Hawan Ceremony

The first day of yoga we began with a Hawan ceremony, in the Hindu tradition the beginning of a new venture begins with this type of ceremony to ask for guidance and protection. 

Everyone was told to wear white which represented "purity". We sat in a circle inside the dining hall and a small fire was lit on the floor. They chanted in Sandskrit and threw different spices and oils into the fire. The women wore scarfs on their heads, the men had a piece of red string on their heads and they tied a piece of red and yellow string to each person’s wrist. I was told this was symbolic of giving blessings to each person. They we were all given some spices and herbs to throw into the fire and we chanted “OM” (The sound of the Universe) together. 

Soon the ceremony was over and we all met in to yoga room to meet our teachers and have a short introduction to the course and what would be expected of us. One thing I thought was interesting is that we were told sitting with feet straight out, pointing at the teacher is considered disrespectful so we could sit cross legged or with our knees up but never with our feet out in a relaxed position.