I suppose ashram daily life varies a bit from ashram to ashram, but one thing I know for sure: the routine will always be consistent and strict.
I don’t mean strict in a bad way, but with a sense of discipline. In fact, that might be the word I could use to sum up ashram life: disciplined.
Again, in a good way. Ashrams are powerful places; you can feel the love and support there. It’s really an ideal place to focus on personal growth and, of course, yoga and the yogic lifestyle, which is part of the reason why I wanted to do both of my trainings there.
Ashram daily life looked like this for us as yoga teacher trainees (for those who are staying in the ashram, it’s the same except that they don’t attend classes all day, plus there’s another 4:00pm yoga class they can go to):
5:00 Good Morning Bell
The security guard gave it a good long ring, followed by five individual rings, and there was never any doubt about whether or not it would serve to wake you up.
5:20 Meditation
We all met in the yoga hall for meditation. One of our teachers led this each day by giving us a type of meditation to work with.
6:00 Yoga Asana Practice and Meditation
Monday-Friday, Vishva-ji led this practice for an hour and 45 minutes. On Saturdays, it was taught by another one of our teachers (although for teacher trainees, we spent our Saturday mornings in the lower hall doing yogic cleansing or having workshop classes with Vishva). On Sundays, this was a self-practice.
Other ashram guests and people from outside the ashram are welcome to attend these morning classes. At times, we had nearly 100 people in there! Our mats were mere inches apart.
8:00 Agni Hotra
The daily fire puja was one of my favorite activities. It takes about 25 minutes, and there is a set ritual of lighting the fire, offering ghee and herbs, and chanting.
8:30 Breakfast
The ashram meals are delicious! Each day we were offered dates, a piece of fruit (orange, apple, banana, or papaya, depending on the day), herbal tea, and a main dish: porridge, paratha, samosas, poha (a rice dish), or uppama (a porridge made of amaranth). Breakfast was my favorite meal of the day.
Teacher trainees and ashram guests all take turns serving the meals. We sit on the floor with little benches on which to place our plates. There is truly an abundance of food — the servers bring the food by a second, third, and fourth time until everyone is satisfied; the kitchen staff is masterful at making sure we have plenty of food but without having a lot of leftovers. (In the yogic diet, each meal is made fresh.)
When we’re finished, we scraped any uneaten food into a compost bin, then washed our plate, spoon, and cup.
9:15-10:40 First Session
This is when ashram guests would read or go explore the town. For yoga teacher trainees, we went to our first class session of the day. The subject varied from day-to-day as we worked to cover all the coursework: philosophy, history, methodology, teaching techniques, ayurveda, psychology, and more.
10:55-12:15 Second Session
We took a 15-minute break, then changed subjects for the second session.
12:30 Lunch
More delicious food! Lunch was the largest meal of the day and always consisted of dahl (lentil or bean soup; each day was a different variety), rice (usually basmati, sometimes brown), chapati (an Indian flatbread), raw vegetables (a mix of cucumber, radish, carrot, and cabbage), cooked vegetables (perhaps broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, peas & carrots, beets, or turnips), and sometimes yogurt.
We were also offered a choice of ghee, coconut oil, or olive oil to pour over any of the dishes. Oil is an important part of the yogic diet to keep you grounded and your body lubricated.
1:00-2:30 Free Time
I generally used this time to study or read, and to catch up a bit with the internet. Some went out to shop at the organic store or have a chai, but I preferred to stay in the ashram during the week.
2:30-3:45 Third Session
4:00-5:45 Fourth Session
During the third, fourth, and fifth weeks of the course, this time slot was dedicated to teaching practicums. Each teacher trainee had to teach three practicums of different class styles, the first two with a partner (we each taught half of the class), and the final one on our own.
6:00 Dinner
I never tired of the ashram food. It was simple and predictable, but absolutely delicious and made with so much care and love. Before every meal, we recited a mantra — a prayer before eating.
Dinner was usually dahl, rice, chapati, and a vegetable. A couple of nights per week, we were also served a treat, like rice pudding or one of the delicious coconut sweets from the bakery.
Those with dietary restrictions were taken care of with gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options.
7:00 Evening Program
On Mondays, we had a transformational experience, which was different every week.
Tuesdays was kiirtan (group chanting). As trainees we were required to attend all evening programs, except for Tuesday nights — we could take a free night if we wanted, which I always did.
Wednesdays was my favorite: satsang. We usually did a couple of chants, then Vishva took our questions. I love listening to him speak — no matter if he’s answering someone’s query or telling a personal story, there’s always a nugget of wisdom in there.
Thursdays was kiirtan, this one required. I’m about 50/50 on kiirtan — I love some of the chants and others I find boring or hard to sing (because I’m definitely not a singer).
On Fridays we met in our small groups. There were 34 students in my teacher training class, which is pretty darn big, so on Fridays we met in groups of six or seven (these groups stayed the same throughout the entire course) with one of our teachers to discuss our insights and concerns. We just went around the circle, each person saying whatever was on their mind. I enjoyed these short sessions immensely. They provided a nice opportunity to share your feelings without getting a bunch of overwhelming feedback, and to connect more closely with some classmates.
9:00 Silence Begins
The ashram is in silence from 9:00pm-9:00am. The only talking is done by the person teaching the morning class. I found this so peaceful. We don’t realize how much pressure we put on ourselves to make small talk — when that pressure is relieved, it’s lovely, indeed. Plus, eating in silence allows us to focus on the food, which helps us pay better attention to when we’re actually full, and to enjoy that food more. We also took dinners on Tuesdays and Thursdays in silence.
You also have the option to go into silence at any time for as long as you’d like — simply pick up a tag at the office that says, “I’m in silence” and everyone knows not to expect any answers from you. This is something many of us did after big experiences, like the ancestral ceremony and the major cleanse.
10:00 Lights Out
Let’s be honest: I was usually asleep by 8:30. During the last week of the course, after my practicums and other major assignments were finished, I found myself staying up a bit later (once until 9:30!) to read.
Weekends
On Saturdays, as I mentioned, we usually met in the downstairs hall after meditation for instruction in yogic cleansing techniques, or for workshop-style classes (we had one on breathing techniques and another on backbending during this Saturday morning session). Then we did fire puja and breakfast as normal. The first two weeks, we took field trips during the morning. The third week we were resting because of the BIG cleanse we’d done before breakfast (more on that in a future post), and the last two weeks we had class sessions to catch up on material. Our afternoons were free.
On Sundays we did karma yoga from 9:15-10:00 am or so. This consisted of cleaning our rooms and the ashram common areas. We were divided into groups and given an area to work on. After that, the day was free. On these days, I liked to wander around the village, shopping for a few Christmas gifts. I also took the time to study and read, and to handle emails.
As you can see, every day was beautifully full. For the yoga teacher trainees, this was no accident. Yoga teacher training is designed to be transformative, not only for us as yoga teachers, but for us as human beings. We joked that the ashram was like a pressure cooker, and thank goodness. It’s not an easy process, but it’s certainly worthwhile. And though the days were busy, the routine is both healthy and soothing. Even though we put in a lot of hours, the days went quickly.
I look forward to spending more time at Anand Prakash in the future. Even if you have no interest in a full teacher training there, I’d highly recommend spending a few days there to learn more about yoga and the yogic lifestyle.