ashram for a beginner

reelist

i'm a westerner, i am a complete beginner when it comes to ashrams, yoga and meditation, but it is something thats had my interest for a while now. but, being such a newbie to it all, im a bit shy i guess about starting out. i will be spending some time travelling india in the new year and was hoping to stop at an ashram to get myself a good introduction.

so, can anyone make any suggestions of places you know are good for beginners? i'll be going up and down the country so can stop at any time anywhere along the typical backpacker trail, although i like the idea of being at a retreat which is isolated and very green (typical idealist, i know, but i feel i'd be more comfortable and at peace surrounded by nature).

(on a side note, i was looking as vipassana until reading the sticky - is it really that tough? any first hand experience from someone who tried it as a beginner would be great!)

thanks

Goran

Well, almost any ashram aiming at westerners is probably good for beginners, traditional ones you would probably not be interested in anyway as it might take a little more understanding of the religion, culture (language?) etc..
So it should not be a problem.

Sivananda ashram in Kerala was recommended often here so I suppose it would be a good choice (no personal experience with it though).

Pool Chatti in Rishikesh maybe (regarding your interest in natural surroundings) though I'm not sure about the quality of instructions. They have yoga courses however.

Aupmanyav

Or Sivananda Ashram in Netala, Uttarkashi (http://www.sivananda.org/netala/, http://www.sivananda.org/locations/india.html). Vipassana in India is probably business.

Brijwasi

Can you put more light on this ??

Aupmanyav

S. N. Goenka franchise.

machadinha

First hand, not (and I personally get involved with very little of any of this), but I think it's the form that calls for a protracted silent retreat, no? Friends of mine who do do it tell me this can have unpredictable results on some folks, with some of them just breaking down completely. I've read similar anecdotes here by esteemed members involved with yoga on a serious level. Of people just having to be escorted off to the airport. (You could find any of these courses closer to home btw, maybe a good way to get started. You give London as your location, it should be no problem at all to get started on a variety of courses and schools and approaches in a place like that.)

(To any of us who have not ever had periods of being alone with oneself and/or silent, I think I can picture how it might be more taxing or confrontational than might seem yes, certainly when presumably focusing on the self so to speak at the same time.)

So probably something for the more advanced yes, and better to start off with some more down-to-earth approaches and focusing on physical techniques first.

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Brijwasi

Buddha teaching are free , isn't it ? Anyway some exception are always there !!!!!

How much cost for above franchise. ?
How much they charge for Vipassana/Insight course ?

reelist

thanks for the replies guys, i'll look into sivananda and pool chatti, but i think vipassana is off the list for me. whilst the concept is certainly interesting, the possible downsides outweigh the good.

letaprimas

I'll be going to India at new years as well with a similar agenda. I mainly want to go to a couple ashrams and see what they are about. Kolkata and near the Himalayas are the general places I would like to go. (Ramakrishna Math and Sivananda Ashram are the two I've been very fond of)

But you might want to check out Skanda Vale in your own homeland. I haven't been, but was wanting to go as a good friend speaks very highly of it.

Good luck, who knows, maybe I'll bump into you somewhere!

Goran

I like your choices
But I must say communication with RKM has always been difficult (and somewhat typically Indian in that we might say ) with mails not answered, or not answered in a reasonable manner, being directed to someone for "booking" but than getting no answers form this someone and so on. Using the phone is probably a better solution. On the other hand I have nothing but good experiences with the divine life society (Shivananda), at least with the former secretary.

letaprimas

Have you tried contacting them through a local "Vedanta Society"? That would probably be the best method...

Ritu.pisces

Hi .. I read about some negative comments about Vipassana and thought I would share my own experience ... I did a 10-day Vipassana course (as a complete novice) a few years ago at one of their centers near Delhi. Overall, it was a really great experience. They didn't have any fees and there was no pressure to make any donations at all. Which is something that I really liked and respected - I think there are some things that should not be commercialized. As far as I am aware, that should be the case still.

