A Prayer from Rishikesh
May the realizations made here carry me through this life
As I continue through eternity.
May I flow with life rather than fight it
So I can experience the divine that exists within me.
May I not see myself as a body nor a mind
But as a witness to the Whole.
May I constantly express my true nature
To be blissful, playful and fearless.
May my experiences of temporal human suffering be brief
As if they are mere ripples of a pond.
May I continue to recognize the importance of my body’s fuel
And appreciate this gift from the earth.
May I release my discomfort of extended eye contact
For eyes show the strength of one’s soul.
May I continue to appreciate my incredible support system
Because these people shaped me more than they would know.
May I continue to meet people filled with hope and peace
So we can collectively become the change we wish to see in
this world.
May I detach myself from worries of the past and future
So that the present is clear and beautiful.
May I treat the world as a bridge
So I will pass over but never settle on it.
By Caroline J. Williams; September 29, 2014
My time in Rishikesh has been
very special and I have learned much more than I expected. I chose to write
the poem above because I thought it would be easier to describe what I have
learned here in the format of an open-ended poem. I also chose to write a poem because I’ve been trying to live by the
quote, “Your true nature is blissful, playful and fearless” by Yogrishi
Vishvketv where I am mostly exercising my fearlessness with this poem. This is
because I’m quite uncomfortable when it comes to artsy stuff like writing or
drawing. I also can’t even remember the last time I’ve read a poem, let alone
written one, so I thought I would just go for it and give it a try.
Obligatory Description of
Rishikesh
How am I supposed to describe Rishikesh in words? Before coming here I
had heard so much hype about this place but never fully understood what to
expect. Now I know why.
Rishikesh is similar to other
places we have visited in that it is littered with foreign backpackers,
Indian tourists, religious men, monkeys and of course cows, poor roads, trash,
etc. Rishikesh is different than other places we have visited, however, because
it is also surrounded by the foothills
of the Himalayas and has the Holy Ganges River running through it. With
this, something special gets carried through the air that brings a great amount
of relaxation.
Our first view of the Ganges River
Ganges River
Another Ganges River photo...they never get old
Anand Prakash Ashram
Rishikesh is also unique because
it is known as the “yoga capital of the world” and with this, there are
many different ashrams where various types of yoga practices are offered. This was
actually mine and Stephanie’s main reason for coming to Rishikesh because we hoped to practice a holistic yoga
approach for two weeks at an ashram. With this, we chose to stay at the
Anand Prakash Ashram and we had a wonderful time.
The entrance to our ashram
Our time in the ashram was quite regimented and is described below.
5:00 Wake-up Bell and
Individual Meditation
·
This was optional and was often neglected to get
a bit more sleep.
6:00 Yoga Class
·
The sun was barely up and you could only hear
chirping crickets.
·
We began with deep breathing and sang a mantra
(chant). The mantra would often connect to the theme of the yoga session which
would be either bliss, unity, love, enlightenment, etc. I surprisingly enjoyed
this part of the class more than I expected.
·
Next we said om, namaste, and then we were told
to say namaste to our neighbors. To do this, we would look around the room with
our hands in a prayer position, make eye contact with a different person in the
room and say namaste to them. I found this to be quite a special moment because
Namaste isn’t just “hello.” It means, “the divine in me welcomes the divine in
you.”
·
We later moved into various poses that were not
too difficult, but we would hold them for a decent amount of time.
·
Sometimes we would do “laughing yoga” where we
would lay on our backs and simply laugh out loud for at least five minutes
straight. It’s both exhilarating and tiring.
·
We always end laying on our backs to relax for
five to ten minutes
·
And we’ll conclude with a brief meditation and
the short mantra, “om shanti shanti shanti.” Shanti is translated into ‘peace’.
Physical peace, mental peace and spiritual peace.
Entrance to the Yoga Hall
Front of the Yoga Hall
Rest of the Yoga Hall
8:00 Breakfast
·
The food at the ashram was absolutely delicious.
I might even consider it heavenly because it’s everything I could ask for:
incredibly fresh, lots of vegetables and grains, very flavorful and of a good
variety.
