Climbing Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai

One of my lazy mornings in Tiruvannamalai I decided to walk towards the Arunachaleswar Temple to visit it for the first time, but when I was almost there an Indian guy crossed my way and told me that the temple was closed but he could show me the way to the Virupaksha Cave in the Mount Arunachala (this cave has been venerated since more than 700 years ago because it was used by the saint Virupaksha and because Ramana Maharshi lived in it for 16 years from 1899 to 1916).

The Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Tiruvannamalai

The Sri Ramanasramam, in Tiruvannamalai, is the ashram of one of India's greatest saints, Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, also known as the Sage of Arunachala. His main teaching was the practice of Self-enquiry, answering questions such as "Who am I?" as a means to remove ignorance and discover the true Self.

Discovering the Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Tiruvannamalai

After six days in Pondicherry, it was time to leave my nice room with sea view at the Park Guest House and continue with my journey to Tiruvannamalai. The decision was not that difficult; when I went to the reception to pay I said "maybe I will stay another couple of days" and they answered, "No, you can't."

Yoga Dance Performance at SVYASA in Bangalore

During my stay at the SVYASA Yoga University in Bangalore, I was able to be present at the celebration of the 25 years (I think) of the University. For two days they had a special program with some shows. The first day they had some sketches prepared by some of the students. They were a bit funny cause they had only one day to prepare.

Discovering Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville

Finally, after three weeks in Bangalore, I've made a move. At the end of my last day at the Atma Darshan Yogashram, I took a night bus to Pondicherry, a French colony in India. The bus left at 10 pm and we were supposed to arrive at 6 am but not surprisingly something happened with the bus and we arrived at 8 am instead.

Atma Darshan Yoga Ashram in Bangalore, India

Atma Darshan Yogashram is a small and beautiful yoga ashram in Bangalore. It's a branch of the Bihar School of Yoga, a very well known and respected ashram in Bihar founded by Swami Satyananada Saraswati. Bihar School of Yoga is also famous for its great collection of yoga books, like one of my favorites, "Taming the Kundalini," so you can find all the BSY books at this ashram.

Mantra Chanting for Health, Wealth and More

During my stay at the Atma Darshan Yogashram, an ashram in Bangalore branch of the Bihar School of Yoga, I realized that they focus a lot on mantra chanting. Every day at 5.30 am we would gather to recite the "Mahamrityunjaya Mantra" eleven times, the "Gayatri Mantra" eleven times and the "thirty-two Names of Durga" three times.

The Yoga Instructor Course (YIC) at SVYASA

SVYASA, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana is a University that has been created following the ideals of education from Swami Vivekananda. I found the website surfing the web. The program seemed interesting so I decided to follow the one month Yoga Instructor Course (YIC).