India - Rishikesh - Phool Chatti Ashram

We didn’t know what we were doing in Rishikesh.  We had no plans, no itinerary, no information, nothing.  And we were loving it.  No expectations, no limitations.  We were just enjoying everything, really just watching to see what would happen next – because guaranteed, it would be at the very least a huge surprise.

And what a surprise we had in store for us.  Using a very special technique I like to call, “The Stranger Tap”, in which one taps an interesting-looking person on the shoulder and says, “Hey, what are you doing?/Where are you going?/Where are you staying?/What should we do next?”, which is actually a great way to be guided by the Universe in human stranger form, we came upon our destiny:  Phool Chatti Ashram.  Thanks so much to our stranger, Paulina, who gave us all the info and enthusiastic encouragement we needed.

I said before that an ashram is a spiritual learning center – Phool Chatti is no exception.  Well, except for one thing: they let foreigners come and stay.  They have an amazing program where you pay a few hundred dollars, live there for a week, have every meal provided for, and enjoy a 7-day program of traditional AND non-traditional yoga, meditation, chanting, kirtan (devotional songs/music), puja (worship), and ceremonies.  It sounded good, but maybe too good?

Wrong.  It was better.  It’s about 6 km outside of Rishikesh, nestled into the junction between the Ganga River herself and a mountain tributary – one of the most stunning natural landscapes I’ve ever seen, surrounded by mountainsides covered in thick jungle, parrots and wildlife flittering about, waterfalls and riverbeds and caves waiting to be discovered.  

The ashram’s environmental beauty was matched only by its internal beauty.  Physically, it was an absolutely charming ashram, not large but certainly not small – it easily could house 100 people comfortably (though the dining hall would be a bit cramped), and our group was about 25 people.  Occasional groups of visitors appeared sporadically, and ashram staff and permanent members (of which there are maybe 10) rounded out the daily faces – the human faces, at least.  The ashram also housed a veritable menagerie of animals, including 5 dogs (including our favorite, Pom Pom), 10 guinea pigs, 4 bunnies, songbirds, pigeons, canaries, and probably more that we didn’t notice.  It was impossible not to feel comfortable and welcome in the warmth of those bright white, red- and blue-trimmed buildings, surrounded by gardens and lotus ponds and fruit trees.  There was even a cow shed and pasture, complete with murals painted on the walls and fans for the cows to enjoy!  And spiritually, the ashram had such a beautiful energy about it – so relaxed, so present, like all the animals and people were so grateful to be there, it was very difficult to feel upset or uncomfortable; we had entered a vortex of positive vibrations. 

Phool Chatti Ashram, seen from above - including the gardens, Ganga, and tributary!

Our little room...

...and our view out the door!

The banks of the holy Ganga

Such a beautiful place to sit and enjoy life

 We were there barely a few hours – shown our room (which had a balcony looking out over the Ganga) and provided with our two GIANT blankets (it got a bit chilly at night), walked around the ashram and given an introduction to the daily routines we’d be participating in by one of the volunteers (the sweet and lovely aussie Kat, who became a dear friend), and then welcomed by the program director, Lalitaji (Ji being a respectful title like Sir) – before we found ourselves completely in love.  This was a heaven on Earth.  Neither of us had ever felt so at peace.  We had everything we needed – delicious food (and all you can eat of it), yoga and meditation, the river singing to us all day and night.  Every day until after lunch the entire ashram (and everyone in it) is silent; but we gladly accepted the invitation and encouragement from Lalitaji to spend the whole week in silence, saving our energy for internal work, reflection, experience, and enjoyment.

Such a peaceful place... the dining hall, which was always silent, is on the left

GUINEA PIGS (??!?)

So happy!

