India Journal 2006 #30 March 23rd...Meeting with Akhilesh

Akhilesh, my Reiki Master, who some of you may remember from the interesting stories revolving around my first meeting with him in 2001, is someone I always look forward to seeing, particularly because of our interesting history together.
I knew he would be with his Swami in Rishikesh and finally found the time to go and look for him and see him at his ashram today. He had told me where it is, and several people told me it was no problem to get to as all the riskshaw drivers knew where the ashram is...it is apparently quite famous. When I finally found it I understood why. Called Dayananda Ashram, it is almost in Rishikesh town, on the banks of the Ganga (opposite the river from what used to be the Maharishi's ashram-known here as the "beatles' ashram"), and it is very large, very beautiful, and totally Indians. Very very few foreigners

come there and it has a truly lovely feel about it.

I had an easy morning and afternoon and then picked up a shared rickshaw on the road for 5 rupees, and he knew exactly where to let me off, but tried to convince me to take a private rickshaw for 40 rupees to take me all the way down...I said the main road was fine but he looked skeptical. Anyway, he dropped me off just a couple of blocks from the main market and told me how to walk, but the owner at the guesthouse had already given me a map as to how to walk and Akhilesh had given me some landmarks so I felt OK. I began walking through small side streets in downtown Rishikesh...real India you could say, and nothing was written anywhere in English. I just stopped every so often and asked a shopkeeper, and they all knew exactly what I was looking for but had difficulty explaining exactly how to go. In the end, I found it, without much difficulty, and when I got to the gate there was a guard sitting there. I asked if he knows Akhilesh and was very happy to say he did (afterwards I found out why everyone seemed to know him so well...he has been living there for over 20 years, in recent years only 1 1 /2 months twice a year but in the past for much longer periods)...he sent some boy with me to show me where to find him, but all of a sudden he left my side and just said Akhilesh, pointed straight ahead and walked away. There was an office there so I went in and an old guy was sitting at one of the desks, dreaming. I asked if he knew Akhilesh and he said yes but didn't know what room but he would find out from the guy at the gate who DOES know. A few phone calls later and his saying, in English into the phone "Some LADY (!) is looking for him"....he told me room 159. OK, I ask, and where is room 159..."in garden" says he...and where would that be? Some more pointing and then as if to say "get lost", sits back down at the desk and goes back to his dreaming.
I walked out and asked the first person I saw for room 159...points in a certain direction and sends me off as well...I try again, and again come to prayer places, "no footware beyond this point"...kitchen,,,,meeting rooms, but no room 159. Finally came to another guard and asked him for 159 and he says "Ah, Aklesh...yes...market...10 mintes...one hour...back..."...and with hand gestures I asked "what to do? where to go wait?" and he looks at me with a big grin, as if to say "what a silly question"...and just says "Ganga".....Guess it was a silly question as I was on the banks of the Ganga and didn't realize it...and so very happily went to sit for an hour on the Ganga....aside from the pictures in this post, I also took a video..perhaps the sounds will come through as well.

So I went to sit, and it was quite lovely, and peaceful.




Women doing puja, some babas meditating on rocks, and children frolicking naked in the water...
and just as I was getting comfortable on a rock I had chosen, someone comes up behind me, a cute young Indian guy, and I became worried...he approached me and said "come, come...Akhilesh is looking for you!".....And sure enough, he was up top waving at me. Seems this young guy had heard me talking to the guard, and not wanting to waste time, began running towards the market to find Akhilesh and bring him back!

So, we spent a lovely hour or so together...he had to get to another course at 5 at the Iyengar center in Ra m Jula as a prominent Yoga instructor named Barbara from the States was giving a course fo 10 days and he had signed up. When I asked him why, what did he have to learn from an American, he said not so much Yoga, but teaching methods and English ways of explaining ideas and postures etc. Since he now teaches all over the world, France, Switzerland and Barcelona this past year, he is always looking for better ways to explain things to foreigners so that they will understand.

I am always pleased to see him, and each time I do, there is a new presence about him, a further dignity, (even some grey hair which is distinguishing for a man), and a new seriousness about his life purpose. I was very pleased with our meeting and he was as well...I showed him pics of the family which he always likes to see, and told him about my experiences with Reiki classes in Rishikesh, and he was very pleased and very encouraging as well.

I will see him again in Bhagsu, but this meeting left me with a very wonderful feeling. Getting feedback and validation from your Master is always wonderful. When I arrived back at the guesthouse, one of the guys who works there stopped me asked what happened to my eyes? I didn't understand and thought perhaps my eye makeup was running, but he said no...you look ....and he was stuck for the word so asked where I had come from.

I told him from my Reiki Master and he said "That's it...your eyes are glowing...you look extra happy"...It was amazing that he would notice that and even more amazing that this meeting, which left me feeling wonderful, would show up so clearly on my face!

So, all in all, a lovely day, as they all seem to be lately....enjoy the pics...hope to write up another post yet today about my further meeting with Nandu and the work when I get back, but will see how things go....

