I woke early to take a Yoga class. My instructor arrived at the hotel on a Vespa. He greeted me with his hands together 🙏 and head bowed saying Namaste and introduced himself as Krishna.
I followed him to the hotel’s yoga room where mats were ready. He asked if I’d like the fans on. In Victoria, I do hot yoga in a room where the temperature can reach 38oC. Without AC, I’d say the room got close to that!
He lead me through many yoga poses, emphasizing breathing. It was a good hour work out, I felt my muscles for the rest of the day!
We went to the Ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, made famous by the Beatles, who visited Rishikesh in 1968.
They learned Transcendental Meditation (TM) and Indian instruments such as the sitar and tabla and wrote the song ‘Across the Universe’ in honour of their experience.
The 7.5 hectare site of the Ashram is now run by the government. It is both a tourist site and a tiger refuge. We didn’t see any tigers! 🐅 🐅
The Maharishi left the Ashram in 1970 and sadly it was vacated and fell into disrepair in the early 1980s.
It is a serene place along the Ganges river. Each building is unique. Despite the graffiti and dilapidated structures, you can sense it’s former beauty.
The only building still maintained had a cafe and a display of photos. Two of them had Canadian connections.
TM lives on as do the Beatles!
Stepping off the Edge 
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