(Varanasi, India, 16th of Sep 2016)
We have made a visit to Manikarnika Ghat, which is the largest cremation site in Varanasi, and it was really an memorable experience. Maybe not pleasant but very fascinating. We saw families carrying their deceased relatives on stretchers down to the Gath. The bodies were dressed in colorful shiny fabric and the first thing they did was to dip the entire stretcher in the Ganges to purify the body before the cremation process started. Read More
(Varanasi, India, 15th of Sep 2016)
It’s hard to describe Varanasi with words as there is so much going on at the same time. There are women bathing in Ganges, men praying, children playing, flowers being sacrificed, bodies being burned, holy men begging and a lot of cows just hanging around. And this is all happening in a colourful, breathtaking mess.
Varanasi is a city that must be experienced, words are not enough to describe it. It is a beautiful city, but only because of the people and the colours in it. It is actually a city in big need of restoration with houses falling apart and roads in really bad condition.
(Varanasi, India, 14th of Sep 2016)
At breakfast time the first day in Varanasi we met a lot of nice westerners. The hotel is built around a courtyard where breakfast and meals are served – apparently a good place for socializing.
(From Rishikesh to Varanasi, India, 14th of Sep 2016)
After our week in the Yogaretreat we spent some extra days in Rishikesh to eat some really nice food and get some rest in a more luxurious hotel with a swimming pool and air conditioning before we slowly started to travel towards Varanasi, the holy city.
A new long train ride offered new experiences but no food. For breakfast we had crisps, chocolate biscuits and soft drinks….
Travelling in India is an experience and if you just look at it based on how an Indian street looks like, it seems to be really difficult – as it is so extremely chaotic! But the thing is – you get used to it really quickly.
The overwhelming chaos of cycle rickshaws, taxis, motor rickshaws, cows, bicycles, hand-drawn carts, dogs and lots of people going helter-skelter in the streets is pretty fast manageable. Everybody drive slowly and has a long experience to fend off all the obstacles, so in some strange way, the traffic flows and it does not feel like there is a big risk to get hit.
(Rishikesh, India, 10th of Sep 2016)
On two occasions we were away on excursions outside the retreat, or well, it turned out in the end to be only one. The first trip should go up in the Himalaya mountains for a morning yoga session during sun rise. We were told to gather in the reception at 4 o’clock in the morning (!) for departure with a taxi up in to the mountains.
(Rishikesh, India, 10th of Sep 2016)
Other highlights of the week has been the fire cermonies at the retreat. Before breakfast and dinner, we gathered and sacrificed and sung to the Ganesha god. The music came from a cellphone and sang did those who knew the words, which were those with Indian origin and those who had stayed at the retreat for a long time. All clapped their hands following the rhythm of the music and then a plate with incense, fire (a candle) and offerings was sent around among the participants. Each person took the plate and went up to Ganesha and moved the barrel in a circular motion that must be clockwise. After the ceremony everybody got a red dot on the forehead which was gilded with some grains and ended with a few flowers thrown over each person’s head.
(Rishikesh, India, 9th of Sep 2016)
We have during this week at the retreat also done several Ayurvedic treatments. We’ve both gotten two body massages with oil – so wonderful when our bodies have been tired after impossible yoga exercises and needed help to relax. Then I bought a facial package in three steps with peeling and a face mask for a total of 200 SEK (a bit more than 20 Euros).
(Rishikesh, India, 9th of Sep 2016)
The meals in the retreat need to be mentioned. All meals are included in the cost for the retreat and all the food is vegan. For breakfast, at 9 after the first yoga class, we were served fresh fruit, honey and tea, oatmeal porridge, Indian porridge made of rice, boiled rice with nuts, toast, French fries and some other Indian specialties that we do not know what they were.
(Rishikesh, India, 9th of Sep 2016)
Yoga on the beach was one of the most memorable experiences during the week. Together with a few cows, a man in a turban, some women doing laundry and a fabulous view of the Ganges and the Himalayas, we made this morning yoga exercises.
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