I am writing this from the balcony I share with 3 girls in my yoga program. It looks out on the Ganges, and Ram Jhoola bridge which tonight is lit with beautiful, dynamic, colorful lights. I wonder if it is lit every night. In addition to an intense day of what cannot be described as anything but culture shock, I am extremely jet lagged, and despite being very short on sleep still, I am wide awake at 1:30AM local time.

After spending several hours at Delhi airport, at 6:00AM yesterday I flew into Dehradun and took a taxi into Rishikesh. I spent all day exploring the city and getting to know some of the people from my yoga program. The taxi ride in was just as people described it would be. Traffic laws don’t seem be a thing, honking almost constantly is the norm. There were monkeys all over the sides of the road. When we got into Risikesh, 2 boys who hardly spoke English grabbed our bags out of the car and walked with us across the bridge. People, dogs, motorbikes, and cows share all roads here.

The city is loud and crowded, but walk down an alleyway and it’s serene. The gardens, the mountains, the river, they all hold an energy that is calm and reflective amidst the chaos.

Rishikesh is like nowhere I’ve been before.