Thursday, April 24, 2014

#yogainrishikesh

+++ WARNING THIS POST MIGHT BE A BEET BORING FOR NON-YOGIS +++ 

Yoga classes in Rishikesh (Ram Jhula):


As I’ve mentioned before Rishikesh is the disneyland of yoga.  You could stay there sipping lassis, getting bendy and blissed out for months totally unaware of the madness that is in 99% of the rest of India.  I’m guessing that once the immigration rules change this year Rishikesh will become a bit of a cheap spa break for westerners in search of inner peace who have an aversion to paper work.  You now have no excuses to go to the most amazing country in the world :)


The yoga industry has very loose regulations.  You don’t have to have any qualifications to teach and even after doing the standard 200 or 500 hour teacher training courses there are no standard tests to pass so the range of teachers around the world from a mess to amazing is pretty spectacular.  My personal favourite will always be the Korean yoga teacher in Nepal who got hands/feet and left/right muddled up; the closest I’ve been to a drunk game of Twister on a yoga mat.  A lot of the better teachers use Rishikesh as a base for their annual MOT/check-up; not just checking in with one teacher but being in a location where you can get a taste of most types of yoga by some of the world’s best teachers.   Purists might chose MySore for Ashtanga (where Pattabhi Jois developed the style) or Pune for Iyengar (where BKS Iyengar still somehow at 96 still teaches), however, I’ve been to +50 teachers in the last 8 years and the best ones have been in Rishikesh.  Here’s my favourite and why (note that the listings are based on the tourist season schedules and all classes have mats available):


Surinder Singh Yoga



...btw photos on this post aren't mine but he really does look as happy as this all the time :)


If you overhear a conversation with “I love his classes he is amazing” chances are the discussion will be about Surinda’s class.  That doesn’t mean he has the best classes but he definitely gives the most love.  You have to negotiate a lot of cows and backlanes of Swargashram to find the yogashala, arrive early and often queue for a place but it’s worth it.  His classes are classic Hatha, quite slow with little happy spiritual anecdotes throughout and a soft tap on the shoulder after Surinda has made an adjustment.  Tips: arrive early and prepare to have overlapping mats.  Great for all levels.



Morning – Rajdeep Hotel, Ram Jhula, Swargashram (up close to the taxi stand, turn left towards Ganga Sai then ask). 8.30-10am.  He also does evening classes but I didn’t go.


Anup Gupta @Ananda



Anook is one of the few teachers who does specific pranayama classes so I went along to his 7am and was so impressed with his innovative techniques that I stayed for his 8am asana (yoga postures) class.  Blimey.  Traditional Hatha but looooong holds and the few classes I went to were 2.5 hours and included advanced asanas. Very little personal adjustments so I would not advise beginners go to this class but apart from that very impressive.
Located at the Geeta Ashram on the way up to the Shiva Temple/Taxi rank at the top of Swargashram.
Pranayama class 7-8am, Asana class 830-10am (but sometimes 11 ;) .  He also does ashtanga classes at 5pm

Brajesh@ Avatar





Despite being hard to find (Brajesh kindly found me on his bike and gave me a lift) this is one of the best yoga studios I’ve ever been in.  On a top floor high above Ram Jhula, it’s worth going to this class for the views alone.  The class is very slow (classical hatha) but if you like quality adjustments Brajesh is the best teacher I’ve ever had for personal adjustments.   It might, however, be as his classes are new and so for the 2014 season were small.  Typically 5-10 people as it’s a hard place to find so that could change once the word gets around. 

At Hotel Yog Vashishth, Swargashram (close to the Green Hotel) Drop in classes are 730-9am

Deepak@Tattva

For the Ashtanga heads out there Tattva yoga has a great reputation.  Kamal Sigh has a bad reputation for being overly commercial but his teaching and teachers are amazing.  Deepak teaches a few drop in classes of Ashtanga (beginners at 12 and intensive at 5).  Be warned, however, that at the beginners class I went to he did a crow ontop of my wheel and I later found out there were Ashtanga teachers in the same class.  Beginners in India doesn’t always mean simple.....although this is a catalogue photo this is what Deepak did to me in the 'beginners' class ;)



Swami Yogananda Maharaj Ji@Pamarth Niketan or Om Shanti Om 




This is one for the tourists.  Swami Yogananda Maharaj Ji is 106 years old and a legend.  His class has a focus on light breathing and stretching so is very similar to the Pawanmuktasana series with a bit of laughter yoga thrown in.  Having a 106 year old lead a laughter session really is quite something.  You won’t leave the class dripping with sweat but I can guarantee you’ll have a smile on your face.  This guy is pretty special.  I overheard someone talking to him about meditation and he said “I’ve been doing it for over 80 years and I still don’t get it so I just have a little snooze”.  Legend.


