Holi: Festival of Colors in Rishikesh

Holi. Festival of Colors. A rainbow color warfare like I'd never seen before in my life. We started in the morning around 8:30am in our cottage/hotel area. Some students got excited and ran to each door, knocking and giving us a fun surprise. Powder leapt from hands and onto pants, shirts, skin, beards, hair, and anywhere else it could stick. I was the recipient of one such surprise, though I was ready for it!

It was like a war zone inside our cottage when we left, or so I thought until our merry little band of yogis-in-training marched onward to Laxman Jhula, the small town 15 minutes to the North by the Ganges. That place was like Call of Duty: Holi Edition. An amalgam of multistory concrete buildings smashed together across a narrow street spanning a kilometer.

Little pockets of intense warfare littered the street. Balloons, sprayers, and big plumes of pink, green, blue, and gold being thrown into the air and your face by adults and kids alike. Balloons and soakers rained from above by little kids and women from the balconies. I can still hear the screams.

As what happens often in wartime, you get separated from your group. Our group of 20 turned into 10, and then 8. We all eventually made it to the endpoint in various stages, looking like a technicolored paintball victim and smelling of bright flowers (the powders are sometimes natural and smell good). I had a train to catch that afternoon so I ran all the way back to our cottage, dodging all of the hotspots and powder plumes as I did so. Almost all, anyway. Not everyone was violent about their holi powder; some nice people and gents came up and rubbed your cheeks, head, and/or beard with some powder and wished you well!

I didn't take any cameras with me as I wanted to enjoy the event fully and without worry. And I did. It was awesome. I want to do it again next year. If you have a chance to celebrate Holi...take it. You'll be pink and blue for a couple days afterward, but it's worth it! For more information on the holiday and its background, read the wiki on Holi. It's a nice lunar holiday and has a neat story about equality and new beginnings. Hope you enjoyed hearing about my Holi experience!

 

Tyler 

Graduation Ceremony

We had our graduation ceremony on our last Saturday night. It lasted 3.5 hours, but oh, the dancing! A frenzy of spinning, clapping, and sweating in our kurtas and saris. One of our instructors, Himanshu, and his friends got into the dance circle and danced like fiends! It was such an energy and excitement! I have a video compilation to show you some of our dancing.

I've had fun times with nearly every one of the fifty students in our training at Rishikesh Yog Peeth. This has been the best group to be with because everyone has been so accepting and loving. It's like nothing I've had before. Lots of beautiful happiness.

Roshan, our philosopher and anatomy instructor, reads out the names of us graduating.

The 49th class of 200hr Yoga Teachers at Rishikesh Yog Peeth!

Me looking very happy! :-D

I want to leave you with this poem my friend Kelsey Quinn wrote. She recited it at the talent show we had a week before graduation and it sums up my experience in such a vivid way. Many thanks to her for allowing me to publish it here.

Rishikesh Rememberings

by Kelsey Quinn

Slate grey wings dance in the dust overhead. Fluttering, cooing and wrestling in mounds of fluffy feathers resembling the aftermath of a child's pillow fight.

Thunderous footsteps lumber across steel shelters. Little menacing monkeys with coral cheeks snatch students' snacks.

Their calm cousins with coal faces covered in silver coats sit quietly in tree tops like wise grandparents who have seen it all and now watch the world with experienced eyes.

Soothing sounds of sitar and singing bowls spiral up the streets. Diffused smells of smokey nag champa and finger-warming fires mingle with the grounding scents of overflowing sacs of cardamom, fresh butter cookies and seasonal strawberries secured to cycles.

Cows express sporadic moos

Bikes bellow perpetual horns

Yuhhh! yells the man pushing his cart containing cruciferous crops. I can't help but wonder…is this perhaps the hindi word for cauliflower?

Tonight we are serving rice, lentils, and yuhhh!

In the hall Happy says Smile, Deepa says 'Yes? Yes, class?' Roshan says 'Pardon Pardon Pardon?', Dipti giggles.

Frying pumpkin fritters waft from Krishna's Kitchen. It's meatball night! Yogis rejoice in the spandex nature of their clothing. 

