Things I Did Before Visiting the Sivananda Ashram in Madurai

Ok, it was about time to update my blog. So what have I been doing since my last update two months ago? After Mamallapuram, I went straight to Kovalam Beach and spend a whole month there. "A whole month??!!!"

A visit to Amma's ashram, the Hugging Saint, in Amritapuri

Four years ago, during my first trip to India, I heard about the "hugging saint" a lovely Indian lady guru called by her followers "Amma" (Mother).  She just sits down and gives hugs to hundreds of people each day, a hug that according to her disciples can open your heart and awaken the spiritual energy dormant within ourselves.

This is called Amma's Darshan and believe it or not she has been given it for about 30 years already embracing about 26 million people!

The Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course in India [Review]

My stay at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, for their Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course, started with an early visit to the nearest hospital.  I got so sick I had to see the Ayurvedic doctor of the ashram.

I was a bit worried, I thought he would just recommend me an Ayurvedic massage or tea but he actually gave me very good advise.

Kovalam Beach

From Mamallapuram to Kovalam Beach...... that was a looong journey! I took a local packed bus from Mamallapuram to Pondicherry, then an overnight bus from Pondicherry to Bangalore, from Bangalore an overnight train to Trivandrum and from Trivandrum a local bus to Kovalam Beach.

A Week in Mamallapuram

After Tiruvannamalai, I decided to pay a visit to Mamallapuram, on the southeast coast. Since I had to stay in the area to go once more to Bangalore I thought that it would be nice to spend a few days there.

My expectations were quite low. I thought that no beach between Chennai and Pondicherry would be clean enough to take a nice swim but luckily I was wrong.

Climbing Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai

One of my lazy mornings in Tiruvannamalai I decided to walk towards the Arunachaleswar Temple to visit it for the first time, but when I was almost there an Indian guy crossed my way and told me that the temple was closed but he could show me the way to the Virupaksha Cave in the Mount Arunachala (this cave has been venerated since more than 700 years ago because it was used by the saint Virupaksha and because Ramana Maharshi lived in it for 16 years from 1899 to 1916).

The Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Tiruvannamalai

The Sri Ramanasramam, in Tiruvannamalai, is the ashram of one of India's greatest saints, Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, also known as the Sage of Arunachala. His main teaching was the practice of Self-enquiry, answering questions such as "Who am I?" as a means to remove ignorance and discover the true Self.

Discovering the Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Tiruvannamalai

After six days in Pondicherry, it was time to leave my nice room with sea view at the Park Guest House and continue with my journey to Tiruvannamalai. The decision was not that difficult; when I went to the reception to pay I said "maybe I will stay another couple of days" and they answered, "No, you can't."

Yoga Dance Performance at SVYASA in Bangalore

During my stay at the SVYASA Yoga University in Bangalore, I was able to be present at the celebration of the 25 years (I think) of the University. For two days they had a special program with some shows. The first day they had some sketches prepared by some of the students. They were a bit funny cause they had only one day to prepare.

Discovering Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville

Finally, after three weeks in Bangalore, I've made a move. At the end of my last day at the Atma Darshan Yogashram, I took a night bus to Pondicherry, a French colony in India. The bus left at 10 pm and we were supposed to arrive at 6 am but not surprisingly something happened with the bus and we arrived at 8 am instead.