All posts tagged: Rishikesh

How Sivananda Ashram, In Rishikesh, Changed Me

Published by Dev

It has been three years since the events that are described here took place. Three years since I was a student at Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy in Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, learning about a divine lifestyle and how not be affected by little ups and downs in life, and yet I never mentioned anything about the place here. It is not that over the years I’ve lost touch with Sivananda Ashram (I think I’ve visited Rishikesh and stayed in the Ashram more times in the previous three years than any other place in the world) or that I didn’t want to talk about it; but the fact that I never found a compelling reason, was the reason. Sivananda Ashram, for me, is like a second home, a place that has nourished my roots and made me what I am today. And just like you don’t feel a need to write about your home and make it public to the world, I never felt it important to be writing about Sivananda Ashram either. But this time, as …

Rishikesh: An Ideal Travel Guide

Published by Dev

It is easy to visit Rishikesh and feel that you have not got under its skin. It offers a seemingly different stage-set experience during your every visit. For example, if you visit Rishikesh during the monsoon you are more likely to lose yourself in a crowd, dominating its streets, with their confusing march pasts towards Gangotri (yes I’m talking about the pilgrimage to the source of the Ganges that take place every year during monsoon!) whereas if you visit Rishikesh during winters, expect the place being swirled over with hippie westerners. But where is the real Rishikesh? Does it even exist? Well, yes, if you know where to look. Rishikesh has something to offer for everyone – from those looking for a month-long yoga vacation to the less fortunate, time bounded, adventure seekers. During my last 12-month travelling stint in India, I have, myself spent more than 90 days here accumulatively. Well, there’s a feeling in Rishikesh unlike anywhere else, and it draws you in. A Peaceful Rishikesh Vibe I find Rishikesh a deceptively powerful …

Rishikesh – From Being A Land Of Yogis To A Hub Of Tourism

Published by Dev

If you turn from the main road that leads to Shivpuri – the starting point of River Rafting into the holy Ganges – and walk about the small alleys of Rishikesh, you’d find that the place is swirling with all kind of adventure sport and tour companies, alluring tourists to partake into its cultural destruction, by making Rishikesh nothing but just another weekend getaway around us. For those who can see its invisible forces and sense the unseen currents in its air, Rishikesh is a magical world. It is one of those places where you wohld want to come to regain your inner consciousness and learn about maintaining harmony with the world – by staying close to the Ganges and under the undiluted purity of the Himalayas. Yet for many, the town has become a place for enchantment, for having a few pints of beer, and enjoying the aggression of Ganges, rafting and kayaking. But that’s not what Rishikesh’s real charm is, at least not in its real sense. I’ve some personal attachment to this place, some …