My Ashram Escapades

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a serial ashram hopper! From North to the South, I have found solace in the humbling ashrams of India. I have conveniently slided from conflicts at work, relationships and within me, to find answers (or avoid questions), always without an itinerary. Sometimes, just because I felt disillusioned by the world. And I have never been disappointed. I always came back home with a fresh perspective and a million stories!

I was born to spiritual parents and have had an influence of great spiritual masters since I was a child. My siblings and I were exposed to some amazing literature and commentaries on scriptures by Osho, Swami Chinmayananda, Raman Maharshi and almost every Guru you have ever heard of! My dad is a serious spiritual seeker and encouraged us to be one as well. We always engaged in interesting conversations, debates and interpretations of Vedanta and other scriptures on holidays and dinners. This lead to a lot of reading up and listening to discourses of many masters, to help find my own opinion and understanding. I was (still am) curious and since knowledge is the product of curiosity, I was seeking it. Desperately (I don't mean the school one- I am a proud consistently-average-student). It really did start with wanting to contribute to Sunday conversations, but turned us into individuals with a personal journey of seeking wisdom! I got interested in meditation also and experimented with a couple of techniques! Some worked wonders, some put me to sleep, and some just did nothing.

Ashrams are the go-to for spiritual seekers. Yogis or Sadhaks from all over the world flock to various ashrams, depending upon the school of thought they want to explore. So, general perceptions about ashrams in India are either that they are too complicated and fancy (Because Osho and the Beatles and Steve Jobs and Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love) OR that they are pastoral and for the very religiousy, in short - uncool!

So to clear your confusion, ashrams are easy and super cool! You have money? don't have money? No one cares! Ashrams must have been the birthplace of hippies, because they are hippie AF. Most ashrams offer free accommodation and food. All you need to do is call or email them and book your stay. If you want to make a donation, you can at the end of the stay. So the point is that Ashrams are easy, super easy! I have been to quite a few and have had an enriching experience in each of them!

1. Tushita Meditation Centre: A Tibetan Buddhist Meditation centre in the hills of a little village called Dharamkot in Himachal Pradesh. I attended the morning meditation session. It was such a release, I sobbed and sobbed and I don't know why! The session connected deeply with me and is a great beginning to mindfulness meditation!

Photo of My Ashram Escapades! by Tanushree Sahay

2. Ramanasramam: This treasure is situated in the small town of Tiruvanammalai, Tamil Nadu. I took a flight to Chennai and then took a 5 hour State transport bus to Tiruvanamallai. This travel was quite an adventure and since I don't speak any Tamil, it was fun interacting with people via Dumb Charades. Also fun because I suck at it! I stayed here for 5 days and came back home wanting to permanently move to the Ashram. Someday! There was so much to do here. Trekked the Arunacahala hills to meditate in the caves, hung out with the mountain dogs and cows at the ashram, watched the peacock dance every evening, sat through the amazing evening half hour discourses, read amazing books in the humongous library, meditated 6 hours a day and even karaoked a Celine Dion in a cafe outside one evening. All in all, every millennial seeker's dream come true.

3. Swami Dayanand Ashram: This is a beautiful ashram situated at the banks of River Ganga in Rishikesh. There are Vedanta courses happening most times of the year and the information is available on their website. The vibe of this ashram is just amazing, especially with the sound of the roaring Ganges in the background! You will find yourself being quiet most of the times because your mind just automatically starts decluttering, and you would just want it to stay that way (Just like how when you clean your room and start hyperventilating when someone just walks in and drops even a nanoscopic amount of trash). Also known as Arsh Vidya Pitham, this ashram is heaven for serious spiritual seekers as it is known for its organised and traditional study of Vedanta!