The Ashram

To protect the sacred place in which she grows spiritually in India, Elizabeth Gilbert withholds the Ashram's name, saying only that it is a two-hour taxi ride from the Mumbai (Bombay) airport. Outside the ashram's walls everything is dust and poverty, but inside are gardens, flowerbeds, and orchards. The buildings are nice but not extravagant. These include a cafeteria-style dining hall, comprehensive library of spiritual classics, two meditation "caves," a covered outdoor pavilion for yoga classes, a park with a walking path around it, and concrete dormitories. During Liz's stay there are never more than a few hundred residents at any given time, and the Guru is not in residence. There are a few paid staff members, but most of the labor is done by students. One temple is open to the general public, but the rest of the ashram is restricted to students, who are...