Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sivananda Ashram, Neyyar Dam, Kerala
Within a few hours of having arrived at the ashram I had a strong impulse to run for the hills! It was not at all what I had expected. (some kind of Utopian scene, with enlightened beings blithely skipping around intertwining their lives like giant daisies in a chain of love and peace!). I didn't feel much warmth or generosity of spirit from any of the people running the joint. Doctrine, control and fanaticism were the order of the day it seemed............not to mention the vacant gaze of the ashram 'long stayers' who have become averse to the outside world! I obediently filed up to my dormitory room trying to keep an open mind!
On the second day, the morning bell rang, as usual, at 5:00am to rudely awaken us for our morning pilgrimages to the peak of the Neyyar Dam mountain range to watch the sunrise. We assembled in darkness at the ashram gates. Again, I resisted the instinct to bolt from what looked decidedly like a cult ritual that you might see in a half cut channel 5 documentary. I'm glad I didn't as it turned out to be beautiful.....soft Hindi music was played in the valley as the black sky gently faded to dusky blues and greens as dawn approached. Holy men were reverently paying homage to the Hindu shrines along the path. An hour later having reached the mountain top, the ancient Sanskrit chanting began. The sun rose as if conjured by the words of the mantra, sleepily sneaking up behind the reverent mountain peaks. At 8am, back at the ashram, the first two hour sivananda yoga class of the day commenced. I had a bit of a run in with the teacher (who happened to be the Ashram Director's wife - not a good person to get on the wrong side of!) over dress code. The ashram threw up something of a wardrobe dilemma - no tight or see through clothes allowed (fair enough) , shoulders and legs must be covered (Ok, Ok)........naturally I'm au fait with respecting local cultures, it just seems like something of a double standard that the ladies of the village can don a sari, that exposes their sensual bellies (much sexier than a run of the mill pair of shoulders wouldn't you say?). Thinking I would try and channel Jemima Khan in her Imran days, I ended up looking more like bob the builder in my baggy pants and sombre long sleeve shirts! (I know the ashram agenda is to eradicate ones ego and ascend to a higher plane of consciousness but I don't think I am ready for that just yet!) The two vegetarian meals of the day were served seated on reed mats on the floor in a large hall, scooping up lentils with your right hand and observing silence, (a pretty reliable way to kill the joy of communal eating!) A lecture at 2pm was followed by another 2 hour yoga session at 3:30pm. After the evening meal, my body traumatised by this staunch monastic regime after months of alcohol abuse felt pretty bloody awful and I was ready to hit the hay..........but no I had to attend the compulsory 8pm session of meditation and MORE chanting.
On the second day, the morning bell rang, as usual, at 5:00am to rudely awaken us for our morning pilgrimages to the peak of the Neyyar Dam mountain range to watch the sunrise. We assembled in darkness at the ashram gates. Again, I resisted the instinct to bolt from what looked decidedly like a cult ritual that you might see in a half cut channel 5 documentary. I'm glad I didn't as it turned out to be beautiful.....soft Hindi music was played in the valley as the black sky gently faded to dusky blues and greens as dawn approached. Holy men were reverently paying homage to the Hindu shrines along the path. An hour later having reached the mountain top, the ancient Sanskrit chanting began. The sun rose as if conjured by the words of the mantra, sleepily sneaking up behind the reverent mountain peaks. At 8am, back at the ashram, the first two hour sivananda yoga class of the day commenced. I had a bit of a run in with the teacher (who happened to be the Ashram Director's wife - not a good person to get on the wrong side of!) over dress code. The ashram threw up something of a wardrobe dilemma - no tight or see through clothes allowed (fair enough) , shoulders and legs must be covered (Ok, Ok)........naturally I'm au fait with respecting local cultures, it just seems like something of a double standard that the ladies of the village can don a sari, that exposes their sensual bellies (much sexier than a run of the mill pair of shoulders wouldn't you say?). Thinking I would try and channel Jemima Khan in her Imran days, I ended up looking more like bob the builder in my baggy pants and sombre long sleeve shirts! (I know the ashram agenda is to eradicate ones ego and ascend to a higher plane of consciousness but I don't think I am ready for that just yet!) The two vegetarian meals of the day were served seated on reed mats on the floor in a large hall, scooping up lentils with your right hand and observing silence, (a pretty reliable way to kill the joy of communal eating!) A lecture at 2pm was followed by another 2 hour yoga session at 3:30pm. After the evening meal, my body traumatised by this staunch monastic regime after months of alcohol abuse felt pretty bloody awful and I was ready to hit the hay..........but no I had to attend the compulsory 8pm session of meditation and MORE chanting.
