If someone asked you to give them some money and told you they'd give you 10% on it every month and you
- actually believed them
- never asked them for details about how they were going to do this
- gave them the money
- went to file an FIR when you soon stopped getting anything
and I was the person in charge of registering your complaint, I would either
- laugh my head off at your stupidity
- arrest you for your greed (how did you think you were going to get returns like this and even if you had been given some cockamamie story, then go back and read the line above).
Remember:
Big legitimate rewards involve big legitimate risks - if you partake and don't get your money back, don't go crying to people about it.
A trip to your local police chowki to complain about someone who absconded with your money is warranted only when they presented you with information that at least seemed legitimate when you invested.
I can't believe all these reports in the papers of bozos parting with huge sums of money to be doubled, tripled and quadrupled in a few months and then complaining about it when they realized they'd been 'duped'.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
All kinds
You get to meet all sorts of people in Rishikesh - mostly people who come for spiritual succour, but nowadays people who come for lots of other things as well.
I met a young man from California in yoga class who's been here in India for four or five years, leaving occasionally only to renew his visa. He's only in his 20s. He's getting really good at the yoga. He wants to get as good as he can at it, so that he can sit for longer and longer in meditation! He's been to four Vipassana sessions so far (10 days each) and wants to be able to go for one that lasts longer, such as 20, 40, 60 or even 90 days (if there is such a thing). I was very impressed that someone was spending years of their life in pursuit of the ability to sit in long hours for meditation, ultimately in the hopes of attaining realization and seeing the world for the illusion that it is, especially at such a young age, when most others are into making money, making or breaking careers and so on. His response was that well, once he'd attained his realization, he could just work at McDonald's (or anywhere and at anything for that matter) and still be blissful. That seemed to make a lot of sense. He was very articulate and spoke with a soft, steady tone of voice. He seemed halfway there already as far as I was concerned. He said he'd had a recent change of heart about needing to balance worldly affairs with this lofty goal of self-realization, so he was now also learning to play the flute and something about classical Indian dance!
I told him that in some book I'd read recently it said that people wouldn't get that everything was God until they got that Hitler was also God. And I asked him if he tried to see good in everyone and God in everyone and hence tried not to react to anything not so nice that they did or said. He said he didn't play games and that he was just trying to get to realization, not be taken for a sucker! (my words, not his) If Hitler (or anyone else for that matter) came and tried to beat him up or said something nasty to him, he'd be beating them up or verbally defending himself or whatever was necessary for survival. Just that he'd be watchful and observant of everything he was doing as he was doing it. Great answer! In the interest of making his money last one meal longer (he planned to stay on for another year or two or till whenever his money ran out), I asked him if he wanted me to take him out to dinner - he asked me what sort of question that was - so I re-phrased it and asked him if I might take him out to dinner. And he was thrilled to accept that invitation. So maybe I will play a minuscule part in someone's attainment of realization, even if not my own.
And then there was this woman from Israel. She'd come for the yoga originally a few years ago. But then decided to make India her second home not just for the yoga, but because it was cheap, and crammed with people and therefore (she said) it was easier to have company when one needed it. She found it convenient enough to live here for a large part of each year going back only to see the family and so on. She didn't seem too interested in the spirituality aspect of India, her main focus was in having yoga help fix her bad back. Other than that it seemed mainly about the food, which she said she loved and the fact that it was cheap to live here.
Then there were these two young women I got along well with, one from the U.S. and one from Ireland. They were both here because the Divine Life Society (the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh) was here and they both followed the teachings of Sivananda and were part of the ashrams in their respective countries. They seemed like grounded, together people, who seemed to have found their spiritual path but weren't abandoning the rest of their lives to pursue it (yet). They were here to soak up anything and everything they could from the birthplace of their school and the home of their Guru. Sometimes, it seemed to me like they felt more at home here than I did. And they both seemed to be loving it here and getting from this place and these surroundings exactly what they were looking for. They had a sense of openness and adventure that made every little thing seem like fun - even the occasional inconveniences were handled with aplomb, as if they were as wonderful experiences as any others. They took no offense at anything and just brushed off all kinds of things that someone like me who'd grown up here would probably get all rattled by.