·
Before every meal we would repeat the same
mantra and it was nice to see people smile while they sang it. It also reminded
me of at home when we say grace before meals.
·
Breakfast usually consisted of one piece of
fruit (banana, apple or papaya) and one other dish ranging from oatmeal to a
peanut sort of mush thing. We also had the choice between sweet or non-sweet herbal
tea that I loved.
·
Breakfast was supposed to be silent but
sometimes there would be chatter. I really enjoyed when it was silent because
it was calming in the morning and I could focus on the flavor of the delicious
food more.
·
We were also given one set of aluminum dishes
that we had to bring to each meal and wash ourselves after each meal.
This is where we ate meals but we didn't have middle tables because there were fewer people at the time.
8:30 Agni Hotra (Fire Puja)
·
This was a special ceremony where people would
gather around a fire pit and perform various prayers or mantras. From what I
understand, this ritual would cleanse the atmosphere in hopes of bringing peace
and such the surroundings. Stephanie could explain it a lot better though.
·
While Stephanie went to this every day while we
were in the ashram, I only went once. The ritual aspect of it wasn’t quite for
me.
The fire puja would take place under the hut to the left
9:00 Rest, Free Time
·
We would normally nap for a good portion of this
time and probably read or write for the rest of the time.
9:00 Karma Yoga (Only Sunday)
·
We did not have yoga classes on Sundays but we
did have karma yoga on Sundays at 9:00
·
For us, this consisted of cleaning the yoga hall
and dusting some areas.
12:30 Lunch
·
Lunch usually consisted of a flavorful mixed
vegetable thing, some sort of spicy lentil or bean soupy thing, delicious white
rice, and awesome chapattis.
·
We usually got offered seconds for everything so
we definitely never went hungry!
1:00 Rest, Free Time
·
We would either read, write, talk with others in
the ashram, or we visited our friends outside the ashram for a few days.
4:00 Yoga Class
·
Same routine as the morning.
·
It would usually be hotter or have more
mosquitos as compared to the morning session.
·
Saturday’s afternoon yoga class was awesome
because it was more of a meditative session where this awesome guy led a
tranquil session with music.
6:00 Dinner
·
Dinner was basically the same as lunch.
7:00 Kirtan Chanting (Only Tuesday and Thursday)
·
The closest I could describe this to is that it
is similar to a “jam session.” Everyone sits in a circle and most everyone has
an instrument; maybe a drum, tambourine, or maraca. Then people just start
singing a mantra over and over and people play their instrument however they
want to. This was also quite fun but we only did it once.
9:00 Silent Time
·
Everyone is supposed to be silent during this
time because it should be bedtime if you are to wake up at 5:00 am.
· For us, this was difficult to adjust to the
first few days and almost felt like we had to adjust to jet lag.
Lounge area
Library
Our room
Room 16!
Hallway of our rooms
This was the view from my bed where I did a lot of reading, writing, and sleeping.
While this was the most structured we had been since possibly high
school, it was also the most relaxing time we can remember. It felt great to be
away from the internet, not even have to worry about choosing food and only
focus on yourself. It gave me time to think and learn about new ways of thought
and my mind feels clearer since being there. It’s quite wonderful.
While in the ashram, I did much
more writing and reading than I expected. I ended up finishing five small
books and also read half of one book about meditation. My two favorite books that I read were both written by Paul Coehlo: the Alchemist and Manuscripts from Acra. They both are easy reads that offer
various spiritual advice along the way. I also wrote in my journal almost every
day and it reminded me of the benefits of simply writing down your thoughts and
the satisfying feeling after.
I'm also very bad at drawing but I tried to be playful with this drawing that is supposed to be the view from the porch of our room.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience and only had one bummer: I reinjured my hamstring and continuing
yoga unfortunately was not helping. After
thinking about it for a few days, I suggested to leave the ashram early and we
both decided that it would be best. It also worked out because a yoga
teacher training was just beginning so things were about to get quite crowded
just as we left. We also felt like we learned a lot from our nine nights in the
ashram and we thought it was a good time to leave on the note we did.
