‚R6‘ After the retreat is before the retreat

When I came to the Vipassana center, I thought I could somehow join two courses after each other, maybe later volunteer in other ones, to maybe maybe finally visit a 21 day course in January 2018 (because there was a gab in the schedule, and I was kind of guessing, that it was not announced to the normal schedule) But all of that did not work out. The offer was, to stay in the center for free, and volunteer in exchange. But with this I just could not agree. Because at the peace walk I kind of volunteer all the time, now is my break time, I have to look, what I need for myself and get ready for beginning of February 2018, walking continues then….

And I was not finished at all with my silent time, not at all…. So I remembered the place I figured out at the mini ashram with the little pyramid, all directly at the Ganga in Rishikesh. I was still welcome…. organized everything for doing another 11 days of silence…. I continued with the Vipassana meditations and/or with a more free style, but I was quite disciplined. At my afternoon I had to be somehow very careful to find a good silent way of communication with the flower girls, who sell a little set of flowers and herbs for offering to the Ganga. I find a good way, but the girls, and sometimes boys can be quite penetrating. Sometimes I even went over one of the bridges to the white sand and big rock beach at the river, to relax, enjoy some sun and a big grape fruit.
After a week of silence in Rishikesh, I had a very intense day. I combined the silence with a day of fast. At my special places in my belly I used a vacuum/pressure technique, which I was taught by my inner guidance years before and it became so super intense. Streams of white energy burst out some trauma places and totally overwhelmed me. But I also like it, when it happened, and I welcomed it. But at the end of the day, I felt, uuuuhhh, this was really a lot. Next early morning I went to the meditation pyramid to sit again, but because of someone else was sitting there and making Pranayama (breathing exercise) I could not stand the sound of him. I realized, wow, I am so done, went back to my room. And avoided meditation for a while…. my body had to adjust first….
But during that fast Wednesday, I got also some really deep insides, how to change my flyer about the peace walk (what I have not done until yet)  and the headline of the peace walk will not only for ’steppps peace walk‘ anymore, but will be ’steppps, walk for peace and Global awakening‘.

The rest of the time in Rishikesh then I really did for relaxation. No need to travel anywhere.
I worked a bit on getting my room more space, I bought some extra sheets and a mat, to have a fresh bed, because it was kind of smelly, made some peace birds for the room (and other occasions)…..
But mainly I relaxed.

Around the 20th of December, my monk friend Konchok came from Ladakh to Dehradun, and he invited me somehow, that I could stay with him for longer. But in fact, arriving there, he had to confess, that there was a problem, I could not stay there. It was a Buddhist institute, where he stayed, and they had much more regulations that he could have expected, especial foreigners living at that place. It needs some more papers and a consultation at the head of the institution, but he was not there. So …. after one night staying there, I went back to my mini ashram in Rishikesh at this beautiful location at the Ganga and stayed another month.

With Subash from Nepal, studying in India Yoga science, I had a good companion for sometimes long and deep conversation. Some time I spent also with Rajat, another student, studying Sanskrit. But all together I did avoid to meet people, just needed more time for myself, to digest all the last year….. kind of breathing out all the time….

There was one more idea coming up, to clean a side river from the Ganga from trash. I had kind of a plan also, what to do there, but in the end, even though taking same preparing time, I went only for two days picking trash…. I realized, I just need more time, have not so much capacity of left over energy for that pretty big task….

Some nights have been cold, down to 6 degrees, but with some blankets I managed. There is no heating system in the house. At the most days the sun is out at day time, so from 10 to 16:30 h I could warm up a bit. Very necessary!!!

I did not visit any ashrams in Rishikesh, just overwhelming many, but maybe, when I arrive there by walking in the end of this year, then it’s maybe the right time to do.

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