And there was this gay man from Delhi - a fashion designer, no less, who actually called me honey and kept using the word fabulous. He was very cool - and very easy to get along with, and was here with two 'aunties' - a mother of a friend of his and her friend. He said he came here several times a year to recharge himself with the energy. And aunty was very cool too. She smoked ten to the dozen - in spite of my warning her that smoking wasn't really allowed here and someone may come and tell her to stop - or worse, leave. But the folks who worked at the place we stayed did see her, but it seems they didn't know how to tell her to stop and gave her a wide berth, so she just sat puffing away on the balcony all evening long. This while I was wondering how I could sneak in a cigarette in my room or somewhere else without being found out - since I'd been told when asked that it wasn't allowed - a'h, and therein lies my stupidity - I should have known, don't ask.
I met a young man from California in yoga class who's been here in India for four or five years, leaving occasionally only to renew his visa. He's only in his 20s. He's getting really good at the yoga. He wants to get as good as he can at it, so that he can sit for longer and longer in meditation! He's been to four Vipassana sessions so far (10 days each) and wants to be able to go for one that lasts longer, such as 20, 40, 60 or even 90 days (if there is such a thing). I was very impressed that someone was spending years of their life in pursuit of the ability to sit in long hours for meditation, ultimately in the hopes of attaining realization and seeing the world for the illusion that it is, especially at such a young age, when most others are into making money, making or breaking careers and so on. His response was that well, once he'd attained his realization, he could just work at McDonald's (or anywhere and at anything for that matter) and still be blissful. That seemed to make a lot of sense. He was very articulate and spoke with a soft, steady tone of voice. He seemed halfway there already as far as I was concerned. He said he'd had a recent change of heart about needing to balance worldly affairs with this lofty goal of self-realization, so he was now also learning to play the flute and something about classical Indian dance!
I told him that in some book I'd read recently it said that people wouldn't get that everything was God until they got that Hitler was also God. And I asked him if he tried to see good in everyone and God in everyone and hence tried not to react to anything not so nice that they did or said. He said he didn't play games and that he was just trying to get to realization, not be taken for a sucker! (my words, not his) If Hitler (or anyone else for that matter) came and tried to beat him up or said something nasty to him, he'd be beating them up or verbally defending himself or whatever was necessary for survival. Just that he'd be watchful and observant of everything he was doing as he was doing it. Great answer! In the interest of making his money last one meal longer (he planned to stay on for another year or two or till whenever his money ran out), I asked him if he wanted me to take him out to dinner - he asked me what sort of question that was - so I re-phrased it and asked him if I might take him out to dinner. And he was thrilled to accept that invitation. So maybe I will play a minuscule part in someone's attainment of realization, even if not my own.
And then there was this woman from Israel. She'd come for the yoga originally a few years ago. But then decided to make India her second home not just for the yoga, but because it was cheap, and crammed with people and therefore (she said) it was easier to have company when one needed it. She found it convenient enough to live here for a large part of each year going back only to see the family and so on. She didn't seem too interested in the spirituality aspect of India, her main focus was in having yoga help fix her bad back. Other than that it seemed mainly about the food, which she said she loved and the fact that it was cheap to live here.
Then there were these two young women I got along well with, one from the U.S. and one from Ireland. They were both here because the Divine Life Society (the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh) was here and they both followed the teachings of Sivananda and were part of the ashrams in their respective countries. They seemed like grounded, together people, who seemed to have found their spiritual path but weren't abandoning the rest of their lives to pursue it (yet). They were here to soak up anything and everything they could from the birthplace of their school and the home of their Guru. Sometimes, it seemed to me like they felt more at home here than I did. And they both seemed to be loving it here and getting from this place and these surroundings exactly what they were looking for. They had a sense of openness and adventure that made every little thing seem like fun - even the occasional inconveniences were handled with aplomb, as if they were as wonderful experiences as any others. They took no offense at anything and just brushed off all kinds of things that someone like me who'd grown up here would probably get all rattled by.
