The ashrams have long been a part of Indian culture. In ancient India, students would leave their homes and daily life and travel to different places where they would study, live, and work with their teachers at educational institutions called Gurukulas. The principle behind these Gurukulas was to provide a separate environment for the students in a location away from the disturbances of daily life. The students lived here abiding by the laws set by their teachers.
Learning Yoga at a Yoga Ashram
A system similar to the ancient Gurukulas of India is what the Yoga Ashrams apply. Not only does a Yoga Ashram provide a tranquil and conducive environment for the students to come and learn; it also offers a spiritual retreat where you can live and study under the guidance of your yoga teacher. The reason why several people flock to different countries all together for yoga vacations is to maximize the spiritual benefit of yoga. It is the place and time to allow yourself personal development through a spiritual pursuit – in a way, you undergo a cleanse.
How to maximize the spiritual Benefit at a Yoga Ashram
As much as you narrow down upon the idea of a yoga vacation, sometimes the vacation part of the term starts to dominate. Here are the common mistakes people make during yoga vacations or yoga retreats.
- Yoga ashrams select their locations keeping in mind that students should get a tranquil atmosphere during their yoga practice. Sometimes students/ guests tend to skip classes because the beach keeps calling them. We recommend that you should try to stick to the schedule that the yoga teachers have designed for you so that you don’t miss out on important lessons and can make the best of your training.
— - Jean Anthleme Brilliat-savarin, author of physiology of taste said: tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are. The food that you we eat affects our minds. Often students also skip their meals at the yoga ashram. Many a times, it also results in students coming back falling sick with the outside food. When you enrol yourself in yoga training, it is essential that you follow the diet plan that the school is offering. It is designed to nourish your body and keep your mind clear. You skip one meal, and you break the cycle of cleanse – which beats the entire purpose of your yoga retreat. Especially if you are here for an Ayurvedic treatment, it is mandatory that you follow the yogic diet that the yoga ashram offers.
- An important thing we learn in yoga is to train your mind. The mind is a wonderful slave, but a terrible master and putting a leash on it is the central dogma of yoga. In areas like mandrem which are buzzing with tourist activity, it is of paramount importance to keep your mind from getting diverted. Yoga Ashrams advice their students to control their mind and all the cravings so that they can focus their attention and energy on their yoga practice and reap its maximum benefits.
Students who are a part of the 200 or 300-hour yoga teacher training programs don’t encounter this kind of issues as the long training hours keep them busy. It’s those who come for a yoga vacation or a wellness program or an Ayurvedic treatment who keep falling prey to these diversions. Whenever you find that your mind is getting fogged by such deviations, you need to remind yourself as to why you chose the yoga program in the first place. Indeed, you wanted to get better or take yourself to the next level by taking advantage of the several benefits that yoga has to offer. Exercising control begins with you. It is when you start taming these deviations that you begin imbibing the principles of yoga and move towards personal development and spiritual growth. It is when you follow the ground rules that the Yoga ashram sets for you, that you can make the most of your yoga vacation.
