A Side of Sweet

Ashram Life in Rishikesh, India

I spent a week enjoying ashram life in Rishikesh. What is an ashram, you ask? It is a place where people live and partake in an Indian cultural activity – usually yoga or religious study. After doing research on the internet, I chose to spend my week at Anand Prakash Ashram. Anand Prakash is located in the outskirts of Rishikesh in the Tapovan neighborhood.

It had a great reputation for a more rigorous and faster-paced yoga style than the traditional Hatha yoga found in most Indian ashrams. Many people visit Rishikesh for a spiritual experience, however my main goal was a week of intense fitness and healthy eating. One of the benefits of staying in an ashram is that meals are usually included. There is a fixed menu that is usually hearty and healthy. The food at Anand Prakash was great – loaded with veggies and second helpings always available.

Dinners were all communal, and we all pitched in to serve each other:

Every meal started with a blessing in Sanskrit:

My schedule at the ashram was as follows:

4:45 am – Wake up
5:15 am – 30-45 minute run
6:00 am – 2 hour yoga and meditation session
8:00 am – breakfast
12:30 pm – lunch
2:30 pm – private sessions with Anand, the yoga teacher (two days only)
4:00 pm – 2 hour yoga and meditation session
6:00 pm – dinner
9:30 pm – bedtime

The ashram was a great place, with a revolving family of residents. It was very easy to meet people and to form bonds very quickly. The ashram had everyone from a 2 year old boy and his family to solo female travelers to couples doing yoga teacher training. Some people were spending more than a month at the ashram!

The yoga hall:

Our fearless leader, Anand:

Anand runs a yoga studio in New York City, but is doing a six month sabattical in India as the guru of the Ashram spends the hot months of March to September in Canada. This was pretty much the luckiest thing that could have happened for me, because he was an amazing yoga teacher!

When I wasn’t working out or eating, I had a little time to explore Rishikesh and relax. Luckily – or unluckily – there isn’t much to do in Rishikesh, so I had lots of time to read and catch up on my blogging!

Thanks to the help of my amazing yoga teacher, Anand Saurabh, my yoga practice improved tremendously throughout the week. He had a very rigorous teaching style and wasn’t afraid to contort my body into advanced versions of the yoga poses! I also did a private pilates session with him, which left my ab muscles burning for days.

The cost of staying at the Ashram is relatively affordable, costing $13 per day for three meals, two yoga classes and accommodations! It’s good to note that this is considered midrange for Rishikesh – some places are half that price, or even donation-based.

After just one week in the ashram, I can notice huge changes in my body. Everything is more toned and slim – it’s amazing! I just wish I could keep up the five hours of workouts per day when I get home….

Visiting Rishikesh and looking for an ashram? I highly recommend Anand Prakash, especially if you are looking for more rigorous yoga practice and a little lighter on the meditation.

Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh – Maharishi Mahesh

Outside of yoga, by far my favorite thing I did in Rishikesh was visit what is known as the Beatles Ashram or Maharishi Mahesh Ashram. Maharishi Mahesh became dubbed “The Beatles Ashram” after the Beatles spent time there in 1967. The reportedly wrote much of The White Album and also were able to kick their LSD habit. Maharishi is also the name of the guru that ran the ashram.

Now, the Beatles Ashram is closed and in disrepair, due to ongoing legal disputes with the Indian government. I read in the Lonely Planet that it isn’t safe to go alone, since it’s on the outskirts of Rishikesh, but I was able to convince my new ashram friend, Aric, to accompany me to check it out. It was a bit hard to find, but a friendly baba (holy man) could see the confused looks on our faces and led us up the path to the ashram. He was the smallest baba I have ever seen and made me feel tall in comparison!

The walls of the ashram are crumbling and we were able to easily sneak inside.

It was fun to wander the gigantic ashram grounds and picture what it would have been like in the 60’s. The meditation rooms were giant stone pods. So cool!

The walls of the ashram were covered with grafifti from the legions of Beatles fans who have visited. The grounds of the ashram were very expansive – it must have been able to hold hundreds of visitors at one time. Wandering the abandoned halls was very eerie. It’s hard to believe it’s only been closed for a few decades.

