Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Yoga in India




Sarah and I flew to Trivandrum, India on March 14th, 2007. Our first destination was the Shivananda Yoga Ashram for a week or two of retreat from the world of yachting.

We needed to decide what we were going to do for the rest of our planned trips, and spend some quality time with mind, body and spirit.
We were only about 100 yards from the airport when an elephant lumbered passed carrying cargo. I've been thinking of India since I last travelled this amazing country 7 years ago, and have wanted to get back. From the back of the taxi piled high with our gear, Sarah absorbed the new sights and smells. I took a deep breath and sucked in the smokey and dusty air--It was just as I remembered, and it felt great.


A solitary volunteer prepares the dining hall for dinner. For both meals served each day, we sat on the floor, were served on a metal plate and ate with our right hand only.



We arrived to the Yoga Ashram 2 days before a 14-day Yoga Vacation was supposed to start. We ate our first meal before unpacking our bags in the dormitory where we would stay.




Our first day we joined the last beginning class of the previous session. I was really sore for several days after after jumping right in instead of working up to the final of 14 days.





Our first night there was a meditation walk to the Lake by the dam. We were to walk there two other times during our stay, once at dawn.

1 comment:

zoe krylova said...

wow holly, what an incredible adventure this has been. sounds like you made the right decision to get off of the boat. i'm sorry it turned out the way it did, but there is a reason for everything and i have a feeling your time in india will be fruitful. i can't wait to hear more!