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Erleben Sie eine unvergessliche Yogareise nach Nordindien, ins Herz von Vrindavan. Tauchen Sie ein in die spirituelle Atmosphäre dieses traditionellen Pilgerorts, der nicht nur materiellen Nutzen, sondern auch spirituelle Befreiung verspricht. Entdecken Sie die tiefe Hingabe und Liebe zu Gott inmitten einer Retreat, die Ihrer inneren Sehnsucht folgt. Bhakti yogAreise Vrindavan Of India's many traditional pilgrimage sites believed to bestow everything from bhukti (material gain) to mukhti (liberation), Vrindavan offers bhakti and prema, or devotion and love of God. The journey to the center of the heart means following a deep inner longing. Krishna Mantra Although the Krishna mantra is "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna", in Vrindavan "Sri Radha" is worshipped as the highest form of love for God (Krishna). "Radhe Radhe" is the greeting that you hear everywhere and it can mean many things here in Vrindavan. From "please" to "thank you", to "hello and goodbye", to "hey, make some room for me..." The Brajabasis (residents of Vrindavan) associate everything with Radhe, because they know that love is the highest path to God. spiritual rituals On the day of arrival we will take a boat trip on the Yamuna River and in the evening we will visit the Arati at Keshi Ghat, which has been taking place there for centuries in an unbroken family tradition. Singing Kirtan The next day we will visit Radha Kunda (Sri Radha's Lake), which is less than an hour's drive away, and have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in her love in liquid form. We will visit small temples nearby and sing kirtan and have a picnic. Many sadhus who live there offer wonderful hand-carved ornaments made from the holy Tulsi wood for sale. Temple in Vrindavan The following day we explore Old Vrindavan and immerse ourselves in the magic and different atmospheres of some historical places and temples. On the outer layer of this pilgrimage site, we encounter a lot of Indian chaos and garbage disposal is also an issue, but on a deeper level, the spiritual essence of Vraja lies untouched, visible to those who worship the God of their heart there, who is always visible to the eyes of love. And it is there, in the eyes of the Brajabasis, in their devotion and love, that my heart is touched so deeply that tears come to my eyes. ashram in vrindavan In the afternoon we will visit the Munger Mandir Ashram. Sadhu Maharaj comes from a royal family in Mungir. He grew up with all the opulence that comes with such a status. He noticed quite early on that wealth did not allow his mind to rest and he saw that his grandparents, who had oriented their lives spiritually, radiated an inner peace and contentment that he felt attracted to, so he chose this path himself and let go of all his wealth. Today he lives a secluded life in Vrindavan and has an open heart and ear for everyone who wants to see him. We will visit him and have the opportunity to ask him questions. The next morning, after a yoga class and breakfast, we will depart to Haridwar by private taxi NEW DELHI 21 - 22 February Colorful markets Modern life meets tradition Sightseeing and absolute insider places read more VRINDAVAN 22 - 25 February Radha Krishna Mantra temple cleansing open your heart With Bhakti Yoga Read More HARIDWAR 25 February - 01 March Ashram Life Meditation Rituals Shivaratri Ganga Aarti Silence and inner peace at the river read more RISHIKESH 01 - 03 March Yoga metropolis beatles Satsang EncounterS Purifying Ganges bath with other Travelers read more VARANASI 03 - 07 March ShivaPower spirituality Ayurveda Healing Nada Yoga Immerse yourself with all your senses read more

Erleben Sie eine inspirierende Yoga Retreat nach Nordindien, mit dem pulsierenden Zentrum in Delhi. Tauchen Sie ein in die faszinierende Atmosphäre der Märkte und das aufregende Stadtleben, während Sie gleichzeitig die spirituelle Praxis des Yoga erkunden. Entdecken Sie die Vielfalt und den Reiz dieser indischen Metropole und erleben Sie Acroyoga in Delhi – eine Reise voller unvergesslicher Erlebnisse. Märkte, Citylife, Indische Großstadt, things to do in Delhi, Acroyoga Delhi. north india yogAreise DELHI All international flights land at Delhi airport. Right at immigration you will be greeted by a huge sculpture of golden mudras. Welcome to India. Most flights from Europe arrive early in the morning or late at night. We will organize a taxi for you from the airport. This means you don't have to wait for anyone and you will be picked up immediately at any time of the day or night and taken safely to your hotel. city tour in delhi We meet the next