Neyyar Dam, Trivandrum, Kerala 695572, India
Very good ashram to learn or practice sivananda sequence Hatha yoga, I can feel that most of the teachers love what they are doing and care about your learning. If you are vegetarian food is amazing here. All of the karma yogis are lovely people and the ashram it surrounded by nature with beautiful landscape. I hardly recommend this place :) lots of blessings
Amazing place to relax, peaceful atmosphere, nice people: my happy place. I will be back for sure!
Lost my soul here ! What an incredible and peaceful place
A wonderful immersion into yoga practice and more .
I just spent 11 days at Sivananda and whilst overall I had a positive experience, I felt sharing some things here might be useful for people who are considering visiting. Firstly, I have no idea why they call it a 'Yoga Vacation' as this clearly misleads people who have not bothered to read up on the strict timetable and rules. I personally did know what to expect as I had done my research, but there were a lot of people shocked by the 5am start and compulsory classes - and you will be asked to leave if you don't adhere to the rules. I would therefore recommend reading everything and ensuring you understand what you are letting yourself in for! I found my time there very physically, mentally and emotionally draining, but that is what I was expecting and found it rewarding :-) There is a lot of focus on religion and worshipping the Gurus, so do go with an open mind and expect to be singing, chanting and praying many times a day! Some Negatives: Whilst I completely understand the need to create a certain environment conducive to spirituality, I felt like all the staff really cared about were the rules, when at times they could have easily chosen compassion instead when dealing with people's personal issues. In this sort of environment, looking so deeply within can affect your mental health and I think the staff could be more sensitive about what people might be experiencing and bend the rules slightly if it is not harming anyone else. I had to stay in the women's dorm the first night I arrived and it was really grim, actually felt like a prison, so I would highly recommend staying in a room if you can afford it. That said, my accommodation was pretty terrible anyway - the room was incredibly smelly and mouldy and I actually had to scrub it down myself to try and fix it. I had a really bad chest infection the whole time I was there that I'm sure was caused by the dampness of my room. I had a look at the Air Con rooms and they were really nice (although very expensive for India), so absolutely stay there if you can! It would be nice if they could do some works to update the accommodations, as I didn't feel they reflected the price you are paying for them compared to other ashrams I have stayed at. Expect rock hard beds and musty sheets and pillows! Most of the staff seemed generally unhappy and are not very approachable or helpful. I felt like they could do with some designated counsellors on site. Some of the staff's attitudes felt at odds to the message they are preaching! Some Positives: The food is absolutely amazing! The yoga classes and the teachers are really top quality, I felt like I learned a lot about yoga and my practice really accelerated there. The jungle location is exquisite, there is a lot of wildlife to enjoy and a beautiful lake you can swim in. You are bound to meet some beautiful human beings from all over the world to share your time with there :-)
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