Living My Joy! Part 3 of my Sivananda Ashram Experience
My final week at the ashram went by incredibly fast!
We had the rest of the Kavadi celebrations which included us all helping out at the final day of the festival. This fell on what was officially our second day of week 4, the Sunday. When we were told they were expecting around 20,000 people to attend it, we thought our teacher, Prahlada, was joking- turns out, not so much!
It was amazing to see the different practices and to get to be part of the festivities. I was working in the kitchen for a few hours passing out plates of prasad for the crowds. When I say passing out, it was more like a high-speed chain of grabbing plates from one person and then tossing them at the next person in the chain, who then passed them to the people. It was intense but lots of fun!
All the crowds left that evening and the next day, we got to experience a Water Puja. All we were told beforehand, is the deity is brought to the pond to be washed and then brought back into the temple at the end of it. Not having more information made it all the more beautiful to witness and be part of. It was a truly moving ritual and I absolutely will never forget the whole experience.
Once all the ceremonies were over, we all got to jump into the pond which was so fun and cathartic too! I don’t have photos as I was hiding my camera from getting soaked- the splashing was joyously crazy and EVERYWHERE! I think all us YTTers who got in were excited to finally be part of the water-fights we had seen the kid’s get to have over the couple of weeks before!
The rest of the week was about tying up classes and preparing for our final exam. Lots of studying, quizzing each other and a bit of time for reflecting on the experience.
I learned an incredible amount during my time on the course. The Bhagavad Gita class was one of my favourites- our teacher for that was the most kindly, beautiful, wise man. He is a wonderful chanter and a wonderful teacher. The genius of how the course is constructed and laid out was very apparent in his class- all we had learned in the other classes and discussed in Satsangs and such the day before, were then the subject in the chapter of the Bhagavad Gita he would go through with us. It was pretty incredible! I know I will gain even more as I reflect on those classes over the coming months.
It was also the week of ‘lasts’:
The beautiful sunrise on my last morning:
The last Bhagavad Gita class:
The last lecture- wahoo!:
The last time I rang the bell!:
The last Satsang:
The last talent show:
The Kid’s Camp Graduation:
Our Graduation:
The final goodbyes and hang-outs with the beautiful people I met and have MUCH love for!
The month was SO fulfilling on so many levels. I have met numerous kindred spirits, a brother from another mother in Brent, a sister from another mister in Jill, singing partners in Amandine and Sebastien, made friends for life in all those beauties pictured at the dinner table, met so many wonderful, awesome people that I can’t actually list them all!
I learned so much about yogic philosophy, about myself, about living with others in harmony, about patience, kindness, contentment, happiness, joy, my body- how strong it is and how amazingly supportive it is. I have learned time-keeping, being responsible to others, being content in that responsibility and also that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. I am learning to let go of all those limiting thoughts I have had in the past and step into my true power. Most importantly, I have gotten affirmation that I am on the right path.
So thank you SO much to all my fellow participants on the course who taught me so much about myself, about friendship and love, to all the kids on Kid’s Camp for bringing laughter and joy to the campus, to all the teachers who gave so willingly and selflessly of their time and experience, the amazing staff at the ashram who made sure we all had everything we needed and provided us all with such wonderful food and shelter. Thank you also to all those who have given me pushes on my journey so far to get me to the point where I felt I could do this course. It has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life and I will treasure my time there always.
And finally, thanks to my readers for all the well wishes and messages. I hope the recap of my month gives those of you thinking about doing a YTT course, the impetus to go do one!
Whatever your joy, I hope you are living it!
With love and light,
Laura.x
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Resounding Power 
what an amazing journey. thanks for sharing – very inspiring!! aleya
Thank you! 🙂