morning at the hotel for breakfast and then explore the city. We will show you our absolute insider spots for a different kind of sightseeing and give you a diverse impression of this lively capital of India acroyoga in india We connect with the local Delhi Acroyoga group in the beautiful Lodhi Garden and have a small workshop together. Acroyoga is a very good way of communicating. Initial culture shocks and cultural inhibitions are eliminated in a playful way. shopping in delhi We visit the Khan Market, dress in Indian clothes if we wish, and end the day in the trendy Hauz Khas Village district. Here we stroll through the boutiques and cafés and eat stylish, traditional Indian food in the evening. Buddhist quarter The next day we visit the Tibetan quarter of Delhi and learn about the Buddhist influences in this city on our yoga trip. From Delhi to Vrindavan Afterwards you can continue comfortably by taxi to Vrindavan . If you arrive in Delhi a day earlier, it is of course advisable to acclimatize and then start your adventure together feeling fresh. NEW DELHI 21 - 22 February Colorful markets Modern life meets tradition Sightseeing and absolute insider places read more VRINDAVAN 22 - 25 February Radha Krishna Mantra temple cleansing open your heart With Bhakti Yoga Read More HARIDWAR 25 February - 01 March Ashram Life Meditation Rituals Shivaratri Ganga Aarti Silence and inner peace at the river read more RISHIKESH 01 - 03 March Yoga metropolis beatles Satsang EncounterS Purifying Ganges bath with other Travelers read more VARANASI 03 - 07 March ShivaPower spirituality Ayurveda Healing Nada Yoga Immerse yourself with all your senses read more

Entdecken Sie die spirituelle Tiefe Nordindiens durch Yoga, Retreats und Ashram-Besuche. Tauchen Sie ein in alte Rituale und begegnen Sie den Sadhus – eine Reise für Körper und Geist. Yogareise in Nordindien, Spirituelles Retreat, Ashram Besuch, Rituale, Sadhus. Ashram in North India Haridwar The Ashram family welcomes us to their Santosh Puri Ashram. Santosh means contentment. spiritual journey from Germany to India Mataji came to India from Germany as a young girl with the hippie movement, with many questions and in search of her guru. She found him in Baba Santosh on a remote river island in the Ganges. She lived there with him and a few cows for ten years in seclusion and under the simplest of conditions as a yogi. After a long period of meditation, her guru sent her back into the world so that she could gain experience as a woman in life and as a mother. But Mataji refused to leave him. The two then married and built what is now the Santosh Puri Ashram in the traditional ashram district outside Haridwar. The place, which is now a wonderful oasis of peace and encounters, was overgrown. Snakes and tigers lived there. Babaji purified the place with his supernatural powers and created a wonderful, magical space right on the river bank. Today, their samadhi stands there. Mataji left her physical body in February 2014. ashram on the ganges To walk to the Ganges, you cross the Sadhu Forest, a narrow forest full of wild marijuana plants, where many Shiva Babas and Sadhus have settled in tents and founded small communities. On excursions we roam the Sadhu Forest, swim through the river arms of the Ganges, which is still very clean here, and cross the jungle. This wild area is home to wild tigers and elephants, which remain hidden from people during the day. With a bit of luck, however, we will see them on our jeep safari in the national park. We have already seen many wild elephants here. We met Mataji in Haridwar at the Kumbha Mela, a major religious festival for sadhus. It was clear that this woman has followed a very deep spiritual path in her life, which her three children continue to live today. yoga program in the ashram Mataji's children live in the Ashram and give inspiring lectures on the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras. They lead a traditional puja with the light ceremony, the Ganges Aarti, at 4.30 a.m. and in the evening at sunset, and teach Hatha Yoga. There are various theme weeks in the Ashram, meditations and mandala painting. Even if you don't want to take part in the yoga program, which actually takes place all day, or if you prefer to sleep in in the morning, you will be able to feel this special vibration of the place. And after a short time, the Ashram blues in Haridwar set in, this relaxed, carefree feeling of simply being full of devotion and being supported. city tour in haridwar The ashram family welcomes us to their Santosh Puri Ashram. Santosh means contentment. Mataji came to India as a young girl with the hippie movement from