Sivananda Yoga - The Next Two Weeks

After a crazy past few months focusing my energy on other people I have decided to take the next two weeks and focus “souly” on myself. I am currently at Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram in Trirvananthapuram, Kerala. My personal goal is to learn how to relax, gain strength in my bad leg, learn to be still, and possibly explore the option of me teaching children yoga in the future. The schedule here is pretty rigid:

5:20am - Wake up bell
6:00am - Satsang (Group Meditation, Chanting, Talk)
7:30am - Tea Time
8:00am - Asana Class (I’m in the beginner class)
10:00am - First meal of the day (Vegetarian)
11:00am - Karma Yoga (or chores)
12:30pm - Optional Coaching Class
1:30pm - Tea Time with fruit
2:00pm - Lecture
3:30pm - Asana Class
6:00pm - Second Meal (Vegetarian
8:00pm - Satsang
10:30pm - Lights out

My impression on Day 1: It is very quite and peaceful, the meals are simple but good, the dorms are clean, the beds are hard, the showers are cold, it hurts immensely to sit cross-legged that long. Day 1 I just checked in, showered, had dinner and attended Satsang - not much to get an impression on.

Day 2 Impression: Wow I have learned to sleep through bells (not good), and 5:20am is too early! However, today our Satsang was a silent meditative walk. It took us about thirty to forty minutes to reach the Trivandrum Dam and holding lake. We arrived just as the sun rose and chanted for a bit, then sat in silence and appreciated the view and sounds. It was breathtakingly beautiful. By the time we got back I was hungry and sweaty but extremely happy! We had tea and then it was time for the first yoga class (and later in the day I learned that there are actually four types of yoga and this part is just the physical aspect). In class we focused mainly on proper breathing -apparently we all do it wrong! lol After learning the proper breathing technique (breath from your stomach first not your chest, your chest follows after your breath has expanded all of your stomach). Then we began to learn the sun salutation. Of course I thought I already knew this and thought it would be boring and easy. I was wrong. Here they practice Hatha Yoga and the sun salutation is different from what I have been taught. So two hours, many breathes, chanting, sitting in pain and a wandering mind later class was over. Breakfast time! Yum, the same stuff I have been having my whole time in India but after no food for over 15 hours my body was yearning for it. We eat in silence to better focus ourselves and appreciate the food. Apparently it also aids in digestion.

Next was Karma Yoga and I was assigned to do after dinner clean up. Not too shabby.

The coaching class the second day was on what yoga is and the different types and forms. It was nice but extremely boring and the man who lectured was quite bland. Plus everywhere we go we sit on the floor in “a comfortable cross-legged position” yea right. After the injury I had there is no way that sitting cross-legged on a hard concrete floor for an hour or more is comfortable. They say I will get used to it after day 3...it is day 3 and still not used to it!

Anyway tea and another physical yoga class. This class was the same as the morning. They want us to have perfect postures and breathing before we get into anything too crazy...I agree. Yet again I was starving and ready for dinner. My third meal here and I quite enjoy eating in silence. I feel like I taste the food more and do not overeat or under eat. After dinner I had enough time to have a cold shower - ekkk - and then off to sit on the floor for another hour and a half. UHH.

Satsang at night focuses on meditation and chanting and then a brief lecture or quote and explanation of the teachings. I am really tired at this point and almost drift off to sleep but am awoken by “Aum”.

Straight to bed, a bit of journaling and I slept like a rock.

Day 3 Impression: I am still not getting used to waking up in the 5:00am hour but I have some time to get used to it. Sitting still hurts but the meditation is getting better. Instead of focusing on quitting my thoughts and being still I decided to do something that felt right to me so I took my beaded bracelet that Tara gave me and used it sort of like Rosary beads. I went through each bead and sent out a positive thought to someone I loved and then spent the rest of the time focusing on a few people in my life I thought needed some extra positive thoughts. It got me through the meditation and I talked to one of the people I sent thought to and it worked. She had a good day!

That is it for now but I will give you more updates as I have access to the internet in the meantime - Om Santhi Santhi Santhi