Location: Pamarth Niketan Ashram at 0630-0800, Om Shanti Om Sundays at 11am

Acro Yoga with Emily & Nunu 



Acro is great fun but needs to be taught by a qualified and safe teacher.  Emily is the best one I've come across, she's like a rock.   She will tangle you around in all sorts of shapes above her and the whole time you will feel 100% safe and you'll love your flight!

Above Trektindia in Laxman Jhula main market - Mon-Fri 11am-1pm (there are also jams on the beach in Ram Jhula from 4.30pm close to the Shiva rock).

Ashish at The Green Hotel





Ashish teaches Iyengar yoga.  My first Iyengar class was back in 2005, and at the time I found the therapeutic approach and detailed alignment quite frustrating.   However, I now appreciate that a style with such a scientific approach is useful.  If you look at the spectrum of yoga styles with Bikram being at one end (totally unguided and pushing yourself until you melt) Iyengar is at the other end with precise instruction and guidance.  Ashish was pretty good and I liked that he encouraged you to make notes, a rare opportunity for teachers to write useful stuff down.

Location: Green Hotel, Ram Jhula (in a laneway behind but if you ask at reception they'll direct you).  Drop in class 0830-1000

Usha Devi@Patanjala Yoga Kendra



I’ve saved the best for the end.   You might hear Surindar’s name more than Usha but it’s only as not as many people get the opportunity to learn with Usha.  It’s very hard to get into her drop in  Iyengar classes.  You book for a week as opposed to the daily drop ins (you can book daily but the price works out waaay cheaper for the week), and she only does drop in weeks once in a while.  Usha is a pretty unique lady;  she’s been in two serious accidents and had her body mashed to bits and in 1999 was told by multiple doctors that she would never walk.  She worked with BKS Iyengar (the chap who developed the style) and is now fully mobile.  Her teaching style is a mix between a strict army general and your favourite aunt.  One minute she is shouting at you for smiling or talking and slapping you hard on the thigh if you aren’t following her instructions, the next moment you see her smile and you feel her love.  Her classes are hard.   Really hard.  She’ll have you in a handstand and be talking you through all the parts of your body you need to move; who knew I needed to suck in my metatarsal, or that there are 6 corners to my heel?  From all the teachers I have ever been with, despite only having time for 3 lessons with Usha she is the one who has influenced my asana detail the most.   If you’re going to chose one teacher and her classes are available then do it.    

Patanjala Yoga Kendra is the first building on the left if you are walking from the Rickshaw stand in Ram Jhula towards Rishikesh.  Timing of drop in classes is based on the schedule.  Although the website says you don't need to register for the drop in classes, you do.  You'll need to go to the office at 8am on the Sunday before the classes start to register, there is usually a queue of eager Usha fans so good luck :)

Remember there are plenty of other teachers.   From speaking to others there are a few other good ones in Laxman Jhula and some very good teachers based in Ashrams on the Haridwar side of Rishkesh but I didn’t have time to check them out.  Another reason for me to go back :)

I've been two years in a row for Feb/Mar/April and I love that season in Rishikesh.  If you've a deep wallet you can also get to see most of the above teachers at the International Yoga Festival every March.  There's also one in November that is free and has a pretty good reputation (check out http://www.nadyoga.org/international-yoga-music-festival-rishikesh-india/ Nov 2014).

My six weeks in Rishikesh this year totally changed my practice.  Yoga is a process and the more you learn the deeper you go.  I’m so deep I can never get out and I love that :)

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Human Marination

I've a week left in India.  Now all the gurus and most of my mates have left Rishikesh it's a chance to ponder my time away or as the gurus say to 'marinate'.  
  • How to punch a Guru 
  • The sex door knocker
  • The importance of The Beatles
  • How to be famous in India
  • Indian bungie jumping - would you?
The end of March is a funny time in Rishikesh.  There's mass exodus after the international yoga festival and a-lister guru satsangs finish.  It also starts to get viry howt and so there are no Bhajans on the beach.   Most people head up to cooler pastures in the Himalayas and I had originally planned to join that same convoy to Dharamshala where I was going to teach Lindy Hop with the lovely Dolker but based on the amount of Osho books I'd have to lug up the hills and the weather forecast I'm delighted I chose to stay here.  
Last week's temps  - top is Dharamshala bottom Rishikesh.....I'm glad I stayed :)



Alot of my friends have left, even the tantra banta has subdued.  Something I was glad about after my neighbour tried her sex robot antics on me again and I had to reject her a second time (30 minutes later she was doing robotics with another neighbour).  Oddly I saw that application of tantra as my alter ago from my time at Agama;  something that happily has changed now.   What hasn't changed is the spread of sexbots.   Agama is now offering Tantric massages (only to women!) here which on paper looks fine and I agree in it's application as a therapy but doing it in a Holy Indian city to me seems a bit inappropriate.


