My First Days at Triguna
- Destiny
- 17. juni
- 13 min lesing
Oppdatert: 18. juni
Saturday, May 2
When I finally fell asleep around 9–10 PM last night, I slept really well 🙏🏼
I got about 8 hours of sleep on my first night at Triguna 🙏🏼 Despite not having air conditioning in my room, the temperature was comfortable throughout the night. To be fair, there was no duvet—just a thin woven blanket—but it was perfect for the warm climate.
After getting ready, I walked to the eating area and sat down on a bench. Suddenly, I heard music and someone singing—and it was absolutely beautiful. Hari Ji came by to get some water and told me the singing was coming from a nearby temple. He also informed me that breakfast would be served shortly.
This is the dining area where we were served breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. In the third photo, you can see the bench where the food was laid out before each meal.
I filled my water bottle and noticed that the drinking water was much cooler this morning than it had been the night before—wonderful!
The atmosphere around me was almost tangible: singing from the temple, birds chirping, the faint smell of smoke—something burning somewhere—the sun peeking through a hazy sky, and warm, humid air. At the same time, I could feel a gentle breeze brushing against my skin.
While waiting for breakfast, I found myself wondering when the other students would arrive and who they were. As I sat there excitedly awaiting their arrival, I realized how little I knew about Indian customs and etiquette. How do you address the people who clean, cook, and work here? How do you address the teachers and those in charge?
Once again, I turned to my good friend ChatGPT for answers 😄 — and answers I got.
"Namaste"
means both "hello" and "thank you."
If you say "Namaste Ji," it becomes a very respectful greeting.
During breakfast, Sarah from Morocco arrived. She told me that she had studied in France and had been living there since graduating from high school. Over the past few months, she had been traveling around the world.
A little later, an Indian man and his son, Keshav, arrived. I soon learned that it was Keshav who would be attending the same training program as me.
After breakfast, I noticed that someone was cleaning the swimming pool, and I found myself
looking forward to taking a swim at some point.
Hari Ji informed us that lunch would be served at 1:00 PM, but otherwise there were no planned activities that day. He also told us that a major Hindu pilgrimage, the Char Dham Yatra, was taking place that weekend, resulting in enormous crowds and unbelievable traffic. Because of this, we were advised to stay at the school.
After resting in my room for about an hour, I felt a little dizzy when I got up from the bed. I immediately realized that I needed to increase my water intake during my stay.
At lunch, I finally met my roommate, Eve from Ireland—28 years old. As it turned out, the student group wasn't full, so it would only be the two of us sharing the room—a luxury!
Speaking English was going much better than I had expected, and I was very grateful for that 🙏🏼
Later that afternoon, the schedule for the following day was written on a whiteboard in the garden.
Sunday, May 3
First Day of Training ♡
06:15–07:30 Yoga Asana Class
07:30–08:00 Shower and change into white clothing for the ceremony
08:00–09:00 Welcome Ceremony / Fire Ceremony
09:00–10:00 Breakfast
10:15–11:30 Information / Orientation
11:30–13:00 Registration
13:00–14:00 Lunch
14:00–15:30 Rest and remaining registration
15:30–17:00 Nature Therapy
17:00–17:30 Tea Break
17:30–19:00 Emotional Detox Meditation
19:00–20:00 Dinner
On the first day of training, I woke up around 5:30 AM feeling very excited about what the day would bring.
We started with Yoga Asana Class from 6:15–7:30 AM. This first yoga class was challenging for a beginner like me, but I made it through.
After class, I took a quick shower and changed clothes before the fire ceremony.
The fire ceremony (Havan/Homa) was an interesting experience. I was dressed in white, just like everyone else. We made offerings and received flower garlands. We were marked on the forehead, and at the end we danced in a circle around the fire. We were even given a little candy.
The people leading the ceremony tied a red and yellow thread, known as Kalava (कलावा) or Mauli (मौली), around our wrists while reciting mantras and prayers. It is quite common for yoga schools in Rishikesh to give participants a Mauli/Kalava during opening ceremonies, pujas, or fire rituals as a symbol of protection and as an intention for the journey ahead.
After the ceremony, everyone went for breakfast.
