festival, while the women are most likely back at home slaving away. I've introduced a lot of kids to the high-five and thumbs up, which they seem to get a big kick out of. Literally every single one of these guys wears an orange shirt with a picture of Shiva on it, or some variation thereof, orange shorts, and a black fanny pack. It may just be the fashion wave of the future, who knows? For once, I will admit that I don't feel like the skinniest person around, though I'm certainly not putting on any weight with all the yoga I'm doing, and all of the low-fat/low-protein food I'm eating. This is a very un-sexually promiscuous place and culture (though I'm sure behind the curtains things are a different story) and a common site to see is boys and men holding hands or each others shoulders as they walk the streets without a second thought, something very foreign to our largely homophobic culture. Most marriages here are still arranged, and the idea of attracting someone is not something you really seem to have focus on too much or worry about the way you are perceived sexually.
As far as asham living, it's pretty darn modest, but from what I've seen around town, could be a whole lot worse. We keep and wash our own dishes (1 plate, small bowl for dal (lentils/beans), spoon, and cup, all stainless steel), which teaches you a little responsibility I suppose. I'm trying not to keep any secrets, or have much ego about this experience, so I'll say that I have experimented with cleaning myself post-restroom the Indian way, which isn't really pleasant, but I can handle it (no pun intended). Toilet paper is not an easily found commodity, and most Indians don't even understand the concept when asked. I am a lot more aware of keeping thing hygenic though because of this fact, and hand sanitizer is a frequently used commodity. I handwashed and line-dried my first load of laundry yesterday, which was really not a bad experience at all and not nearly as much work as I assumed (though I'm not sure why assumed it would be much work in the first place). Washing machines and dryers use a lot of energy, and after doing this just once, I don't think I'll ever really need them again. It is ridiculously hot here (at least 95-100 every day) and could be unbearable if it didn't rain every single day. Without the fan in my room on full blast, I'm not sure I could survive, but so far so good, though some nights, it takes a little while to get to sleep.
I've met quite a few interesting characters staying at the ashram. There's Paul, the chainsmoking Irish lad who works as a civil engineer back home. Anna from Britain. Henry, ex-spaworker from Seattle and relationship guru. Sunshine, 30-something ex-Southern Baptist Georgia girl, who has stayed at the ashram for nearly a year (by far the longest stay of any non-Indian person). Betty, 40ish Irish-born UK schoolteacher. Ellike, the 27 year old Duchess from Holland and impressive yoga practitioner, who makes sure to tell you she is NOT FROM AMSTERDAM. Jason, the dreadlocked psyhcedelic fiend from Colorado in search of quick enlightenment. Jim, the Australian world traveller who seems to have gone everywhere and done everything (many of those things not appropriate to mention here). Reagan, the 30 year old massage therapist, who tries to cram as much into his life as possible, as well as, as many words into a single minute as possible. A quartet of Japanese boys and girls, whose names I cannot begin to remember, who are all incredibly polite and happy-seeming. A French guy from LA whose name escapes me, but who is an author and documentary film-maker among numerous other hobbies, as well as very funny dancer. Alfred, the very proper Austrian fellow who's been here about 5 weeks, but finds the times between classes "frightfully boring". And Unki, the 28 year old Shanghai Mayahana Buddhist, here to sort her life out and find out what who she really is so she can go back home and sort out her life relationship issues.
I befriended Unki on the first day and took her to town, which seemed a pretty traumatic experience for her. She had to pose for probably 50-75 photos, and by the end was practically running away, like a celebrity from the Paprazzi from the eager Indian boys, begging for "one more please". She has a camera, and agreed to let me take some pictures, which she'll upload to me when she gets back in a couple months, so I'll have something to show you guys eventually. I brought basically nothing here other than clothes and toiletries, and will go back home to nothing. A very cleansing experience, and an important one for me personally. While getting some sort of hair beauty treatment, she managed to meet the former mayor of Rishikesh, and was invited to dine with him and his wife and participate in an aarti (devotional chant/complex religious ceremony) and invited me along. The service was incredibly complex, with a long complicated chant, which the mayor was very proud of, saying it was over 3000 years old, and contained the energy and wisdom of all those years of great saints and sages. We prayed in front of a shrine to Hanuman he had in his residence (the famed monkey-god of India) and cymbals and bells were rung/clanged constantly throughout. I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the clanging and singing, which was a welcome change from the honking horns and shouts going on outside and did feel like a pretty divine experience. Afterwards, a boy came out and performed a complex ritual involving chanting and incensing certain objects, and he applied some sort of bindi (red dot, along with rice) to all of our foreheads, as well as a red bracelet. Though I do find it somewhat odd that the Hindus worship so many different deities, I really think it is just a constant reinforcement that there are many things greater than "you", and the way they humble themselves before these idols is definitely a way to constantly be free from the ego and realize there is something greater and more important than the "I', which I greatly respect. The same is true of their elders and teachers, who they prostrate themselves before and surrender all intentions to. A very respectful people.
