Sivananda Yoga Ashram

A few months before leaving on this great adventure I read a book called “Eat Pray Love” by, Elizabeth Gilbert. Elizabeth travels to three countries Italy, Indonesia, and India and while she was in India she stayed at an ashram. For the past several years I have had an interest in yoga but was to intimidated to take a class because I knew nothing and so I thought what better way to learn yoga but spending a week or more at an ashram. Her visit to the ashram really inspired me to visit a yoga ashram while I was in India. Before coming I had briefly looked into a few and even while I was traveling I had the idea in the back of my head but nothing really stood out to me nor did it seem to fit in to our plans. Well the week we were in Kolkata, I meet this woman named Kelly who told me of her travel plans and she mentioned she was headed down to Kerala to spend a few weeks at a Sivananda Yoga Ashram. Kelly and I talked and I mentioned I was interested but had no yoga experience but am very eager to learn. Well from the people she had meet who had been there in the past said this place is great for beginners and is not as intense as most ashrams. After our talk I went to the internet and looked at the website and was sold. Roughly two weeks from when I meet Kelly I surprised her with an email telling her I was coming and would see her in two days time.
I have just finished my week here and am very sad to be leaving so soon, yet I know many great experiences are yet to come in new places. While I was here my days were packed in a relaxing way. We got up every morning at 5:30 am and headed down to satsang which was meditation, chanting, and a talk. After Morning satsang we all gathered outside for chai tea, which warmed our tummy's and gave us a burst of energy for yoga class which was from 8-10am. By now most of us are very hungry which was good because brunch was served. The meals are always vegetarian and on most days it was good but every two days the meal was not so great. After brunch we were called to do our karma yoga, mine was cleaning my dorms bathroom. I worked with two other woman who also had dormitory bathrooms and our little team worked very hard and efficiently. Fortunate for me one of the other women volunteered to clean the toilets so I either swept or mopped which is better because, I hate cleaning toilets. Once our karma yoga was finished we had a bit of free time to sleep, take a dip in the lake, visit the internet, or lounge on the lawn. At around 1:30 we all gathered to enjoy in some tea and snack before heading to lecture. Lecture was interesting and boring all together but once lecture was over we headed to afternoon yoga class. By now its 6pm and we are drained from yoga class and eager to eat our second meal for the day. Dinner was always a let dawn because it was never as big as lunch which I suppose is good However, in all honesty most of us spent our after dinner free time at the health hut indulging in tasty fruit milkshake, fruit salad, or anything else they had on the menu. Now that our tummy's were full from dinner and our added snack we all gathered for evening satsung which lasted from 8-10pm. By the time satsung was over all of us walked back to our bedrooms anxious sleep and prepare ourselves to repeat it all the very next day.
During my time at the ashram I have learned and experienced a lot. During satsung we were asked to sit cross legged for 20 minutes and meditate. Well I have learned that it is very hard to sit still for that long. I last about 2-5 minutes before I can no longer sit still and need to move and change position. . . very frustrating. We also sang chants that are written in Sanskrit which is hard to read most of the time but has a very catchy melody and has a way of sticking in your head. Randomly throughout the day I caught myself as well as others chanting or humming away and not even realizing it. “Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya, Om Namah Sivaaya” At meal time, I learned to only eat with my right fingers which made me feel like a child again. I however focused on mastering how to best clean my plate to make it look like food had never been served on it. In comparison to my first day I felt as though I improved day by day, give me another week or so I for sure would have masted the Indian way of eating. Those are just some of the things I learned, but the most important thing I learned and will forever take with me are the yoga posses. There are several and I have yet to master them all but have learned the techniques and with a little practice I will hopefully improve. I suppose with anything the more you practice the better you get, so maybe someday I will be able to sit silently without moving for 20 minutes or more.
While I was at the ashram I was fortunate enough to go to the grand opening of the Sivananda Yoga center they had built in Trivandrum. Trivandrum is the main city outside of where I was staying and all of us students were invited. We were asked to dress in traditional clothing and well I was super excited because this meant I could put on my sari. Unsure as to how to actually put it on I asked one of the local women who was working at the ashram to please help me. Well of course word got around and with in a matter of time I had all the local women in my room helping me put on this sari. One woman said it was a wedding sari and to be honest I did feel like a bride with all the women around me helping me get dressed, but gladly I am not and instead went to the grand opening. One perk to all the women helping me is I learned how to put the sari on so next time I will be able to do it myself.
The grand opening was tones of fun and one of the most exciting things was that the King or should I say Maharajah of Kerala came to inaugurate the building. Sadly or more disappointingly he did not stay for the whole festival but we manged to continue on and enjoy the evening. We sat and chanted a bit before we indulged ourselves in a traditional Indian meal. After dinner we took a look around the building, chatted with people and then were called back inside for evening satsung. This satsung was shorter and quite different because a band came to play. The band was amazing, their were three of them and they each played a different type of old instrument, one being a sitar...i think. The evening was so much fun and most everyone dressed in traditional clothing and looked amazing. I just kept saying what fortunate timing it was to be here and to be invited to take part in this grand opening. I believe this Sivananda yoga center will due a lot for the people of Trivandrum as well as all Sivananda followers.
Over all, my week at the ashram was great and I would recommend to anyone interested in yoga to go and spend some time in an ashram because I think it offers a different feeling then what one might get at home from their yoga class. I'm so glad I meet Kelly and she told me about this place because if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would have made it to an ashram during my time here in India. Its amazing how things work out. Om Santih Santih Santih (Om Peace Peace Peace)