Packing for the Ashram.

I like to call myself a minimalist. So in a true minimalistic way I went to the Ashram for 6 months of training with a hand luggage. You probably know already how did it work out for me?

In my previous job I had to travel a lot. I learned the hard way that German old towns and Polish pavements are not designed for big and heavy suitcases, or anything with wheels for that matter. So I figured out a system of a hand luggage where I packed 1 extra pair of dress shoes, exactly 5 sets of office appropriate blouses and trousers, some underwear and other essentials like cosmetics and toothbrush. You would be surprised how many things can actually fit in a hand luggage if they are folded the right way.

Equipped with that knowledge and 8 years of traveling light experience, I went to the Ashram with a hand luggage suitcase 60x40x30 cm, and listen to that - half of it was empty!

Now I know it could have been completely empty and it wouldn’t make a difference.

In the first week of the training I realized that I would have to hand wash everything as laundry was happening only once a week and you could drop or pick up your clothes only on Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 4pm. So if you dropped most of your clothes today, you would have to wait for a whole week to get them back!

Ok, I will just wash the clothes by hand… well, while that is ok for your underwear, handwashing is not really quick or easy and the clothes are never that clean. Let’s be honest - who in their right mind would learn how to hand wash clothes properly if there is a washing machine in the house?

So yes, with a lot of resistance I had to break my 3 years of ‘no buy’ rule and I bought more clothes. And not only at the ashram but also from Amazon!

There is nothing more practical than a pajama pants with pockets that you can zip up! List of the items you can stuff in hose pockets is endless: tissues, kees, money and that few odd peanuts and a banana for later.

And that is all you will ever need! A couple of comfy pajama pants, and 10 cotton t-shirts.

I had a pair of sandals and running shoes for the journey - never wore any of those even for a day. You just walk barefoot everywhere in the ashram. A hat? Maybe if you are particularly fashionable. Some items I never even used - like for example the sunscreen.

And don’t even think of yoga pants! The dress code is clear - loosely fitting clothes covering arms and legs. I did feel kind of underdressed for about 5 minutes, until the first torrential rain. After that I was always comfortable with my fashion choices.

What you will need is an umbrella or a raincoat - there’s a second rainy season in the Ashram that starts about October and lasts for 2-3 months. The temperature in the mornings drops below 20 degrees C, so you want to have a comfortable jumper. You will have to take it of later during the day as about lunch time it always gets hot.

And yes - make sure your luggage is half empty because you will buy a lot of things. And no, you cannot easily ship them back home - trust me I tried and failed.

I am already planning what to bring the next time… empty suitcase!