Hotel yoga, then I pack myself up to be gone for the day in Ram Jhula, on the other side of the river. I walk up to the rickshaw stand, by when the man tells me it’s 1.1 km (meaning that’s why I should pay him more), I decide to walk. It’s a lovely day and the exercise would be great. One wrong turn, and I’m crossing the bridge in 20 minutes. Then into the noise cavalcade of cows, dogs, scooters, incense and the ever-present, ever-smiling merchants. Another 15 minutes and I’m walking into Parmarth Nikitan Ashram for the big do.
I have some time, so check out the place, and then take a seat near the front for Divine Discourse: Conversations about Love and Yoga. Now, I know what you might be thinking, but the Festival teachers actually use yoga in its full meaning: union. They refer to the union of the chattering mind, the heart, the true self and the I am. The practice we know as yoga is only one way of manifesting this state.
Anyway, the speakers are lovely,
but I’m starting to feel that many of these teachers are speaking to people who are searching for what I believe I arrived aware of. However, I have come to learn that even though I said after my first visit with Mooji that I didn’t need to sit in satsang any more, that’s not really true. The questions, and more importantly, his answers, are helping me access being in this place. Crystallizing for me what goes on internally better than I’ve been able to completely see. Off on a tangent here, so back to our story:
After those talks, I wander back to the yoga garden to await lunch. Quite a task to feel all these people but I guess a place with 1,000+ rooms is used to it. I pick up a metal tray with lots of sections (I’m a military man and I like my food military style. only my boys will get that one),
and try a bit of most things. I purposely do not sit with English folk, and enjoy conversation with two young Indian men (who went to college in Boston) and a young woman from Ireland who now lives in Dubai. After lunch, I head to the satsang hall to enjoy some Rumi love meditation. It takes me about 5 minutes to realize this is actually a teacher from Turkey who practices the same meditation practices as the whirling dervishes I saw years ago! He has a brilliant smile and his joy is infectious. Instructs us how important greetings are to the Sufi and teaches us the 3 most important. One I will be requesting from some of you, because it’s so lovely. We then form 5 or 6 circles and start the very active meditation. It involves rocking one’s body back and forth by chanting,
and after the second mantra, it’s obvious to me that my body doesn’t like this. So I stand on my own, snap pictures and movies (so I don’t forget the mantras and can show you later) and enjoy. When it becomes obvious that things will get more, and not less, physical, I slip out the door and head back to the yoga ghat, which is set up right along the banks of the Ganga, to get a good seat for Mooji. It’s the end of a yoga class with a famous Japanese teacher:
There’s still plenty of time, so I wander toward river-side, taking photos of the the beautiful structures:
as well as the large stature of Hanuman, god of compassion (and you can see that he holds Krishna and Shiva in his heart). Two men come to offer prayer, then walk over to the Temple to ring the bell:
I then remove my shoes and walk down on the steps to the edge (there’s a chain there – the river is very fast moving and lots of people drown in it every year). I plop myself on one side of the chain, and slide my legs under so my heels are just in the water. I pull out my iPhone, earphones, and listen to a wonderful meditation with my eyes closed and feet playing in the holy water. Oh yes, I forgot to say: it’s sunny and brisk today. I am so appreciating the opportunity to be outside and enjoy every aspect of this place.
The tent is packed. The satsang is free and open to the public, but paying festival-goers get to find seats well before the general public and it’s fantastic to see how many people are lined up to get in.
Probably 2x the amount I’ve seen in satsung. He (officially Pujya Shri Mooji, he who hails from Jamaica) comes in with HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, and take their seats after much photo snapping (can’t take cameras into satsung at the ashram). He arrives about 45 minutes late, so we will have only about an hour (although he ends when he wants to end). The woman from the Divine Discourse introduces him:
and after he is presented with a shawl woven by women who were victims of the kinda recent floor, he showers the front rose with flower petals while laughing:
There are two questions, and I marvel and revel at how universal his message is, how his guidance and presence enables me to work my understanding deeper and gives me tools to allow increased access to this wonderful state of being. In this session, I receive critical information on handling the “monkey mind”. (It actually works really well that night for going to sleep).
People are sitting everywhere – on sofas, chairs and wedged in between all the rows on the floor. A lot of good energy. Session over, everyone rises and the man leaves. Next activity is the nightly Ganga Arti – a ceremony that gives thanks to the sacred Ganga for her love, compassion and life-giving/sustaining beneficence. I walk down the “road” (not going to go back for whatever they’re serving for dinner. Way too bland) and stop in The Office for something to eat. No pakora or samosas being made (they make to order) because too many people, so I enjoy an avocado lassi (you can just drop anything into a lassi here!) and chat with the other people that sit in my booth. Then I head out and purchase a couple of locally woven wool shawl/light blankets for suwarrow, and into the honey hut for a sliver of chocolate walnut pie. Healthy dinner of avocado lassi and chocolate pie? Works for me!
Head back to the tent because I want to enjoy the chanting and dancing. Supposed to start at 8, but still tuning up at 8:15 and my back’s killing me, so I listen to my body and head back home. And, enough forethought to bring my headlamp this time, which fascinates a young boy on the bridge crossing. I think if he’d starting to chat me up about it, I would have given it to him. So happy to drop my aching body into the sheets. Email Kaita that early yoga off – I need a more mellow day tomorrow!