Vedanta Retreat in Rishikesh- Meditation

The next morning was tough as I woke up late and just made it for Surya's guided meditation at 6.30 am. Even missed my hot cup of tea which is available each day from 5 am onwards till it lasts!

Surya looks impressive. Especially after his dip in the river at 5 am sharp!

I took a dip in the river the next day around 5.30 am. While it was refreshing it was also a bit daunting bathing alone in semi darkness!

A dip early in the morning is like getting into the freezer directly from a warm bed. But it feels wonderful after a while. It surely is a miracle that the river appears clean and one can bathe! While there are some open drains close to the ashram we did not actually see them merging with the river. I guess we just did not think about it while bathing!

Soon after my return a friend asked me 'What did you think about while meditating?' I said half in jest; 'Initially about my stiff knee joints and my back!' In fact Surya guided us through a routine of relaxation to help us to get into a right posture. He also let us find our own levels of comfort while meditating.

(If it was anyone else I would have said 'Making up lost sleep!' But surely not Geeta! She is much focused and very sincere!)

Surya began each day by touching upon the previous days teaching by Neema in his own style and we could see how well they complimented each other in their talks.

Surya later added a chant 'Om Ishaya Namah' as he led us in our meditation. He has a soft, deep and a very calming voice. One day Morakot was so thrilled to discover that as Surya began chanting again after a period of silence that they were in total sync! Chanting did help in guiding us back into silence without having to deal with the inevitable stream of thoughts that continuously occur in our mind.

It was uncanny how as Surya ended the meditation each day with a prayer, the bell rang announcing breakfast! A simple breakfast but different each day. The upuma was just divine, a pity that it was made only once a week!

Arun and I would walk towards the river, rather we were pulled by its murmur, before we went for our breakfast! For us it was a continuation of the meditation!