Yoga space and hotel rooms wanted in Rishikesh Feb 09 , any suggestions

sister of sound

Namaste I will be leading a small group of people to India Feb 09 and will be mostly spending our time in Rishikesh. Knowing it will be kinda cool i would like a place where we dont have to worry about the chill, both in the temperature of the room and the water.
I would be interested in something mid range price.
much thanks
Namaste

atala

I think a good option for you would be if you could stay at Vanaprast Ashram in Swargashram Area of Rishikesh. That is if you could imagine to put two people together in one appartment. They have appartments, not single rooms. One person per one appartment seems kind of a waste.

There is more on Vanaprast, or sometimes spelled Banaprast here, and how to get there: Golden Triangle + Rishikesh (November)

As mentioned there it is not really an Ashram, that is just the name, but they have sort of an Ashram atmosphere. Some of the larger appartments have large enough rooms that you could easily use as meeting room for doing yoga.

I do not know how to contact them for a reservation. The appartments are inhabited generally only from April onward when it is getting hot and when their owners are coming. In the above thread Spanky mentions that he found Banaprast Ashram mentioned in a guide book. Perhaps there is a phone number with it. I do not know. If one of our members is there now, maybe they could help. Since it is next year that you want to go, you could also write them in snailmail. Last year when I was there they had an Osho event booked for March, so I assume they would book for you too, if they have space, which they would definitely have in Feb.

sister of sound

I appreciate the information, i wonder if the place has heat? i will do my best to find the place.
Unfortunatly I never made it to the mother land this year,and so this enquire is for the journey i will be offering next year.
Any other suggestions most welcome
namaste and blessings

atala

I do not remember to have a seen a fire place there in the appartments that I have used, but it is not really required either. If you are dressed warm, you should not be cold there during the day. For the night it is common to be supplied with very warm quilts and blankets.

Rishikesh is not really in the mountains yet, so it is not getting that cold, although it is quite cold if you come from South India and do not have really warm clothes. But you come from Canada and could bring the needful.

Next to Vanaprast Ashram is Ved Niketan, a typical yoga ashram, where foreign yoga practitioners are taking self-retreats for months, and do their practice outside, in the courtyard of the ashram. and the rooms that they live in are far less well insulated (old type of building) than the ones at Vanaprast.

sister of sound

I wanted to thank you for your information about lodging in Rishikesh.
I also was curious to know what you were doing in India for 8 years? I dream about just being there and not returning back to the west , as i feel India does support the spriitual practice alot more easily than living in the west. SO was any of that time you spent there related to your own practice?
namasate
Sister of sound

atala

That was not in one piece, but spread out over 20 or so years. I think I travelled 15 or 16 times to and thru India. Initially I came on a spiritual quest, just seeing holiness everywhere, but with time and more visits I lost the rosy coloured glasses on the way, like everyone does after a few visits. Actually I was never really a tourist in India (meaning going to touristy places for pleasure's sake) which is why I have little to contribute in that field. Here is a description of what I have been doing all these years: About time to introduce myself