The original ashram was along the Ganges River bank and unfortunately was flooded out last June. We are only the second group to stay in the new ashram and it is still under construction. Once it is all finished it is going to be beautiful. The first and second floors are guest rooms, and on the third floor is the yoga studio and as well as the kitchen / dining room. Each floor has balconies wrapping all the way around the building with stunning views of the mountains and the town of Rishikesh. The third and fourth floors, which are still being built, are going to be a lounge/library and outdoor yoga studio, I believe. Once it’s finished, they will be offering a 300 hour teacher training course in addition to the 200 hour course I am in now.
The noise from the construction is definitely teaching me about patience, and is certainly going to help strengthen my meditation practice. The building is also very cold. The Winters here don’t get very cold; 60’s-70’s during the day and 40’s at night, but the building has concrete walls and marble floors and no heating system so it doesn’t really warm up much during the day. The yoga studio has been maintaining around 59 degrees, which is where we spend most of our time, so I have been wearing lots of layers to say the least. The bedrooms have private bathrooms, thankfully. The hot water tanks heat just enough water for about a 2 minute shower. I am thankful to have any hot water at all, but I am also looking forward to taking a long hot shower when I get home. There have certainly a few little bumps in the road but my roommate and I have been doing our best to make light of the situation and laugh it off, after all it’s all part of having the authentic experience, right??