I love the NB note - hilarious




My own application of neo-tantra took a funny twist last week.  One night whilst dancing blues with a girl on the balcony I realised quite how difficult it is to have public romance in India. I looked up to see 5 indian guys on the neighbouring roof all with their camera phones pointed in our direction. I cannot wait for automatic face tagging on youtube!

Luckily bhajans on the beach were replaced with Acro Yoga and I soon had a new gang.  Acro yoga is a cross of Arcobatics, Yoga and Thai Massage.  Quite a treat.  



Last week I punched a-lister guru Mooji.  It was by mistake.  I was in a shop and turned quickly to feel my elbow nudge into someone's ribs and a deep Caribbean 'hmm' echo through the shop.  I said sorry and didn't click it was him until I was walking away.  He didn't react, which is exactly how a guru should be but his disciples looked at me as if I'd tried to assassinate the president.    Maybe they should be listening to boss man instead of just following him round .     

Once satsang finishes a big question is what to do after.  Gurus advise to marinate on the teachings but for those that have grown attachment (most of his followers) it's tough.   I think to balance things out Gurus should do some reality TV where they are put back into the real world and test their skill of understanding the meaning of life.  For example,  getting  Prem Baba to work in a truckers cafe in Limerick whilst trying to raise 5 kids on their own and with a supply of zynax in the bathroom cabinet.  Interesting to see if they continue as unphased by life as they do in their normal peaceful guru surroundings.

At this point you need to be playing this song in the background.......



I have visited the beatles ashram  (home of the late Maharishi guru) twice since I've been here. Yoga came to the west via a number of ways including Swarmi Vivekananda at the parliament of world religions meeting and Queen Victoria's fascination with the amazing feats of yogis.  However, I think the beatles and other stars of the 1960s coming here and stuying yoga and meditation is what shifted the interest.   It's amazing to think that The Beatles spent so much time in a place so different from Abbey Road.  It was supposed to be one of their most productive periods, apart from Ringo who went home early as he didn't like the food!  The Ashram is a breathtaking place (they even had AC in The Beatles rooms - 1960s in India!!).  However,  for years it's been left in ruin and run in a typically Indian way ie. you have to bribe your way to get in or find a low part of the wall and break in.  That was the case up until a few weeks ago when the government started working on renovating the site.   The Ashram, once reopened will be a big tourist landmark in India.  Rishikesh is touristy now but it will become massive.  As they've only recently excavated one building me and my friend also managed to get some personal trinkets.  I was seriously tempted to take a toilet!

One of the workers:



The current state of disrepair of the yoga shala


Some of the residential quarters


Stunning Murals



Last Sunday me and some other travellers took ajeep with 6 kids from the music school I've been working with in Rishikesh and headed to Kunjapuri Devi Temple.  A truly special visit giving the kids their first view o the Himalayan range whilst offering puja at the famous hindu temple.  The group (including Roopak), all made it up the final 300 steps in record time. Bear in mind that some of those with polio have mobility by walking on their hands.....they were the first ones to the top - amazing :).

Roopak going up the 300 stairs




The gang at the top with the Himalayan range in the background:


One of the kids coming down the 300 steps on his hands:



The next day I woke with Delhi Belly.  I was gutted as it threatened my last week in India.  I ignored the usual 'wait 24' hours and started  taking nuclear drugs within the first 6 hours.  After a few days it hadn't improved so I went to an ayuvedic doctor who after giving me my drugs asked me if I was on Facebook or WhatsApp.  In India anyone who is not from India is famous!

I'm now better and in one week I'll be back in Europe so I'm cramming my last few days full of lovely stuff.  The great thing about travellingis that everyday is special regardless of the acro yoga or trips to the mountains.Normal conversations are rare; just last week I was sat next to the assistant director of Life of Pi and this morning I had chai talking to a professional snowboarder from Japan who'd quit to study ayuvedic medicine (and did not ask to add me on FB!).  Topics usually revert between things like bowel movements and Tantra, stuff you'd never think of talking about at home but happily sip a lassi whilst chatting about here.  I even met one girl who combined the two in a chat ...the topic of 'Space Docking'.  Something not to discuss over food.

My favourite phrase heard this week was an Indian trying to decribe pins and needles using 'Sparkles and Tickles' instead :)

My favourite story overhead was an Australian backpacker who did a bungee jump (it's getting touristy here!) and as he stepped out on the platform asked "this is safe right?" to which the Indian worker simply wobbled his head.

My fav dog in Rishikesh.  Due to his protruding jaw, his bark actually sounds like he's saying "sausages".