We had barely finished eating when we heard the first rumble of thunder. You could almost feel the tension in the air. Thunder rolled across the sky and the wind began to pick up.
Our next activity was the orientation session, so we returned to the hall. Suddenly, lightning tore across the sky—and then came the rain!
It was as if the heavens had opened all at once. The sound of the rain pounding against the roof made it difficult to hear what was being said.
Dinner was delicious.
One of the dishes contained something that some of the others thought was tofu,
but it turned out to be tofu's "sister"—paneer. In India, paneer is used in much the same way as tofu, but unlike tofu,
it is made from milk rather than soy
and does not melt when cooked.
Chapati is served with every meal,
also known as roti. Made from whole wheat flour (atta), it is a thin, soft flatbread that is perfect for scooping up food with your hands.
So far, I had enjoyed everything that had been served.
A WhatsApp group was created where both teachers and students could share information, thoughts, and photos. While it was certainly practical, I must admit that I had expected my phone to get a bit more rest during this retreat.
Personally, I would have preferred receiving a complete schedule for the entire stay in printed form upon arrival. Instead, WhatsApp became the main communication channel, and it was there
that we received the schedule for the next two days.
✨ Schedule for May 4th & 5th ✨
5:45–7:30 AM — Hatha Yoga + Yoga Nidra
7:35–8:45 AM — Shatkarma / Pranayama / Mantra
8:45–9:45 AM — Breakfast
9:45–11:15 AM — Naturopathy Class
11:30–12:30 PM — Alignment Adjustment (Ravi Ji)
1:00–2:00 PM — Lunch
2:00–4:00 PM — Rest / Self Study
4:00–5:00 PM — Ashtanga Yoga
5:00–5:30 PM — Tea Break
5:30–7:15 PM — Emotional Detox Meditation
7:15–8:00 PM — Dinner
8:00–9:30 PM — Silence Observation
9:30 PM — Good Night 🌙
"Please arrive on time for all classes and meals. If possible, remain silent after the evening meditation class until the following morning to support healing of body and mind."
My very first thought when I read the schedule was:
This is going to be tough!
The day ended with Emotional Detox Meditation.
A regular part of the program during the first few days at Triguna Yoga was something called "Emotional Detox Meditation." These sessions consisted of a combination of pressure-point/bodywork techniques, breathing exercises, and a closing meditation.
Note: After participating in the first two evenings, I chose not to take part in the physical component during the remaining three sessions.
The purpose of the practice was to release physical and emotional tension stored in the body. For many participants, it triggered strong reactions such as pain, tears, vocal expressions, and involuntary body movements.
For me, these sessions were extremely challenging.
One thing was the physical pain itself; another was the sounds coming from the other students. It sounded like a cross between a delivery room and a torture chamber—and I found it deeply distressing.
I experienced intense pain, developed several bruises, and reacted strongly to the treatment.
Throughout my life, I have experienced many forms of severe pain—including appendicitis, herniated discs in both my neck and lower back, cysts, childbirth, and kidney stone attacks over many years. Yet this felt different.
It wasn't just the pain itself—it was the situation I found myself in.
The pain was being inflicted by another person as part of the treatment, and on several occasions, I felt that more force was being used than I was comfortable with. I cried, pulled away, and said stop, yet I still felt that the treatment continued.
During childbirth or kidney stone attacks, I have been able to meet the pain through breathing, focus, and presence. In this situation, I couldn't do that. I didn't feel able to surrender to the experience or work through it in the same way. Instead, I felt a strong urge to get away from the pain.
At the same time, we were expected to perform the same treatment on one another.
I found it difficult to apply enough pressure to the other person, and several times I was told to press harder. Something about that felt deeply wrong to me. I simply did not want to inflict on another human being the same level of pain that I was experiencing myself.
After each session, I felt completely exhausted, and I found myself questioning whether such an intense approach was truly necessary.
It wasn't the idea of emotional release work itself that I struggled with. I genuinely believe that bodywork, breathwork, and meditation can be valuable tools for healing and self-discovery. What created resistance in me was the intensity of the method and how quickly and forcefully the body was pushed.
These sessions took place from day one through day five of the training. Because they occurred so early in the program, they also affected my sense of safety and trust.
