Rishikesh India

This is my first entry on this blog and hopefully not the last. I am a novice in the blooging world and am now initiated into the world of internet cafes.

I arrived in Rishikesh on Saturday after a comfortable journey by train from Delhi to Haridwar where I was met by a driver who drove me the distance to Rishikesh. I'm not even certain what the distance is and in fact distance says nothing, it's more about the time it takes to cover the distance and the car journey was about an hour. rishikesh lies on the banks of the Ganges river and is where the Ganges leaves the foothills of the Himalayas to continue it's journey across the plains. On either side of the river you can find an assortment of ashrams offering an assortment of accomodation. I have decided not to stay at an Ashram but instead at the guest house I had originally booked. I spent the first day and a half wandering, looking, taking in all the sights and sounds, smells and looking for prospective yoga classes or teachers. this is no shortage of classes. Everywhere there are signs offering yoga clases, meditation, massage, astrological readings, ayurvedic consultations and each place trying to outdo themselves on the credibility scale by calling themselves an institute or college. The classes I had been hoping to join and the teacher I had hoped to practice with was unfortunately unable to take drop in students. there is a week long course under way at the moment at the Omkarananda Ashram where I had hoped do some classes. Instead the first morning I practised with an Ikyengar teacher who the guest house recommended. It was OK but not realy what I am looking for. the second day I joined an Ashtanga class, which is always energising, at a wee shala on the steps leading down to the Ganges. A great class with a great teacher, full of energy and experienced. Yesterday morning I decided to check out the yoga a place advertising Trika yoga at Swargashram. The yoga is very different from anything I have practised before. Poses are held for a minimum of five minutes!! I have decided to participate in these classes that include yoga and a lecture every morning followed by an asana class and again in the eveing. I have jumped in on the second week of a four week course which they don't mind people doing. I have decided to continue attending these classes until I leave Rishikesh on Thursday. So far I have been introduced to a new perspective on yoga and like some of what I hear although I am not impressed with all the teachers. Now the third day of my stay here I am already beginning to feel like an old hand. Rishikesh is so tiny and the same people greet me every morning as I bustle off to yoga class. The assortment of beggars, holy men (sadhus) cows wandering the streets, people selling everything from bindis (marks for your forehead) to fruit and vegetable, hot chai, fish food for the fish in the river. The list gones on. I love the smiling greetings, the quick interaction as they all try to ply me with their goods and engage me in some kind of exchange t hopefully get a little cash out of me. I have decided that a small offering everyday to either a beggar, holy man, vendors selling stuff I really don't want is what I will do. Although that one offering is often multiplied many times over throughout the day. As a tourist from the first world visiting the third world I have an obligation to spread as much of my travel funds around to these people in need. I can't solve India's problems of poverty and injustice but I can with share some of my resources with a minute number of local people wherever I go and do so with a little dignity and humility and at the same time receive something in return and reward their efforts trying to sell some little thing to me.