“Om om om,” hummed the class in a synchronized tone. After an exhilarating experience at the Hinduism ashram, I participated in the yoga class immediately after the worship. Being that I don't attend yoga classes often, I didn't have a mat but the teacher had many rugs that people used in place of one. As the class followed the teacher's movements, there was also friendly creature crawling around, a cat. The beginning started with om’s, then some simple stretches to warm up the muscles, becoming more complicated, balancing poses, and finally a relaxation period. Religion was never a huge part of my childhood, so as I am growing up, I have an interest in learning about every religion in the world. It’s indescribable of the devotion that these people have to their religion, especially Hinduism, it's not just a religion that you practice on the weekends, it is a lifestyle. Experiencing these traditions and worships that Hindu’s do everyday of their lives have inspired me, their dedication is like none other.

The sophistication of Hinduism is unreal, but when I walked into the ashram I felt more comfortable than expected. The prior knowledge that I have been learning in the classroom about all of the deities and events helped create a sense of comfort and contentment. In the room of worship, the colors are brighter than the son, including; the walls, carpet, deities, clothing, etc. Walking through the screen door leads you to the next building, where the yoga class took place. Inside was a giant statue of Ganesh, with lights directly shining onto him creating a glow around him. The building was a huge structure that was screened in, and the only source of lighting was on Ganesh, and one larger light behind the yoga instructor. In the dim lighted patio sat multiple students eager to begin class. Starting out in a simple crisscross applesauce position, we began repeating “om” three times, relaxing our bodies. Once the body is full in concentration, and relaxed, the real part begins.

The breeze filled the room, and all I could hear was the rain coming down around us. Still following the movements of the instructor, my body slowly becomes more flexible and allows for a deeper stretch. We began with a simple original yoga exercise that I recognized from one of the only yoga classes I've ever attended. Bringing your hands to a prayer position, and slightly bending over was the first of many steps to this sequence of movements, then reaching high to the sky you bend backwards ever so slightly circling your arms down to your feet. Some struggled immensely, mostly the guys, but as a dancer the flow was bearable. What seemed relaxing to me, wasn't so relaxing for everyone else, contorting our bodies into a downward dog position then to a plank needed complete abdominal strength and the willpower to push through the pain, releasing the plank and eventually returning to a prayer position through the reverse of the beginning of the sequence, was half of a set. Repeating that whole sequence with different legs was counted as one complete set, and then repeating the full set four times definitely was a mind over matter situation.

Comparing the balance of a tree to me was a joke, but I tried to be as tree-like as possible, I also have a tendency to laugh at the wrong times. The room now is completely silent, you can hear each rain drop splash into the puddle, trying my hardest to stay as still as possible, I still glance around and see everyone struggling as much as I am, if not worse. Keeping my foot on my leg and my hands in a prayer position, slowly moving upward in the air and then acting as if my hands were tree branches, I held in my laughter, knowing it would be inappropriate to laugh at such a time. Struggling to do so, I looked down to the ground and the cat was biting and attempting to drag away the jacket of the guy next to me, now I uncontrollably start laughing because how often is there a situation like that, especially when everyone is focused on trying to be a tree.

Nearing the end of the session, I figured we would be doing a stretch to ensure of no muscle injuries. As we laid in a “corpse” pose, flat on the ground, I was the best as this pose; the instructor spoke with complete confidence and took us through a full body relaxation session. Starting with our big toe of our right foot, then to each of our toes, to the ball of our foot, to the arch leading up to the heel, then to the heel, calf, thigh, hip, and repeating on the left side we were to feel each body part relaxing. After completing each part of the body, my body never felt heavier, the gravity felt ten times more stronger than before, and before I knew it my head had fell to the side, and I was in a light sleep, listening to the relaxing weather, the instructor's voice slowly faded away. Randomly awaking, I popped my eyes open not knowing where I was at first, nobody was speaking, everyone was laying still as the frigid air filled the screen room, I have never felt so relaxed in my entire life. I could barely lift my head as it felt as though it weighed twenty pounds. We were instructed to slowly to feel our body again, I felt like it was the morning when really it was only 8:30 pm.

Realizing how amazing that whole experience was, I opened my eyes slowly and the light seemed more drastic than before. It astonished me that people do this every week, again back to my inspiration of people who are so devoted to their beliefs, I become speechless at the thought. I would recommend the whole world to come and visit this ashram, there was no sense of discomfort, and everyone was inviting. There were no conversions allowed and you were never pressured to do anything you didn't want. I loved every second of this experience and would possibly like to return sometime with some friends to share the amazing things I have seen and learned. “Om om om,” hummed the class in a synchronized tone.