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Sivananda Yoga Ashram and Kovalam Beach.
Over looking the waves and rocks at Kovalam beach (Kerala, India), I have thought a lot about our short, four and a half day stay at Sivananda Yoga Ashram. Leaving much earlier than our month or two intentions.
We enjoyed the asana classes immensely. The food, though repetitive, was very tasty. The accommodation was spartan but adequate for our needs. We really struggled with the satsang. Chanting I don’t mind, but four hours every day was pushing my limits of respectful observation. By day two, we were being strongly encouraged to participate in worship which neither Fiona or I felt comfortable with.
One of the teachers showed an overt display of frustration and annoyance at several students leaving a satsang early, yelling out to the students that their actions were disrespectful, eventually running out of the hall to retrieve some of them. I’m not condoning anyone’s behaviour in this scenario, the movie we were shown was tremendously boring – a poorly crafted, too-long visual homage to Sivananda, who grew in size, wealth and popularity in each clip. Leaving satsang at any point is a sign of disrespect, though this information is inferred and not made explicit. This event caused no further open discussion the following day from our teachers. This was not the first example of lack of open communication.
Fiona and I talked intensely for two days about whether to stick it out or leave, whether we felt our ego’s were to blame for our inner rebellion towards satsang, whether we could endure satsang for the sake of the wonderful asana classes. In the end, we decided that Sivananda just wasn’t for us, so with some sadness we left on the Friday after having only arrived on the Sunday prior.
We have now been in Kovalam for just over one week and although, at first, we thought it too touristy and western catering, we are now learning from locals and long term residents about all of the little hidden gems of this little coastal town. It is likely we will plant ourselves here for quite a few weeks more.
With so few westerners, it is easy to strike conversation in the street or at a chai stall with the other foreigners. We me Mikey, from the US, while swimming in the beach two afternoons ago. He told me of a lady taking yoga classes in one of the closed restaurants which I attended that same afternoon. Evangeline, from the UK, is offering yoga classes as selfless service and just asked us to put in 20 rupees (less than $1AUD) each to give to the restaurant owner as a sign of our appreciation for use of the space.
Evangeline has been living in Kovalam for the past six months while studying yoga and yoga teaching and has been a wealth of information regarding local eating and shopping haunts. She is a really wonderful yoga instructor and my daily 4pm yoga class followed by a swim at 6pm has become somewhat of a ritual.
There are more and more connections and conversations every day, a type of lifestyle we just don’t cultivate on peak hour trains to and from work in Melbourne. I have always been struck by the silence. It seems a shame, for you never know who you could be sitting next to and how they might help colour the rich tapestry of your life, or how you could impact the direction of theirs.
Sivananda Yoga Ashram – Day Two.
Written June 2nd 2009
Lying on the red concrete floor under our room fan is the coolest place I can find at eleven A.M. to sit and write my first blog from Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Neyyar Dam. It is monsoon season in India, but we haven’t seen rain yet. The weather has been hot and humid, though not unbearable.
So, Fiona and I are now half way through Day Two of the two week beginners yoga course. First impressions?
The volunteers, staff and teachers are kind but not as outwardly joyous as the teachers we have had in our meditation classes with the Brahma Kumaris in Melbourne. Although we came without any expectations, it is difficult to avoid comparisons with past experiences.
Our room is very simple: two single wooden beds with thin mattresses (surprisingly supportive!), a small balcony over looking the town of Neyyar Dam, a standard Indian bathroom with cold water only and a western toilet – a welcome luxury!
After the first evening satsang (group meditation, chanting, reading and lecture) we were both a little concerned we had walked into some sort of religious transformation! The meditation is very traditional – no guided visualisations, just our teachers opening directions to mind our posture, breathing and thoughts and to repeat an Om, or similar, mantra. We then sit silently for half an hour. This is certainly a manageable amount of time, after my experiences at a Vipassana meditation retreat – ten days in silence, eight hours meditation every day. Extreme meditation!
All satsang classes are predominantly filled with Sanskrit chanting which is foreign to us both. The chants are repetitive and the mantras are sung on only two or three notes. This style of worship is sombre and meditative, literally worlds away from the gospel choirs we experienced in Harlem, New York.
I have found it difficult to be spiritually and emotionally uplifted by the chanting, having joined in with my best attempt at Sanskrit yesterday and today. With my eyes open, I observe our teachers (both of whom are Western) with what I perceive to be expressionless, almost grim, faces. We sing “I am bliss, I am bliss, I am bliss absolute, bliss am I” with most people in the room totally devoid of any outward expression, save some swaying and knee tapping. I now find sitting cross legged on the floor not conducive to concentration once my legs start going numb.
Worship is a very personal and individual pursuit and what works for some will not work for all. However, my feeling is this – few people would be unmoved by the unrestrained outpouring of devotion at the gospel service we attended in Harlem. Even if one is without any spiritual or religious inclination, there is something that is stirred in every person in a room so utterly filled with love – the exuberant singing and music making, dancing and general jubilation.
At this stage, I cannot say I am moved deeply, spiritually, by my experience here. But my guess is that our teachers would suggest that it is not their intention to stir an emotional response in worship, unlike gospel worship. There is a reverence held towards having an indifferent attitude towards stimulus. Yoga and Gospel are two very different types of worships and I am aware that I am comparing oranges and apples to some extent, but both groups of people are devotional and share a similar purpose: union with ‘God’. I am happy to observe my perceptions of both experiences and share them with you!
I am not a particularly pious person, though I have always had an interest in religion from a social perspective. I have my own beliefs and am always happy to share in others practice to achieve happiness, peace, enlightenment, contentment and connection with their ‘God’. It helps me define my own understanding of self and all else.
If I had to choose, had to convert, right now, I’d choose Harlem any day. Tears well in my eyes just remembering the sound of their voices.
