Yogic Lifestyle

What is the life like at an ashram? & How is it different from my "normal" life?

The yogic lifestyle a different than what I am used to (as I am sure you can imagine).

I normally get up and cook my own breakfast, clean up, listen to music, exercise (before if I have time) and then rush out of the door grabbing my keys, trying not to forget my cellphone, and whatever else I might need for the day. I usually go in/out of the house at least twice before I can actually be on my way. Here, it is a bit...different.
I wake up early (most days), rising with the sunlight or the sound of someone making a fire in the Sadhana (yoga ) room. I have also woken up to chanting in the morning or the sound of birds. Sounds idealic right? Well, when it is 4 a.m. it is not such a romantic idea of waking up... and I am bit grouchy. Lately, I have been getting up and walking down the path to the beach where I will do my yoga practice for about a half hour. However, the weather has turned cold again and I have had to continue practicing (in whatever form) inside. Often I will light a candle for myself or make a cup of tea. This is how I take care of myself/ treat" myself for waking up early to practice. I also might add that my new "coffee" is doing a nasal cleanse called "jal neti" which I've found is the perfect way to awaken the mind and body in the morning! I will continue this practice after I leave here - as it is a simple, effective way for me to begin my day. It's hardly as expensive as brewing a good cup of coffee- it is simply a warm glass of water and sea salt washed through your nasal passages. Plus, it makes me feel as if I have just returned from swimming in the ocean!

So... onto the next part of the day. Breakfast- the most important part of the day my mother always said. Breakfast consists of yogurt (when available), fruit, porridge (always avaible), and tea. I try to do my Sadhana -daily practice before breakfast but sometimes it cuts into breakfast time and I end up scarfing my food quickly before our morning meeting. If I take too much time- or I arrive late- I get the evil eye from Atma or Clara. and then bad vibes the rest of the morning- which can be quite intense. So I just try to make it on time. I generally stress about this and when I am most stressed about showing up late to bkfast or a meeting, they are usually behind schedule.... Oh the ups & downs- the "waves" of how this place functions, rolls... It is a systematic chaos.

Work, Lunch, Work, and then play.

Work consists of many different tasks. It has varied from collecting pine cones in the forest to collecting seaweed on the beach for the "Big garden project" (which are still w/o plants) to painting a caravan purple! Of course, than there are the regular everyday duties of cleaning the bathrooms, the kitchen, washing dishes, and making beds (if people are coming for retreat). I have also prepared meals and learned a bit about Vegetarian cuisine. I have ground fresh spices ( coriander, cumin, mustard seeds) and used curry powder and tumeric for Indian subjee or a vegetable dahl. Cooking can be a bit stressful because you have to know how to prepare for the right number of people as well as finish the cooking at a certain time. I also did not know that "cooking" responsibility includes "Cleaning up" the kitchen after you've prepared the meal. I found out by Shanti yelling "Cooking is an art! You've left the worse mess I've ever seen in a kitchen. I don't even have a place to set my plate!" I shrugged and pulled my neck into my shirt like a turtle so you could only see my eyes. Oops. Well, I guess that's why they call it work- It's not about having fun or enjoying it....

Play time: If you can come up with something fun to do around here, you are doing well! Often it is simply a walk down the road, or a bike ride (if it is warm enough), or meander down to the beach. After 2-3 months here, I have become quite bored, a bit lonely, but sometimes I think there is no other place I'd rather be. Ohui- is a bucolic place with beach front properties (batchesr/cabins or caravans really) and a house/retreat ctr up on the hill. Occassionally the ocean will have a big swell come through and there will be decent surf, so I will grab the board under the porch and go for a surf. Last week I was able to go out 3x, thanks to loving ocean goddess. The swell direction has changed to Northeasterly, instead of the consistent Southwesterly swells which we've had for the past 2 months. This means the sandbars have shifted and are set-up for forming beatifully shaped waves which roll in left and right along the entire beach! A surfer's haven.....

That's all come to an end, however, the ocean goddess has changed her mind. The ocean is calm one day and than tumultmous the next day, but there have been no beatifully shaped waves, lots of big mushy, choppy and occassionally ferocious, tumbling waves .... I guess that's just the way life goes, constantly changing like the tides, and the rise and fall of the waves.

Night time : Is dinner time and reading time. If you are not too cold to read in your room that is. It was a long, cold harsh winter here. Not much to do in the evening but try to keep warm.

Bed time is early. I go to bed- often hearing the sound of the waves crashing... I will miss this. & sometimes I go to bed with the rain pouding against the tin roof or Clara and Shanti talking. Last week it was mosquitos buzzing in my ears, so I had to use my ear plugs- oh well. It's all part of the rustic lifestyle here at Ohui.

Om love to you all from the Ohui Ashram!

Hannah

I'm getting ready to leave here this week...So I am reminiscing on the times...Next I'll tell you about the naked permaculture specialist who volunteered for a week! & Before I go...we had a Tsunami warning today but no tsunami came thankfully. The only things I saw in the ocean were 3 beautiful dolphins swimming away.... under a rainbow. A blessing for the next part of my journey....

The Wharanaki Forest

Moonlit walk. Walking in the Wharanaki forest at night, the moon guided us. The silvery light seeped between the great big ferns and through the tops of the giant Tua trees. Moonlight bliss! We heard opossums scramble and saw glow worms peering from rocky crevasses of the forest.

Returning to the Ashram

I am looking out of the window with a glimpse of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing on the beach while I type.

I finished my first day back at the ashram today: which consisted of deep cleaning the bathroom (the rat poop was horrendous!) and the living room in the main house, as well as the kitchen. I will be helping prepare for a retreat this weekend, which is a unique program for the ashram. The retreat this weekend is more about cooking vegetarian- wholesome food than yoga. I will be happy to see a few familiar faces again. One gal (Veronica) is from Germany, and I've had the pleasure of getting to know her through the yoga center in Auckland. While I was in Auckland last- Veronica, Luciana (a Brazilian + yoga teacher), & I spent part of the morning at a French market after taking Luciana's yoga class. The coffee and fresh French pastries were yum! Now, back to ashram business... another fellow, a guy named Josh, will be coming to the cooking retreat as well. I've gotten to know him through various events and I've enjoyed many of our conversations as well as his Indian sitar-like musical instrument. I hope he brings it because it makes the most amazing sound! We will be busy the next few days, so I better go out and enjoy some
time on the beach (although it's overcast today).

Tatta! & more later on my time at my friend Vic's in Ngarimu Bay...

Hannah