Most visitors see Boudha in the middle of the day, from a rooftop café, for an hour. That is a pity, because Boudha is a morning place. If you are staying in Kathmandu for more than a night or two, here is how to spend one morning properly, with a yoga class in the middle of it.
Boudhanath, briefly
The great stupa at Boudha is one of the largest in Nepal and the centre of Tibetan Buddhist life in the Kathmandu valley. It is one of the seven monument zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stupa was damaged in the 2015 earthquake and has since been restored. Around it, a ring of houses, shops and monasteries forms a circular plaza, and the lanes behind are full of monasteries, thangka painters and butter lamp sellers.
It is a living religious site before it is a sight. People are here to pray.
The dawn kora
Kora means walking around a sacred place as a form of prayer. At Boudha it happens all day, but the early morning is when the neighbourhood itself turns out: elderly Tibetans with prayer beads, monks and nuns, office workers doing a few rounds before the bus.
- Walk clockwise. Always. Keep the stupa on your right.
- Spin prayer wheels clockwise too, with the right hand.
- Go quietly. Walk at the pace of the people around you and let faster walkers pass.
- Ask before photographing anyone, and do not photograph people who are prostrating.
- Dress modestly. Shoulders and knees covered is a good rule.
Three slow rounds take about twenty minutes. Arrive around six and you will be finished in good time for class.
The 7 AM class
Rising Lotus Wellness Studio is on Jorpati Road in Boudha, a short walk from the stupa. The daily class starts at 7 AM and runs for an hour; the timetable shows which style is taught on which morning, and Hatha vs Ashtanga vs Yin will help you pick a day if you have a choice.
Drop-ins are welcome. Reserve a mat the day before so that we know to expect you. Come on an empty stomach, in clothes you can move in, and arrive ten minutes early. If you have wondered why the class is so early, there are reasons.
After class
By eight the cafés around the stupa are open. Breakfast on a rooftop with the stupa in front of you, after a kora and a class, is the right time for that view.
Then, depending on your energy:
- Visit a monastery. Several around the stupa welcome visitors outside prayer times. Take your shoes off, walk clockwise inside too, and sit quietly at the back if prayers are under way.