Our Trip To Rishikesh

Well, it seems like days since I wrote last. So much to share. After an hour flight from Delhi, much shorter than the train, we hired a driver to take us to the ashram. Our ride through the mountains from Dehradun was an eye opener. It was like being on a roller coaster ride. I sat between Natalie and Priscilla in the back seat and felt like being in a pinball machine being pushed from one side to the other as the car swayed around sharp turned on the edge of the mountain. I kept apologizing but eventually gave in, kicked my shoes off, and went with the flow. Around one bend a car going in the other direction cut the corner too fast and slammed into the side of us. I grabbed Natalie's wrist and hung on, squeezing my eyes tightly closed. I could only think of what it would be like tumbling, my new word in yoga class, down the side of the mountain. The car stopped. I opened my eyes and let go of Nat. The driver got out to look at the damage as the other car sped away. Only in India. The damage was minimal and we went on our merry way.

We arrived at the ashram at the end of the first registration period. The woman at the desk squeezed us in so we wouldn't have to wait for our room. Unfortunately, she booked us in a room with two men, and their elderly parents. What? Back to the drawing board. Poor American girl working the room assignments was so patient. We ended up upgraded to a larger more private room and now we are all happy. The room is still Indian style with hard floors and beds and stinky covers. We let Natalie have the single room. After all, we stayed in a 5 star last night because of her kindness. Priscilla and I share the other room. We have a common area with a sofa and chairs that face the center of the ashram. Sweet!

Today for our first day at the festival we attended an Iyengar Yoga class at 8:15am and learned so much about Tadasana, Triangle and Warrior II pose. Supported sivasana felt amazing after all of the travel in the last few days. Brunch in the courtyard with the sun shining brighly was delicious. Lots of rice, lentils, salad, veggies, and chapati. Yummy! Heading to take a Jivamukti class next. Let you all know how our first Aarti goes this evening. I'm going to try to take some video and post it on the blog, if I can figure it out.
Namaste from the land of Shiva~ Lynne