Afterwards, we joined the mayor for dinner, and he told us all about his service to leper colonies, helping out the poor, demonstrations against unfair police treatment, and his popularity in the city. He is of the Brahmin caste (highest caste) but sees everyone as equal and all as an expression of divinity. He said when he was an infant, Swami Sivananda (arguably the most famous modern-day yogi in India) held him in his arms and blessed him, and said his father was good friends with him, something I found to be pretty awesome. His wife served us some very tasty items in comparison to the normal ashram fare, so it was a nice change of pace. He says he owns no automobile, and simply has to step foot outside his house before he gets numerous offers to take him anywhere he pleases. His wife was a very submissive and subordinate woman, but very kind. He was remarking on some well-respected guy and said something to the effect of "he even cooked and ate his own meals sometimes, such a great man". I guess here it is still a very common thing for the wife to serve her husband and make sure his happiness is paramount. Feminism is certainly not a well-known term. All in all it was an interesting experience and kind of cool to meet such an important man. I will say he was not too modest about his benevolence and selfless service, and prided himself a lot in the good he does and constantly talked about it, but he was a very kind man, and invited me and Unki back whenever we liked to either participate in the aarti, or have a nice bite.
Also met a nice ashram worker named Raj, who insisted on buying me a cup of chai (tea mixed with milk and spices, very common in India) to cement the fact that we are "good friends". He said he has studied 2 years at the yoga academy in Mumbai, as well as had a year of ayurvedic massage training. He hopes to become a teacher at the ashram (there are 3 right now), but will have to work very hard over the next few months. I tried to thank him for the tea, but he said it was insulting, and just asked that I say we are "good friends", which I did. On the way back, he grabbed my hand and led me across the street, which, I thought was pretty funny. I know what you're thinking, a yoga teacher and massage therapist invites me for a cup of tea and then holds my hand. Looks a little funny, eh? But seriously, this is India...it happens. Really a very nice guy, who now refers to me as "friend" every time he sees me. He told me he makes, and I'm pretty sure I understood this right, 1500 rupees A YEAR. That's like...$40. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I thought I heard him right. Luckily he's from a wealthy family, and is just doing this to get yoga training and experience. All his meals and accommodations are free, and I guess $40 goes a long way here for frivolous items, but still...geez. We have it so well in the US it's almost unbelievable. This money is pretty much like monopoly money here, and I think nothing of giving a 100 rupee tip, which is huge to most of these people. Anyway...
On a different note, I've always been interested in trying an ayurvedic treatment (ancient system of Indian medicine) after all the books I've read, so on a whim, I went to a clinic across the street on Tuesday and signed up for an 11-day Panchakarma (internal and external cleansing) procedure. I figured, though I feel great, you can always feel better, and hey, you only live once (or several million times depending on your school of thought). The doctor has been practicing for 25 years, and he and his 2 assistants, Ram and Shiva, who stand at a towering 4'11 and speak virtually no English, have travelled to 12 different countries where they've set up shop and have much experience in the art he assures me. Every day I get a one-hour, intense ayurvedic massage from Ram and Shiva (who are verrry good), using medicated oils and ghee (clarified butter) on my scalp, face, and entire body. Each day, I change into a paper thong, which I must wear for the entirety, and does not do a very good job of...containing me. Also, they insist every time I walk on the floor I wear these pink sandals that are at least 5 sizes too small for me, but I try to respect their wishes. The treatment actually takes place at the doctors apartment, and not his office, so we walk a good 10 minutes through the crowds, to a very nice place by Indian standards where the work is done. Sometimes his son comes home while I'm getting the massage, but hey, you can't have much ego when you're having something like this done, especially some of things, which I'll mention shortly. After the massage, I undergo somewhat less enjoyable processes. The first three days, I would drink a large cup of ghee, and wash it down with water, then have 10 drops of ghee placed in each eye (which was pretty brutal), and then get a large amount of hot oil applied to my lumbar spine for several minutes, which was actually pretty nice. The last 3 days I got nasya, which consists of sitting over a boiling hot humidifier, and inhaling the water, treated with some sort of mentholated oil, then having Shiva put a few drops of ghee in each nostril and snort them up as far as they'll go, then gargle some sort of mentholated water, then repeat the process several times. It's not very pleasant, but afterwards my nasal passages feel miles wide. In addition to this I get a basti, which is...basically an oil injection in the other end. The first 2 days were not bad, as it was a very small amount of oil and easily retained, but today...Shiva looked at me apologetically and said "today...big basti", and he wasn't lying. I won't go into all the gory details, but let's just say...this better be worth it. I have 5 days more to go, and who knows whether it's all the yoga, meditation, healthy eating, or what, but I am feeling the best I've ever felt in my life, so I'll stick with it, despite some of the discomforts and humiliations.
