Eat, Pray, Love 10 Things to know about staying at an Indian ashram

At 6 AM. the morning fog was lifting off the lake. Devotional music poured joyously over the loudspeaker of a neighboring temple and echoed eerily, as fly by birds bore life to the serene setting. Sitting in silence I felt the sun spreading its rays across my body with an exquisite orange and gold. I inhaled. OM.

Kerala was a perfect escape from the heat, haggling, piss-perfumed stains and madness I know as India. Lush green foliage and forest, the Keralan coast was degrees cooler and more welcoming. Still, an epiphany was coming through that there were spots in India which could be peaceful, clean, beautiful and serene!

Universities, nice roads, lush forestry, posh and brightly colored mansions backed by Saudi money .Yes, Gods own country (as the saying goes) was truly rich.

An example of some of the more well-to-do houses in Kerala.

Each day at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Kerala(Neyyar Dam)I awoke to the early morning practice of satsang (aka devotional chanting) and meditation. At first I did this with fervor, but by the end of the week, I started tiring of it and realized, chanting for a half hour really isnt my thing.

But in an Indian ashram, you dont question things; you simply follow.

Sunrise devotion and song felt right today, though. I had found an idyllic haven complete with new yogi friends, where I could live my passion for yoga and meditation in a stress-free environment away from daily chaotic life. I didnt want to have to leave the ashram. It was one of the best experiences of my life!

The Sivananda Trivandrum ashram was a gem of a campus, secluded in the 12-acre fold of a tropical wildlife preserve. At night, I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of crickets, weird night animals and the husky deep heaves of tigers in mating-heat (not kidding).

The ashram offered an all-inclusivestay with two daily yoga sessions, clean dorm accommodations, exquisite meditation halls dressed in Hindu mythology, two vegetarian meals a day and unlimited filtered drinking water. It also has a Ayurvedic doctor and massage room, where a lady rubs warm oil over your body as Ayurvedic treatment. You have to wash it off with chickpea mix. Its a little grease but an interesting new experience.

The campus had awesome facilities that were geared a little more towards western travelers. Most people know Sivananda as a yoga teacher training center (ReadHow to Choose a School in India for your Yoga Teacher Training) andthey offer that too. But if youd like toexperience yoga in India, learn about Ayurveda or experience a deeper spiritual practice, then Sivananda ashrams offer a lot. Check out some of my photos below.

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Every need was conveniently provided for.

This makes a monumental difference when youre in India. The rigors of travel are often rife with the obstacles of food/water safety and sanitation. Ease is a luxury thats hard to come by here.

Like many yoga enthusiasts or travelers, Ive seen the film, Eat, Pray, Love But each ashram is different, varying in rules and codes of conduct.Heres a peek inside my ashram experience and 10 things you should know about staying at an Indian ashram, you can expect.

Staying in an ashram is not a vacation, but a retreat into deeper practice and focused discipline; thus, strict attendance to the schedule is required. While I may not care for or agree with everything on the menu, Im here to immerse myself in a new learning environment and its teaching me its lifestyle.

My schedule was intense from 5:30AM and driving until 10 PM.

6:00 AM Satsang

7:30 AM Tea time

8:00 AM Asana Class (Beginners & Intermediate)

10:00 AM Breakfast (Vegetarian)

11:00 AM Karma Yoga

12:30 PM Coaching Class (Optional)

1:30 PM Tea Time

2:00 PM Lecture

3:30 PM Asana Class

6:00 PM Dinner (Vegetarian)

8:00 PM Satsang (group meditation, changing, talk)

10:30 PM Lights out

2. Engaging in spiritual practice

You dont have to be religious to stay at an ashram, but understand the term ashram is synonymous with spirituality. Its foolish to think of divorcing the two. Duh.

Whether you are or are nota spiritual/religious person, know youll be expected to practice open-mindedness and respect the ashrams key spiritual beliefs, which is predominantly Hindu. Or else, why are you there?

You will see depictions of Hindu deities, devote an enormous time to chanting devotional songs in honor of these gods (and your ashrams guru), meditating and taking part in spiritual ceremonies.

