Sunday, October 29, 2006

Mimi Ghez of the District is the latest contributor to our Your Vacation in Lights feature, in which we invite Travel section readers to share the dish about their recent trips. It's a big, confusing travel world out there, and you can help your fellow travelers navigate it. Your hot tip can be the next guy's day-maker; your rip-off restaurant, the next family's near-miss. To file your own trip report -- and become eligible to win a digital camera -- see the fine print at the end.

THE TRIP: A long weekend at Yogaville (yes, Yogaville).

WHO WENT: Me and my orange sticky mat.

WHEN: July 2006

WHERE: Buckingham, Va.

WHY: To participate in a weekend seminar on "living the life of your dreams" held at this pan-religious spiritual community in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sounds pretty good when you're between jobs.

GETTING THERE WAS: Interstate 66 to 29 to 64 to 20 to 655 to 601 to 604 to fork in the road to Yogaville. The instructions indicated it was a 3 1/2 -hour drive from Washington, but it took me 5 1/2 with traffic, thunderstorms and dark roads, putting me in Yogaville after the first yoga session had ended.

BEST THING ABOUT MY LODGINGS: I stayed at Ramalinga Nilayam, one of the back-to-summer-camp dormitories on the grounds. No locks, no theft, no shoes. My seven bunkmates and I fell asleep to the sound of a deep-relaxation CD.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I . . . paid good money ($228) to be awakened at 5:30 a.m. to meditate. By breakfast time (8:30), my bunkmates and I had chanted "Om" together, sweated out an hour and a half of integral yoga and practiced deep breathing using our fingers to cover first our left and then our right nostrils in what felt relaxing but looked like someone picking her nose. By the end of the weekend, I had actually: envisioned myself 20 years in the future while lying with my legs up a wall, jumped over a broom to commit to my dreams in a room of cheering women, and participated in a beautiful Saturday evening chanting program called Kirtan, at which several sari-clad singers led an audience call-and-response of Sanskrit holy words in hypnotic rhythm. "Raama Raama Raama Raam . . ." Not my usual weekend.

CULTURAL FAUX PAS: Asking the women in my dorm room what they were going to wear to yoga class.

FAVORITE FOOD: Dessert, of course -- plum mousse with yogurt. I'm not used to all-vegetarian-all-the-time, but mmm, the food was good. But newbies, beware: no caffeine, no sugar, and the salad dressing is made from water (but it wasn't half-bad).

COOLEST ATTRACTION: An enormous meditation hall shaped like a giant pink lotus flower, which also houses a collection of scripture and artifacts from the world's major religions. A sign in the meditation hall welcomes all: "Truth Is One, Paths Are Many."

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT . . . the photographs and paintings of spiritual leader Sri Swami Satchidananda, who founded Yogaville, in every room: the lunchroom, the laundry room, even our bedrooms.

IT MADE IT ALL WORTH IT WHEN . . . I was awakened at dawn by a 77-year-old woman playing classical violin, the community's version of an alarm clock.

IF I COULD DO IT OVER AGAIN I WOULD . . . actually keep my mouth shut for one of the silent lunches.

CHEAPEST THRILLS: There was an impressive collection of books on spirituality and meditation for both adults and children, but I opted for a sexy $4 ankle bracelet that jingles when I walk and a $13 tape of Sri Swami Satchidananda chanting Kirtan.

THE RIDE HOME: Kanye West didn't feel quite right, so it was Kirtan all the way: "Jaya Guru Siva Guru Hari Guru Raam! Raama Raama Raama Raam . . ."

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Want to see your own vacation in lights? We'll highlight one report, along with a photo from the trip, on the last Sunday of the month. To enter, use the categories above as a guide (use as many as you wish, or add your own; for a complete list, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/vacationinlights) and send your report to Your Vacation in Lights, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071; fax it to 202-912-3609; or e-mail vacationinlights@washpost.com.

Entries chosen for publication become eligible to receive a Canon PowerShot A610 (or equivalent) digital camera at the end of the year. Entries will be chosen on the basis of humor, originality and usefulness; are subject to editing for space and clarity; and become property of The Post, which may edit, publish, distribute or republish them in any form. Employees of The Post and their immediate families are not eligible. No purchase necessary.