Grating, chopping, clanging and blending…blending, blending…mmmmmmm…margaritas…No. No. Back to the breath.

Blue kites soaring on rooftops amuse the young all morning. Rapturous cricket in deserted courtyards keeps the boys 'til evening.

Tangerine robes drape over spindly brown shins. Still sitting, smoke spiraling.

Brown cows, black cows, white cows.

White dogs, black dogs, brown dogs. 

Rose petals, marigold garlands, rust brick piles.

Mahogany mala beads, orange bindis, crimson bracelets, white rice;

Aquamarine ganga, turquoise gems, ruby rings, emerald foothills.

Green carpet, green heart chakra

Heart overflows

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I'll continue to publish my adventures in Rishikesh, and about Holi festival, and about my week-long travel in Rajasthan (camelback safari!) so stay tuned. Thanks so much.

Tyler

My Scooter Adventure into the Mountains

We get Sundays off at Rishikesh Yog Peeth every week. It’s our day to go out and do whatever we want. You can go into town and chow down on pizza and lassi by the ganga, sit an enjoy a satsang by a famous person (like Mooji), or…rent a scooter and drive into the Himalayas. I’ve done all of these things, but I want to tell you most about that last one.

For weeks I’d wanted to rent a motorbike and drive into the wilderness behind our yoga school but never quite found time. I finally made time after visiting the Beatles Ashram (!) to spent the entire afternoon on the back of my bike, but we went further and higher than I ever imagined me going and it was beautiful.

My friend Kelsie and I went into Laxman Jhula (the nearby part of Rishikesh) to rent two motorbikes. It cost each of us 500 rupees for two days plus 360 rupees for gas. We had to gas up again before leaving town, which brought the total to 1560 rupees, or about $25. Super cheap, like most things here. Gloriously cheap. If you ever want to try something new this is the place to do it. (We rented two days because sometimes the scooters are all rented out by the late morning, so we got them the day before). Beautiful!

Well, almost. It didn’t start out beautiful. Driving one of those things was a bit scary at first. Wide mountain roads are in sharp contrast to the crowded, narrow streets of Rishikesh. I figured it out after 5 minutes but was pretty awkward and scary with all of the people, scooters, and giant jeeps vying for the streets along with you. There’s little room for newbies! 

Armed with out yogi apple bread from the market and a general idea of where to go, we set out past the footbridge. I had a general idea of how to reach this temple high in the mountains along highway 94, but not much more than that. I had my GPS with me to stay on route and it was helpful navigating the twists and turns. First we had to stop for gas. Gas pumps in India seem to all be full-service style. They’ll fill up your tank with a smile! They’ll also fill up your plastic soda bottles with petrol if you want. Wild!

The highway runs up along the mountainside so it’s tortuous like you wouldn’t believe. But fun! Along the way you see all of these signs for the Border Roads Organization, or…BRO. They’re hilarious.

We drove for an hour or so into the Himalayas before settling onto this beautiful little mountain town. We took our time here, taking in the sights and people. I took a photo with a cute little schoolboy who was with his sister. He had such confidence in telling me his name and talking to me. His father wasn’t far behind and said a very polite “Namaskar!” to me. People there were so polite and kind. 

We got a bit list and asked for directions at this swank resort on the mountain for the temple. We had another 11 km or so to go. At the next little town we found we were almost there…just another 4km. Those 4km were some of the most fun and beautiful we had driven (and most of it was fun and/or beautiful).  

Pine trees, a dynamic afternoon sun, and steep winding roads up to this beautiful temple. Just gorgeous! We passed by a small group of houses and an old woman pumping water smiled at us and said hello as we passed. We felt so welcome here.

The temple itself was rather small but had a beautiful view. We had bought a little offering “kit” at the base of the entrance and walked the 110+ steps up to the restaurant, and then another 50-80 steps to the temple. 

We had no idea what to do with the little offering kit, but there were some kids up there who were more than eager to help us out (for a price, of course!). We gave them some money and they cracked the coconut for us and showed us how to tie this red ribbon around the tree there. 