And of course, what ashram would be complete without a beautiful view of the turquoise Ganges?

The crown jewel of Maharishi Mahesh is the “Beatles Cathedral”, which was painted by a group of renegade artists. Of course it has it’s own Facebook page, a true sign of the times. Beatles ashram 3

I hope that someone is able to reopen the ashram, as even though it was fun to visit in its crumbling glory, it would have been amazing to experience as a guest.

Most photos in this post are courtesy of the talented Aric Gutnick of the Warriors Organization. For more information on this NGO dedicated to improving the lives to the Masai people in Tanzania, click here or email Aric directly at antigravityagent [at] gmail.com.

Gilded Greeting Cards DIY

So I have a new favorite product. The wedding is only three weeks away, and now that I’m back from India, I am DIY-ing the heck out of things. I love gold leaf and gold foil, but sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle or the mess. I’ve been searching for a good paint alternative and thanks to a recommendation from Elsie, I found it in Martha Stewart Liquid Gilding Paint. It is so easy to use and produces absolutely stunning results! I need a little self restraint to keep myself from turning everything around me gold (Midas anyone?).

My first project with the liquid gilding paint was these easy DIY gilded greeting cards. If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll know that I love making handmade invites and thank you cards (see here and here and here). This was a nice little project to tank up my notecard stash, but I actually had an occasion in mind when I made them…. Read More »

Red Maple Inn – A Mid-Range Hotel In New Delhi, India

For my last two days in India, I was lucky enough to stay at Red Maple Inn, a small “bed and breakfast” tucked away in south Delhi away from the hustle and bustle and incessant honking that is an inevitable part of visiting Delhi.

As soon as I stepped inside the Red Maple
Inn, I was impressed by its amenities. After six weeks of traveling, I was admittedly starting to get a little frazzled and to long for the comforts of home. Luxury mattresses and air-con? Yes please!

Red Maple is a mid-range hotel and markets itself as a bed and breakfast, although to me it felt more like a boutique hotel. It is a place that begs for lazy mornings and lingering over breakfast. The included morning breakfast was absolutely lovely – eggs made to order, fresh fruit, porridge, yogurt, as well as Indian breakfast dishes like parantha. It also has a full menu of both Western and Indian dishes available.

For whatever reason, my flight home left from the Delhi airport at 3:00am. Luckily for me, the staff at Red Maple was nice enough to let stick around for a few extra hours so I could eat
dinner and use their complimentary wifi. My last meal in India, vegetable khade masaledar (bell peppers, veggies and cashews in Indian spices), was absolutely wonderful. Hotel food is usually hit-or-miss, but I am not even exaggerating when I say it was one of the best of my six-week trip! Loaded with veggies, it was perfectly spiced, lighter on oil and salt than most Indian dishes, and with portions big enough to feed two. For a second, the thought crossed my mind – “I wish I could take these leftovers home to Pat!”

Although the comforts of home and the food are excellent, the Red Maple Inn’s best asset is its staff. From the moment I walked in the door, I felt completely taken care of. Because they only have eight rooms, the staff knows everyone by name and is able to provide lots of advice and individualized arrangements for travelers. Even before I walked in the door, I emailed the owner, Hariminder Saini, about setting up a hired car and driver for one of the days in Delhi so I could do some shopping. With no fuss at all, I had everything reserved and ready for me when I arrived.

Although Mr. Saini was out of town when I was at Red Maple, I had the opportunity to sit down with the hotel manager, Mr. Gurpreet Singh. He told me that the hotel makes it their mission to make people feel at home. They pride themselves on having guests who are mainly repeat guests or come on referral from friends. They have also curated a reputation as being a great safe option for solo female travelers, like myself.

If you find yourself in Delhi and are looking for a mid-range hotel in a great location with attentive and friendly staff, I whole-heartedly recommend Red Maple Inn. They are the perfect spot for a solo female traveler like myself.

