With divine blessings of all the Gurus and Saints I got another opportunity to stay in Rishikesh within just two months of my first visit. The excitement was no less. My heart was full of gratitude as I stepped again on that celestial land. The trip was short with just five days to spare and I wanted to make the most of it.
The first day we landed again at Sivananda Ashram, just in time to attend Matri Satsanga and partake the divine nectar flowing so freely. It was amazing to meet the divine mothers, and the love they showered upon me was humbling.
Day two was spent near serene Ganga Ji and walking through the vibrant lanes near Gita Bhavan and Parmarth Niketan. Even when roaming in the 'bazaar' (market), one amazing quality of that place is its ability to not disturb your inner peace. Rarely have I felt that tranquility even when my senses are being bombarded with numerous sights, smells, and sounds. An added factor possibly was the lack of crowd, since this time of the year there are very few visitors due to freezing winter.
In the evening of day two, we arrived at Swami Rama Sadhak Grama (SRSG) "A village of spiritual seekers devoted to the teachings of Swami Rama of the Himalayas." where we had done our booking for the rest of the days. Built like a beautiful meditation hill village, this ashram was established by Swami Veda Bharati in 2002. We checked into our very clean, cosy and cheerful cottage; which was large enough for seven people to stay but it was only the two of us. It allowed a lot of privacy and just the right ambience to relax and rejuvenate.
After freshening up we headed towards the Meditation Hall. There was already a meditation session in progress and the room was dark except for a little glow from a lamp in front of Swami Rama's photo. We quietly found a place to sit and made unsuccessful attempts to silent the mind. New place, impressions of the day and unprepared body did not cooperate, and fortunately for us the meditation session was over in a few more minutes. There was a bell, chanting of the Om and some lights were switched on. Next it was time for dinner and one of the teachers recognized we were new. He guided us to the dining hall and also asked us to come back to Meditation hall for an introductory session.
Now this was something that really came as a pleasant surprise; an introduction session where they made a genuine effort to understand who we are, what brought us to SRSG and if we are doing any practices. It made us feel more comfortable and welcomed. This was further followed by another session next day where the teacher spent good two hours with just the two of us to correct our posture, taught some very simple yet creative techniques to keep our spine erect (this helped us to immediately sit for at least double the length of time than we could earlier) and shared few breathing techniques. Just that session itself made it worthwhile for us to visit this spiritual centre. Our teacher (Ms Gita), answered all our queries with patience & joy, and guided us very well.
Other sessions of course were very good too but I specially enjoyed the meditation sessions where we just had to sit in the right posture with our spine erect and focus on breathing. With body now supple with various asanas we practised, and technique of sitting straight longer without discomfort under our belt, an hour long meditation session seemed quite short. A beautiful practise they follow is that for each meditation session the Gurus of the tradition also join in. It not only adds to the spiritual aura but also motivates spiritual aspirants to meditate longer.
Another very impressive aspect at SRSG is their acceptance of your ideology or
practice. They do not make any attempt to change whatever you are doing and in
fact are very open in sharing their techniques so these can further support your
practice. At no time or point do they indicate that what they are doing is the best
and you should also convert to it. While they are proud of being followers of the Himalayan tradition, they do not claim exclusive rights to it and in fact willingly acknowledge other schools and institutions which are all in some way or the other, inter-connected. There is an amazing respect for all traditions, schools and practices. When we talked about Kriya Yoga or our stay at Sivananda Ashram, they were happy to listen and spoke positively about both.
The day at SRSG started at 4.45 am with a bell ringing to wake everyone up. The sessions started at 5.30am and continued till 9 am. Morning schedule from 5.30 till 9 remained the same everyday. After breakfast at 8pm, the schedule for the day was set up. Each session refreshed us a little more and the day used to pass like a breeze.
A lot of thought and care has been taken regarding the surroundings and food that is provided at SRSG. Variety of flowers and bushes add on to the heavenly set up. Food is sattvic and very tastefully prepared. Soul and stomach both felt immensely satisfied after each meal. They also have a library and a book shop where one finds a good collection of books on spirituality.
If you are visiting SRSG for the first time then either you attend a special retreat or attend continuous three regular days. They have many special retreats going on simultaneously and all this information is available on their website: http://sadhakagrama.org/
The first day we landed again at Sivananda Ashram, just in time to attend Matri Satsanga and partake the divine nectar flowing so freely. It was amazing to meet the divine mothers, and the love they showered upon me was humbling.
Day two was spent near serene Ganga Ji and walking through the vibrant lanes near Gita Bhavan and Parmarth Niketan. Even when roaming in the 'bazaar' (market), one amazing quality of that place is its ability to not disturb your inner peace. Rarely have I felt that tranquility even when my senses are being bombarded with numerous sights, smells, and sounds. An added factor possibly was the lack of crowd, since this time of the year there are very few visitors due to freezing winter.
In the evening of day two, we arrived at Swami Rama Sadhak Grama (SRSG) "A village of spiritual seekers devoted to the teachings of Swami Rama of the Himalayas." where we had done our booking for the rest of the days. Built like a beautiful meditation hill village, this ashram was established by Swami Veda Bharati in 2002. We checked into our very clean, cosy and cheerful cottage; which was large enough for seven people to stay but it was only the two of us. It allowed a lot of privacy and just the right ambience to relax and rejuvenate.
 |
| Cottages |
Now this was something that really came as a pleasant surprise; an introduction session where they made a genuine effort to understand who we are, what brought us to SRSG and if we are doing any practices. It made us feel more comfortable and welcomed. This was further followed by another session next day where the teacher spent good two hours with just the two of us to correct our posture, taught some very simple yet creative techniques to keep our spine erect (this helped us to immediately sit for at least double the length of time than we could earlier) and shared few breathing techniques. Just that session itself made it worthwhile for us to visit this spiritual centre. Our teacher (Ms Gita), answered all our queries with patience & joy, and guided us very well.
Other sessions of course were very good too but I specially enjoyed the meditation sessions where we just had to sit in the right posture with our spine erect and focus on breathing. With body now supple with various asanas we practised, and technique of sitting straight longer without discomfort under our belt, an hour long meditation session seemed quite short. A beautiful practise they follow is that for each meditation session the Gurus of the tradition also join in. It not only adds to the spiritual aura but also motivates spiritual aspirants to meditate longer.
 |
| Meditation Hall Building |
The day at SRSG started at 4.45 am with a bell ringing to wake everyone up. The sessions started at 5.30am and continued till 9 am. Morning schedule from 5.30 till 9 remained the same everyday. After breakfast at 8pm, the schedule for the day was set up. Each session refreshed us a little more and the day used to pass like a breeze.
If you are visiting SRSG for the first time then either you attend a special retreat or attend continuous three regular days. They have many special retreats going on simultaneously and all this information is available on their website: http://sadhakagrama.org/