I'm doing about 3-4 hours of yogasana (a good deal by myself, and a good deal in the INSANELY difficult classes) every day, and at least 3-4 hours of seated or standing meditation. Every day it gets easier and more enjoyable, and I have had some incredible experiences while meditating, unlike anything I've felt before in a natural state, though I won't elaborate too much, as I was once told that it is harmful to talk in detail about your experiences. I will just say that the importance of trust, love, and surrender to something other than your ego is of paramount importance in achieving the bliss of meditation. Will also say that meditation is a lot more than just relaxation. It takes an incredible amount of focus, and is very mentally exhausting, but the feeling you have afterwards is indescribable. Fifty more years of this and who knows... I will say that I am spending my time very productively, and grow to love this system of yoga more and more every day. The name or word you choose to call your "God" or item of surrender/worship is of no importance. As long as you can realize you are nothing in the scheme of things, that is when the mind really becomes clear and quiet, and awareness greatly enhanced. I think I will be a much more spiritual and religious person after this experience, and while no one is really teaching me anything here (the yoga teachers just tell you what to do and provide very little guidance, and the meditation teacher is completely non-understandable) I have heard many times that you are your own best teacher, you just have to be quiet and listen, and that is of the utmost truth.
Alright, well, I think that's quite enough for now. I know I've left a lot out, and could go on for hours about the philosophical ponderings I've undergone with my immense amount of spare time, but I'll spare you for now. Plus, my eyes are starting to hurt and my back is starting to ache, as I've become unaccustomed to staring at a computer screen for 8 hours a day.
I am so thankful for this opportunity, and really feel the most at peace with myself and the universe that I ever had. Onward and upward in this bodily temple of infinite space and bliss. God bless you all and may peace be with you.
Love,
Adam
Saturday, July 19, 2008
So far...
Namaste everyone. Welp, I'm writing from an internet cafe in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand India, the renowned "yoga capital of the world". After a marathon 26 hours worth of plane rides, 40+ hours with no real sleep, a 240 km journey by taxi through Delhi and Haridwar, I made it here in one piece. I flew into Delhi (which comprises Old Delhi (north) and New Delhi (south)) and was set up with a taxi service from the airport. The driver drove me to a hotel that he assured me was very nice and a good deal. I'm not saying he's a liar, but... Anyway, after arriving at the fairly dirty hotel, I was immediately offered drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes by the friendly attendant, which I begrudgingly declined. After about 5 hours of sleep and a cold shower, I was ready to get the hell out of there. Delhi is supposedly the most polluted city on Earth, which is comforting, because I would hate to see anything more polluted than this. During the day, the sun is completely obscured by smog, and the streets are filled to the brim with a wide variety of characters, some friendly, some not so much (there are 16 million altogether in Delhi).
