Shanti arrived in Rishikesh on the 25th of October from Calcutta by Plane, Train, and an auto which took us to what seemed like nowhere near our hotel. We gathered our packs and wits to navigate our way through a refreshing change of scenery. A few minutes into the walk our crew was compressed onto, and stretched out over, what seemed like a one-way bridge: we soon remembered there are no such things in India. So we shared a 200 yd suspension walk-way with motorists, monkeys, and fellow travelers. To give you a better picture of what this felt like, imagine the chain-link walking bridges you might find in a playground , now redesign it with concrete and woven wire and expand it over roughly 2 football fields, you look over the edge when you glance at your feet and see Maa Ganga 50 meters below. Anyways, we crossed that with no issues and came to a series of staircases/ramps varying in structural competence and steepness which led us straight to the doorstep.
Rishikesh is characterized by a solid grasp on how to best pamper a westerner with reasonably tall doorways, socially appealing phrases, religious in-your-face-ness, and global music classics. Everywhere you look is a beautiful view of mountain-jungle and The Ganges river. Monkeys Galore.
The Phool Chatti Ashram: home from the 16th to the 1st, has a strictly scheduled day which begins at 5:30 and is packed with meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, nasal cleansing, hikes, and a strictly veg. diet. Silence is once again implemented to promote self-learning and mindfulness in speech. Shanti has become much closer with each others’ thoughts and our toes. Even a degree of pride was gained here after contorting ourselves into positions previously unattainable . The Ashram is located on a bend in the Ganges . From the dining hall/rooftop one can see the turquoise majestic raw power hook out from the valley and gradually break into a white-water park . There is an air of self-work , realizations, and happiness within the walls of the Ashram, combined with the fresh water mist from fables Mother Ganga holds a sort of life-changing, mind-altering, relaxation which is just an undertone to the powerful practices going on. Here in the Ashram our day begins at 5:30, as previously stated, with 3 hits to a metal skillet, for lack of a better word. Morning meditation begins at 6, but the yoga hall is open at 4 a.m. Once over, Lalita-Ji leads leads everyone into the garden to purge their sinuses; this practice, you may have heard of, is called Jalaneti; it is when you take warm saltwater and pour it into one nostril with a teapot, (Neti pot) and once you get the hang of it, it rolls smoothly past your brain and out the other side. For your own safety and the safety of those around you, don’t try this at hope without consulting YouTube first. The next 10 minutes is rather terrifying: Nasal Projectiles and arm-swinging hardcore nose breathing. Now the gross part is done and the payoff is a fresh new taste of wherever you are, in our case, a river/forest breeze. In this newly revitalized state, drowsiness is tackled with breathing exercises- a smooth transition into morning yoga- which can get quite embarrassing.
Each part of the day in the Ashram is laced and woven together with Mantra chanting. I always thought of chanting in a sort of cult-y and strange light, but after recognizing that all of India’s native music is in fact mantra-based, it takes on a empowering and practical sense. I see it now as a cleansing process, a dedication of your voice and mind to something more meaningful than the everyday conversations we all have. These chantings are primarily based ion the betterment of ourselves in the future, and a spiritual guidance through life towards a fulfilling purpose.
Each meal at Phool Chati is; served on a rooftop overlooking the Ganges, totally silent, and delicious. You must wait until all present have been served before you can eat, and the food must be offered to the Gods (namely Mother Ganga) then we all humbly accept the God’s gift and feast. After breakfast is a service hour for Karma Yoga- The act of working and serving others without expecting any reciprocity- usually bathroom cleanup or sweeping. It is character building and humbles us to the menial necessary labor in the Ashram’s maintenance. After the jobs are4 done we meet in the courtyard for our meditation walk/hike. They never repeated destinations, a waterfall, mountain stream, beach, and firewood collecting on the last day. The final ceremonies had a lot to do with fire; building a bonfire, singing/chanting around the bonfire… more chanting around a fire. We chanted a mantra 108 times around a fire-pit offering bits of wood-chips into it every time for 1hr 45min.
The mountainous region holds much splendor for Shanti in the upcoming weeks. Big things are happening, Big things.
Namaste,
Shanti-Out
(Jamal)