I had traveled to India hoping to find peace, learn, and feel confident in the process. Instead, I began to question some of the school's methods.
I wasn't frightened, but I lost some of the sense of security I had hoped to build during those first days. When a method leaves you with pain, bruises, and questions about whether the practice is truly appropriate, it is natural for trust to be challenged.
At the same time, this does not mean that my entire experience was negative.
I deeply enjoyed the Hatha Yoga classes, Yoga Nidra, meditation, philosophy teachings, and the people I met in Rishikesh.
The experience also taught me something important:
Transformation does not necessarily have to come through pain.
Personally, I believe similar results can be achieved through a more gradual, gentle, and individually adapted approach.
Looking back, I am left with a deeper understanding of how important safety, respect for personal boundaries, and individual adaptation are within both yoga practice and personal growth.
Destiny 💫
De første dagene på Triguna Yoga
Lørdag 2.mai
Da jeg endelig sovnet i 9–10 tida i går kveld, sov jeg godt 🙏🏼
Jeg sov ca 8 timer min første natt på Triguna 🙏🏼 Til tross for at jeg ikke har AC på rommet, var det en behagelig temperatur gjennom natten. Så skal det sies at her var det ingen dyne, men et tynt vevd teppe og det var akkurat passe i varmen.
Etter å ha ordnet meg gikk jeg til spiseområdet og satte meg på en benk. Plutselig hørte jeg musikk, noen som sang -og det var så nydelig å høre på. Hari Ji kom for å hente seg vann og han kunne fortelle at sangen kom fra et tempel i nærheten. Han informerte meg også om at frokosten straks ville bli servert.
Her ser dere spiseområdet hvor vi hver dag fikk servert frokost, lunsj og middag. På det tredje bildet kan dere se benken der maten ble satt frem
Jeg fylte vannflasken min og la merke til at drikkevannet var kaldere nå på morgenen enn det var i går kveld -deilig!
Stemningen rundt meg var til å ta og føle på; det var sang fra tempelet, fuglesang, en eim av røyklukt – noe som brennes? – sola som tittet frem fra en disig himmel og det var varmt & fuktig. Samtidig kjente jeg en svak bris som streifet over huden.
Mens jeg ventet på frokosten var jeg spent på når de andre studentene vil dukke opp og hvem de var. Mens jeg satt å ventet i spenning på at de andre skulle ankomme - innså jeg at jeg kunne for lite om indiske skikker & høflighetsfraser. Hvordan man tiltaler de ansatte som vasker, lager mat, etc. – og hvordan man tiltaler lærerne/de som styrer. Jeg måtte igjen ty til min gode venn chatGPT for å få svar 😄 å jeg svar fikk jeg.
“Namaste” – betyr både “hei” & “takk” Sier man “Namaste Ji” er det veldig respektfullt.
Under frokosten ankom Sarah, fra Marokko. Hun kunne fortelle at hun hadde studert i Frankrike og bodd der siden hun var ferdig på High School. De siste månedene hadde hun reist rundt i verden.
Etterhvert ankom en indisk mann & hans sønn, Keshav, og jeg fikk vite at det var sønnen som skulle være her og delta på det samme studiet som meg.
Etter frokost la jeg merke til at noen holdt på å rense/vaske bassenget og jeg kjente at jeg gledet meg til å kunne ta et bad etterhvert.
Hari Ji informerte oss om at det serveres lunsj kl. 13:00, ellers var det ingen planlagte aktiviteter denne dagen. Han informerte oss om at det foregår en stor hinduistisk pilgrimsreise “Char Dham Yatra” denne helgen, noe som førte til enorme folkemengder og sinnsyk mye trafikk. Derfor ble vi anbefalt å holde oss her på skolen.
Etter å ha hvilt en times tid på rommet, kjente jeg at jeg ble litt svimmel når jeg reiste meg fra sengen og skjønte straks at jeg må øke vanninntaket under oppholdet.
Til lunsj møtte jeg endelig romkameraten min, Eve fra Irland – 28 år. Det viste seg at ettersom studentgruppen ikke var fulltallig ble det bare oss to på rommet – for en luksus.