Germany with many questions and in search of her guru. She found him in Baba Santosh on a remote river island on the Ganges. She lived there with him and a few cows for ten years in isolation and under the simplest of conditions. When they didn't have enough to eat, Mataji said, cow dung was made into chapati bread. After a long period of meditation, her guru sent her back into the world because she should gain experience as a woman in life and as a mother. But Mataji refused to leave him. The two then married and built today's Santosh Puri Ashram in the traditional ashram district outside of Haridwar. The place where a dreamlike oasis of calm and encounters has emerged today was overgrown. Snakes and tigers lived there. Babaji cleansed the place with his psychic powers and created a wonderful magical space right on the river bank. Today the samadhi of the two is there. Mataji left her physical body in February 2014. To walk to the Ganges, one crosses the Sadhuforest, a narrow forest full of wild marijuana plants, in which many Shiva Babas and Sadhus have settled in tents and founded small communities. On excursions we roam the Sadhuforest, swim through the many branches of the river, which is still very clean here, and cross the jungle in the national park. This wild area is home to wild tigers and elephants, but they remain hidden from humans during the day. Yogasubmarine met Mataji in Haridwar at the Kumbha Mela, a big religious festival of the sadhus. It was clear to see that this woman has walked a very deep spiritual path in her life, which her three children continue to live today. In the Ashram they hold inspiring lectures on Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras, lead a traditional puja in the morning at 4.30 a.m. and in the evening at sunset and teach Hatha Yoga. Even if you do not want to take part in the yoga program, which actually takes place all day, or if you prefer to sleep longer in the morning, then you will be able to feel this special vibration of the place. And after a short time the Ashramblues in Haridwar sets in, this relaxed, carefree feeling of simply being full of devotion and being carried. We take a city tour through Haridwar and look at the oldest aarti in the world. Thousands of people from all over India gather here every evening to celebrate the great light ceremony at sunset. You also have the opportunity to do a powerful puja just for yourself under guidance, in which mantras are recited and flowers are sacrificed in the water. Optionally there is the possibility to go on a jeep safari in the national park. We have seen a lot of wild elephants. We continue to Rishikesh by taxi. Naga Babas, large and small, at the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar The festival of the jug, at which bathing in the Ganges is particularly auspicious at a precisely determined time. The gods fought with the demons and a few drops of the holy nectar fell on three cities where the Kumbha Mela takes place today. Haridwar is one of them. The Naga Babas, clad only in ashes, are the first to take a bath on the Kumbha Mela We travel by taxi to Rishikesh NEW DELHI 21 - 22 February Colorful markets Modern life meets tradition Sightseeing and absolute insider places read more VRINDAVAN 22 - 25 February Radha Krishna Mantra temple cleansing open your heart With Bhakti Yoga Read More HARIDWAR 25 February - 01 March Ashram Life Meditation Rituals Shivaratri Ganga Aarti Silence and inner peace at the river read more RISHIKESH 01 - 03 March Yoga metropolis beatles Satsang EncounterS Purifying Ganges bath with other Travelers read more VARANASI 03 - 07 March ShivaPower spirituality Ayurveda Healing Nada Yoga Immerse yourself with all your senses read more

Tauchen Sie ein in die spirituelle Atmosphäre von Rishikesh auf einer Yoga Retreat durch Indien. Diese lebhafte Stadt ist nicht nur eine Pilgerstätte, sondern auch ein Zufluchtsort für Sadhus aus den Himalaya-Höhlen. Erfahren Sie, warum sie im Winter hierher kommen, und entdecken Sie die tiefe Verbindung zwischen Mensch und Natur auf dieser unvergesslichen spirituellen Reise. Rishikesh The lively yoga capital of Rishikesh is a place of pilgrimage and wintering place for sadhus from the Himalayas. When it gets too cold in the caves in winter, they walk the long way down to Rishikesh. In April they return to their hermitage. Which yoga style suits me? The bustling yoga capital is a place of pilgrimage and wintering place of the sadhus from the Himalayas. When it gets too cold in winter in the caves, they hike the long way down to Rishikesh. In April, they set off again for their hermitage. Rishikesh is the place of the yoga scene from