The Lazy Yogi

starlatine asked: Have you ever visit an ashram in India? I terribly wanted to runaway over there!

I have! I stayed at my guru’s ashram in India over my spring break junior year in college. 

Ashrams are strange and amazing places but don’t make any plans to runaway anywhere unless you’ve visited first. It is NOT what you think. Ashrams are not beautiful and peaceful and relaxed places, especially in India. 

Run and the mind runs with you :P Although I could definitely see myself retiring to an ashram in the US later in life. 

Namaste, sister. 

EDIT: I suppose I should clarify my words. Ashrams are beautiful but they are not laid back. Ashrams do not make money aside from donations and patrons. Because of this, ashrams have a lot of work to do. They grow their own food, constantly clean the ashram, do their own repairs/laundry/whatever, they do spiritual practices, run lots of errands, and usually also do some sort of community service. You rise before the sun and go to sleep early. 

It’s not a bad situation or anything like that but many people think of ashrams as paradises. They are great places for some people who just jive with that scene. But the people are not what you expect either. They actually refer to most spiritual people from the west as ‘hippies’, western people who love the idea of spirituality and toy with it but do not engage in any serious spiritual practices regularly, like meditation. 

But investigate ashrams yourself! You will get a better idea than my words can give you. Ashrams are places of fire and friction, meant to make you learn peace even among chaos.