The wake-up bells rang at 5 a.m., but my eyes were already peeled open. It was my last morning at Sivananda ashram, and I wanted to soak up every last second of the experience.
My bag was already packed. I braided my hair, brushed my teeth and pulled on my Nikes.
Instead of our usual morning satsang — meditation and chanting in the temple — the entire ashram set off on a silent meditative walk through the forest and up a nearby mountain.
The air outside was cool and slithery with mist. It was dark enough for me to use a torch, but peaceful enough that I didn’t want to. Instead, I wanted to pause the moment, doing nothing to disturb the inky, blue-black surroundings.
The suggested method for a meditative walk is supposed to go like this: Take three steps, breathe, three steps, breathe, three steps … all while clearing your mind and focusing on your third eye. But I personalized my walk, sopping up every deep and gentle breath, while running a devotional chant on a loop in my head: Jaya ganesha, jaya ganesha, jaya ganesha pahimam, sri ganesha sri ganesha sri ganesha rakshaman.
We walked through gentle hills, then finally headed up, up, up the mountain. We arrived at a temple perched precariously on the brim of a craggy, volcanic-looking black rock.
We took off our shoes. And we sat. And we breathed.
This is what we saw.
Morning unfurled purple and pink lashes, batting them with a soft, bright-eyed glow. Finally the sun burst forth, like the host of the world’s greatest surprise party.
I think it’s no coincidence that swamis and sages, priests and philosophers typically tackle a mountain in their quest for the divine.
It was a moving finale to my ashram experience.
There are times when you search for god. And then there are the times when god finds you.
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