Refresh spirit with Rishikesh Yoga Retreats in Rishsikesh yoga ashrams
Rishikesh Vacation guide from us offers unique opportunity for Studying yoga in Rishikesh in quiet surrounding of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand India. Lying along the Ganga, Rishikesh is India's pilgrimage for spiritual bliss. Rishikesh travel guide take you around the haven for pious vacation destination in India. Rishikesh Vacation guide offers unique blend of adventurous sports for youth and divine delight for elderly altogether at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand India.
In Sanskrit Rishi means wise and seer. When you visit Rishikesh you will; know why it has its name: it is the starting point to the holy places in the Garhwal Mountains--Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri and Gaumukh, the source of the Ganges. It is also a good starting point for mountain trekking in the Garhwal Himalaya, rafting, rock climbing and other adventure sports.
Rishikesh is located in the state Uttarakhand or Uttranchal approximately 130 miles from Delhi and 13 miles from the pilgrimage city of Haridwar. Located at the foothills of the Himalaya, Rishikesh is a well-known pilgrimage city because the Ganges flows through the city. Visitors typically have seen the Ganges as the large river where Hindus come to bathe and where the dead are burned on pyres. The Ganges’ mythological significance as the 'Holy River' flows to the Himalaya and through the plains of North India.
Every twelve years in Haridwar one of the largest religious festivals of India, the Kumbh Mela (fair, assemblage) attracts thousands of sadhus and pilgrims who bathe in the holy river of Ganges to gain salvation. The next Kumbh Mela is going to be held in the year 2010.
Yoga Capital of the World
You will also find in Rishikesh, both ancient and new temples and Ashrams which also attract thousands of pilgrims and tourists, both from India and from western countries. The Ashrams teach traditional yoga giving Rishikesh the name of "Yoga Capital" of the world. Hindus believe that a meditation in Rishikesh leads, just as a bath in the holy river of Ganges, more closely to the salvation (Moksha).
During the sixties, the Beatles and several other musicians such as Mike Love of the Beach Boys, and Donovan visited Rishikesh and its Ashrams in order to meditate. Today it is another meeting place for the Europeans, who study yoga, meditation, Hindu religion and philosophy.
Rishikesh is a world of contrasts: you will find the loud, busy city life around the center of the town and the bus and railway stations… and just across the river you will find Muni-ki-reti, peaceful, quiet and home to the many Ashrams, that attract pilgrims and sadhus. You can sail across the Ganges and visit the Ashrams and Ghats at the east bank of the river. You an also cross the new Shivananda bridge you will find a peaceful, quiet part of town on the side of the Shivanandashrams. A broadway leads to the other side of the Ganges up to the Laxman Jhoola Bridge-a suspension bridge for pedestrian which leads to the Swarg Ashram Area--next to the multistory Laxman Temple (or Lakshman).
You can join in morning devotional songs at the Ashrams. And at the Shivananda Ashram, 90-minute yoga courses are offered twice daily starting at 5:30 am and 5:00 pm. If you want to learn more about yoga, the Shivananda Ashram possesses a fantastic library. Every evening you can join in a Satsang, a meeting of the Ashram occupants and visitors for the exchange of concepts of religion and principles of life.
At the Yoga Niketan Ashram, you can also register ahead of time to attend yoga courses and meditation courses. You can also take classes and study an Indian instrument, including the Sitar, Tabla, and harmonium with a music teacher.