Here’s a summary of our daily schedule:

Wake up bell: 5:30 AM

Morning Meditation: 6 AM

Chanting: 6:30 – 6:45 AM

Netti Pot Cleansing (I’ll explain that one if you’re interested): 6:45 – 7 AM

Pranayama (Breath Exercises): 7 - 7:15 AM

Hatha Yoga: 7:15 – 8:45 AM

Breakfast (on the balcony looking out over the Ganga): 9 AM

Karma Yoga (Service Work: cleaning, sweeping, etc.): 10 – 10:30 AM

Walking Meditation (In Silence): 10:30 – 12:30 PM

Lunch: 12:30

Free Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Lecture/Discussion: 3 – 4 PM

Ashtanga Yoga: 4:15 – 6 PM

Puja (Worship ceremony): Sundown

Kirtan (Devotional Singing): After Puja

Dinner: After Kirtan (Usually around 7:30)

Meditation: 8:30 – 9 PM

What a week it was.  It was unforgettable, it was transformational, it was life-changing.  I wish I could put everything I felt and experienced into this blog, but I can’t even put all of it into words.  There was a lot of letting go involved: letting go of expectations, on ourselves and others, letting go of pressures and responsibilities, releasing tension and anxiety and desire.  Under all of that, we found something completely special and irreplaceable: Peace.  Blissful, imperturbable calmness.  Because for the first time, we really could feel, for REAL, that everything was OK.  No problems.  Food, shelter, warmth, exercise, prayer.  So if we felt that something was wrong, we knew, for certain, that it was only in our minds.  There was no real problems – just our minds looking everywhere for problems, because the mind needs problems to be able to convince us that we still need it.  What would the mind be without problems to think about and figure out?  But that’s a deeper, longer conversation, and maybe one that would be better to have in person. 

            But one experience I simply have to mention, even if I can’t explain its power or meaning adequately.  On day 3 or 4, we got to take a ritual bath in the Ganga.  Everyone dressed in white and marched down to the riverside, offerings of bright, freshly picked flowers in hand.  We sat along the banks of the Ganga and sang songs to her (yes, the River).  We prayed to her and asked for cleansing and healing.  And then we went in – fully clothed in white – and dunked into the frigid water.  And we were cleansed.  Our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls were purified.  Her power and gentleness seeped into every particle of our beings and washed away our sins, our grudges, our pain, our tension.  We were her children, and she was our Mother – she loved us unconditionally, and she forgave us everything.  Humbled, there was little to do but lay on the bank and cry, and surrender, to the great gift that is life.

            The week flew by.  Aphyna and I enjoyed our week long silence, although we broke it from time to time to speak with each other – eventually we found that there really wasn’t much reason to break it, because we really had everything we needed.  We often just sat next to each other on the rooftop, drinking bottomless cups of chai made with the ashram cows’ milk, and smiled at each other, or held hands, or let the sun warm our faces.  Lots of thoughts went through our heads, like how blessed we felt, or how much we wanted to share this with our friends and loved ones, how beautiful the river and the trees and the sky and mountains and birds were, how beautiful the moment was; and concerns too, like how we were feeling tired or sore from yoga, or how meditation was difficult, or how the discussions weren’t going how we wanted them too, how difficult it was to listen to other people chatting about their lives and egos outside of the ashram like they were at a bar, or how we didn’t know where we would go next.  But they all just came and went, like the water in the river.  We watched our thoughts come and go, and drank our chai, and smiled at each other, and held hands.

This isn't from our Ganga bath ceremony, where cameras weren't allowed, but it certainly is a Ganga...

...dip!!  Jai Ganga Maa!

Really incredible

Big smiles!

Here's our group picture from the end of the week!  Lalitaji is standing center-right!

Love you Pom Pom!

The garden gate out onto the Ganga banks

Enjoying our last day... I love this photo!

The balcony where we enjoyed our breakfasts and after lunch/dinner bottomless chai.

            I’m afraid that I haven’t captured much of the images in my head or the feelings in my heart in this entry; perhaps you’ll read this and think it was strange, or incomplete, missing large gaps of time and information.  Maybe it will spark your curiosity; maybe it will trigger some longing, or some anger or resistance.  Maybe it just sounded weird and boring and not very interesting.  Writing is hard like that: I’m trying to translate something that I felt or thought into words, but I can’t control what feelings and thoughts those words will trigger for you.  I could try to write down what I did every moment of that week in Pool Chatti, but even that wouldn’t ensure that you’d feel any of the things that I felt during those moments.  And that’s OK.  If there’s one thing I learned from my time in Pool Chatti, it’s this: It’s Ok.  Everything’s OK.  If you want to hear more, you can ask us, and we’ll tell you.  We’d be happy to.  For now, we have no choice but to let go, and move on to whatever beautiful thing the Universe had in store for us.

For more info on Phool Chatti Ashram and their programs, visit their website at phoolchattiashram.com