We took some photos of the view (which was obscured by haze and clouds, unfortunately) and fed some bread to the cute dog following us about. The temple sanctuary area was small and dark, but quaint. We requested the Ganesha mantra and were given some sweets to offer to Ganesha and were blessed. His words were calming. They put red bindi stuff and rice on your forehead afterward, but the rice always seems to fall off for me!

Now that we’d cleared any obstacles (spiritually) to our path, we decided to have our yogi bread for lunch down at the restaurant. The young guy running small cafe, Vicki, sat with us and helped keep the monkeys away while we dined on apple bread, almonds, and bananas. He was learning English from a “Learn Hindi” book in reverse, and I helped him out as best I could. We really hit it off and I was so content.

We had to take our leave, enjoying the sunset down the road. The roads don’t have streetlights so driving at night is more dangerous. The drive back was quick and sweet. I got good at leaning into the turns and moved swiftly down the mountain roads back home. Despite what the pictures look like, I wore a helmet for 99% of my driving. Also, we saw yet more puppies. They are so cute.

We finished with a dinner at the Beatles cafe in Laxman Jhula, returned our bikes, and called it a night! We drove a total of 78.7km. The journey was liberating. Driving myself anywhere I wanted to go was so freeing. We met wonderful people, shared smiles, and want to do it all over again soon. Beautiful day!

My Wonderful Birthday

Today has been absolutely wonderful. 

I let myself be me and free and it was beautiful. The afternoon was spent having heart-to-hearts over ice cream, singing and laughing in harmony, and dancing about in the yoga hall with friends just for the sake of pure enjoyment. Full potential. Being the real me. Kindness. 

We had a talent show tonight. So many talented people here able to express what this journey means for all of us. The poems, the music, the dancing. Being grateful to yourself for coming across the world to learn about yourself. When was the last time I was grateful to myself for something? People with the same fears as myself but also realizations about who they are and what it means to be and why. I learned so much from everyone today. 

I turned a 'quarter cench' today and it was the best birthday in India I could've asked for. Acceptance and love. 

Tyler

Weekend Trip: Mountain Temple

Every weekend our yoga school takes us on a field trip. Our first weekend we visited a temple high in the mountains called Jayamataki (जयमाताकी) about 30 minutes northeast of Ram Jhula.

Getting there was a blast. They fit 6-8 of us into a jeep and drove us through winding roads. It was quite bumpy a bit worrying as we cornered unprotected cliffsides, but we arrived at the temple safely.

 This is going to be an adventure!

That look. These cows. India!

The Temple is up quite a few stairs and a long path! Nice little jog.

There’s a bell at the start of the stairs and at the finish. You ring both as you start and complete your journey. 

The inner part of the temple was quite small and simple. There were a few statues for offerings and worship.

Bells were present throughout this temple.

I wasn’t interested in the temple so much as the view from the mountain. It was stunning. Walking up the hill, it hit me that I was in India and I was moved.

Me doing a headstand before the valley. Very trippy to see such a view from upside down!

It was like a page out of National Geographic. Little villages tucked into the foothills of the Himalayas. Wow!

We had chai and cookies on the front patio area. A lot of us sat by the mountain and contemplated what it meant to be here. Others did some yoga poses and took photos. For each one of us the experience was different and had a different meaning. For me…I was happy to be in nature. After some photos I went by myself down aways and just sat there, enjoying the view.

Enjoy this 360º I took of the mountainside. It’s a beautiful sight. (Click to view)

I’ve been really lax about updating because of our studies. It’s my hope to post about each of the weekend trips here over the next few days. Hope you enjoyed the post!

Tyler

My Daily Life in Rishikesh, India

Hello, everyone!

We're nearing the end of week 3 of training and I haven't updated at all! Today that changes. Today I will let know you know what I've been up.

So as you may know, I'm taking a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training course at Rishikesh Yog Peeth in northern India. Rishikesh is in the northern state of India called Uttarakhand. It's considered the "world capital of yoga" and also the "gateway to the Himalayas" according to popular sources.

That red dot there? That's Rishikesh.

Rishikesh Yog Peeth is on the south side of the river. I'm a 5 minute walk from the Ganges river, which on a sunny day is quite beautiful and blue. I like to study on the rocks by the river. In Hindi the river is known as Ganga [gun-guh].

