After spending a day in Chennai, we left for Madurai by
train. Only open tickets without assigned
seats were available. We got to sit on
the shelf for luggage. It was an 8 hour
train ride. Since we could not see the
outside, we were watching people. All
women were dressed from top to bottom in clothes made from layers of colorful fabrics
and were wearing a lot of gold jewelry. Even
some little girls were wearing eye makeup and some ankle bracelets with bells. Some men were wearing skirts like in Myanmar,
except men sometimes double folded the skirts to make them into miniskirts. Most Indians eat with their hands. They wash their hands before and after. They also pour the water down their throats
without touching the bottle or a cup. We
even managed to get a little sleep on the luggage shelf. We spent $5 for both of us on that 8 hour
train ride.
We went straight to the Sivananda ashram just outside of
Madurai. It was an hour bus ride, which
cost us 50 cents. People helped us to figure
out there to get off, since it was already dark outside. It took us more than an hour to register for
yoga vacation program. Also, the teacher
training was starting the same day. We
learned that about 100 people registered between the 2 programs. It was the highest amount of people the
ashram ever had. All the beds were full. Some people who arrived the next day were
sent back. Dangis and I got to sleep in
different buildings. The girls’ dorm was
probably twice as big as the boys’. This
was definitely the biggest room I have ever slept in.
The yoga vacation program is offered twice a month. Its duration is 2 weeks. Everybody is required to pay for at least 3
days. The cost of the stay in ashram is
$10/day. The day is filled with mandatory
activities that start at 6am and end just before bed time at 10pm. People started leaving after 3 days. We originally planned to stay in ashram for
the full 2-week program, but later decided to leave after just 6 days.
Everybody’s favorite activities of the day, besides eating,
were yoga classes. A class lasted almost
2 hours, and was offered twice a day.
Dangis and I decided to go for an intermediate level class, after
attending couple of beginner classes.
The intermediate class was always the same. We always started with the breathing exercises
and a few sets of sun salutations, followed by the same postures in the same
order. I felt energized after each
class. I could feel I was getting
stronger every time. On the 5th
day I was able to do an unassisted headstand. 
We ate also twice a day right after the yoga classes. We were seated on the floor and served
vegetarian food. It was a karma yoga
assignment for some of the ashram habitants to serve the food. They would make rounds offering us more food. This way everybody could eat as much as they
wanted without wasting any food. The
food was nutritious and mostly delicious.
Since we were fed only twice a day, some snacks and fruit were offered
for purchase. We tried not to snack.
After the brunch we had our karma yoga, which consists of
different work assignments, such as cleaning, collecting garbage, serving food,
or cutting fruits.
In the middle of the day we had a lecture to introduce us to
the ashram’s philosophy. The lectures were
interesting, but sometimes too long.
The day started and ended with Satsang, which always lasted from
1.5 to 2 hours. The Satsang started with
a 20 minute meditation, which was followed by chanting. Then it was time for some more lecturing,
more chanting and a prayer. The Satsangs
were my least favorite parts of the day.
The attendance was taken for Satsangs and the lectures. Those who missed a lecture had to explain
themselves to swamis who were in charge of the ashram. They were given a choice to attend all
activities or leave the ashram. Also,
some of the teachers would check the dorms after the Satsang started to make
sure that nobody had stayed behind. So,
everybody had to attend Satsangs, and some of them would fall asleep during.
There was some tension staying in the ashram. We felt great after yoga classes, but we did
not enjoy the Satsangs. That is why we
decided to leave after 6 days, instead of staying for the full 2 weeks. Calling the program yoga vacation was
misleading, boot camp would describe the program better. I am sure we received a lot of benefits from
staying in ashram. We met a lot of nice
people, ate healthy, and exercised. We
also unplugged from the outside world having no TV or internet. I started drawing again during lectures like
in old college times. Dangis and I got
to spend some time apart and miss each other a little. And finally, we got to experience the life in
the ashram. It reminded me a lot of the
trips to Taize years ago. 