I took a taxi to Rishikesh, which was about 7 hours away (though only about 175 miles or so). The ride was very expensive by Indian standards (about 125 dollars), but it was worth it, and I quickly got over the fact that I was most likely getting majorly ripped off. I got to see some nice countryside after leaving the sweltering stench of the city (which reeked almost unbearably of feces in many places, and which, if stopped even momentarily on the highway, young children would lean into your window and beg for change, not letting go until the speed of the car severed their hungry grips. On the way, there were all kinds of dogs, goats, cows, and monkeys in and around the road, which was the size of a very narrow 1-laner by American standards, and the driver was constantly having to muscle his way in and around smaller taxis, bicyclists, pedestrians, pilgrims, and cow-lead carts, carrying fruits, vegetables, and other goods. The sound of horns is something you quickly get used to, and as my driver from the airport quipped "in India you can drive without brake, but not horn". My taxi driver spoke no English whatsoever, which was fine by me, because it gave me a chance to relax, and enjoy the beautiful countryside. As we got closer to Rishikesh, I noticed more and more people crowding the streets, and a huge traffic jam ensued. Rishikesh is about 25 km from Haridwar (a major pilgrimage site), and it took roughly 2.5 hours to travel the distance. I learned later that this time of year is the Siva/Shiva Festival, which attracts many millions of Indians, who make a pilgrimage through 5-6 major holy spots, including Haridwar, and, unfortunately Rishikesh for one month every year, carrying 2 buckets of Ganges River water all along the way, to whatever their destination spot may be.
When we finally got to Rishikesh, it was just as crowded and polluted as Delhi, much to my dismay. It wasn't until 3 days later that I learned this would soon be over, and the city would return to its normal, tranquil state. I had planned to stay at the Yoga Niketan Ashram, which I'd previously read about, but wanted to stay in their guesthouse first, which is slighty more luxurious (though not much), and does not require you to adhere to all the ashram rules. I took a walk through the city to explore, and it was the most crowded place I've ever been, not to mention I was the only non-Indian, in huge a sea of chaos. I was stared at by everyone, and felt pretty nervous and uncomfortable initially, though that has quickly worn off. I was asked by a few children to pose for pictures with them and many people would smile and say hello. I imgaine I was probably the first American many of these children have seen. Everyone seems to be wearing orange shirts with a picture of Krishna (deity from the Bhagavad Gita) as well as fanny packs, so I feel kind of out of place. I bought some local garb, which is very comfortable and light, and which I plan to wear exclusively from now on. After one night in the guest house, I was ready to go to the more quiet and secluded ashram, which is just across the main road from the guesthous, though about 300-400 feet higher in the Himalayas, and quite a workout. I guess I didn't mention that the city is right on the Ganges River, which is absolutely amazing, and at the foothills of the Himalayas, which are shockingly beautiful. People bathe in the river constantly, something I have not yet tried, though I imagine I will once things quiet down a bit.
I got to the ashram 2 days ago (though it seems like weeks already), and was received warmly. The grounds are inescribably beautiful, with all kinds of exotic vegetation, and huge swarms of playful monkeys running around, who will even go into your room if you're not careful. All of the employees and teachers are Indians, though everyone staying there is either Korean, American, British, Australian, or some other kind of European. It costs about $12 a day to stay, which includes your room, 3 meals, and 4 classes (2 yogasana, and 2 meditation) each day. Quite a bargain. The room is pretty modest, but I am actually growing to like it quite a bit. The bed is as hard as the floor (which I'm used to, because I've been sleeping on the floor for the past 7-8 months). I took my first "bucket bath" yesterday, and it was refreshing after the ridiculously intense 6:30 am yogasana class (for those who don't know, asanas are yoga postures, but "yoga" itself encompasses much more than just the postures). The daily schedule is as follows:
Morning Bell: 4:30am
Meditation: 5:00 am
Yogasana: 6:30 am
Breakfast: 8am
Library study: 9:30 am
Lunch: 12pm
Library study: 2pm
Lecture: 3:15pm
Tea: 4pm
Yogasana: 5pm
Meditation: 6:30pm
Dinner: 8pm
Repeat, but no classes on Sunday.
The days seem like weeks, but I am feeling amazing so far, and shutting myself off from normal activities, desires and acquaintances is very liberating. Much more time to focus on what I came here for, which is self and spiritual improvement, and I am feeling very at peace and quiet-minded thusfar. The asana classes are incredibly challenging, even compared to what I'm used to, and I imagine I will be quite a bit better if I stay long enough. The physical exhaustion does help quiet the mind though, and the relaxation that ensues after is incredibly blissful. There are 2 asana teachers, one in the morning, and one in the evening, and both are the most impressive people I have ever witnessed in person. The effortlessness with which they do the impossible poses, while still teaching and keeping a steady breath is remarkable. The meditation classes are very nice, though I cannot understand a single word the meditation guru says when starting the class, due to his soft voice and heavy accent. The point is that you basically force yourself to sit still and relax for over an hour twice a day, and though it's challenging, you basically feel like you've just taken a huge dose of morphine after.
