I knew that travelling to India was part of my yoga journey and I regularly remind myself to ‘trust in the timing of my life’, so when this unmissable trip was offered, I knew I had to go. I struggled with guilt, leaving my family and missing their milestones, but I quickly realised that it was me missing out, they didn’t mind at all. I am very grateful to have their support and understanding on how important this trip was for me.
While I wasn’t nervous about the trip, I was expecting to feel challenged by the sensation overwhelm I imagined I would experience. I am often uncomfortable in large crowds, so I believed this trip would test me. Little did I know, my experience would be the complete opposite.
The feeling of seeing Ma Ganga for the first time was unexpected, I was excited and had seen glimpses from the bus as we drove towards Rishikesh. However, that first walk through Parmarth Niketan down towards Ma Ganga the my body had a physical reaction. As I first saw the chariot and Shiva sitting over the water, I felt it in my stomach, a feeling hard to describe like a wave or dropping in my stomach, but in a good way. In that moment I knew that I had travelled exactly where I needed to be at the right moment.
My intention at the start of the pilgrimage was to seek wonder and to learn what I what I needed to learn. While I wasn’t sure exactly the lesson I needed, I wanted a deeper understanding and experience of the stories and history of yoga, the goddesses and the gods.
Wonder was easy to find, and realistically, I didn’t need to travel to India for that, as nature is wonderous and always around. However, wonder is in abundance and amplified in India, everywhere you look there is colour, art, beautiful people, sights, sounds, smells and taste. Every sensation, all at once.
I particularly enjoyed seeing all the street art, adorning every building. I loved the hidden treasures that you would see unexpectedly, under a bridge or passing a laneway. The artistic talent was everywhere to be seen,
The Beatles Ashram was filled with this beauty, I was less excited about this excursion when I read it on the itinerary, yet it was one of my favourite places in Rishikesh. I could have explored it for days. The Ashram is falling into dis-repair, however the overrun of nature is adding to the beauty. The buildings were constructed from material sourced from the surrounding landscape, like the river rocks used in the meditation huts, and they are being returned to the earth as the buildings crumble. As you walk around, every wall has artwork, poems, lyrics to catch your eye. I felt peaceful and quiet as I explored.
I was lucky to meet many beautiful locals during this trip and I enjoyed hearing their stories and was grateful for kindness and generosity of spirit. One of our final days we spent the morning in the yoga room with some of the lovely Nirvana team doing Mahendi. This was a really special time, there was lightness and fun as we shared stories, Tim Tams and danced.
I really loved the days when we went up into the Himalaya, to visit temples and sacred sites. It felt like adventure as we braved the drive, winding narrow roads and relentless traffic. We were so we were lucky to be travelling in the comfort of vans to these sites, where others were making this scared pilgrimage in loaded buses or on the back of a scooter up to the mountain ranges. Highlights were Devprayag and Sukanda Devi it was powerful knowing how many people had stood in my steps before me and the stories around these sites that hold such significance.
There was so much to see and learn while in India and I am sure much of the wisdom will take time to show itself. In part two I will give my initial reflections and learnings from this incredible pilgrimage.