Encounter with Niraamaya ②

When we finally touched down in the land of Kerala, the very first thing that caught us by surprise was the airport—it was far more grand and modern than we had ever imagined.

By the time we stepped outside, it was already around midnight. We decided to head toward our pre-booked accommodation near the airport on foot.

Guided only by Google Maps, my wife and I walked along a deserted road where the dry, bare red earth of the night was exposed. Before long, a guest house appeared out of nowhere. From the outside, it looked reasonably well-maintained, and stepping inside, it felt like a perfectly decent hotel. As we were shown to our room, we were suddenly greeted by a massive, striking painting of Lord Shiva on the hallway wall. Seeing it, a wave of deep emotion washed over me—we have finally arrived in India.

"It looks like we can get a peaceful night's sleep here," we whispered to each other as we crawled into bed.

...Or so we thought.

That very night, we received our true initiation into India.

We were relentlessly targeted by swarms of mosquitoes. All night long, the high-pitched bzzzz near our ears woke us up over and over again. Just as we would drift off, we’d snap awake, only to find ourselves bitten yet again.

By the time morning broke, my wife and I looked at each other and nodded in strange, mutual understanding: "Well, India has truly welcomed us..."

The next morning, with a completely renewed mindset, we caught a taxi and headed toward Ernakulam, the central hub of Kerala.

As we approached the city, the traffic began to swell exponentially until we were swallowed by a sea of vehicles—cars, buses, and rickshaws as far as the eye could see!

Amidst this chaotic vortex, our taxi driver maneuvered through the lanes with absolute serenity, gliding fluidly as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Before arriving in India, we had traveled through Thailand and Malaysia and thought their traffic was intense, but India was operating on a completely different dimension. "Driving through this is nothing short of a miracle..." I found myself staring in pure admiration.

Thus, we arrived in Ernakulam, Kerala.

Our strategy was to spend a few days exploring and sightseeing here before catching our train to Madurai.

The hotel we found here had far fewer mosquitoes than the first one, allowing us to finally unpack and settle into a comfortable rhythm.

We wandered into a local South Indian restaurant nearby and tasted the cuisine the traditional way—eating with our hands just like the locals.

And honestly, it was mind-blowing.

In an instant, both my wife and I fell completely in love with the land of Kerala. Biryani, Dosa, Meals, Idli... though the names of these dishes were entirely foreign to us, every single bite was profoundly delicious. Before we knew it, our spirits lifted, our hearts grew lighter, and the journey suddenly became immensely joyful.

For transportation, we mostly relied on the Uber app to hail auto-rickshaws (tuktuks). In India, bargaining over fares before hopping in or watching drivers compete intensely for passengers is a common sight. In that regard, being able to secure a ride through an app provided immense peace of mind for us as travelers.

Kerala is a historic port town, and it is said to be the very first region in India where Western nations arrived. Perhaps influenced by this rich history, we noticed an abundance of Christian churches despite being in India, and many locals openly enjoyed meat and fish without hesitation. It was fascinating to witness a side of "India" that beautifully contrasted with the preconceived images we held in our minds.

...But I shall save the rest of our Kerala sightseeing stories for another time. Let us leave it at that for now.

As our stay in Kerala drew to a close, a sudden thought struck me: "Before we head into the yoga ashram in Madurai, we should buy our own yoga mats."

With that in mind, I typed "Kerala yoga mat" into a search engine. By a beautiful stroke of serendipity, a shop named Niraamaya popped up in the results.

It appeared they specialized in organic cotton yoga mats. "Perfect, let’s buy them there on our final day," we decided. And so, transitioning from an auto-rickshaw to a ferry, we made our way toward the shop.

Niraamaya's boutique is nestled in an area called Fort Kochi—a charming island fraction of the city that is highly renowned as a historic travel destination.

The moment we stepped across the threshold into the serene space of Niraamaya—

We were greeted by a breathtaking array of organic cotton creations, beautifully aligned in a vibrant spectrum of colors. Each piece was so exquisite that a soft, involuntary "Wow..." escaped our lips.

When I looked for the yoga mats we had come for, there they stood: magnificent mats whose meticulous craftsmanship and absolute integrity were visible at a single glance.

I chose a mat in Indigo Blue × Curcuma Yellow. My wife chose one in a solid, radiant Curcuma Yellow.

Completely captivated by our new treasures, our hearts overflowed with joy as we stepped back out into the town.

Little did we know at that moment—absolutely beyond our wildest imagination—that we would one day be officially introducing and distributing these very yoga mats across Japan.

Rocked by the gentle rhythm of the train, my wife and I departed Ernakulam, embarking on a seven-hour journey.

To immerse ourselves in the deep study of Yoga, we set our sights toward the heart of South India: the sacred city of Madurai.