all over the world. Besides gurus like Prembaba and Mooji, many swamis and yogis have found their home here. The place has become known in the West through the Beatles, who have practiced transcendental meditation here. The now abandoned Beatles Ashram is decorated with colorful flowers, a remnant of the Flower Power movement. Yogasubmarine puts together a program with The different styles of yoga for you to be sure you can not get at one of the many fake yogis. You are invited to try the different styles of yoga in the city with their wonderful teachers. From Tantra via Sivananda to Iyengar you will find a wide range of styles and after the yoga class you sit with other yogis to drink a Chai by the Ganges and exchange ideas. The two bridges, the Jhulas, divide the place into two quarters. At the Laxmanjhula live the hippies and Chilumsmoker and the area is more western touristic. From here we start our excursion to the waterfall always on the Ganges. The Rhamjhula belongs to Indian tourists and yogis. The large Sivananda Ashram and other ashrams in the area can be heard from afar. Through their mantras and rituals they put the city in a particular mood. Actually, all Rihsikesh is a single ashram. Many rituals are practiced publicly on the Ganges and the clear water invites all pilgrims to cool off and relax. Rishikesh is perhaps the little friendly sister of Varanasi and the city makes it seem as if the Devis, the female gods, gathered here. The two bridges, the Jhulas, divide the town into two quarters. ashrams in rishikesh The hippies and travelers live at Laxmanjhula and the area, with its many cafes, is more of a western tourist destination. From here we start our trip to the waterfall, always along the Ganges. The Rhamjhula belongs to Indian tourists and yogis. The large Sivananda Ashram and the other ashrams in the area can be heard from far away. Their mantras and rituals give the city a strange, magical atmosphere. Actually, the whole of Rishikesh is one big ashram. Just like in Haridwar, there is no meat or alcohol. Many rituals are performed publicly on the Ganges and the clear water invites all pilgrims to cool off and relax. Rishikesh is perhaps the friendly little sister of Varanasi and the city gives the impression that the Devis, the female goddesses, have gathered here. The city with its sandy beaches inviting for bathing and the many ashrams on whose stairs the devotees gather for rituals NEW DELHI 21 - 22 February Colorful markets Modern life meets tradition Sightseeing and absolute insider places read more VRINDAVAN 22 - 25 February Radha Krishna Mantra temple cleansing open your heart With Bhakti Yoga Read More HARIDWAR 25 February - 01 March Ashram Life Meditation Rituals Shivaratri Ganga Aarti Silence and inner peace at the river read more RISHIKESH 01 - 03 March Yoga metropolis beatles Satsang EncounterS Purifying Ganges bath with other Travelers read more VARANASI 03 - 07 March ShivaPower spirituality Ayurveda Healing Nada Yoga Immerse yourself with all your senses read more

Wir besuchen den heiligen Meditationsort Varanasi auf unserer Yogareise durch Nordindien und machen in der spirituellen Hauptstadt Indiens tiefe spirituelle Erfahrungen. Neben Hatha Yoga und indisch klassischer Musik praktizieren die Inder hier in ihrem Pilgerreiseziel in den Tempeln und an den Ghats vor allem die Yoga-Philosophie. Varanasi ist ein heiliger Pilgerort und die älteste Stadt der Welt. Meditation am Ganges, Stadtführung zu den Sehenswürdigkeiten in Varanasi, Tempelbesuche und Aarti Varanasi-12/31/2013 I was in Varanasi, my Indian home base, for a short intensive week. Varanasi is getting more beautiful every time. But this beauty does not only open up to the outer eye. Indeed, for the "westerner" Varanasi is a very difficult city to classify, a great challenge, and I, too, always have a split feeling of a terrible and beautiful love-hate relationship with this old and great city. Cities like Delhi, Calcutta or Bombay are easier for us to understand because they were all built by non-Indians. Varanasi is deeply Indian and difficult for us to grasp. We see the city remarkably differently than the Hindus see it. We take in the incense sticks, the smell of burns, sweet chai mingling with sticky fruit and fried spicy dishes on the street corner. Washing powder and the smell of camphor from the sacrificial candles on the stairs to the Ganges and garbage and plastic hangs sluggishly on the old cobblestones to be picked up or burned at some point. The Hindus see all this too. We hear the little bells of the priests and the big temple bells. Again and again prayers and mantras reach our ears, "Hare hare mahadev". Even