Kerala Yoga Vacation

Kerala Yoga Vacation

I leave Pondicherry and via Chennai fly to Trivandrum Kerala, for a yoga vacation at the Sivananda Ashram at neyyer dam. Strangely there is a sivananda yoga place in Putney and I have never been there.

I arrive around 7.30pm and the checking in procedure is long, and I realise I have no yoga mat dah!! Anyway I settle into my twin room. There are also dormitory but I prefer a twin room…my room mate is a Danish girl Sanne and glad to be sharing with someone whom is not to serious about ashram life and here for the experience. It’s an exacting schedule 5.30 am start meditation and chanting 8am yoga breakfast 10am karma yoga 11am yoga 3pm dinner 6pm meditation chanting 8pm. I actually liked the routine and the schedule and felt good for the yoga afterwards the teachers were good at explaining each pose and where to put your hand and breathing .Its a busy place as at the same time as the yoga vacation there is also the teacher training taking place so overall there are about 200 people. Not much thinking space….however met some wonderful people.
A highlight for me is a walk at 5am to the mountain temple to meditate the walk takes about 45 minutes and I am glad I have worn my trekking sandals!! It’s a steep climb without breakfast. We walk in silence…I need the energy to climb!! We reach the top in time for the sun rising and meditate and chant and take photos, the climb down is just as steep and slippery and I choose to walk in silence to concentrate.

By the time I get back to the ashram I have missed my Karma yoga (a selfless service) mine was to roll up the bamboo sitting mats after meditation and before yoga class however someone has already done it, oh well there always tomorrow.