The beautiful Ganges river. I went whitewater rafting in it!

Rishikesh Yog Peeth - Main area (Krishna Cottage)

My Yoga Schedule

Our daily routine is the same Monday-Friday. It consists of the following:

5:30am – Wake Up

This is easy enough. I've became quite used to waking up early and like it. I usually get up around 6am. We're trained to not use our alarm clocks, but I use mine just in case.

My room. Queen-size bed, two blankets, and a nice bathroom.

It's often windy and ominous in the morning before sunrise.

6:30am – Tea and Jala Neti (nasal cleansing)

It's brisk in the morning and we're up before the sun. Grab a hot ayurvedic tea at the cafeteria to warm your hands and stomach, then it's off to do jala neti. We each have a little plastic neti pot and pour a small amount of saline solution through each nostril to clean our sinuses. I'm usually congested in the mornings but it helps clear them. I've come to really enjoy jala neti practice.

Nasal cleansing...approved.

7-9am – Morning asana (yoga) practice

Two hours of yoga. Usually this involves mantra chanting in the beginning and some hands-on work on individual poses and how to make adjustments in them. You don't notice your hunger too much, surprisingly.

Yoga Hall 1 - the main hall. All of my practices and classes are here.

9:30am – Breakfast

Glorious breakfast. Our entire diet here is satvic and vegetarian. We usually have fruit and chickpeas for breakfast. Sometimes it's a rice mix, or noodles, or porridge which is really delicious. Breakfast is always wonderful.

This is also the time to do your laundry. I really enjoy washing my own clothes - provides a good 15-minutes to relax my mind and an excuse to visit the rooftop.

Me and my laundry. Yes, those are my pants.

This is also the time the Rhesus monkeys are most active. They will push on doors or find an open one and steal food out of your room. They are quite greedy, these monkeys.


I've been almost attacked three times now because they were eating on the staircase to the rooftop. I keep a small supply of "monkey diversion" bananas in my room if this happens now.



10:30-1pm –  Anatomy and/or Philosophy class

Roshan, our main instructor, teaches us about the physiology of yoga and its relationship to the body and also to yoga philosophy. There is a LOT of philosophy behind yoga that doesn't get explained in the West except on a very surface level.

It's amazing how much there is to learn. Learning anatomy has been quite fun, too, and the scientist nerd in me is excited to learn about Bohr effect and other things in class.


1:30pm – Lunch

Delicious lunchtime! Many people sit in the courtyard and take their meal in the sunlight. It's quite nice. Lunch usually consists of rice, steamed and fresh vegetables, and a soup with daal (lentils) or beans of some kind.

2-4:15pm – Self-Study Time

This is our own time for personal growth. I usually study Sanskrit at the nearby cafe, but I'm also taking tabla lessons a few times each week. It's a beautiful time to be out and about.

An awesome cafe right by our place. Great vibe and cheap tea.

4:30-6:30pm – Afternoon asana (yoga) practice

Afternoon practice is usually more intense than morning, but lately both have been physically and mentally challenging. We usually begin and end in Shavasana (corpose pose) but the first two weeks we ended with 20 minutes of seated meditation practice. It's quite challenging but rewarding.

6:45pm – Dinner

We're usually pretty hungry for dinner after asana practice. Dinner is pretty variable but always has chapatti, which is like the Indian version of tortilla. One dining is designated for silence. I've eaten dinner in silence twice and enjoyed the experience to really focus on my mind and food. Talking is nice, though, too. There are a lot of interesting and eclectic people here.

Tea, chapatti, chickpeas, and a delicious porridge dessert with coconut pieces, almonds, and cashews.

9:30pm – Sleep time

I'm usually out by 9:30pm. Some nights I'm out by 8:30pm. In the time before I shower, journal about my day, and play my kalimba sometimes. I'm a morning person so going to bed early has been a nice habit to get back into.

So...that's my daily activity! I'm learning a lot about yoga poses and the science and philosophy of yoga. The 40+ other trainees here are fantastic and I'm very grateful to have such an open-minded, friendly, and responsible group

I'll update about my weekend trips soon. Namaste, and talk to you later!


Tyler