As far as the level of difficulty goes, you are not supposed to speak at all for the duration of the course - except for a time-period during the day when you can speak with the facilitator and get your questions/doubts answered. If you are looking at spending some time looking inwards and just getting in touch with yourself, then this should not be a problem. I went at a time when I really wanted to be by myself, so I didn't find this hard. As far as the accomodation goes, it was very basic with two people sharing a room - there were just two beds in a small room and space to keep your things and a curtain that separates your space from the other person's. The day started very early - at day-break (don't remember the exact time) with meditation. It is structured in such a way that you spend a lot of the day meditating in a communal hall/space, but there are sufficient breaks in between, so it's not like you are meditating without rest/food. In the evening, we were shown a video of S.N. Goenka in which he explained Vipassana. You'll have to wash your own clothes, but that can be easily avoided by bringing more things . The meals are light, vegetarian, and on the austere side. But nice - not bad at all.

As far as the actual Vipassana experience goes, yes, it can get intense because you are on your own for so many days. But it's really worth it - it centers you by the end of it. There was one thing that I experienced for the first time in my life - a real feeling of gratitude. Although it was just some moments, it felt really good. I'd always thought that feeling grateful for something was some sort of a dutiful feeling - not a nice feeling at all. But it felt like a heightened sense of appreciation and connection with something bigger. Vipassana meditation itself is based on the thought: This too shall pass. It tries to teach this concept experentially - we all know intellectually that nothing is permanent - you can't be happy forever or sad forever. According to Buddhism, all suffering is based on attachment. We get attached to an idea, person, or feeling - we don't want happiness to end. But the only way to remain centered is experience what happens to you, but not get too attached to it. So, when you are happy, be happy. But also know that everything changes. When there are difficult times, know that this will pass - it's how nature works. This awareness helps you be calm - you know it's not going to last, so it's easier to go through it, I guess. This is, at least, my understanding of the thought process behind the actual meditation practice.

If you are looking for a rewarding spiritual experience and are willing to live a basic life for a few days, then Vipassana is a great option. It's not very active in the sense that a yoga vacation (I guess) would be since you are basically sitting and meditating for 10 days. So, it really depends on what you are looking for at this point - but overall, it is an amazing experience. You are cutting down to the basics, which in itself is an experience. At the end of the 10 days when you talk to your fellow meditators, you can see that everyone has really felt something. There are people from all walks of life there - young people, old people, people with a lot of money and people without. Being by yourself probably brings a lot of things inside you to the surface - it's like the muck rises to the top and you have a chance to clean it. For me personally, this was a truly valuable experience at that time. But yes, different things work at different times. You should definitely read more about it and see whether you want to do it. But it's definitely an EXPERIENCE. You can read about their rules/center details on their website: http://www.dhamma.org/. Hope this helps!

Goran

There is none.
In general RKM is not that present in the west. I think 3 centers in Europe (nowhere near my country) and a few in USA.

Goran

regarding vipassana ..
IMHO a big problem in modern spirituality is its institutionalization. While it might help avoid complete crooks it also makes instructors into teachers, not real gurus. Similar to the Krishnamacharya vs Jois/Iyengar differences. They teach things most of the times in a fixed and predetermined manner. People are not all the same though, and a teacher should be able to determine what is good for a specific individual, not promote a certain technique as the “one size fits all” method, and that is often done be it vipassana, TM, kriya, whatever..
There are people with bad experiences with vipassana, with good, with good turned bed to the point of serious mental problems.. that should not happen with a really good teacher, but is bound to happen with instructors catering to the growing need f a “spiritualized” generation. Again IMHO devotional aproach is the safest one, than jnana. Meditative “technical” methods have more possible dangers, and those aiming directly at (forcing it) kundalini awakening the most. Therefore in such practices a very expert guidance is also more important. And most of the times you will not find it. I’m into “the field” from childhood and would not be able to recommend a teacher with 100% certainty if someone asked.

Again probably for most people it will be OK, especially those that do not get overenthusiastic and star practicing too much..

Jet as Vivekananda said: only a person that is able to see his student’s past and future can be a teacher. That is (in my understanding at least), only someone who can have an insight into the “inner world” of a student and therefore know what is good or not for him and aid him in trouble can really teach.

Tobias_P

I think you will enjoy Phool Chatti which is situated in the jungle about 5 km outside Rishikesh.

The surrounding are beautiful, with the ganges just outside, mountains and the jungle.

When I was there last spring I had only done yoga five times before, and it was a really nice experience.

You can see the program at their homepage: http://www.phoolchattiyoga.com/

The lecture & discussion where not very interesting, but otherwise I was very pleased with my 14 days stays, I did the 7 day course, and stayed at the Ashram and visited Rishikesh from there.


http://www.phoolchattiyoga.com/