Yoga in Rishikesh

Hello everyone!

I am still in Rishikesh and there are two reasons for that. Firstly, I like it here, and secondly, my attempt to travel from here to Amritsar by train has failed, more on that later.

For a week now, I have been back in a yoga school that is run by two siblings, and it feels very family-oriented. The family cooks for us students, and we eat together, learning a lot about the culture through observation and curious questioning. We are five students from Spain, England, Israel, Australia, and Germany. It's a fun group. Our daily schedule is tightly packed, as we are here to learn. Here's an excerpt from my days; at 6:00 AM the alarm rings, by 6:45 AM we are already on our mats following the Pranayama teacher. At 8:00 AM we go straight to Hatha Yoga, an hour later comes Kundalini Yoga. The first break is at 10:30 AM, which everyone looks forward to for breakfast. At 12:30 PM, I continue with Mantra teaching, which is not so easy since the mantras are sung in Sanskrit, but I have already gotten a good grasp of two. At 1:30 PM, we have lunch. At 3:00 PM, I have an hour of philosophy with an old gentleman who is perfect for this class. At 5:45 PM, Ashtanga Yoga follows, where you really start to sweat, but you also have the energy to meditate for an hour at 7:00 PM. Dinner is at 8:00 PM, and we usually sit with the family for a while before everyone crashes into their beds. Since yesterday, I have also been getting anatomy lessons in exchange for mantra teaching. The first days were exhausting, and muscle soreness was my constant companion. By now, it’s bearing fruit, and I feel good and truly charged up, which has a lot to do with the breathing exercises. It’s exciting to work so intensively with one’s own body and to see the impact of our daily habits (food, movement, breathing, thoughts) on body and mind.
What I really appreciate is that the family lets us be a part of their lives. Yesterday we went to the ashram where part of the family grew up and still lives. We participated in the evening fire ceremony and bombarded them with questions. The siblings come from a Brahmin family and dedicate their lives to the spiritual path with the yoga school. The structure of time as we know it - work start, work end, weekends, holidays, etc. - does not exist for them. Teaching yoga is their life, and they practice it with and without students. It is fascinating for me to be able to glimpse into this way of life.

Here’s a little story about train journeys. The most pleasant way to travel here is by train. It’s cheap and comfortable in the higher classes (there are 8 train classes). The problem is that most trains are fully booked for the next 10 days. This makes it a bit more challenging for backpackers as they don’t plan that far in advance. That was also the case for me. No tickets were available, but I was told that there is another way, the Indian way. You go to a train station, buy a simple ticket, board the train and negotiate with the conductor to get a better seat. I tried my luck, travelled at 9 PM for an hour to a small train station outside Rishikesh, bought the mentioned ticket, and waited for the train. When it arrived, I got into the first carriage and directly stepped back out, as it was already packed with people and the smell was overwhelming. A train attendant noticed this and asked if he could help me. I explained my situation, and he said, 'No problem, for some cash, I can get you a good sleeping spot.' So I got back on. He guided me to one end of the carriage, opened a large drawer on the floor next to the toilets, pulled out various items, and presented me with my sleeping place. I could lay down inside; that way, I would have my peace and a comfortable sleep. At first, I thought he was just joking, but he meant it as he said. I politely thanked him, grabbed my big backpack, and left the train before it departed. By now it was 11 PM, and it would take a while to return to Rishikesh.

Now I have booked tickets in advance and will travel to Amritsar via Delhi in a week. I will report back.