And there was this gay man from Delhi - a fashion designer, no less, who actually called me honey and kept using the word fabulous. He was very cool - and very easy to get along with, and was here with two 'aunties' - a mother of a friend of his and her friend. He said he came here several times a year to recharge himself with the energy. And aunty was very cool too. She smoked ten to the dozen - in spite of my warning her that smoking wasn't really allowed here and someone may come and tell her to stop - or worse, leave. But the folks who worked at the place we stayed did see her, but it seems they didn't know how to tell her to stop and gave her a wide berth, so she just sat puffing away on the balcony all evening long. This while I was wondering how I could sneak in a cigarette in my room or somewhere else without being found out - since I'd been told when asked that it wasn't allowed - a'h, and therein lies my stupidity - I should have known, don't ask.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Rishikesh - a few insights
What to bring:
Omkarananda Ganga Sadan - the food here is the best. Home cooked in a really clean kitchen by a wonderful woman who cooks the food as if she's cooking for her family. Lunch and dinner have to be ordered well in advance though - by 10:30 am for lunch and by 5 or so for dinner.
Other things:
A torch - half the time there's no electricity - so it's useful.
An umbrella.
Clothes pins - unless someone nice leaves some for you -there probably won't be any around.
If you're here in the summertime or any other time it's hot, go into the market in town and get yourself a matka - a mud pot - it keeps the water cool - if you're at a place where you can fill your bottle with filtered water (at the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan they have an RO filter), you can just pour that into the pot and in a few hours you'll have really cool water - the hotter it is, the cooler your water - only costs Rs. 20!
A knife, a plate, a cup or glass, a spoon and/or fork and maybe a pair of scissors - except for the knife, you'll have to go to town to get the other things (at least if you're staying at Ram Jhula - I don't know about LaxmanJhula) - the knife can be gotten at a little store on the way to Ram Jhula the taxi stand (on your left - you can ask at any store and they'll direct you) - Rs. 40 for a quite-nice pen knife. All these things will be quite helpful when you want to make your own fruit and vegetable salads - the healthier and cheaper option.
What not to bring:
What not to bring:
Too many clothes. If you're staying at a place where you can wash and dry your clothes (and most likely you will be - if not, you could always use the ghats on the Ganga like some people seem to be despite the signs warning against this), you can just wash clothes every day and get away with only two or three sets. If you need more clothes, you can just buy them at the hundreds of stores all over the place near the Ram Jhula taxi stand, on the other side of Ram Jhula around LaxmanJhula. They are cheap (by both Indian and Western standards), may not be the best quality - but if you're looking to travel light and don't mind spending a small amount of money you can just buy what you need here - you get everything from shorts and
t-shirts to salwar kameez and yoga
The sun rises - from my balcony.
Where to stay:
I stayed at the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan - in a really nice, clean room facing the Ganga on the 3rd floor - great views, super-clean newly redecorated bathroom, quite quiet if the bathroom door is closed (and hence not letting the terrific noise from the street side in) and your room is cleaned at request. But, by other folks accounts, this is expensive (at Rs. 395 a night, I thought it was cheap - but it depends on what you can afford I suppose), though perhaps not for the amenities. Most of them preferred to stay on the other side of the Ganga at Ram Jhula there are lots of little guest houses and ashrams. The guest houses offer rooms in the range of Rs. 200 a night (and they typically come with their own bathrooms at that price) - the ashrams are usually below that (and of course you don't have a private bathroom) - and lots of folks in yoga class were paying no more than Rs. 100 (with some paying only Rs. 50) a night at these places. Personally, I'm a little spoiled (at the moment I can afford to be), so I liked where I was, plus the yoga class was right there - but even at the Ganga Sadan, one can get a slightly cheaper room on the 2nd floor if one is willing to use a bathroom at the end of the hall (something like Rs. 250-Rs. 300). They also have a separate building with rooms and a courtyard away from the building that houses the yoga kendra, tried a room here the first couple of nights, though they're bigger and have their own bathrooms as well and a little kitchenette (so it was more like a suite) and was actually cheaper than the room I eventually moved to (which had no kitchenette) - Rs. 350 - there were lots of insects and it just wasn't that pleasant. Plus there was no balcony overlooking the Ganga, just windows. The rates were slightly higher the first 3 days - they come down when one stays longer than 3 days.
t-shirts to salwar kameez and yoga
The sun rises - from my balcony.
