Visiting the ashram of Swami Nirmalananda

I noted yesterday that I have been on holiday in India for two weeks now, but it feels like I have had so many experiences in that time that it feels like I have been away for many weeks.

I lacked energy in my practice yesterday so I basically went through the motions. Looking around in the shala, I definitely feel like a complete beginner as most of the students here have been practicing for a long time and easily bind Marichyasana D etc, holding their wrists without a problem, while I am still grapling to get hold of my finger tips...
When the backbend (Urdvha Dhanurasana) came I pushed myself to overcome my fear of it and did it all three times. On the last repetition, I felt a twang in my spine, which is not uncommon and normally just means a tendon or ligament has moved over a bone. However, when I finished my practice, I realised that my thumb on my left hand was numb, which was a little worrying.

I then rushed home, to shower and pack some gear. Michael had told me very little of where we were going, only that we were going to sleep over and that there was only space for 3. I now can tell you that we (Michael, Licha and I) went to visit the ashram of Swami Nirmalananda, Viswa Shanti Nikethana. A swami is somebody who renounces all wordly things. This man lived from 1924 to 1997. He travelled outside of India for many years visiting holy men from all different religions. He then came back to India in 1964 where he created the ashram in the B.R.Hills (Biligiri Rada region) and then spent 11 years in silence. He then wrote some books, teaching his insights, which have won a few awards. His teachings are similar to those of the Bahaii faith, the idea that all religions believe in one and the same god. Often after a yoga class, a yoga instructor will read something during meditation that you can ponder on. Michael uses the teaching of this spiritual man.

The ashram is just over 100km from Mysore, but this is a three hour drive because of the state of the roads and the constant traffic of bicycles, scooters, rickshaws and trucks. We arrived around 12:30 and met Swami Pravananda who currently stays there. It was incredibly peaceful at the ashram without the any of the noises from the busy indian cities and there were lots of birds chirping, wind rustling through the trees... wonderful. Around 1:30 we had lunch, which was the usual rice and sambar, but served on a banana tree leaf. Of course I had to eat with my hands the entire weekend and swamiji actually remarked that I am obviously not used to eating with my hands.

After lunch we headed to the back of the ashram, where we sat for an hour and a bit looking over the valley, enjoying the smell and sounds of nature... Slowly I also got my feeling back in my thumb, but the muscles down the left side of my spine had spasmed and this remained.
Then we rested a bit and later that afternoon we visited a temple on a nearby hill.

Dinner was around six and we had upoma, which is similar to couscous. After every meal we also got served chai, which was incredibly sweet and no matter how often we requested that the woman who prepared the food and served us to use less sugar, it always came tasting like syrup. She also seemed unaware that westerners cannot stomach the indian water and would serve us water to drink every time and we would have to insist "Ila" (no) every time, then we would dry the cup and pour our bottled water. She also would wash the banana leaf, the plate, and try to put the food on the wet banana leaf, which we tried to quickly dry...

After supper we headed back to the lookout point and lay on the rocks watching the stars come out, seeing some shooting stars and the most amazing was seeing 3 satellites, two of which at the same time, crossing each others path. Two of them also seemed to reflect the suns rays on their solar panels at a certain point as they moved across the night sky, because they became brighter and brighter and almost sending a bright flash down to earth and then suddenly appearing like a very fast moving star again. I also identified the constellation of Orion and the little dipper, which I do not ever see in the southern hemisphere.

During meal times, we would chat with swamiji, who gave us each a copy of a book written by Swami Nirmalananda. After getting back from stargazing I started reading and was engrossed for the rest of the evening. We all had a bucket shower, seperately :-), using water heated from a coconut shell fire and then went to bed.
I had a rough night because the muscles in my back had cooled down and the cramp on my spine was agonising. I had to lie on my back with my arms over my head to try keep an arch in my spine to relieve the pain.

Saturday being our day off, we did not put on alarm, but we woke around 6:30 and went to the lookout at the back and meditated for about an hour while the sun rose.

Breakfast at eight was bhat (rice mixed with vegetables), and I really had not appetite, but I had to eat to be polite. After breakfast, the three of us discussed the retreat Michael was building in Mexico and Michael asked us for advice on some ideas he had for a new DVD.
Lunch again at one. Again I had no appetite, but this time at least the food was lighter... beaten rice with coconut.

Later we packed, paid our respects to swami and made our donations and then headed back to the city. Even though I have been sitting all day, I am absolutely exhausted. I am also not sure if I will be able to do my practice tomorrow, but the experience was wonderful and I am really happy that I have a copy of the book "A Garland of Forest Flowers".