Det å snakke engelsk gikk bedre enn jeg forventet og det var jeg veldig takknemlig for 🙏🏼
I løpet av ettermiddagen ble morgendagens timeplan skrevet på en whiteboardtavle i hagen.
Søndag 3.mai
dag i utdanningen ♡
06:15–07:30 Yoga Asana Class
07:30–08:00 Dusj & kle seg i hvitt til seremonien
08:00–09:00 Velkomst / ildseremoni
09:00–10:00 Frokost
10:15–11:30 Informasjon / orientering
11:30–13:00 Registrering
13:00–14:00 Lunsj
14:00–15:30 Hvile & resterende registrering
15:30–17:00 Naturterapi
17:00–17:30 Te
17:30–19:00 Emotional Detox Meditation
19:00–20:00 Middag
Den første studiedagen våknet jeg ca. 05:30 og kjente at jeg var veldig spent på hva dagen ville bringe.
Vi startet med “Yoga Asana Class” kl.06:15-07:30. Denne første yogatimen var hard for en nybegynner som meg, men jeg kom meg gjennom den.
Etter timen gikk jeg for å ta en rask dusj og skifte før ildseremonien.
Ildseremonien (Havan/Homa) var en interessant opplevelse. Jeg var kledd i hvite klær, slik som de andre. Vi gav offergaver og fikk en blomsterkrans. De “malte” oss i pannen. På slutten danset vi i ring rundt bålet. Og vi fikk litt godteri.
De som holdt seremonien knyttet et rødt & gult bånd, Kalava (कलावा) / Mauli (मौली), rundt håndleddet vårt mens det ble sagt mantraer eller bønner.
Det er ganske vanlig at yogaskoler i Rishikesh gir deltakere en Mauli/Kalava under åpningsseremonier, pujaer eller ildseremonier som et symbol på beskyttelse og intensjonen for reisen videre.
Etter ildseremonien gikk alle sammen for å spise frokost.
Vi var knapt ferdig med å spise idet vi kunne høre de første tordendrønnene. Spenningen i lufta var til å ta og føle på. Torden rullet og vinden blåste. Vår neste post på dagens program var informasjon, så vi gikk tilbake til salen. Med ett ble himmelen flerret opp av lynet -og så kom regnet! Det var som om himmelen åpnet alle sluser på en gang! Lyden av regnet som trommet mot takplatene gjorde det vanskelig å høre hva som ble sagt.
Middagen smakte godt,
en av rettene inneholdt noe som
de andre trodde var tofu, men det var tofuens “søster”, paneer.
I India er det paneer som er nærmest
tofu i bruk, men paneer lages av melk,
ikke soya som tofu.
Den smelter ikke når den stekes.
Chapati serveres til alle måltider,
det kalles også roti.
Det lages av fullkornshvetemel (atta)
og er et “lefse-brød”.
Tynt, mykt og litt tørt.
Perfekt til å “scoope” opp mat med hendene. Så langt har jeg likt alt jeg har fått servert av mat.
Det ble opprettet en gruppe inne på WhatsApp hvor både lærere og studenter kunne poste informasjon og dele både tanker og bilder. Det er jo en praktisk løsning, men jeg må innrømme at jeg trodde mobilen skulle hvile i større grad under dette oppholdet. Personlig hadde jeg foretrukket å få en fullstendig plan for hele oppholdet, i papirformat, ved ankomst. Men det var altså WhatsApp som ble informasjonskanalen og det var her vi fikk tilsendt dagsplan for de neste 2 dagene.
✨Schedule 4th & 5th✨
———✨🌸✨
5:45-7:30am Hatha Yoga+ yoga Nidra
7:35-8:45am Shatkarma/Pranayama/Mantra
8;45-9;45am Breakfast
9:45-11:15am Naturopathy class
11:30-12:30pm Alignment Adjustment (Ravi ji)
1:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-4:00pm Rest /self study
4:00-5:00pm Ashtanga yoga
5:00-5:30pm Tea break
5:30-7:15pm Emotional detox meditation
7:15-8:00pm Dinner
8:00-9:30pm Silence observation
9:30pm - Good night 🌙
————✨
Note:- please come at right time to every class and meals
If possible please stay silent after every evening meditation class till next morning .
To heal body mind .
Please take showers before meditation classes .