Where to stay:
I stayed at the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan - in a really nice, clean room facing the Ganga on the 3rd floor - great views, super-clean newly redecorated bathroom, quite quiet if the bathroom door is closed (and hence not letting the terrific noise from the street side in) and your room is cleaned at request. But, by other folks accounts, this is expensive (at Rs. 395 a night, I thought it was cheap - but it depends on what you can afford I suppose), though perhaps not for the amenities. Most of them preferred to stay on the other side of the Ganga at Ram Jhula there are lots of little guest houses and ashrams. The guest houses offer rooms in the range of Rs. 200 a night (and they typically come with their own bathrooms at that price) - the ashrams are usually below that (and of course you don't have a private bathroom) - and lots of folks in yoga class were paying no more than Rs. 100 (with some paying only Rs. 50) a night at these places. Personally, I'm a little spoiled (at the moment I can afford to be), so I liked where I was, plus the yoga class was right there - but even at the Ganga Sadan, one can get a slightly cheaper room on the 2nd floor if one is willing to use a bathroom at the end of the hall (something like Rs. 250-Rs. 300). They also have a separate building with rooms and a courtyard away from the building that houses the yoga kendra, tried a room here the first couple of nights, though they're bigger and have their own bathrooms as well and a little kitchenette (so it was more like a suite) and was actually cheaper than the room I eventually moved to (which had no kitchenette) - Rs. 350 - there were lots of insects and it just wasn't that pleasant. Plus there was no balcony overlooking the Ganga, just windows. The rates were slightly higher the first 3 days - they come down when one stays longer than 3 days.
After the weekend crowds go home -
a lonely oarsman on his way home
LaxmanJhula, a 2 km walk or 5 rupee ride away, also attracts a lot of people and has lots of guest houses and ashrams. A couple of the young people I met said they stayed there because it was more 'happening'. It all depends on what you're looking for.
a lonely oarsman on his way home
LaxmanJhula, a 2 km walk or 5 rupee ride away, also attracts a lot of people and has lots of guest houses and ashrams. A couple of the young people I met said they stayed there because it was more 'happening'. It all depends on what you're looking for.
You could also stay in the High Bank area - where the Bhandari Swiss Cottage (and a few other hotels/guest houses are). I went there for food a couple of times. It's a nice enough area - great views, secluded and away from the noise of Ram Jhula and LaxmanJhula - but one either has to walk a bit (about 5-6 minutes uphill) from where the rickshaws heading to Laxman Jhula one off at the fork in the road, or get a 'private' rickshaw - i.e. pay for the whole thing, since most everyone except you will want to go to LaxmanJhula you use a shared one. When it gets dark and rainy, it's not the safest thing to walk up. I found that most of the people staying up here were not the 'spiritual' types - rather the bikers and t
he trekkers - at least that's the sense I got.
Another option is to stay in Rishikesh town - which one Canadian girl I met was staying in and she used a bike to get herself to yoga class everyday. One can also rent apartments on the road from Ram Jhula town, some of them within easy walking distance from Ram Jhula(cute apartments run about Rs. 10,000 a month - but can probably be shared).
Where not to stay:
In an airconditioned room - it's just not worth it - since there's no electricity half the time - and especially when you most need it - unless you're staying at a place with a generator - like the Ananda Spa and Resort (perhaps there are other places too - like Vasundhara place), but then you'd be shelling out huge amounts of money every night (like perhaps $300 instead of Rs. 300) and probably have an agent booking things for you, so you wouldn't be researching things on your own.
In a room overlooking the road on the taxi-stand side - at the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan (or anywhere else in that area) - the noise will do you in!
Recommendations (and not) - places to eat:
Next to the Ram Jhula taxi stand are 3 or 4 little holes in the wall:
Ganga Vaishnav Bhojanalaya - this is an Indian dhaba and the two kids who run it are the two hardest working people I've met in my life (I also almost nearly fell in love with the younger one, who is quiet and sweet, when he started greeting me with a hand to his heart - until I realized that this was a common way of greeting people in these parts). But this is Indian food cooked early in the mornings usually (almost always channa daal or some other daal and a potato and capsicum curry) (not to order - only the chapatis or rotis are made on demand) and is quite hot and spicy. Not the most nutritious, but it's not bad. They also make aloo paranthas for breakfast and chai. These kids work from 6am in the morning till 11 at night. And they're always there on time - though it's usually 6:30 by the time they serve their first cup of tea since they're cleaning up till then.
Shanti's Health Food cafe - run by a couple. Clean and good made-to-order food. They cook everything from scratch - soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas etc. Even the pasta is made from scratch (not dried pasta).
Mukti's Health Food cafe - Similar to Shanti's. Mukti makes the food here, his wife doesn't help out. Mickey's special is tasty - roasted potatoes with other vegetables and a sauce.