If youre not ready to do this, then youre not ready for an ashram.

Video of satsang (if youre unable to see the video, click here).

3. The Bare Foot Etiquette

Some practices may test your comfort level. In Indian temples, you remove your shoes before entering; thus in an ashram, you remove footwear when entering buildings. For some, not wearing footwear can spell liberation; for me, I dont like baring my feet on walkways, even if theyre paved!For me, walking into communal restrooms takes open-mindedness and cupped feet!

4. Observing silence and eating with your hands

Staying in an ashram gives you the excuse to wear the cultural suit. Observing silence during meals and eating with your handsis a practice youll learn to enjoy. While the meal time hush is a rule at Sivananda, eating with your hands isnt compulsory. Though youre not supplied with utensils, you can bring them with you.

But before you reach for the silver spoon, give your hand a try first. As one Mumbaiknar told me I normally use utensils when I eat, but if I eat with my hands, the food tastes better!

Ill tell you a secret it does.

5. No Internet?

An ashrams focus is on spiritual development not your Facebook profile; thus, accommodating your internet needs arent a high priority.

At the ashram, the internet hours were limited. During those hours, you could use the internet and hook your laptop up to the Wi-Fi. However, the Wi-Fi, but it was very spotty and three PC computers they had at the internet room always had a long sign-up. Im glad I bought a USB internet hub with me (Read 5 Travel Must Haves for India)!

Generally, many spiritual centers and ashrams have some form of connection with outside technology. Gurus and administration offices have to have some internet access.

If all options fail, they can direct you to a location in town, where there is an internet cafe.

Meat eaters may have difficulty surviving on a meatless diet, missing the feeling of gnawing into something of substance. For me, the ashram was a vegetarian dream. The food was tasty, Ayurvedic, healthy and best of all, safe for my western stomach. I could eat to my hearts content without worrying about how it was prepared or how the dishes were washed .

7. Performing karma yoga

Cleaning the kitchen, serving food, cleaning the dorm floors, taking out the garbage, working in the store, taking out the trash

The ashrams generally support the idea that their attendees help maintain the ashram grounds. This is fair, as ashrams dont always make or charge a lot for their room, board and classes. Thus, one hour each day is required of each attendee to spend in performing selfless service. This is called Karma Yoga. For guests, its a chance to burn off some of your karma by doing good deeds. My job was to mop the hallway of my dorm I stayed in.

Ashrams may have double and single guest rooms available, but the standard is most likely, dorm style living quarters.Many dont offer lockers for security, however. If you have any valuables, you might ask to store them at the front desk. But this is at your discretion.

9. Making friends

Making friends with travelers and locals, who share your passion is another perk. Engaging in ashram activities and sharing a relaxed downtime makes your time lively and enriching.

In lieu of Holi festival (and the fact we couldnt leave campus for it) the ashram prepared their own celebration for us.

We all want to know why certain cultures worship the way they do. Ceremonial rituals take place and its nice not have to press our nose to a glass pane to look in.

An ashram is a bit like a homestay. You get to experience local customs and spiritual practices as if you are an insider. Unless you have good English translations, you may not completely understand what everything is about; yet its wicked to experience a ceremony, nonetheless.

Priest performs a puja ceremony for initiating Yoga TTC students.

Receiving tikka (3 types- ash, red, yellow) and prassad (an edible blessing) after the puja.

By Train: Trivandrum Central Station is connected by rail to all main cities in India. When you reach Trivandrum, the bus station is situated across the street, where there is regular service to Kattakada/Neyyar Dam. The Ashram is about one hour drive from Trivandrum (28km). Prepaid taxi is available at the airport, and prepaid auto rickshaw and taxi outside the train station. They give government rates, approximately Rs 350 for an auto rickshaw and Rs 800 for a taxi.

Where I stayed:Hotel Regency,Majalikulam Cross Road,Thampanoor, Thiruvananthapuram,Tel: 2330377 484 Rs/Night== $10 Other Hotels located nearthis ashram

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