Spiritual India

Its now a few days since the end of my time with the third group and I am having a vacation from the travel for two nights I am sitting on a breezy balcony looking up onto an old Maharaja Palace from which the resort I am at is based. This place called the Ananda in the Himalaya and is amazing. It might be be best property I have stayed at ever. You arrive and are given a string of prayer beads called a mala along with a cup of tea. The check in is done from a comfy couch. They explain all the included activities (yoga, meditation session, spiritual learning classes, cooking classes, short hikes, etc) and then you drive to your room on a golf cart passing a sunset viewing area, outdoor yoga amphitheater, the spa, pool, and restaurant. Once at the room they show you all the amenities inside and give you a white tunic and pants to wear around the property. This is not mandatory but nice and comfy and gives a break from doing travel laundry all the time! 

I rested most of my first day, then did a yoga nidra meditation session and had a scrumptious dinner. Yesterday I did a yoga class, went to a talk about yoga and meditation, and am now back at the room caught up on emails. I leave here tomorrow for the ashram, if I could afford to stay here for seven more nights I would cancel the ashram in a heartbeat!

On the 13th of Oct I joined the third tour group... What a beautiful treat all these people were. It was a small group, all ladies other than the tour leader. Except for one in her 60's we were all around the same age. The trip was called spiritual India, and took us to some of the most special pilgrimage sites in India in addition to some other fun places too! We shared many quite moments watching the sun rise over the golden temple in Amritsar, and the Ganges in Varanasi. We also joined in at the evening Hindu prayers (Aarti) along the ganges in Rishikesh and Varanasi. 

In Amritsar  We saw the closing of the border ceremony that happens each night between India and Pakistan... There are stands set up on both sides facing each other. The people gather on each side to watch the gates close and flags lower. on the Indian side before the ceremony the people have a dance party at the bottom of the stands. As the ceremony is happening the people yell back and fourth at each other saying that their country is best! 

Some other highlights were taking a ritual walk around the Tsuglagkhang Complex in McLeod Gange. This is where the Dali Lama lives and runs the Tibetan government in exile, the complex contains a temple, a museum, and residences for the monks. It is a beautiful forested walk strewn with prayer flags and stones carved with prayers and Bhudist  symbols. We saw everything from meditating monks, cows, monkeys, and countless prayer wheels along the way. In Rishikesh which is the Yoga hub here in India we got to experience a yoga class and then see the Aarti. Basically this is where Hindu devotees gather along the Ganges and chant and pray at sunset. It was very moving to sit in amongst the people clap along to the songs and take part in the offerings to the Ganges. Before the Aarti we bought those flower filled boats from a very sweet and very old lady along the river and set them off downstream. 

I also got to go for a motorbike ride to the top of a beautiful mountain with a view over Rishikesh (this is the yoga Mecca of India) and then later in the day we went river rafting, only small rapids but still kinda scary for me. In the slow bits we were able to get out and swim in the Ganges. In Rishikesh the Ganges is quite clean, and the sand is glittery with silver flecks that I am still finding in my shirt!!!

I was originally going to leave the group in Rishikesh since this is where my Ashram is and I was due to check in only a handful of days after the group passed through. Also, I had already been to the next destination Varanasi when I first arrived in India. But I was having such a great time seeing India with this group that they convinced me to stay on until Varanasi. Our tour leader worked very hard to arrange transportation for me back to Rishikesh, this ended up being my first solo overnight train experience in India! The decision to carry on was an amazing one. If only for the hour we spent on the Ganges at sunrise. As the most amazing sunrise came up through the distant clouds, we floated by the cremation Ghats where three cremations were going on. The local guide then pointed out two men that were on a boat with some flowers and an urn. He explained that not everyone can come to Varanasi to die and be cremated and that these men were bringing the ashes of a family member that had died somewhere else in India. We were all holding back tears when the man emersed the urn into the Ganges. Such a beautiful moment.