Madras Cafe - a little beyond the taxi stand. I think the prices are slightly overblown for the food. But they have a generator and so it's a great place to go when there's no electricity - and it's also a regular restaurant so there's comfortable seating. They have a good Himalayan Health porridge (or something like that) and a Himalayan Health pulav (lots of dishes are pre-fixed with the word 'Himalayan' down here) and the Chow Mein can be a cheap option when on a budget.
Flavor's (yes, that's how they spell it) - I had dinner here once. And I would have gladly skipped it. We ordered felafel there. The felafel tasted like Manchurian (it was Manchurian - though the server insisted it was felafel) and the hummus was ok, except that it was absent all the ingredients that hummus normally has, except for watery chickpea paste (no garlic, tahini or olive oil).
Sanskriti - a formidable looking 'spa' - I guess the large, expensive-looking front deters a lot of people. But the best coffee in all of Rishikesh is to be found here. At Rs. 40 a cup - the Americano or at Rs. 35, the espresso are both real coffee and really delicious. I spent twenty unhappy days in Rishikesh before someone told me about the coffee here because I couldn't get my morning fix - since most places only have chai and the places that do serve coffee (even 'filter' coffee - serve substandard versions of the real thing). I still really couldn't get it even after discovering this place since it opens only at 9:00 - but it was still better than nothing. After that, I was downing two or three cups a day here regularly. They also have good mushroom and paneer puffs.
Madras Hotel (different from Madras Cafe) - one has to take a rickshaw into town to get here. It's just before the Chandra Bagha bridge (sp?) on the left. A little place, but very clean and cheap and very good South Indian food (idlis, dosas, upma etc. etc. etc. - much better than Madras cafe for South Indian fare).
Pappu Lassi - I actually didn't visit this place, but I heard from a few people that the best lassi in town is served here - also downtown and needs a rickshaw to get to.
Gita Bhavan - on the other side of Ram Jhula (from Omkarananda) - a big, noisy place that sells sweets. I would never have walked intot his place normally, but I went in with someone who wanted to buy some sweets one day and noticed that they served kachoris and samosas there also. So I went back one day when I had a yen for those and found that they were the best kachoris and samosas I'd had in a long time (and at Rs. 4 each, a bargain) - - the samosas are served in the afternoon and the kachoris in the morning. They also sell Amul's Masti lassi and Chaach (buttermilk) here - fairly safe options (since they have a generator) when you're looking for yogurt products but want to avoid eating fresh yogurt in case you get sick (I'm sure I got sick one day from some lassi I drank at a dhaaba). If I had discovered (or rather ventured into) this place earlier, I would have bought the buttermilk everyday.
Juice Center - there's a juice center across from Gita Bhavan that makes good juices.
The Office - also on the same side of Ram Jhula as Gita Bhavan - they have good samosas here (this I was told - I actually didn't try them).
Gurudev - on the other side of Ram Jhula (from Omkarananda) - a restaurant with an extensive menu and extremely reasonable - I had a cheese and tomato crepe here one day and it was really good. The Belgian and Italian people I was with were wondering if there was an Italian in the kitchen because the sauces on the pastas they had ordered they said were on par with the best in Italy. But the next day I went back for a thaali - it was cheap - but had nothing much else going for it.
The Little Buddha - off of Laxman Jhula. They have an extensive menu - the food was ok - they couldn't make us juices when we went because there was no electricity. But there was egg in an avacado sandwich we ordered (that fact not mentioned on the menu) and the person who I was with and had ordered that was allergic to eggs. The waiter was upset with us for not having asked him if the dish contained egg - and when we asked him why we would dream of asking when the fact wasn't even hinted at on the menu, he was even more offended!
The German Bakery - this is a much touted place, but mostly frequented by foreigners - hardly any Indians here. I went here a few times and thought it was overrated. But the sizzler that the person I was with once had was apparently delicious.
The Freedom Cafe - another restaurant in the Laxman Jhula area which a lot of people raved about - a place where you can lounge around for a long time, check your mail (on your laptop with wireless broadband that you bring with you) etc. etc. It was ok - just a lot of flies. But that's a problem in lots of places in Rishikesh.
The Welcome Center - towards town from Omkarananda (but walkable - just a 15 minute walk at most). A really nice place. Very nice setting. The food is cooked from scratch (even the ghee's made from scratch) and it's really good food with the best ingredients. They have dishes cooked to ayurvedic specifications. They also serve Panna, a delicious raw mango drink which I have never had anywhere outside of people's homes.