Every day I had to talk myself into staying, but it did improve as time passed. Astonishingly I got used to the early rises, and definitely felt the benefit of the intensive yoga. It was also set in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Luxuriating in the silvery waters of the peaceful lake was definitely a highlight. What I didn't find here was the pure, warm spiritual aspect I had hoped for. There were no truly inspirational figures - I'm sure when the founder and guru, Swami Sivananda was alive it would have been a different experience. The search continues...........!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Saturday 23rd January 2010
Day 4 in India..........Coming into land at Trivandrum airport on Wednesday morning, I'm met by a dense sea of palm trees dotted with temples of warm red and orange. The airport looks decidedly friendly, Kerala and I are going to get along just fine! The airport is small and manageable for a first time traveller to India. Its slightly chaotic in a humorous rather than intimidating way. Walking out of arrivals into the gentle 11am heat, taxi drivers hustle for business, baggage carriers unabashedly re-adjust their sarongs narrowly guarding their modesty, and a young keralan girl of around five years old boldly struts out in a pair of high heels, greeting her mother who is serenely clad in a modest and beautiful candy coloured sari. This strange contradiction immediately strikes me, the first of many in this Gargantuan country of baffling contrasts. The taxi driver perilously zig zags through the sea of suicidal tuk tuk drivers, the smell of burning piles of rubbish in the shanty town around the airport mars the lush landscape with a somewhat sinister air. Half and hour later we turn off the main road into a small village, down a bumpy narrow dirt track. Walking into the whimsical oasis that is Davina Lagoona, a heady touch of the opulence sits somehow incongruously with the calm lagoon where fishermen go about their daily tasks. Davina is a warm and convivial hostess. I start Thursday with an Ayruvedic massage. I'm asked to wear the very modest kaftan provided as I am escorted through the village. My masseuse Shelley greet me with kind eyes and a sleepy bright smile, as do all the villagers. Back on the terrace, bathed in birdsong, soothed by the ayruvedic oil, looking out at the fishermen hauling in their nets along the shores of the wild arabian sea as they have done for thousands of years brings a feeling of comfort and continuity. The next few days pass with the same soothing rhythm and by Saturday I am fit and ready for the stringent 5am starts at the Sivananda ashram up in the mountains. Contact with the outside world is strictly forbidden so I will be in touch in a few weeks!
Day 4 in India..........Coming into land at Trivandrum airport on Wednesday morning, I'm met by a dense sea of palm trees dotted with temples of warm red and orange. The airport looks decidedly friendly, Kerala and I are going to get along just fine! The airport is small and manageable for a first time traveller to India. Its slightly chaotic in a humorous rather than intimidating way. Walking out of arrivals into the gentle 11am heat, taxi drivers hustle for business, baggage carriers unabashedly re-adjust their sarongs narrowly guarding their modesty, and a young keralan girl of around five years old boldly struts out in a pair of high heels, greeting her mother who is serenely clad in a modest and beautiful candy coloured sari. This strange contradiction immediately strikes me, the first of many in this Gargantuan country of baffling contrasts. The taxi driver perilously zig zags through the sea of suicidal tuk tuk drivers, the smell of burning piles of rubbish in the shanty town around the airport mars the lush landscape with a somewhat sinister air. Half and hour later we turn off the main road into a small village, down a bumpy narrow dirt track. Walking into the whimsical oasis that is Davina Lagoona, a heady touch of the opulence sits somehow incongruously with the calm lagoon where fishermen go about their daily tasks. Davina is a warm and convivial hostess. I start Thursday with an Ayruvedic massage. I'm asked to wear the very modest kaftan provided as I am escorted through the village. My masseuse Shelley greet me with kind eyes and a sleepy bright smile, as do all the villagers. Back on the terrace, bathed in birdsong, soothed by the ayruvedic oil, looking out at the fishermen hauling in their nets along the shores of the wild arabian sea as they have done for thousands of years brings a feeling of comfort and continuity. The next few days pass with the same soothing rhythm and by Saturday I am fit and ready for the stringent 5am starts at the Sivananda ashram up in the mountains. Contact with the outside world is strictly forbidden so I will be in touch in a few weeks!
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