Next schedule will be shared soon 🙏
Dette blir tøft!, var min første tanke når jeg leste planen.
Dagen ble avsluttet med Emotional Detox Meditation
En fast del av programmet de første dagene ved Triguna Yoga var «Emotional Detox Meditation». Timene bestod av en kombinasjon av trykkpunkt-/muskelarbeid, pusteteknikker og avsluttende meditasjon.
NB: Etter å ha deltatt på de to første kveldene valgte jeg å ikke delta på den fysiske delen de tre siste kveldene.
Målet med praksisen var å frigjøre fysiske og emosjonelle spenninger lagret i kroppen. For mange deltakere førte dette til sterke reaksjoner som smerter, gråt, lyder og ufrivillige kroppsbevegelser.
For meg ble disse timene veldig tøffe. Én ting var de fysiske smertene, en annen ting var lydene fra de andre studentene. Det hørtes ut som en blanding av en fødestue og et torturkammer – jeg syntes det var grusomt.
Jeg opplevde sterke smerter, fikk flere blåmerker og reagerte kraftig fysisk på behandlingen.
Gjennom livet har jeg opplevd mange former for intens smerte – blant annet blindtarmbetennelse, prolaps i både nakke og rygg, cyster, fødsler og nyresteins anfall gjennom mange år. Likevel opplevdes dette annerledes.
Det handlet ikke bare om smerten i seg selv, men om situasjonen jeg befant meg i. Smertene ble påført av et annet menneske som en del av behandlingen, og jeg opplevde flere ganger at det ble brukt mer kraft enn jeg var komfortabel med. Jeg gråt, trakk meg unna og sa stopp, men opplevde likevel at behandlingen fortsatte.
Ved fødsel eller nyresteins anfall har jeg kunnet møte smerten ved hjelp av pust, fokus og tilstedeværelse. I denne situasjonen klarte jeg ikke det. Jeg opplevde ikke at jeg kunne synke inn i opplevelsen og arbeide med den på samme måte. Tvert imot kjente jeg et sterkt ønske om å komme meg bort fra smerten.
Samtidig skulle vi utføre den samme behandlingen på hverandre. Jeg syntes det var vanskelig å legge nok press på den andre personen, og flere ganger fikk jeg beskjed om å trykke hardere. Det gikk imot noe i meg. Jeg hadde rett og slett ikke lyst til å påføre et annet menneske den samme smerten som jeg selv opplevde.
Etter timene var jeg utslitt, og jeg stilte meg spørsmål ved om så kraftig behandling virkelig var nødvendig.
Det var ikke selve tanken bak emosjonelt frigjørings arbeid jeg reagerte på. Jeg har tro på at både kroppsarbeid, pusteteknikker og meditasjon kan være verdifulle verktøy. Det som skapte motstand hos meg var intensiteten i metoden og hvor raskt og hardt kroppen ble presset.
Disse timene pågikk fra dag 1 til dag 5 av oppholdet. Fordi de kom så tidlig i kurset, påvirket de også min opplevelse av trygghet. Jeg reiste til India med et ønske om å finne ro, lære og føle tillit til prosessen. I stedet begynte jeg å tvile på enkelte av skolens metoder.
Jeg ble ikke skremt, men jeg mistet noe av den trygghetsfølelsen jeg hadde håpet å bygge opp i starten av oppholdet. Når en metode gir smerter, blåmerker og får en til å stille spørsmål ved om praksisen er forsvarlig, er det naturlig at tilliten utfordres.
Samtidig betyr ikke dette at hele oppholdet var negativt. Jeg hadde stor glede av Hatha Yoga, Yoga Nidra, meditasjon, filosofiundervisningen og møtene med menneskene jeg traff i Rishikesh.
Opplevelsen lærte meg også noe viktig:
Transformasjon trenger ikke nødvendigvis å komme gjennom smerte.
For min del tror jeg at lignende resultater kan oppnås gjennom en mer gradvis, skånsom og individuelt tilpasset tilnærming.
I ettertid sitter jeg igjen med en større forståelse av hvor viktig trygghet, respekt for egne grenser og individuell tilpasning er i yoga praksis og personlig utvikling.
Destiny 💫
Kommentarer