if we have some yoga experience, or have read a book, been to an ashram, it will all seem strange and controversial to us. Varanasi is as old as Athens, Beijing, Rome, Damascus. However, not much has changed fundamentally in five thousand years. Imagine Greek rituals in Athens that still exist today, and then you can perhaps understand what is special about Varanasi. Electricity with occasional power cuts has existed since it was created about 5000 years ago, if you look inside the houses, you can see refrigerators and televisions, cars and motorbikes that once clogged them up such a quiet city, plastic packaging replaces banana leaves, and tea is rarely served in small clay cups. Nevertheless, this city is still living Hindu tradition. Time has stood still in the old part of the city on the Ganges side. The houses regularly deteriorate in the rainy season and are then repaired and repainted again in the wintertime. The climate in India underscores the ubiquitous notion of impermanence. Life and death form a unit. Decay is part of life, and our own impermanence is embraced with serenity and a smile in the face of the visible impermanence around us. Nothing material lasts. In return, the rituals are understood to be all the more important and concentrated. In Varanasi, doing your puja is still more important than getting to work on time. The rituals are the bridge to the other world or to immortality. Although everything will seem chaotic and without structure to us, Varanasi is full of rules. Controversially also rules for the conservation of matter. For example, great importance is attached to hygiene. We shower twice a day, before each visit to the temple again. After using the toilet, you rinse your buttocks with water, you only eat or touch food with your right hand, you don't suck on water bottles with your mouth, you let the water flow into your open mouth. When cooking, the food is not tasted in between. The houses and clothes are sparkling clean. And that is a miracle, since in Varanasi all power is in the dust. It has to be swept and mopped every day and almost no family has a washing machine or vacuum cleaner. The cityscape is dominated by men. The role model is separate. Most of the time, the man goes to work abroad and the woman takes care of the house and children. Women spend a lot of time in their home. But it's not like we imagine that women are locked in the house. The families are big and the house is lively. Marriages are still arranged by parents, and young women, who have previously had little contact with men, rely on their parents to know best what suits them. The young men feel the same way and at the wedding they sometimes see each other for the first time and are at a loss. Finally, the astrologer decides whether the two partners can close the marriage bond. The woman is the boss of the house and the man brings the money home. Men and women in traditional India don't have such a close cuddling relationship as we do in the West. The goal of marriage is to create a peaceful family. This is also a spiritual decision for each other and here again it is clear to see how little our concept of individual self-realization is of importance to the Indians. Karma means accepting your partner like your own child, who you don't choose, and you can love anyone. In different ways for sure. Therefore, one traditionally sees few couples in love, but often a friendly team between the sexes. Women tend to keep to themselves and men's friendships are also stronger than here in the West. Due to the intact extended families, there is also a great deal of social control in the house. According to our media reports, every woman in India is raped by her husband. That's not what I see here. On the contrary, there are far fewer arguments and dependencies than I perceive in couple relationships. Sometimes it even seems to me as if the severe restrictions on freedom here through the many rules and limits allow more freedom and independence, since fewer expectations of romantic love are attached to each other. This is one side of the perceptible. On the other hand, the big cities in India are changing rapidly and women are studying and emancipating themselves. It remains questionable whether this is always to the advantage. Instead of an extended family, childcare comes from outside, individuality and expectations of a promise of glitz and glamor are making inroads. Coca Cola everywhere. The university system introduced by the British, which every good democrat advocates , clearly destroys the traditional system of "gurushisha parampara" = "sitting at the feet of the guru". means being trained from childhood by specialists