Omkarananda Ganga Sadan - the food here is the best. Home cooked in a really clean kitchen by a wonderful woman who cooks the food as if she's cooking for her family. Lunch and dinner have to be ordered well in advance though - by 10:30 am for lunch and by 5 or so for dinner.
Other things:
The shared rickshaws only cost Rs. 5 a person (to most anywhere) and that's what you should pay whether there's one of you or ten of you in the rickshaw when you get in, unless you specially commission it for yourself (also known as 'getting a private rickshaw', in which case of course the tarriff's going to be much, much higher, because essentially you're not going to let anyone else get on. I wasn't aware of this at first, and the first couple of times I was in it with just one or two other people, I paid a lot more than the Rs. 5 - thinking it was only fair since I got to be in an almost empty rickshaw and the driver didn't inform me otherwise! - o'h well. These aren't really rickshaws (like the ones in the rest of the country) - they're more like Delhi's phat-phatis - with a noisy motorcycle engine and carry 8 people - though sometimes even 20 squeeze in.
Do check whether the place you're staying at has a water filter so that you can minimize the buying of plastic bottles. Till I found out that the place I was staying had a filter, I was buying and disposing of many bottles a day.
If you buy clothes that you need altered (like shortened, have sleeves added to, etc. etc.), just ask the person at the place you buy it whether they will do the needful (they'll usually do it for free).
You can recharge/top-up (it's called different things depending on the state you're in - but basically add money to your pre-paid cell phone or extend the validity of your SIM) at a little shop to the left of Omkarananda Ganga Sadan as you come out of it.
The yoga in Rishikesh
A month in Rishikesh - it was way too short. I wish I could have stayed another five, or ten, or more. Was there for the yoga and boy was it worth it. Usha Devi, who runs and teaches at Omkarananda Ganga Sadan, is the best yoga teacher I've ever come across, not that I've been to anything more than the casual studio in every town I've ever been in. In between taunts and smacks on peoples' behinds, softened by her smiles, she gave really great instruction. Half the class or more was made up of students who had been there in most cases many times before. The rest was made up of students who planned to come back many times in the future. I only met one person who seemed dissatisfied and discontinued the class. He was a young Israeli man who'd hurt himself with a lifetime of surfing and was hoping that she'd be able to help him, but felt that she was really doing nothing for him. Everyone else with injuries seemed to benefit greatly from the class and the modifications in various poses she introduced them to. There were people from everywhere - Australia, New Zealand, England, the U.S., Canada, Israel, Ethiopia, Spain, Italy, Belgium,Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, El Salvador, China etc. etc. etc. And surprise!, there was even an Indian kid who hailed from Gangotri (in the same state as Rishikesh) and who had lived in China for a few years and had just moved back to Rishikesh (he said it was different than what he thought it would be) and actually wanted to head back to China but was having trouble with job and visa, who lasted two or three days - after which I was the only person of Indian origin in the class for the remainder of the month - weird. When I bumped into him a few days later, he told me that the pace was too slow for him and he was already adept at yoga, though not this Iyengar style, and he needed a more fast-paced class. What he didn't realize was that it was a very advanced class, with her paying attention to the various little nuances that no one really did in regular classes and that made what one was practicing beneficial, or not. And since new students tended to usually show up on Mondays, the beginning of the week, she also was in the habit of starting off a little slowly and repeating the basics at the beginning of the week - but by Thursday and Friday things were in full swing and by Saturday people were ready for the Sunday break. The greatest thing about the class is that because new students keep coming in, the basics are gone over again and again. People doing things grossly incorrectly (or even slightly incorrectly sometimes) were picked on and made to demonstrate their lack of understanding, knowledge, coordination - basically everything, so that the others would understand what not to do. This is really great for everyone - even teachers and people who've been practicing for decades appreciate the 'back to basics' lessons. And the class being open to everyone - adepts as well as the most basic beginners, allows for everyone to learn - how to and how not to, and how to correct someone who is going wrong. This is unusual since in most of the serious centers in India you get grouped based on the number of years you've been practicing, who recommends you, etc. etc. etc. - So it's nice to be in a crowd where there are people of all levels. On my first day, I was thrilled when I was one of the people who got touched in the middle of some pose and then all the people who got touched were asked to come up and repeat what they had been doing. I thought, wow, I thought I was really lousy with my yoga - never giving it the seriousness it needed, practicing in fits and starts, sometimes regularly (like once a month), but infrequently, sometimes frequently, but irregularly and so on - but I must have done something right, if she was picking on me to demonstrate to the others! That's when I found out that you usually get picked on when you're going wrong everywhere! A lesson in humility!