Namaste
Jane

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India Journal 2006 #5 Feb. 6-9-My New Home in Lovely Rishikesh

Well, I will make this short, just to let you know where I spent the first two days and then see if I can get caught up. We were taken by taxi to an Ashram (I hopefully will write a little more about Shantam, the guy I met at the airport who spent the first couple of days with me, but only when I have the inclination), and this was Ashram in its extreme I imagine. I'm sure there are some places which are quite pleasant, but this certainly wasn't one of them. First of all, no one there spoke one word of English which also prooved to be very problematic. It was quite isolated which could h ave been nice, but there was NO hot water whatsoever, the bed was board hard and did bad things to my back, and the food, well, the food. It was standard Indian food but with no flavor as they use no salt, no garlic, no spices of any kind I could taste. Just chapati, dahl and rice, which is fine if it has some flavor, and in the morning some horrible cooked grain also with no flavor. and of course we sat on the floor to eat, which is also OK, but on the cold, damp hard floor with not even a sheet to sit on. The room was also dark as they had no lights and only one tiny candle
so that you could not even see what you were eating. And NO spoon at all for either of us and the dahl was liquid...in short...not pleasant and certainly not satisfying. In addition, meals were at certain times and if you missed them, you are out of luck. And of course we were expected to wash our own dishes, which basically is also OK, but for all the above luxury we were expected to pay 400 rupees per day for the room and another 200 rupees a day for the food!!!

So on the morning of the second day both of us met after my meeting with the doctor and found our way up to Bhandari (New) Swiss Cottage and picked our rooms after much deliberation. I have a very nice room at the very end of the guesthouse so it is completely quiet and surrounded by foliage. And, wonder of wonders, there is a swing right outside my room, just like the one I always had in my own garden and have missed for the last 2 years in my city home. and no one ever seems to want to use it except me! Either listening to the birds, or reading, or using my IPod to hear lovely music...it is a true treat and blessing. Wonderful shower with pressure and I can heat the water any time I want any time of the day and it is BOILING hot! I've set up the room very comfortably and even have plenty of floorspace to do my yoga etc. And all this for only 250 rupees a day!!

So now to the morning of the 6th after sleeping not very soundly but actually starting my needlepoint which I bought to take with me at the last minute. It was really a good idea for relaxing when you don't even feel like reading. Put on some nice music and drifted away. And then morning finally came and vivek, the guy in charge of the place I am doing the treatments came to pick me up and take me to the appointment with the doctor.
And, to my great surprise, we were doing this on his motorbike. Thank goodness for my experience in 2003 when I spent 5 weeks on Ravin's motorbike in Chennai. He took me on a quick tour of Rishikesh to get me orientated and that was a good idea for me later on in the day, and then we went to meet the doctor. You can read about that in the posts re: my treatments which I am keeping separate.

I am not sure of the day but I think I am now talking about Thursday....The place I am doing the treatments was also a good choice in the end. It is small and austere, very basic but also very clean and VERY personal . I get 100% full attention from everyone and this pampering is a true luxury for me.
My cold and cough are just about a thing of the past as is that strange pain I had the last couple of days in my scalp running down to my neck etc. But that disappeared miraculously the second I found myself on the plane to Delhi....

Slept beautifully and had a nice hot hower this morning and my first of 2 daily doses of 3 TAB of melted butter with my porridge this morning. Walked down to the treatment center. It is very similar to walking down from Bhagsu... Mountain rising up on one side and falling off down the other, but not Pine forest like in Dharamsala. It is the type of foliage Ruskin bond describes in his books, but not sure what the trees are. Perhpas spruce and some maple? Don't know but still wonderfully green and embracing. And of course monkeys everywhere, but here also the beautiful white ones (lemurs?) are also found in addition to the aggressive Rhesus.And the birds...so many birds singing, outside my room, while walking, everywhere...
The big difference is of course that once the mountain slopes all the way down, it reaches the Ganges and this is lovely. The color of the water changes each day, but it is clean and clear and quite lovely. I am surprised by the beauty of it, and it is very low this time of the year. And of course when you finish the walk down you arrive at one of the two bridges, Ram Jula and Laxman Jula...Laxman being the original built in 1939 I believe and Ram Jula built fairly recently further downstream where there was previously only a ferry. They are both very crowded at all times and even motorcycles go across them and they vibrate. You really have to get used to the feeling.

I did lots of walking after my treatment taking the very long way around home through Laxman Jula...I had started on the far side of Ram Jula...I know this means nothing to most of you but I had to walk along the bank from one bridge to the other, and then going up Laxman Jula after getting back to the other side of the Ganges and up to town is all uphill, with lots of steps...and then my guesthouse is even further up hill...quite a climb. But I enjoyed it and hope once my treatments are over and I am not expected to rest alot, I will do lots more of this. I was even told there is a waterfall up in the forest so eventually hope to get there as well.

OK, I will end here and finish catching up tomorrow... I actually lost a whole day as someone came up to me while I was eating dinner and "Shabbat Shalom" and I said "What do you mena? today is Thursday!!" The only way he could convince me that it really was Friday was to ask all the other people in the restaurant what day it was!! So now I just have to write about Shabbat and today, Sunday, but will do that next time.

The next post will contain little impressions etc., as well.

Namaste for now
Jane

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