in your own family. Gurus, i.e. teachers who really have an interest in someone learning something, not so much because of the individual, but to continue the tradition. Today you see fewer good traditional artists compared to just 10 years ago. Traditional music and dance, painting, culinary arts and the correct execution of traditional medicine and crafts are becoming less and less, but young women and men are now specialists in macotronics and allopathic medicine. At Coffee Day, a chain like Starbucks, you can pay an extra rupee and support a child's education. You can now buy yourself a good conscience in India at the glamorous coffee stand with its caramelized Latte Machiato decafe. And that sounds great too, down with the caste system and education for everyone. School books did not exist in traditional India. Neither does the thought that someone is individually talented at anything. Someone is born into the into what exactly this soul has to go through in the course of its development, and if that was from a family of musicians Music was practiced from morning to night, and if the father was a shoeshine boy or a rickshaw driver, this was the trade that was learned. Each caste was important to the maintenance of a society. Today almost no one can repair a shoe anymore, and that is also less valued, Bollywood is ousting Hindustani classical music and a new idea of individuality is entering the Indian consciousness. "I'm worth it", to have a good rich life, I want the same opportunities as everyone else. But to do what? Raise up as a woman instead of children, which becomes less valuable, sit in the office and have a say in politics. Socially caste is perhaps a disaster. Spiritually it is very deep. I recognize more and more that it is not our place to judge or condemn what we can only begin to understand. Unruliness is so often praised in the West and also hyped in the New Age scene as a "free spirit". But all that individual rebellion and rebelliousness also leads to much conflict. I asserted my rights. Better to die than give in. From shoeshine boy to millionaire, the world is my oyster. Traditionally, India tends to be silent and knows that the smarter ones give in. In Varanasi in particular, the new American structures are not yet having an effect. Coca Cola's power is relatively small compared to Shiva's power. I would like to show you all of this and our trip will allow plenty of scope for discussions and the exchange of ideas. In this world of confusion and striving, where the ultimate truth lies is difficult for us to discover. Maybe that doesn't matter at all and everything has to be exactly as it is experienced. We are in our self-created web of karma and it takes as long as it takes. Happy New Year to you all full of compassion and many moments of clarity and light.

Die große Flut hat leider auch in Rishikesh und Haridwar schwere Schäden angerichtet. Ein Damm in den Bergen brach im Sommer, wusch ganze Straßen weg und überflutete die Ufer der Flüsse in den tiefer gelegenen Städten. In Varanasi standen wir bis zu den Schultern im Wasser und viele Tempel und Ashrams am Ganges wurden unter Wasser gesetzt. Die Inder sind wieder in bewundernswerter Gelassenheit damit umgegangen und es wurde nicht viel Aufsehen darum gemacht. Haridwar - 09.12.2013 In order to prepare your stomach for the Indian cuisine, some recipes for cooking at home are presented here from time to time. It is also very good to prepare the stomach with ginger a month before the trip. Hot ginger tea and ginger water highly dosed. Also include a lot of ginger in your cooking. So today "Kadai Paneer" is on the menu. Kadai means "Indian wok" and "paneer" is the Indian cheese, similar to our cottage cheese. I'll tell you how to make paneer yourself below. (It's very easy and you don't need to buy cheese anymore). Go vegan is best anyway. However, cheese is still part of the traditional Ayurvedic cuisine in India. Well first Kadai Paneer : and here again the ingredients for 4 people in German: - 1 green and 1 red pepper - 3 tomatoes - 250 gr paneer (or a little more) - 1 green chilli - 1 small head of ginger -3 tbsp oil -3 tsp cumin seeds = cumin -1.5 tsp ground coriander -1 half tsp tumeric = turmeric -1 half tsp cayenne pepper -2 EL geschnittene Fenuegreekseed leaves = Bockshornkleeblätter, alternativ geht auch _cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ dandelion. If that's too bitter for you, use parsley leaves. -1 tsp salt Paneer Jhalfrezi is very similar and also delicious. here you get a funny impression. How do I paneer . very easily. You need milk, let it boil. Afterwards the juice from Add about 4 lemons (to 2 liters) . The