Don't complain too much in class - unless you have injuries or something - if you complain of pain - then you'll get told that only dead bodies don't feel pain. You'll sweat a lot - because the electricity likes to go out specifically during yoga class for some reason - but Usha's response to that is that in Bikram yoga they charge you to sweat - and here it's free! Also, if you're a woman, you'll get asked if you have 'period' - everyone who has 'period' gets to go to one end so they do something different than the asanas that are not good when one is in 'period'. Sometimes you get asked that (and you're not a woman)! And sometimes you should get asked that (and you're not)! - Just jokes - hopefully!
So, in short, the yoga was great. The studio was just wonderful, with the view of the Ganga, the props and the atmosphere and the open hours of 7:30-11:30 for self-practice. Usha, as I said, is someone I will definitely go study with again - and again - I really wish that I had found her long before March when I did and had gone to Rishikesh soon after I came to India, rather than just the month before she's due to go to BKS Iyengar's shala in Pune for her annual yoga studies. I was told that this was pretty serious yoga, as far as the postures go, and that no other class in Rishikesh came close. An Austrian lady I met and became friends with, who had studied with Gita Iyengar and worked with BKS Iyengar himself, who was a yoga teacher herself, but who unfortunately has been suffering from emphysema for the last couple of years also recommended Trika yoga, which she said was much more gentle and do-able for her in her current condition. She also recommended Yoga Niketan, which is an ashram with a two-week minimum stay that has yoga classes twice a day, apart from meditation and other aspects of ashram life, where per her, the yoga is taught quite well. I met several people who went to the Sivananda yoga classes as well, though what they offer is a little different and more sedate. One girl I met from Canada who was a teacher certified by the Sivananda ashrams (or institutes?) in Canada, said that after studying with teachers like Usha she would not recommend the Sivananda course to anyone. But each person and what they're looking for is different and I'm sure that what they teach also has merit, even if it doesn't pay rigorous attention to form in the asanas and so on.
Don't complain too much in class - unless you have injuries or something - if you complain of pain - then you'll get told that only dead bodies don't feel pain. You'll sweat a lot - because the electricity likes to go out specifically during yoga class for some reason - but Usha's response to that is that in Bikram yoga they charge you to sweat - and here it's free! Also, if you're a woman, you'll get asked if you have 'period' - everyone who has 'period' gets to go to one end so they do something different than the asanas that are not good when one is in 'period'. Sometimes you get asked that (and you're not a woman)! And sometimes you should get asked that (and you're not)! - Just jokes - hopefully!
So, in short, the yoga was great. The studio was just wonderful, with the view of the Ganga, the props and the atmosphere and the open hours of 7:30-11:30 for self-practice. Usha, as I said, is someone I will definitely go study with again - and again - I really wish that I had found her long before March when I did and had gone to Rishikesh soon after I came to India, rather than just the month before she's due to go to BKS Iyengar's shala in Pune for her annual yoga studies. I was told that this was pretty serious yoga, as far as the postures go, and that no other class in Rishikesh came close. An Austrian lady I met and became friends with, who had studied with Gita Iyengar and worked with BKS Iyengar himself, who was a yoga teacher herself, but who unfortunately has been suffering from emphysema for the last couple of years also recommended Trika yoga, which she said was much more gentle and do-able for her in her current condition. She also recommended Yoga Niketan, which is an ashram with a two-week minimum stay that has yoga classes twice a day, apart from meditation and other aspects of ashram life, where per her, the yoga is taught quite well. I met several people who went to the Sivananda yoga classes as well, though what they offer is a little different and more sedate. One girl I met from Canada who was a teacher certified by the Sivananda ashrams (or institutes?) in Canada, said that after studying with teachers like Usha she would not recommend the Sivananda course to anyone. But each person and what they're looking for is different and I'm sure that what they teach also has merit, even if it doesn't pay rigorous attention to form in the asanas and so on.
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