Ten Days in an Ashram: A Glimpse into Simplicity and Self

Spending ten days in an ashram in India isn’t exactly a vacation. It’s a pause. A soft reset. A slow unraveling of the unnecessary.

The days begin before the sun. A bell rings in the dark, and we move quietly—barefoot and half-asleep—toward the meditation hall. There’s no rush here. No coffee. No talking. Just the breath and the body awakening gently. The first few mornings are a shock. But something shifts after a few days. The resistance starts to soften.

The ashram routine is simple, yet deeply structured. Yoga, meditation, philosophy, meals. Everything runs on time, and everything is done with awareness. We eat in silence. We clean our own plates. We serve each other. There's humility in that—a quiet kind of grace.

Phones are off. Shoes are left at the door. The world we usually live in—the noisy one full of emails, headlines, and distractions—fades into the background. And when it does, you start to notice things: the sound of the birds at sunrise, the rhythm of your own thoughts, the way you’ve been running without knowing why.

Living in community brings its own lessons. You share a space with strangers, and soon the differences fall away. Everyone’s here for something deeper. There’s comfort in that shared silence, in the unspoken understanding that we’re all figuring it out.

But it’s not always peaceful. The stillness can stir things up. Emotions rise. Old habits surface. At times it feels uncomfortable, like you’re detoxing from more than just city life. And yet, those are the moments that matter. When you stay, breathe, and let it pass.

By the end of ten days, something has shifted. Not dramatically—but undeniably. There’s more clarity. More quiet inside. And maybe, a little more kindness.

Ashram life isn’t about escaping the world. It’s about learning how to be in it—with presence, intention, and a little less noise.