milk coagulates immediately from the citric acid. skim off. Sieve in a fine cloth. Finished. The cow makes milk for you. Milkable on every corner in India. But something for the calf leave. Here the cowherds say, two teats for the calf, one for the farmer and one for the neighbors. Basically, home-cooked a la Mama tastes best in India. In the restaurant you get all dishes a little greasy. In the ahram, everything tends to be more liquid as more water is added, and the dishes are not as spicy as the simple food is said to aid meditation and calm the mind. The food is mostly well-cooked, it is rarely firm to the bite. The food should be eaten by everyone in the family, the child and the old man without teeth. Indians don't quibble about their food. What is on the table is eaten. Food comes from God and is offered to God. We accept what is given to us. Especially in the ashram, cleanliness (saf) is the top priority. The food is prepared for God. Food is offered to him before we eat. That means no tastings during the cooking process. One does not eat until God has eaten. It is also said that our samskaras, which are our karma and impressions from the past and past lives, are passed on to others through the mouth. Therefore, speaking while cooking is also not allowed. Since we have enough to do with our own Samskaras, we_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d9_057 Samskaras_057 Add -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ to this. Traditional India has many rules. And all are spiritually based. A chef must be "prathiahara" (able to control one's senses). He is therefore a very highly respected yogi. When you order a dish, it's always a little different than you thought. This is exactly what is typical of India. Everything is always a little bit different than imagined and we learn from the Indians to keep our minds flexible. I've been at the Santosh Puri Ashram in Haridwar for 3 weeks, where we even learn Indian cooking. It is wonderful. The days are filled with warm sunshine. It gets cold at night and early in the morning. It will be similar in March, so remember the thick sweater again. Although, yesterday I went on a trip to Rishikesh with my ashramis, and there are wonderful hand-knitted hats, woolen scarves, sweaters and socks with extra large toes for the flip-flops. The calm in winter is sublime. All the tourists are now in the south and bathing in Goa and you can see all the magic of Rishikesh in the silence. It gets busier in March. Unfortunately, the heavy flood also caused severe damage in Rishikesh and Haridwar. A dam in the mountains burst in the summer, washing away entire streets and flooding the banks of rivers in the towns below. In Varanasi we were up to our shoulders in water and many temples and ashrams along the Ganges were submerged. The Indians have again dealt with it with admirable composure and not much fuss has been made about it. I still admire the man who stood in water up to his chest and still read his newspaper in a quite relaxed backbend. Om namah Shivaja! The impressive Shiva statue that stood in the Ganges in Rishikesh (see photo gallery Rishikesh) has been washed away. The Beatles Ashram, an abandoned paradise of flowers and ornaments, was submerged and is being restored. The Santosh Puri Ashram in Haridwar is even closer to the Ganges than before. The marijuana forest that was in front of it has been washed away and the water came right up to the ashram gate. Many Babbas who lived there in self-made huts lost what little they had. One can certainly think about what we do to nature and how it teaches us allerorts lessons. We don't need to have western pity. Even the much-discussed misery, which you can see on every corner in India, is simply carried strong and relaxed. The caste system still exists and from a social point of view it is certainly a disaster. Spiritually, everyone carries their karma, does not complain, and plays their earthly game royally in any position. However, we westerners in India are the ones who keep complaining. I am also very often confronted with evaluating things once again from my western world view. However, this only leads me to a dead end and thank God there is always this wise and constantly forgiving teacher Shakti, in so many forms, who has graced me here in India takes me by the hand and forgives my arrogance. We'll soon get to know them here together :-) Hari om tat sat. A few photos from the last few days from Haridwar and the surrounding area A school class welcomes us to the math lesson Mataji and her sister at the Santosh Puri Ashram and the holy dip in the Ganges Sunrise after morning puja at Santosh Puri Ashram