Nasik, India

Published by Derek under Personal on January 14, 2009

Namaste! India is really another world…

I arrived in Nasik on Monday and headed straight to the Yoga Vidya Dham Office. From there I was bussed directly to the ashram, where I’ve been staying for the last week. When I first stepped out of the train station about five men came over, asking where I was going. I just waited until there was one left and asked him to drive me to College Road.

The ashram is amazing. I am loving the schedule. Four hours a day of asana practice. The rest of the time is chanting, meditation, and lectures. The food at the ashram is a little more simple than most Indian food, but it’s still delicious. I love when they make tomato curry… Bonnie, I’m always thinking of you…

There is an amazing hill that the ashram sits on, and it overlooks the most beautiful landscapes of plateaus and fields of rice. Apparently the 5th most deadly snake in the world can be found here, and they caught one on our third day here.

Today’s my first day back in the city, and it has been quite an experience. I went into Old Nasik and walked around the Godavari River… one of the holiest rivers in India. People were bathing and washing clothes in the river, which was strewn with people and markets. I went into a few temples (taking my shoes off first) and burned incense for Lord Shive. I couldn’t believe the number of people coming and going in the temples. Here are some pictures I found quickly online of where I was.

Next week I’m going to hike to the source of the Godavari and visit one of the 12th most auspicious temples of Shive. I won’t be blogging for at least two weeks. Hari Om!

Peace and Love