Staying in the High Bank
We chose to move into the same area where our friends, Jamie, Leah,
(our Scottish couple crush) Luke and Michael (the guys from Portland) were
staying because it has a great
atmosphere with various backpackers. The name of the area is High Bank
because it’s tucked away on a hill where the Ganges River can barely be seen.
It’s very calm in the High Bank though with no honking and the constant sounds
of crickets and the surrounding trees.
We chose a room for 400 Rs. per
night which has hot water, fresh air and a nice breeze from the river area.
An unexpected bonus, I suppose, is that especially in the High Bank area, there
are a ton of Israelis. I expected to see groups of Israelis sometime on this
trip and I have finally run into an Israeli hub. It’s quite interesting though
because they will flock together in their groups and kind of give a persona
that they don’t give a fuck. They’re nice people but in general, they’re
probably staying in Rishikesh for at least a month and they may have just got
out of the army so nothing really matters (or at least that’s my
interpretation). There’s also a few Israeli families here with kids which is
also interesting to see. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some non-Israelis
here too, just not too many.
The porch of our room
The view from our room. It's not much but it has a great breeze from the river.
Since being in the High Bank we have done a whole lot of nothing. As
you would expect, we love this. Our days
mostly consist of hanging out at various cafes or restaurants and talking with
friends or we will walk around the town that surrounds the river. The
restaurants are quite relaxing; however all basically have the same menu that
includes everything from pasta to Israeli food to spring rolls. Many of the
restaurants also only have cushions to sit on while you eat and they’ll have
relaxing music in the background.
Pedestrian bridge across Laxman Jhula
Crowded pedestrian bridge
A view from one of the cafes we stay at that overlooks the Ganges
You can't see it well, but the street is all lit up for a festival
One of our favorite cafes - Nirvana Bistro
This is how happy Stephanie is when she's in Nirvana café (she obviously didn't know I was taking this picture)
Old and New Friends
Being in Rishikesh has also been
great because we were able to meet the friends we met in the desert, Jamie,
Leah, Luke and Michael. It was great to reconnect with everyone and it
really did feel like we were some sort of family towards the end of our time
together in Rishikesh. It was so sad to say goodbye to them a few days ago
because we have no idea if or when we’ll see them again. I have a feeling we’ll
see them again someday. I guess we shall just see where our lives take us!
We have also met some new
friends in Rishikesh, the first being friends who joined us to go rafting
on our day off from the ashram (I’ll talk about the rafting more later). The
plan was to go rafting with just Jamie, Leah, Luke and Michael but then we
found out that extra friends were invited: Tim and Alina from Germany and Guy
and Irit from Israel. Both couples were very nice and we had a great time with
them. Tim and Alina were university
students and had to go back home two days after we met them. Guy and Irit were
taking breaks from their jobs and were at the end of their four-week India stay
but will continue to Thailand for two weeks.
A few friends we have met from the ashram include Gillian, Arthur,
Valentina and Vandala. Gillian was a
woman originally from South Africa, but recently got a job in London. We
also learned that she had a past with working with nature documentaries,
specifically with lions and leopards in South Africa.
Arthur is about 68 years old and
is from northern England. He said that when he turned 60, he decided to
quit drinking and smoking and then he began yoga and continued since.
Valentina is around our age, is
from Chile and she recently completed a six-month internship in Udaipur, India.
She’s also been traveling for about four months after her internship and she
only has two more weeks in India. She’ll then visit her boyfriend who’s in
Atlanta right now for a week and then she’ll go home for the first time in a
while.
Chilling with Valentina at Nirvana
Vandala was our yoga instructor
at the ashram and was also 22. She said that she had been doing yoga since
she was 12 and that she may be the only female yogi in all of Rishikesh.
Apparently, it’s incredibly unlikely to be a female yogi in India however it’s
the complete opposite in the West. She was incredibly sweet and made our time
in the ashram special. She has a dream of opening up her own ashram-maybe even
one specifically for women either in Singapore or the U.S.! So we hope
everything works out for her as the years come.
