Yoga Retreat/Ashram Stay

We just spent a week at an ashram in southern India. One of the rules for staying is that you adhere to their guidelines and practices when you check-in. You sign a waiver that you'll maintain the atmosphere of the ashram by eating no meat, fish, or eggs, not drinking alcohol, not taking perscription drugs, or smoking.

This particular ashram had the following schedule that we followed every day exept for Fridays, which were days off (but with mandatory satsung attendance in the morning and evening):
5:20 am - wake up bell
6:00 am - satsang (group meditation, chanting and talk/message)
7:30 am - tea
8:00 am - hatha yoga class (including pranayama/breathing exercises)
10:00 am - brunch (vegetarian, silent meal)
11:00 am - karma yoga (selfless service/cleaning the ashram)
12:30 pm - coaching (optional, if you want help with certain poses)
1:30 pm - tea
2:00 pm - lecture
4:00 pm - hatha yoga class
6:00 pm - dinner (silence)
8:00 pm - satsang (group meditation, chanting and talk/message)
10:00 pm - lights out

It was a great experience for us. The best part was having two hours of yoga twice a day (4 hrs/day). In a week, we could definitely feel our bodis changing and feeling better and better (getting the kinks out from our tramping in NZ). And, since we are in 90 degree weather + loads of humidity, it was easy to warm up, but easier to sweat tons.

As you can guess, the popularity of visiting ashrams has increased and hence the number of Westerners are quite high. We met two great couples, but we also ran into other travelers who were merely there to have cheap acommodation, cheap food and meet others along the way; not necessarily wanting to have a spiritual expereience, per se. So, one of the frustrating pieces was when people would talk at meal times (even though the rule was to eat in silence). Even when staff members asked people to keep silent, they would gossip for the entire meal. Meals, on the other hand, were quite tasty - all vegetarian, but low in sodium and very healthy. We ate with our right hands, seated on the floor. The meditation piece (15-30 min x2/day) was hard, but also interesting. I think we got better, but it was a peaceful way to start and end our days.

Besides enjoying the asana yoga (physical yoga) classes, we had fun with the karma yoga as well (one hour/day). Nate got to scrape paint on the ashram wall and I got to sweep the main hall. For me, it was great to do this becuase I got some instruction from the Indian ladies, who would gracefully sweep with their home-made brooms in their beautiful saris. Being a little taller than them, I was bending over, sweating bullets so ungracefully, that I'm sure they were just laughing to themselves.

We had originally planned to stay for one week, but this ashram's worship practices and chanting were not quite in alignment with our beliefs. We're now enjoying a few beers, meat and sweets in a close-by beach town called Varkala. =) And, getting in some yoga, too, but not for 4 hours/day.