The title of this post is borrowed by a quote of a yoga school here in Pushkar.
The leaflet was saying
"Take home the best gift India has to offer, a spiritual lifestyle".
When I red it, I sighed with pleasure thinking that this phrase is so true. Indeed India can improve the way you live in many aspects. An improvement can come minimum on what you eat and drink and further on, a more spiritual lifestyle can be achieved through many many different spiritual techniques that thrive in India.
What led me back to Rishikesh the 12th of December is my body and soul's demand for spiritual yoga and meditation. Everyday I was doing one or two sessions and in total I tried four different schools. One was nice and spiritual, one was just stretching and some were a mixture of both. Still though I didnt find the right proportion of spirituality and physicality.
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| View of Laxman Jhula bridge |
The days were passing nicely hanging out again with Alex, Victoria and Jenya. We had beautiful conversations, fire by the Ganga and mantra singing.
After some days in Yoga "capital", I started feeling that there is too much business going on and that it costs me a lot of money I don't have. So after 5 days, I m sitting on my balcony in Bombay guest house thinking if I should move east and try to find an ashram on my way before leaving India. I was ready to sacrifice a visit in Rajasthan and south India for a month in an ashram.
One sunny day, I was reading a magic book Alicia (the greek) gave to me called "Η Ζωή στην Ινδία" (Zoe in India). I was halfway finishing it and it made me feel that I want to find some adventures and leave Rishikesh. That's where the baba comes in my story.
Babas are something like hindu priests. Not exactly but that's the easiest I can make it for you. They dress usually in full white, orange or red. They live with what god gives them (through donations and offerings) and usually they are responsible for one or more hindu temples. Now some of them do yoga, meditation and many other spiritual things.
In my guest house next to my room they were living a baba with a french guy. I met the french guy the first day but with the baba we only exchanged smiles and namaste until that day.
While I was deep in my book, he comes in front of me smiling at me. I smile back and we start speaking. Two minutes after he tells me that he wants me to go with him the next day to Pushkar where he lives normally and do yoga and meditation with him for 41 days. After serious thinking of 2-3 minutes, I replied positively and some hours later we went to book bus tickets for next day, the 18th of December. I guess it was meant for me to go to Rajasthan.
Rishikesh is a nice place to catch up or take a Teacher Training Course but its yoga courses are not for low budget travellers.
The sleeper bus was the best transportation mean I used so far. You sleep in your little space having nice views from your window. While it took 18 hours with all the delays, I was lucky enough to sleep 12 of them.
I never heard about Pushkar before but baba was insisting that if you go there you get stuck.
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| Many pigs in pushkar. This one is stonned or something |
My first week was including waking up very early and going at babas where I would try to meditate for hours. The purpose of this long sits was to open up my legs and be able to sit comfortably in this position. If you are uncomfortable it's almost impossible to meditate. The evenings I was getting back to my hotel tired so I didn't meet many people around except a nice grecoiranian girl at my hotel.
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| My reward for some hours of sitting in meditation at Baba's place |
Baba was quite busy with all people coming but I was ok doing everything on my own. After one week it was the time to start the 41 days of meditation and fasting but I really had my doubts.
These doubts combining with a small injury, extreme cold at early morning and meeting some new friends in town made me decide that I dont want to keep going to baba and do all this meditation in the rooftop of my new guest house called Anand palace.
I got a turkish ney from one of my new friends and it is really helping in my meditation. Trying to make clear and long sounds on a flute (François you hear me?) can really empty your head from noises, thoughts or pains on your body.
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| Sunset place in Pushkar |
In the heart of Pushkar there is also a yogi called Swamiji (wonderful person) that teaches Ashtang Yoga for four decades and there is a very good place to learn some philosophy around yoga plus some spiritual yoga sessions for not so expensive.
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| View from the yoga room |
Today 7th January 2015, stuck in Pushkar for more than 20 days (as baba was saying and as I found good prices to eat and sleep), I still do yoga and hope on getting into an ashram at some point somewhere in India. If I manage to sit on meditation pose comfortably for longer, I will surely go for a 10 days Vipassana meditation too (you have to meditate for 10 days plus not speaking, writing, communicating etc... google for more info).
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| Sunset from Sam's rooftop |
I will tell you about my friends and non spiritual adventures in Pushkar soon.
One love and happy nameday to me :)
