My name is Shanvi, and I will be sharing my experience of the Ashrams (retreat centres) I have visited so far in the following.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram
The first Ashram I visited was the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ashram. I stayed there for two weeks. I travelled there with my Grandparents and my family and got there by train. When we got there, I was surprised at how many people stayed there, though everyone we met was kind to us. In one event, we even met the Guruji himself, inside a dome-like building, and I really enjoyed going there. I saw an elephant there and was able to feed it.
Shanti Kunj Haridwar
The next Ashram I visited, was Shanti Kunj Haridwar. I stayed there for one month with my family, although my father had to return to Ireland the first week. The place I liked most was the Music Hall. There were lots of instruments to play and practice on. When I was there, I learned how to play the Harmonium, and my brother learned how to play the Tabla. I also visited the River Ganga and participated in the daily pooja. We went around three different parts of the river and sent off small leaf parcels into it. The water is quite cold but calming once you get used to it. I went there for around thirty minutes for three days in a row, and I saw three deer stuck in the current, but they soon got out, so I was relieved to see them safe.
Isha Ashram, in Coimbatore
The Final Ashram I visited was the Isha Ashram, in Coimbatore. I went there with my family and travelled there by plane and car. It had many more holy landmarks than the other Ashrams, such as The Dhyanalinga Temple, The Linga Bhairavi Temple, The Adiyogi Shiva statue (112 Feet). I visited all the landmarks with my family and stayed at one of the Cottages. We stopped there for around a month. For that month I was constantly exploring the whole area. I really liked that Ashram the most because we were near the mountains, and there was a small stand where we could get fresh sugar cane juice. At the end, Sadhguru gave a big talk in front of the Adi Yogi statue, and there were lots of people there. We only did get to watch half of it though.
Conclusion
Overall, I very much enjoyed my experience at those Ashrams. One thing I noticed was that when we ate, we sat together on a long mat inside a large hall. Everyone was calm and nice to us. I hope to visit more Ashrams in the future.
Thank you for reading my blog.