Ashram Part 1

So while I was slaving away in a Indian kitchen I was still in contact with my new friend Aman. He is the kind man that introduced me to the king and queen. He was spending his evening meditating on top of hill next to the Kasar Devi temple. I ran into Aman going to the internet cafe and was invited for dinner at the temple. In a small hut no bigger than 10 by 10 feet, lives the swami that takes care of the temple. A man whose age is probably older than his appearance, sat with a big grin on his face. He had a small beanie and long beard. We chatted for a while and waited for the pressure cooker to do its work. After a simple meal of rice and vegetables I began to realized that I must join Aman and check out his ashram. An ashram is basically a communal living space that is conducive to spiritual growth. Some are yoga ashrams, some are meditation ashrams, some are a variety of different things. This place, called Vipassana House, is a simple establishment that Aman made for young seekers my age to learn and grow in an environment that doesn't focus on money. You pay 2 dollars a day for food, 2 a day for maintenance, and 5 a day for charity. For that you get 3 delicious square meals, prepared by his maid, a clean bed, shower, washing machine, and plenty of free time to relax and meditate. Vipassana house is also a Pranic Healing Center. This type of healing deals with chakras, breath, and all that energy stuff. My biggest hope in going to Vipassana house was to learn some of these new techniques in order to help others.
After a 4 hour jeep ride and 8 hour train ride I ended up at the locked gates of Vipassana House. At 5 in the morning the sky was still dark, and my body racked from many hours of travel. I slept for a few hours and woke up to onion parathas and chai. The days at the ashram are peaceful. The first day of my arrival I didn't waste anytime and I started receiving training from the Pranic Master immediately. After an intense 4 hour class I paused, and did some breathing exercises, the rest of the day was filled with reading and relaxing. The next day I woke up at 5 in the morning and accompanied the two other kids here to yoga. It was taught by an aging guru, who after being healed with yoga many years ago, devoted his life to helping others. The class consisted of breathing exercises, stretching, and light exercises. It hurt a lot more than it sounds. I can't even sit cross-legged for any amount of time without it hurting. I have a lot to learn. The two other kids are both 19 and from Germany. They are dating and are spending time in India before going university. (pictures on facebook).
Another person I met was their friend Lovee. He is a great guy, and learned pranic healing many years ago. He is 25 and wears the turban of a Sikh. I have never really heard that much about his religion, so on a ride back from a trip to the mountains he told me some great stories and beliefs. They are Hindu's that follow the teachings of a lineage of 10 guru's. One of them, wrote an important scripture that remains crucial to their learning. They read pieces of it everyday. The religion is only 400-500 years old, and the devotees are known as warriors, and fighters. In fact all Sikhs are allowed, by the government, to be armed at all times. You will see Sikh men wearing huge turbans, carrying anything from cross-bows, to swords. Lovee says he keeps his at home. Sikh's believe that all religions are paths up the same mountain and do not discriminate. They also are very devoted to God, and the teachings.
Yet another person I met, was the young Anket. He lives at the ashram with his family (in a separate house). His mother is the maid/ cook for the ashram and Anket is "in charge" of the ashram. He actually is, in a large sense. Aman set up a bank account for him, and gives him money when things need to be done. He is only 11 but extremely smart and has better English than almost all the Indians I have met. We hung out a good amount and I had a great time playing cricket with him, or afternoon walks to get sweets.
One of the days, the two Germans, Lovee, and I went to a place called robber cave. (pictures online) This cave is magical. It is basically a stream that has eroded the landscape for hundred of thousands of years. When you look up you can see the small spot of sky that was once the original stream. The rock walls, shooting straight up on both sides, are clearly made of a softer rock, but the water makes beautiful and intricate carvings everywhere. At some points the light from above would get very small, and at other times a beautiful oasis would spring up in the middle of the 'cave'. Vines, and beautiful flowers crawled across the soft stone. Walking through the water was a great experience and we all had a blast navigating the rocks, and waterfalls. Eventually we got to an ancient wall. This was apparently one side of a room that housed old Indian robbers. The stone was beautiful and I felt like Indiana Jones. Except instead of a big stone waiting to crush me, I felt that a huge tide of water was gonna rush down the small stream and wash us all away. Thankfully no such monsoon came, and we made it back to our shoes right after dusk.