Kriyaban

Again, I take a sleeper bus, but this time I managed to sleep, although in worse conditions. Due to the old state of the bus, I endured ten hours of travel with a vibration in my bed worthy of a regiment of ants practicing a long-distance marathon on my little body. The bittersweet note is that I forgot the armrest for the Om technique on the bus, but every cloud has a silver lining. It was already starting to break, and in my mind, I had already thought about buying a new one. Since I'm here, I'll buy the "Five-Stars" model, made of Indian wood, lovingly crafted in the Ranchi workshops for only €11. What more could I ask for!

I am at the YSS ashram in Coimbatore for two reasons. In my initial plan, my visit to Coimbatore was justified only by my desire to stay at Sadh Guru's Isha Yoga Center. In fact, at that time, I didn't even know there was a YSS ashram in Coimbatore. But when I finished the first draft of the trip, I realized it lasted two months, and then I thought: no way am I going back when I could stay for three months! So I started searching the internet for all the YSS ashrams in India to extend my stay to three months by staying in as many ashrams as possible. That's how the ashrams in Chennai and Coimbatore came up, adding almost eleven more days of travel between them, which were completed up to thirty by extending stays in the rest of the places.

This was the first reason, and the second was because, after discovering in Noida how devotion is lived here with the gurus, I wanted to coincide my stay in Coimbatore with the celebration of the mahasamadhis of Yukteswar and Yogananda at the YSS ashram. So here I am, in a beautiful, quiet ashram, alone and eager to reconnect with the silence, and of course, looking forward to the weekend celebrations.

Well, as I already mentioned, I am alone in the ashram. It is not a very large place but very cozy and beautiful. It is in the city of Coimbatore, but you can't hear anything from the outside. What I liked most upon entering the reception was the large photo of the master. It's impressive how imposing it is!

Here is a short video showing the ashram. I hope you enjoy it.

For now, my first two days will be dedicated to "retreating" and reconnecting my center to its optimal position, and then we will see how the days develop.

YSS Ashram in Coimbatore

It is my fourth day in this wonderful place. I haven't left here at all, and in fact, my movements are practically the same; I could even walk on the footprints I'm leaving. I'm delighted; it's truly a perfect place for a retreat. Everything is comfortable and peaceful.

Yesterday we were informed that due to the "alarm" caused by the coronavirus, YSS is closing its doors to visitors and canceling all special activities and meditations, so the mahasamadhis celebrations that I was looking forward to will not be able to take place. I still have to thank God that they allowed me to stay in the ashram until the end of my reservation (as long as I don't go out). You know what? I don't mind being deprived of going out because I am happy to be "in here." When I found out they were going to kick me out, I asked them to do everything possible to avoid it, so they called Ranchi (the YSS headquarters in India), and finally, I was able to keep my stay. I am truly happy and grateful to the master and God for allowing it.

The decision is not unilateral by YSS, but it is the result of applying the recommendations of the Indian government regarding preventive measures against the virus. In this line, Amma's ashram has made the same decision, and that is why I have changed my nine days there for nine days at a beach resort. I think I will be equally very well.

Fortunately, my next destination is an ashram that, although it has taken multiple preventive measures, "for now" has not decided to close itself off to the world, so I remain happy with life.

You know what? I don't know if it happens to you, but I think we usually live by linking activities, no matter how small, they count as moments of "distraction." What do I mean? I mean, how many times a day, a week, a month, or a year have you simply laid down with your eyes on the ceiling and allowed yourself to talk to yourself? Moreover, how long can you talk to yourself without your mind distracting you with anything? Talking about what you want in life, about what you would like to do, what you are afraid of, etc. I think the ego doesn't like that, and that's why it tries to keep you busy with activities or thoughts of all kinds. The ego feels any activity or thought aimed at not involving it as a threat to its existence.

As a result of my ability to manage in different disciplines, it is sometimes confusing to decide what to focus my energy on. Trying to plan and/or organize my goals, I realized that whenever I try to plan the future from the present, it is associated with a slight and rare feeling of unease. That's when I decide to practice "teching" (looking at the ceiling, lying on the bed) and instead of planning and/or organizing from the mind, I ask myself: what do I focus my energy on for the next few months? Knowing that God takes His time to respond, I relax, waiting for the answer. And it is here that, due to the type of response given, I decide to share this beautiful moment. To the question of what do I focus my energy on for the next few months, the answer is: "dedicate yourself to doing now everything that at this moment you feel like doing, and I will take care of the future."

So here I am, happy in this ashram that feels like a cloistered monastery, dedicated to my daily routines and awaiting my next destination, the Isha Yoga Center, here in Coimbatore, an hour and a half away. This place promises to be very special and is in the top 10 destinations of my trip. I am convinced it is going to be amazing.

Information of Interest

Transportation:

Night bus from Anantapur to Coimbatore, cost: 1785 rupees.

Accommodation in Coimbatore:

Consult the web site for any questions or to book your stay: YSS Coimbatore Ashram

Recommended donation: voluntary, not defined.

Things to visit:

On my second trip to India and visiting this fantastic place again, I discovered an Ayurvedic clinic where you can get an Ayurvedic massage and receive fantastic medical care from an Ayurvedic doctor; both experiences are highly recommended. I'm providing the complete address below.
The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, AVP
1381-1382, Trichy Road
Opp. Stanes Motors, Coimbatore - 641 018
Ph: 0422 - 4394883, 4392545 Mob: +91 73958 93999

Important:

If you haven't read the Considerations section yet, don't forget to do so. In this section, you will find very valuable information that can save you many headaches. In particular, there are details related to credit cards and mobile phone use that are essential.