Stretch MARK | LOUIE Yoga: Rishikesh, India - The Yoga Capital Of The World

Life in the Holy Place

The Mighty Laxman Jhula

Two years ago in the studio, I saw a poster about a yoga retreat in Rishikesh – “The yoga capital of the world.” Because of the description of the place, I became curious and checked the internet why they called it a yoga capital. I found out that the mountainous region is very holy because of the Mother Ganga, the different celebrations and rituals happening, the Ashrams, the Yoga schools (which are literally everywhere), the local and the international tourists who’s visiting to meditate, practice yoga and do their pilgrimage.

Cows are everywhere!

Rishikesh is a simple but very vibrant town. You’ll see locals wearing their traditional clothes. You can also see cows and monkeys everywhere. There are also curious local tourists who have their picture taken with the westerner tourist. You can find very enthusiastic vendors, amazing ayurvedic and marma therapists. Believe it or not, during the night there are a lot of music jamming in the cafes, so if you are into music and you are planning to visit this place, bring your own instrument or you can buy at music shops so you can jam with them.

1st International Yoga Day

During my first weekend, I was so blessed because the world celebrated its 1^st Yoga International Day and I was in the Yoga Capital of the World! The whole Yoga Community of Rishikesh conducted a mass yoga activity near the Ram Jhula. Our school had a short spectacle in the town as part of the celebration.

I was able to visit 3 cafés and I found out that they are all offering vegetarian food (I’m not sure about other cafes). Along the street you can find jewellery, souvenir shops and clothes shops which are very cheap and you can still haggle for the best price.

During my last week, I was able to visit the Beatles Ashram. This place is abandoned but you can still see the beauty of the structures. The paintings inside the old hall are just simply incredible, you just want to sing some Beatles' song while checking out the art works. The place is so nice and I hope the government or the Swami who owned the property now will be able to rebuild the place again. And by the way, there is an entrance fee of 50 Rupees or 100 Rupees.

If you are planning to take a Yoga Teacher Training Course, Meditate or planning to have a tour in India, I highly recommend that you visit Rishikesh.