Despite warnings, I have not gotten sick at all so far, and the food has been very good. All vegetarian, and fairly bland by Indian standards, but you get as much as you want, and it is very nourishing. Usually porridge and tea for breakfast, some sort of lentil/bean/pea/rice combination with bread and maybe some rice pudding for both lunch and dinner, but I haven't been here long enough to really tell. I expected there to be all kinds of long-dedicated spiritual masters here, but most people seem to be just like me, 20-40 somethings just exploring this kind of thing for the first time, and from what I can tell, no one has been here for more than a month, so I'll do my best to be one of the first. I have signed up for the 15-day minimum stay, though I could see myself staying for a very long time. The beauty of everything is just so magnificent, and it's been a very liberating experience so far. I really like the anonymity of everything, and don't feel I need to act a certain way or try to impress anyone at any time, which is very nice. I haven't shaved for a week, which is the longest I've ever gone, and though it looks ridiculous, I imagine I'll have a pretty magnificent beard/moustache in a few months, and some hilarious looking long hair. The other people staying here are very friendly, and I've met about 5 people from all around America, 5-6 Koreans, a Dutch girl, a Chilean fellow, and a couple of Aussies, as well as some people I can't remember. I think there are about 30 people who participate in the daily activities altogether. If I get weary of this place, there are about 20 other major ashrams around the city, so I will probably give them a try before departing, whenever that may be. I also have contact information for Swami Yogeshwarananda, the Swami who recently visited Tallahassee, so I may try to find him once I become more established in meditation and yoga, and may try to become a more serious student, but we shall see. Right now everything is pretty self-directed, but it is easy to have discipline with no temptations around.
Wow, I can't believe how much I just wrote. I'm sure I'm leaving all kinds of things out, but next entry I will try to be a little more discerning, and will hopefully have more things of interest to report (though it may be awhile til I write again). Hope everyone is doing well in America. May peace be with you all and God Bless!
Love,
Adam
I took a taxi to Rishikesh, which was about 7 hours away (though only about 175 miles or so). The ride was very expensive by Indian standards (about 125 dollars), but it was worth it, and I quickly got over the fact that I was most likely getting majorly ripped off. I got to see some nice countryside after leaving the sweltering stench of the city (which reeked almost unbearably of feces in many places, and which, if stopped even momentarily on the highway, young children would lean into your window and beg for change, not letting go until the speed of the car severed their hungry grips. On the way, there were all kinds of dogs, goats, cows, and monkeys in and around the road, which was the size of a very narrow 1-laner by American standards, and the driver was constantly having to muscle his way in and around smaller taxis, bicyclists, pedestrians, pilgrims, and cow-lead carts, carrying fruits, vegetables, and other goods. The sound of horns is something you quickly get used to, and as my driver from the airport quipped "in India you can drive without brake, but not horn". My taxi driver spoke no English whatsoever, which was fine by me, because it gave me a chance to relax, and enjoy the beautiful countryside. As we got closer to Rishikesh, I noticed more and more people crowding the streets, and a huge traffic jam ensued. Rishikesh is about 25 km from Haridwar (a major pilgrimage site), and it took roughly 2.5 hours to travel the distance. I learned later that this time of year is the Siva/Shiva Festival, which attracts many millions of Indians, who make a pilgrimage through 5-6 major holy spots, including Haridwar, and, unfortunately Rishikesh for one month every year, carrying 2 buckets of Ganges River water all along the way, to whatever their destination spot may be.
When we finally got to Rishikesh, it was just as crowded and polluted as Delhi, much to my dismay. It wasn't until 3 days later that I learned this would soon be over, and the city would return to its normal, tranquil state. I had planned to stay at the Yoga Niketan Ashram, which I'd previously read about, but wanted to stay in their guesthouse first, which is slighty more luxurious (though not much), and does not require you to adhere to all the ashram rules. I took a walk through the city to explore, and it was the most crowded place I've ever been, not to mention I was the only non-Indian, in huge a sea of chaos. I was stared at by everyone, and felt pretty nervous and uncomfortable initially, though that has quickly worn off. I was asked by a few children to pose for pictures with them and many people would smile and say hello. I imgaine I was probably the first American many of these children have seen. Everyone seems to be wearing orange shirts with a picture of Krishna (deity from the Bhagavad Gita) as well as fanny packs, so I feel kind of out of place. I bought some local garb, which is very comfortable and light, and which I plan to wear exclusively from now on. After one night in the guest house, I was ready to go to the more quiet and secluded ashram, which is just across the main road from the guesthous, though about 300-400 feet higher in the Himalayas, and quite a workout. I guess I didn't mention that the city is right on the Ganges River, which is absolutely amazing, and at the foothills of the Himalayas, which are shockingly beautiful. People bathe in the river constantly, something I have not yet tried, though I imagine I will once things quiet down a bit.
