Blog from Kippie. Photos from Jon and Anya.
Note from Headquarters: the Shiva group just arrived in Leh, Ladak where they will volunteer with a partner organization and then go on a Himalayan trek! The group will have very limited access to internet for the next two weeks.
I last blogged when we were heading into a week long yoga and meditation retreat here in India. