Yogi Amitram Takes Me To The Holy Ganga River

The holy Ganga river is known for several things, it is a most auspicious river that Indians and international people flock to for blessings and a spiritual cleanse by dipping 7 times in the ice cold glacier water. It is said that bathing in the Ganga river can cleanse your sins and can also deliver salvation from life and death which is why many are cremated and their ashes are spread in the river. The Ganga river also provides around 40% of the drinking water to India and used to irrigate and for farming. The Ganga river is also well known to be very polluted in some parts, which is a result of poor waste and sewage management as India's population grows.

The Ganga river is fed from melting glaciers high up in the sacred Himalaya mountains, and that is why this river water is still very clean at Rishikesh as it is one of the first stops as the water flows down from the high peaks. That is also why the water is ice cold, which makes bathing in it all the most exciting and rejuvenating. Ice baths are becoming more popular, and what better place to try ice bath bathing than this beautifully clean and sacred waters in Rishikesh.

It get very hot in Rishikesh, and the air is hazy and full of dust and aromas as the tourists pack the entire area. Rishikesh has become immensely popular over the years and that makes finding a cool quiet spot a great treat. The Ganga has many spots where you can enter it, and Yogi Amitram took me to a lovely spot that had a natural sandy beach as the river is low now and the river bed is revealed. The water was a clear aquamarine blue green, and looked beautiful and clean. A sharp contrast to the images we see of some parts of the river further downstream. In such heat and aridness it made going into this icy water all the more easy, although it took me several attempts to fully submerge myself as it really was so cold. Finally, once i had plucked up the courage to go in it was just fine and felt so good to be immersed. Amitram held my and and gave a prayer and blessing to me as i held my breath and nose and submerged my entire body seven times. Each time it became harder to do as the cold water has a way of taking my breath away, but i managed and felt very happy that i had been brave enough to do it, despite the temperatures. Its interesting how the body adjusts after some time, and before long i was just enjoying the experience and swimming on the spot as the strong currents took everything downstream. Once has to be careful as these currents will easily take you to the centre of the river and then it can be very difficult to get out! That is why they provide strong metal chains at popular locations so you can hang on whilst you dip.

We went in several times, came out and dried off, and went in again. It felt so good that we both didn’t want to leave and just kept enjoying ourselves along with the other Indians who were also there. Finally after some quality time we got dressed and walked on.

Rishikesh is one of the most special cities i have been to. Everywhere you look there is something going on, people everywhere doing there thing in their own way. It is so holy that it one can not fail to miss the many ways that spirituality is expressed and sought after. There are many holy men (Babas) who live here and spend much time performing various rituals and sacred acts. As Amitram and i were sitting enjoying our time i couldn’t help notice one Baba spent an entire hour massaging and rubbing the entire body of a bull and a cow.

Cows are revered in India and especially here. It was so cute to watch this huge bull stood perfectly still for so long as this man spent so much time giving it such a beautiful treat! I’ve never seen cows so relaxed as i have here, they don’t even flinch as they sit in the middle of often tiny roads as cars and trucks drive by them, often missing them by just inches or less! Somehow it all works out and ive never seen any get hit, but sometimes it does get a bit close for comfort.

Rishikesh is a place to rejuvenate and enjoy. There are countless thousands of young and modern folk who come here to go river rafting and other fun sports. Even paintaball is very popular here, which whilst seems to a bit a bit out of place, also fits in well with the anything goes attitude that seems to pervade the entire area. IT is like a melting pot of every caste, rich and poor, and is also the Yoga Capital of the world. Rishikesh is full of people who come to practice and deepen their spiritual practices, and there are Ashrams dotted around at every corner.

We walked for some time and just soaked up the many things going on. This is a city that i could walk around all day and not get bored. Its hard to describe how much is going on, and the variety of activities you can witness on just about any road. Everyone is up to something, and somehow it all merges together in one giant wave of business. The mood is really uplifting too, most people radiate real joy, despite the poverty, heat and dust, the Indians just weather is without any effort, and live their lives in the most beautiful way. Its hard to describe just what this mood feels like, other than to say it really is nothing like any other part of India that i have ever seen.

It was also nice to see the modern healthy lifestyle is well catered for, and Vegan food is also very common now as so many westerners have turned to plant based foods. There are SO many restaurants to choose from, and this is surely a place to eat great Indian food at very low cost. $1 will get you a most delicious lunch that will no doubt rival most Indian restaurants around the world. There are also many shops selling very modern and fashionable clothes, and almost every clothes shop has yoga mats of every kind on sale. I noticed that they cork yoga mats are becoming popular, which i think is a great change from those plastic ones that we have grown accustomed to. They are not cheap though at $30 a mat one has to be dedicated to yoga to buy one. That is not me, (yet), so i bought nothing at all other then food.

The Tatva organic shop is a huge and impressive grocery store that sells everything you would want in terms of luxury healthy food items. I told Yogi Amitram to take anything he wanted and we had some fun going on a shopping spree for all the things he may like but would never buy. It took a lot of encouragement to get him to take things from the shelf, but i am very persistent and by the end we had a few bags of high quality and nutritious food to take back up the mountain to the Ashram. I also got myself a nice jar of tahini paste so i think I will be making a hummus and falafel very soon indeed! I also grabbed a bottle of maple syrup which i haven’t had for so long! I wont be making pancakes but i do use it for many things including salad dressings and to add to my lime juice.

The day flew by, and before we knew it the time was 18:30. Amitram felt so much better than he had in the morning as we both were feeling a bit under the weather. I think i may have brought some bugs with me on the flights here from Thailand. It was, however very clear that our dip in the Ganga has rejuvenated us, and we were both walking at high pace for some time without feeling it. So all in all a very nice day out, and very stimulating too. I’m not sure if i will be spending another day in the city before i leave in around 6 days.

My next stop is Dharamasala, i impulsively booked a flight there whilst i was sitting drinking a cool drink as i decided not to go back to my home base in the South where it is around 40 degrees and more right now. Dharamasala is much cooler, and if course is the home of the Dalai Lama. Lets see if i pay a visit to his Ashram. Im not sure if he still comes out to greet the people, but either way i look forward to some cool weather and mountain views. I also plan to stay at a meditation centre for a few days and will do my best to not only meditate but also i would like to start walking for a few hours a day. I noticed today in some photos quite how seriously bad i am out of shape, and have put on so much weight that i barely recognise myself. I think i was in shock when i saw the photos, and so embarrassed also that i will not even share them with you! ugh. Time to fix this, its not going to be easy but its time and i have the desire to feel good again in my body.

SO much love to you all from Rishikesh, and hoping you have a great day!