Sivananda Ashram (Quebec, Canada)

Yogic training ground

I just returned from a month at Sivananda Yoga Camp, an ashram located about an hour outside Montreal, Canada. Sivananda is a highly regarded yoga school and one of the first to become popular in the west. Yoga Camp serves as its international headquarters, and its expansive campus is nestled in the lush green Laurentian Mountains of Val Morin, complete with a hilltop temple.

My stay consisted of 20 days of Karma Yoga service and 10 days of Ayuverda and Wellness counselor course. My experience was intense and richly rewarding, packed with activities and loaded with first time experiences. I could not think of a better way to study myself.

Every day was a story – new people, new challenges, and new discoveries. I am all about getting out of comfort zone and undoing my past habitual mind patterns these days, and Sivananda gave me that and much more in a safe supportive spiritual community.

Everything was constantly changing, from weather (expect all weather types daily) to people (constantly making and parting with new friends). Letting go of control and surrendering was the way to go.

I feel very lucky to have come across this sacred place and am grateful for all the people I connected with that made the experience extra special.

Ashram Life – Immersing in yogic community

Sivananda reminded me of the spiritual community I encountered in Rishikesh India earlier this year (click here for the post). It attracted a diverse group of people from all over the world, including many repeat travelers and students of Sivananda Teacher Training Course.

The ashram followed a rigid schedule, starting with a 5:30am wakeup bell and ending with evening Satsang (meditation, chanting and lecture) at around 9:30pm, with various activities throughout the day. Two vegetarian meals were served daily at 10am and 6pm. Everyone contributed to the upkeeping of the ashram, including vacation guests who were required to contribute service for an hour each day.

I learned to simplify my routine and maximize efficiency. When that still produced little free time, I began compartmentalizing time differently. I went from thinking “I have no free time” to “this is how I choose to spend my time”. This was my conscious choice after all, and a great one.

Karma Yoga – Disconnecting with self

There is no ‘I’ in Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga is a method of self purification by providing selfless service without expecting any gains. Everyone at the camp contributed at least an hour a day to Karma Yoga service. I had specifically signed up to stay as a Karma Yogi for 20 days, which meant ~4 hours of training to surrender every day (also referred to as ‘work study’).

It was akin to showing up to a day labor in that I didn’t know what my task was gong to be until each morning. Surprisingly, I did not get a single desk job, which would have resembled my old finance job. Instead, I was assigned to various standing tasks ranging from cooking, sweeping, cleaning, and folding laundry to plain physical labor (clearing dead branches, digging a ditch, and moving rocks).

Every task was a new experience for me, repeatedly enforcing beginner’s mentality and ego reduction. I noticed that working with hands and feet helped me connect to the earth and awaken my senses. There was a mindful aspect to every job, and it seemed that almost anything could be turned into a meditative experience.

No person was too important. It was humbling to witness a spiritual leader go from giving inspirational talks on the stage to doing physical labor. Every job was a team effort, and bonding with other karma yogis was the best part.

My favorite was cooking dinner for 150-200 people with three others in an industrial kitchen where I learned new recipes. But the moment I got comfortable and ‘attachment’ started developing, I was switched to another role.

Eggplant Lesson – Letting go of control

We worked with ~40 silent eggplants one evening. The goal was to create roasted eggplant salad shelled in eggplant skin for ~160 people.

The process went something like this: halve eggplants vertically, insert a few lines with a knife tip, cook in the oven, scoop out the inside without breaking the skin, make eggplant salad separately (mixed with other vegetables), put salad back into the skin (again without breaking the skin), and finally cut each further in half (without destroying the dish).  I was skeptical when our talented chef exclaimed “Easy!”.

The process took almost 4 hours and required meticulous attention and infinite patience. I never knew how delicate eggplant skin could be, particularly the long skinny light purple kind. They expressed displeasure by breaking apart if I applied too much force. There was no shortcut, only patience and perseverance.

