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A Typical Day in an Ashram in India – by Cheryl Lancellas

You wake up to the sound of bells ringing three times, it’s dark outside, it’s 5am exactly. You have half an hour to brush your teeth, wash your face, dress and complete any other necessary ablutions. All this is no easy task when there are four of you, one basin and one toilet (and all women).

There is also never any guarantee there will be power. Most mornings you prepare for the day by torchlight.

There is also a rule of silence in the mornings, which is actually really good. It is nice to wake up slowly, take your time to contemplate your day ahead, no need for meaningless chatter just to be polite.

When this ritual is complete, you make your way to the kitchen area for a quick cup of spiced Indian tea (if you have managed to dress in time because 5.30 is chanting time and you don’t want to be late for this).

We fill the hall, everyone is wrapped up warmly, seated in the cross-legged or lotus position and very ready to start the day. The chanting is done in Sanskrit, in the beginning it’s most intimidating but you cannot believe how quickly you pick it up. By the end of the first week, you proudly chant away, eyes closed, no need to read the prayers on the wall or in your books. You are also much more comfortable sitting in the half or full lotus position throughout the session after the first few days. The energy generated by 30 people chanting prayers of universal peace, or repeating the Omkhar sound, has to be experienced to be believed !

At 6am we start the 2 hour Asana session. This is led by one teacher with at least 2 to 3 others patrolling the room to correct or help wherever necessary. Within minutes into the session, you are warm, ready to practice and fully focused.

Once Asana class is finished we all participate in an hour of Karma or Seva yoga. This entails doing anything which is required around the Ashram such as preparing breakfast, washing floors, cleaning the garden etc. This is what you make of it. I saw many arguments rising from lack of communication and learnt a lot about ourselves from this.

At 9am we sit down for Breakfast. All meals are eaten in silence, this is amazing and really makes you aware of eating your food. You get the hang of this very quickly and it too becomes most enjoyable. I found I ate a lot less after the first few meals. All the meals have an option of vegetarian or full vegan. The food is delicious, varied, lots of fresh fruit and always more than enough.

The system of cleaning dishes is easy, one large basin with a few taps, soap and cloths. As you finished eating you wash your own utensils, rinse and dry. This way everyone does it well as you never know which plate or fork you will get next mealtime.

After breakfast is the best time of the day, as we attend a half hour of Yoga Nidra or relaxation. This usually takes you to about 10.30 and then its lecture time. These go on until around 12 midday. By now the temperature is rising fast, it starts becoming hard to stay awake no matter how interesting the lecture is.

Lunch is at 12.30 most days and then you have study time until 3.00pm.(most of the time you need a little siesta).

3.00 until 4.30 is once again lectures and then you have 2 more hours of Asana practice.

6.30 is meditation time. This is great and also varied.

7.30 is dinner time and the last commitment of the day is from 8.30 to 9.00pm in the hall for group discussions and questions. This was a fun time of the day, lots of entertaining stories but I can honestly say, by then you are very ready for your narrow, hard bed.

The entire experience cannot be described as each person gains from this what they need to learn for themselves. Personally, I learned to be quiet, eat slowly, be grateful for everything and to love, unconditionally, my fellow beings. I realized that we are all right where we are supposed to be right now.

I highly recommend the experience, it’s priceless.

Cheryll Lancellas runs yoga retreats through Southern Africa Yoga Safaris – for more information visit www.sayogasafaris.com