This is a sponsored post. I was a guest of the Red Maple Inn, but that in no way influenced this review. I only provide recommen dations on products or services that I love and believe will be good for my readers.

Rishikesh, India {Travel}

Things to Do in Rishikesh India - Swimming in the Ganges

Rishikesh, India is the birthplace of yoga. Because of this, I knew I had to visit during the site-seeing portion of my trip. Rishikesh is known for having many ashrams (yoga/spiritual communities) and also for adventures sports, as it is located on the banks of the Ganges river. People either come for a spiritual retreat or for an adrenaline rush white water rafting. I think I was one of the few people I met who came to Rishikesh purely for the yoga/fitness aspect.

I’ll write more about my time staying at an ashram in Rishikesh, but for now, here is what I did in Rishikesh during my week there. As you can see, there isn’t a ton. Rishikesh is better for relaxation than it is for sightseeing – which was just fine with me!

One of my first nights in Rishikesh, one of the couples staying in the ashram, Patricia and J.J., organized an awesome night out to celebrate their third wedding anniversary. We piled into tuk tuks, which only cost 5 rupees a person in Rishikesh, as long as you stay on the pre-defined route.

We visited a Hare Krishna temple and enjoyed a special celebration complete with music and dancing. Hare Krishna is an ultra-orthodox branch of Hinduism. Everything in the ceremony was separated by gender.

After the celebration, there was a delicious buffet dinner:

Things to Do in Rishikesh India

The Ganges river flows through Rishikesh and is amazingly beautiful. The water is a pretty turquoise and perfect for swimming. You have to be careful where you take your dip though, as many people drown each year in the fast moving currents. There are several hidden whirlpools close to the most popular swimming spot. The week before I arrived, four tourists drowned. So awful.

There is a pretty waterfall on the edge of town, which is perfect for swimming on a hot day. I hiked there with Aric and Anna Maria from the ashram. We were lucky that it is fairly deserted when we went, but I have heard it is often filled with aggressive, leering, Indian men.

Gray Langur Monkeys in Rishikesh, India from Kelly Egan on Vimeo.

My other favorite thing that I did in Rishikesh was visit the Beatles Ashram. I had so many photos I made it its own post, so stay tuned!

Amritsar Golden Temple – India {Travel}

I visited the Amritsar Golden Temple multiple times over the course of my weekend in Amritsar. The first time was at sunrise, because we were hoping it would be cooler and less crowded than later in the day. It was definitely cooler, but it turns out that the Golden Temple is busier in the morning before people need to go to work! There really is no best time to visit the Golden Temple as it always looks and feels different depending on the lighting.

It was an amazing experience to watch all of the pilgrims walk silently along the pathway that surrounds the Golden Temple. It is customary for men to bathe in the Golden Temple “nectar” (water), so there were many men stripping down to their skivvies for a quick dip. There were also many mothers dipping infant baby boys in the water as well.

I also returned to see the temple at 4:00 in the afternoon, when it was much quieter. It was fun to see how the light had changed since my last visit. The line to see inside the temple was also much shorter, so I took the time to do that. No photos are allowed inside the temple but inside Ragis (musicians) and a guru sit and provide the music that is broadcast throughout the temple – and also on TV!

Because it is a holy place, both men and women are required to remove their shoes and cover their heads. For people who forget a head covering, there are souvenir bandanas sold outside the temple for 10 rupees ($0.20).

At first when I saw this man set out in his boat, I thought I was going to witness a ceremony. It turns out though, that he the temple janitor and was using the boat to fish out some litter from a careless visitor.

Visiting the Amritsar Golden Temple India Travel

The Golden Temple offers free meals and lodging to visitors and can often feed up to 40,000 people in one day. I tried Karah Prashad, the sacred pudding served at the Golden Temple. You make a donation of 10, 20, 50, or 100 rupees and then receive your pudding served on a bowl made from dried leaves. It was pretty greasy, so I wasn’t able to eat more than a few bites. I just looked up the recipe for Karah Prashad online and it is an equal parts mixture of flour, sugar and butter. No wonder!

See my other photos and stories from Amritsar here!