Two more friends we’ve met since being in the High Bank include Martin
and Hannah. Martin is from Ireland and
is also around our age. He is incredible because he hitch hiked for
something around 3.5 months from Ireland to Iran and then he took a car of some
sort that required security during his trip through Pakistan and now finally he
is in India. India is the end of his trip where he will return home in about a
month to soon to attend graduation and begin his job in a seahorse conservation
place. He is also probably the most humble guy I’ve met on the trip so far and
we also learned that he loves his mother dearly. As he said, “If you meet more
Irishmen, you must ask them about their mothers because their mothers are the
center of their universe.
Hannah is from Vancouver, is
about 27 and is also someone we’ve been hanging out with a lot since moving to
the High Bank. She is also quite interesting because she has traveled to
around 30 countries and this is her fourth time to India. Of course she is very
relaxed and a great person to be around. She also taught us a new card game
named kabu and we really like it. Watch out Heidi, we have a new game to teach
you that you’ll be obsessed with when we get home.
Rafting Down the Mother Ganga
On our day off from the ashram,
we decided to go rafting with the gang which included Leah, Jamie, Luke,
Michael, Irit, Guy, Tim and Alina. At first we were nervous because one
should be cautious when doing any sort of extreme sport in India, but most of
them had gone before and said how it was an easy boat ride and that you could
also lay in the water.
This day rafting was one of my
favorite days in Rishikesh. I loved so many aspects of it: being with our
friends again, feeling great after being in the ashram for four days, being on
the beautiful river with the surrounding hills, paddling in a boat and of
course laying in the water (and yes ma, we did have life jackets and even
helmets). There was also a little tea stand about halfway down the river where
we could park the boat to grab some chai and sit by a few small waterfalls. Oh,
and most would probably be concerned that we were swimming in the Ganges which
is known to be an incredibly dirty river but we were told because Rishikesh is
at the start of the river, it is okay to swim.
A group pic of the gang (Back L-R: Irit, Guy, Alina, Tim, Luke, Jamie, Stephanie; Front L-R: Caroline, Leah, Michael). I stole this from Leah's Facebook page.
The stop where we got chai
Chai and rafting - got to love it!
The place was kind of crowded though
Maybe we could frame this one!
Various Thoughts/Comments
·
One of the best parts of Rishikesh is that time has little meaning here. I have
gone whole days with only looking at the time twice only out of curiosity. No
one is in a rush here and everything is very relaxed. It’ll be weird to adjust
to a time-centered culture.
·
Since leaving the US I have made various simple
bracelets from embroidery floss and have given them to special people I have
met along the way. I gave one to almost everyone apart of the China EDC class
but have also given a few to people we’ve met in India such as Leah and Jamie,
Martin, etc. Recently, I had given away
my 50th bracelet and it’s cool to think that I’ve met so many new
people that have been special to me in some way.
·
If I wanted to, I definitely could have had
access to wifi these past few weeks but I chose to tell my family and friends
that I wouldn’t have access to wifi until October 1. This was mostly true while
we were in the ashram but especially when we left the ashram on September 25, I
could have responded to people. I chose
to wait until October 1 because it felt liberating to not be tied in
conversations for a brief amount of time. I do love connecting with people back
at home but being detached in that way felt oddly refreshing because the only
communication I participated in was in person.
·
We’re choosing to stay in Rishikesh three days
longer than planned; and we will be in
Varanasi by October 5th and will then leave for Nepal on October 8th.
Caroline’s Song of the Day
16-Sept On My Way by Passion Pit
17-Sept Track 25 by Unknown Artist
18-Sept This Is The Life by Two Door Cinema Club
19-Sept Grown Oceans by Fleet Foxes
20-Sept Donizetti: L'Elsir D'Amore by Luciano Pavarotti; Kurt Adler:
National Philharmonnic Orchestra
21-Sept God Moving Over the Face of the Waters by Moby
22-Sept KarmaKontot by Timbuktu
23-Sept Living in the Moment by Jason Mraz
24-Sept La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong
25-Sept Penny Lane by the Beatles
26-Sept Nude by Radiohead
27-Sept Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend
28-Sept Shake by Victoria Justice
29-Sept September by Earth Wind and Fire
30-Sept Our Love Comes Back
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