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...