Rishikesh - a place to connect the body, mind and soul

I went to Rishikesh with a blank mind, not knowing what I'd expect to see or experience. At the end of my trip, I was only wanting to stay on for a much longer time! Read on to know how I spent 14 days in this beautiful town of spirituality.

I enrolled myself for a 13 day Yoga Retreat Programme with Sri Yoga Ashram. The programme offers Yoga classes, body treatments, philosophy and anatomy lectures, accommodation and healthy meals.

My day would start at 6:30am with 1.5 hours of Hatha Yoga, followed by 1 hour of Pranayama. After breakfast, I would go to Tatvat Spa for a body treatment. After the treatment, I would come back to the ashram for lunch and then spend the rest of the afternoon either resting or studying. Classes would again start at 4pm, meditation being the first one for an hour, followed by Kundalini or Ashtanga Yoga for 1.5 hours. All classes would finish by 6:30pm. Dinner was served at 7:30pm.

These were the places I visited when I had free time to go around Rishikesh:

Ram Jhula

Went here after my morning classes to sit by the beach and read a book while enjoying the view of the river. You can go swimming in the river from this point, however, local police permission is required.

Beatles Ashram

Get lost in the beautiful murals drawn in this ashram. This was once a Yogi's residence, now a ruin.

Tapovan

If your accommodation is on the same side as the post office, then take a boat to cross over to the other side of the Ganga River. The area is called Upper Tapovan. Enjoy shopping, cafe food, smoothies, and chill at the ghats while enjoying the river.

Parmath Niketan for Ganga Aarti

The Ganga Aarti starts at 6pm every evening. But I recommend going here by 4pm to get a seat, as the place gets very crowded. The other place to see the aarti in Rishikesh is the Triveni Ghat. Want to avoid crowds? Go see the ritual at sunrise

Shivpuri and Malakunti Bridge

Hire a scooty for Rs. 500/day from a rental shop in Rishikesh market and towards Shivpuri and Malakunti Bridge.

Recommendations:

Sri Yoga Ashram

I stayed at this ashram for 14 days for the Yoga Retreat Programme. The founder of this ashram Dr. Gaurav is very knowledgeable and friendly. Bookings can be made either over phone or email. The teachers of this ashram can brilliantly impart knowledge about Yoga and other mindful practices. The food they provide are extremely nourishing. As a meat eater, I was worried that I would find vegetarian/vegan food not satisfying enough, but I was wrong. I felt my body had become more flexible because of the change in diet.

Website - https://sriyogaashram.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sriyogaashram/

Want to learn at Yoga at home? Follow this amazing content creator:

During my time at the Yoga Retreat, I met Anna, a Yoga and fitness expert and content creator from Poland. I would highly recommend watching her videos, if you wish to start learning yoga at home. Subscribe and follow to see her content on Youtube and Instagram.

Youtube link - https://www.youtube.com/@anna_fitandvegan

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Pro travel tips:

Reaching Rishikesh - One can reach Rishikesh by road, rail and air. The easiest and fastest mode would be by air. Fly to Dehradun from Delhi and take a taxi to Rishikesh. The road journey is not more than an hour. I took a bus from Delhi but was dropped on the Rishikesh-Dehradun highway. I had to take a taxi to Ram Jhula, which costed me Rs. 1,500 as I had to be dropped on the same side as the post office.

Safety - I found Rishikesh to be generally safe. Avoid walking on lonely streets after sunset, always walk on main roads. Men dressed in orange robes might try to get friendly, but it is advised not to engage in conversations or any other activity.