As our trip was drawing to an end I decided to head to the old city of Madurai, close to the tip of India, and more importantly to the Sivananda ashram. I exchanged Patrick for Marta and Joséphine, who I had met at Sadhana forest, and traveling the cheapest way possible on cramped trains and local buses, the cost of our 12h journey totaled at $2 each!
The ashram was situated 45 min outside of Madurai in a beautiful and tranquil countryside. An ashram is a place of spiritual practice and ashram life included a mix of yoga, mediation, lectures and chanting. The day was packed full from Wake up at 6 am to Lights out at 10 pm. We had two yoga classes a day, each 2 hours long. I loved just about every minute of my experience at the ashram, though after the first two days every muscle in my body was aching and sore! However after the full two weeks that I spent there all the stretching, twisting and balancing did wonders to my flexibility and strength.
Morning walk and meditation at dawn
Beautiful countryside 45 min outside of Madurai
Daily Schedule
Yoga hall on the top floor and women's dormitory on the bottom floor
Joséphine, Marta and I in the women's dormitory
Meenakshi temple in Madurai
52m high!
Yogis doing Plough pose in the yoga hall
Dining hall. We'd all eat sitting cross legged on the floor using our fingers as utensils
The ashram food was some of the most delicious food I'd had in India. This day's food was fermented rice cakes called Idli with coconut chutney, vegetable stew Sambar and a banana
Every morning at 6 am and evening 8 pm we had Satsang which consisted of meditation, short talk and chanting.
View from the luggage rack which I was cramped on for the 6 h journey from Madurai to Pondicherry. I was happy for somewhere to sit down at least!