Sivananda Yoga – Finding comfort in discomfort

Sivananda’s yoga class consisted of a unique 2-hour sequence comprised of breathing exercise, Hatha yoga (think long holds) and Savasana corpse pose (laying still on the ground) in-between each pose. There was no music, except for the rhythmic tone of the teacher’s voice. Students practiced with eyes closed, concentrating and going internal. There was no mirror anywhere anyway.

What I loved about Sivananda’s yoga was its emphasis on relaxing into poses to releasing tensions. We were encouraged to find a sense of ease even in the most challenging poses and smile. The final Savasana followed a 3-step process to ensure complete relaxation. I found myself relaxed to the point of almost falling asleep at the end of every single class.

After four weeks of daily practice, there were major improvements in my strength, flexibility, and lung capacity. I also noticed a quieter mind and an ability to smile through discomfort.

Sun Saltation – Getting fed by the sun

Sun Saltation took on a whole new meaning for me after one class.

Sun Saltation (Surya Namaskar) was a gentle a warm-up and the most fluid portion of Sivananda yoga. I had the fortune to participate in a class taught by a traveling teacher who was once a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananta (1927-1993; brought Sivananda to the west).

During an outdoor class, the teacher had us rearrange mats for Sun Salutations so we were all facing the sun directly. As we flowed through the 12-pose sequence with eyes closed, he guided us through where the sunrays fed our body (chakras) and sang sun greeting mantra for the final few rounds. I found the effect to be so profound and invigorating, getting fully immersed in sun rays and harmonizing the external light with internal light.

Headstand Lesson – Getting over the fear of falling

In Japan, there is a saying “if you fall seven times, get up eight times (7転8起). That’s exactly what I did in learning to stand on my head, quite literary.

Headstand was something I had occasionally tried to practice without wall but could never do for fear of falling. But it was part of Sivananda yoga’s sequence, and there was no avoiding it.

The key was discovering that falling out of balance was not a catastrophe. After all, my head was already on the ground, and I was not going to fall that far. Once I discovered that, I was well on my way to success with daily improvements, and rolling backwards even became somewhat amusing. The excitement of finally being able to go upside down without any assistance was unforgettable and well worth all the falls.

(Note: Headstand requires proper technique. Do not attempt it by yourself without adequate guidance.)

Lodging – Minimizing

I lived out of a 1-person tent for my first 20 days while serving as a Karma Yogi. Prior to this, I had little camping experience as an adult (one overnight trip this summer, to be exact).

Though I was barely able to sit up in my tent, it contained everything I needed. I quickly got used to sleeping on the solid ground and feeling the support of the earth. Unzipping to the nature was a refreshing way to start a day at 5:30am. I learned to really appreciate dry weather after rainy days, and when I moved into a dorm for the Ayuverda course, I had new appreciation for a solid roof and shelves.

Ayuverda Course – Pursuit of healthy living

I was briefly introduced to Ayuverda during Ashtanga teacher training 2 years ago. Ayuverda is rooted in ancient Indian wisdom to live a long balanced happy life. It offers a holistic approach to staying healthy physically and psychologically, taking into account inherent body and energy type and psychological tendency, as well as lifestyle and diet.

The key is disease prevention, though it also encompasses treatment for a range of disorders. It goes hand in hand with yoga.

This 10-day introductory course provided a glimpse into an immense field and came with a good dose of practical applications in addition to theories. We studied nutritional and medical properties of food and spices, effects of food combinations, Ayuvedic cooking, detox program, self examination methods, and self massage techniques, etc.

The course ended with an Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness Counselor certification. But the real value for me was the tools I gained to devise a balanced diet and lifestyle suitable to my own physiological characteristics.  Considering the importance of physical health and high cost of healthcare in the US, this was time and money very well spent.

To the Sivananda Community

Thank you for the unforgettable experience and being a home away from home! Despite the noise of a city life I have returned to, I feel anchored and wholesome, with Sivananda lessons and spirit in tact.

Next up: Africa!

Link to Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp: http://www.sivananda.org/camp/home-en/