Yoga,Ashram, The cosmos and other such mumbo-jumbo...

After my yoga retreat in Maine last year, even the husband (who wasn't on that trip with me) decided that a mini yoga trip within a few hours of where we live might be worth a shot. The weekend of April 3rd-4th seemed especially promising - beautiful, sunny WEEKENDS (there is no need for the sun to shine so gracefully during the weekdays) are so hard to come by in this part of the world at this time of the year that letting your skin bathe in the sun is like stocking up on precious food while it lasts at a refugee camp. You never know how many days it will be before you are fed sunlight again if you live and work in New York, thanks to an evil conspiracy between rain bearing clouds and harried corporate clients.

We were off to Ananda Ashram in Monroe, New York, an hour's drive from Greenwich, CT. The entrance to the ashram had a sign on the wall, off to the side, in medium sized,subdued green letters which could be easily missed in the dark "Yoga Society of New York, Est. 1958". A couple walking up the pathway pointed us to the main office which was fairly dilapidated, old'ish building with a small,white creaky door. A caucasian lady with cropped hair and glasses sat in a little office which had pictures of Ganesha, Shri Krishna, Shri Brahmananda (The Guru) on the walls, and a small bench with brocade cushions for visitors to sit on while the lady checked them in and gave them instructions on how to get around the Ashram. The office had windows overlooking a small private lake and undulating green patches of land, that were not carefully manicured but not overgrown. Deers roamed about freely on the premises and the lady reacted to my excitement at seeing them by letting us know that the deers have lyme disease. Rooms are usually dorm style (with bunk beds) or semi private (two people to a room). The husband and I got a semi private room in one of the many similarly slightly creaky, somewhat dilapidated but clean buildings owned by the Ashram all within 100-150 yards of the main office building.
Rooms are spartan - two standing lamps, a basic dresser, two twin beds, two windows and a closet with additional blankets.
The establishment is basically run by volunteers - who were all under 25 and hipsters from Brooklyn, and broke into songs and played the guitar between chores.

All meals were preceeded by a little shloka recited by an oldi'sh volunteer who assumed that the husband and I would obviously chime in (being the only Indians around)- these american hindus who have never been to India don't realize that we don't start mouthing shlokas at birth(or sometimes ever).

Meals are served in a separate kitchen area and are american vegetarian (maybe even aspiring to be Indian, as their version of the palak paneer will have you believe) and no, I, the carnivore did not complain - maybe because as we piled the food on to our plates, the chef who looked like another one of 'dem hipsters, remarked that he was (or maybe had been) the assistant chef at David Bouley and Resto in Manhattan and was volunteering at the Ashram for a few months. I think this was meant to be a pick up line for the pretty young volunteer he was speaking with, but unfortunately for him the pretty young girl didn't know of either of the establishments, and turned away with a polite smile. The chef looked around expectantly, and found that the "unpickable" husband and me to be the only ones suitably impressed.

The meditation session was led by this German woman who called herself Bharti, wore a white cotton sari, played the harmonium, and seemed apalled that the husband and I spoke less Sanskrit (no Sanskrit in my case) than her. And that we hadn't read the Upanishads. She also teaches Sanskrit at the ashram, and read to us from the Vedas. Heavy duty stuff.

I don't know- what is it with ashrams being full of artists, musicians, writers, academics and hipsters? Since I am an aspiring artist-musician-writer-academic-hipster, I did not mind being out of place at all. Its the money, I think- going to the Ashram is cheaper than going to, I don't know, the hamptons maybe (which is too tacky for these sorts anyway) or flying away somewhere for the weekend. Several sessions of Yoga and meditation, three meals and the accomodation are all included in the price at the Ashram which is a fairly pretty place - alcohol is not allowed but feel free smoke up. And sing, by the lake or anywhere else you please. I think I see why they like it. I loved it.