Delhi

Delhi seems to be living up to it's name for me right now with a mild case of Delhi belly!!! Who knows where it comes from considering I am at present staying with friends and have only eaten food prepared by their cook and nobody else in the house is feeling anything. May very well have been that cucumber I didn't peel!!
I arrived back in Delhi on Thursday night after a very comfortable journey by train from Haridwar which is about an hours drive from Rishikesh.
The day before I was due to leave Rishikesh I began considering returning to continue with more yoga at the Trika yoga school that I found at Swargashram. Once I left Rishikesh I decided against returning this trip but will be keeping it in mind for further trips to this region.
I was fortunate to find (after 2 days of looking and asking around) this yoga school, presently run by an Indian guy and an American girl. Each day comprised of about 6 hours of yoga and yoga philosophy. Two hours in the morning when a new asana would be introduced detailing the chakras related to the asana. Unlike any other yoga I have practised the poses are held for a minimum of 5MIN. Hmmm, not surprisingly my aching left hip seemed to like this form of yoga.
Rishikesh proved to be a place of supreme energy, considered amongst yogis to be the holiest of all locations in India.
I liked Rishikesh a lot with it's ashrams dotted in the hills and along the Ganges, with it's mixture of Sadhu (holymen) and beggars, backpacking seekers and curious tourists and vendors trying to sell an assortment of "spiritual paraphenalia". Here you can find the blissful and the destitute and the blissfully destitute. Ashrams offer a quiet refuge for meditation, reflection and contemplation.
Before joining the yoga classes at Swargashram I did an Iyengar yoga class with a teacher at the small Hotel I was staying at. the class was adequate but not really up to what I had in mind for my stay in Rishikesh. The next day I did a great Ashtanga class at a small Shala right down by the river. Great to do such an energetic class and the teacher was outstanding.
My original intention was to try and attend classes with the renowned Ushu at Omkarananda Ashram. Regrettably they offered no open classes. Classes were restricted to those attending the week long course at the Ashram. I am grateful to have found the Trika school where I attended classes for 4 days.
During my short stay in Rishikesh I decided to change rooms to a cheaper room and share a little of my prosperity with the beggars and Sadhus as well as with an assortment of vendors.
Now that I am again in Delhi I have an opportunity to do some much needed washing, enjoy Peter and Elisabeth's company and indulge in a few days of rest and recreation before heading off to Varanasi. Everybody tells me it's a little crazy there with vendors and beggars more aggressive in their attempts to grab your attention.