I got to the ashram 2 days ago (though it seems like weeks already), and was received warmly. The grounds are inescribably beautiful, with all kinds of exotic vegetation, and huge swarms of playful monkeys running around, who will even go into your room if you're not careful. All of the employees and teachers are Indians, though everyone staying there is either Korean, American, British, Australian, or some other kind of European. It costs about $12 a day to stay, which includes your room, 3 meals, and 4 classes (2 yogasana, and 2 meditation) each day. Quite a bargain. The room is pretty modest, but I am actually growing to like it quite a bit. The bed is as hard as the floor (which I'm used to, because I've been sleeping on the floor for the past 7-8 months). I took my first "bucket bath" yesterday, and it was refreshing after the ridiculously intense 6:30 am yogasana class (for those who don't know, asanas are yoga postures, but "yoga" itself encompasses much more than just the postures). The daily schedule is as follows:
Morning Bell: 4:30am
Meditation: 5:00 am
Yogasana: 6:30 am
Breakfast: 8am
Library study: 9:30 am
Lunch: 12pm
Library study: 2pm
Lecture: 3:15pm
Tea: 4pm
Yogasana: 5pm
Meditation: 6:30pm
Dinner: 8pm
Repeat, but no classes on Sunday.
The days seem like weeks, but I am feeling amazing so far, and shutting myself off from normal activities, desires and acquaintances is very liberating. Much more time to focus on what I came here for, which is self and spiritual improvement, and I am feeling very at peace and quiet-minded thusfar. The asana classes are incredibly challenging, even compared to what I'm used to, and I imagine I will be quite a bit better if I stay long enough. The physical exhaustion does help quiet the mind though, and the relaxation that ensues after is incredibly blissful. There are 2 asana teachers, one in the morning, and one in the evening, and both are the most impressive people I have ever witnessed in person. The effortlessness with which they do the impossible poses, while still teaching and keeping a steady breath is remarkable. The meditation classes are very nice, though I cannot understand a single word the meditation guru says when starting the class, due to his soft voice and heavy accent. The point is that you basically force yourself to sit still and relax for over an hour twice a day, and though it's challenging, you basically feel like you've just taken a huge dose of morphine after.
Despite warnings, I have not gotten sick at all so far, and the food has been very good. All vegetarian, and fairly bland by Indian standards, but you get as much as you want, and it is very nourishing. Usually porridge and tea for breakfast, some sort of lentil/bean/pea/rice combination with bread and maybe some rice pudding for both lunch and dinner, but I haven't been here long enough to really tell. I expected there to be all kinds of long-dedicated spiritual masters here, but most people seem to be just like me, 20-40 somethings just exploring this kind of thing for the first time, and from what I can tell, no one has been here for more than a month, so I'll do my best to be one of the first. I have signed up for the 15-day minimum stay, though I could see myself staying for a very long time. The beauty of everything is just so magnificent, and it's been a very liberating experience so far. I really like the anonymity of everything, and don't feel I need to act a certain way or try to impress anyone at any time, which is very nice. I haven't shaved for a week, which is the longest I've ever gone, and though it looks ridiculous, I imagine I'll have a pretty magnificent beard/moustache in a few months, and some hilarious looking long hair. The other people staying here are very friendly, and I've met about 5 people from all around America, 5-6 Koreans, a Dutch girl, a Chilean fellow, and a couple of Aussies, as well as some people I can't remember. I think there are about 30 people who participate in the daily activities altogether. If I get weary of this place, there are about 20 other major ashrams around the city, so I will probably give them a try before departing, whenever that may be. I also have contact information for Swami Yogeshwarananda, the Swami who recently visited Tallahassee, so I may try to find him once I become more established in meditation and yoga, and may try to become a more serious student, but we shall see. Right now everything is pretty self-directed, but it is easy to have discipline with no temptations around.
Wow, I can't believe how much I just wrote. I'm sure I'm leaving all kinds of things out, but next entry I will try to be a little more discerning, and will hopefully have more things of interest to report (though it may be awhile til I write again). Hope everyone is doing well in America. May peace be with you all and God Bless!
Love,
Adam
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