Rishikesh and the Himalayan Yog Ashram

My fourth week in India was spent in a lovely ashram at the base of the Himalayas in Rishikesh. It was a much needed holiday full of meditation, yoga, and self reflection. The ashram has a strict schedule which guests are encouraged to follow in order to maximize their stay. My daily routine was something like this:

5:00: Wake up
5:30-7:00: Meditation
7:15-8:45: Yoga
9:00: Breakfast
10:00-12:00: Treatments (massage, ayurveda, etc.)
13:00: Lunch
14:00-16:00 Free Time
16:00-17:30: Yoga Therapy
18:00-19:00: Meditation
19:30: Dinner
21:00: Lights out (but I was usually reading until 10-11pm)

Yes, I got up at 5am every day for meditation. It was hard, but I never missed a single one! The ashram was run by a local Indian man and his partner, a Dutch lady. The ashram itself was located amongst rice fields and a short walk from a decent mountainous hike and the village center. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Himalayan Yog Ashram.

Train to Rishikesh. Although this was first class, it was still sketchy.
Especially when a mouse ran past my feet.

 

The view from the top floor of the ashram

The view from Himalayan Yog Ashram

Monkeys in Rishikesh

My first and last days at the ashram were Sundays, which are 'free' days where the regular schedule doesn't apply. On my first day I decided to head into town and make my way down to the holy Ganges River. This river is absolutely stunning. It is naturally a sea green - but it's a river! Flowing with ice water from the Himalayas, and white sand that makes it look so pure, it's easy to see why Indians decided this was a holy river. That first Sunday I found myself just staring at its beauty, when a young boy came up to me. He wanted to sell me overpriced flowers, but I wasn't in the mood for being harassed. I was thinking of how grand this place was, and how much my grandfather would have loved it. My trip was, after all, supposed to be about grieving his death and trying to find peace with it. The boy sat with me in silence for a long time. Eventually we started talking, about how old he was, going to school, why he was selling flowers, etc. I decided that I wanted to make a prayer for my Grandad and watch the flowers go down stream. The boy showed me what to do and how to do it. After I paid him, he started walking with me, but I told him that I needed to be alone, and he respected my wishes. I followed the flowers as far as I could go before the river took them away from me. I just kept thinking of releasing my Grandad's spirit and letting him be free.

Bye bye Grandad

It is said that dipping three times in the Ganga will cleanse you of your sins, so on my last day I went in for the 'holy dip'. It was freezing! A group of rafters came by right as I was getting in, so I quickly tried to splash myself, knowing that they would do it for me. The river makes your skin feel so soft.

On the Thursday of my trip I did not have any treatments at 10am, so I decided to pack a lunch and go for a hike to a local waterfall that I had heard was a nice trek. The path was easy to follow and I was surprised to find not just one, but many waterfalls along the way. At a private watering hole, I stopped for pictures, lunch, and some meditation, only to be startled by some other hikers who thought I had heard them coming (I was deep in thought). I climbed with them until the main waterfall, and then continued on a bit further on my own. Some street dogs had followed them for the 5km hike and they continued following me when I left the group. I actually took comfort in their company and they walked with me all the way back into town. It was my most favourite day spent in the mountains.

Bench that was buried by a rock slide

 

 The secluded waterfall where I ate my lunch and enjoyed some alone time with my thoughts.

Rice paddies on the back side of the mountain

 

 

 Jekyll and Hyde! My comrades.

You can see the Ganga wayyy down there.

The clear water of the stream was so stunning.

Free roaming cattle

The beautiful Ganga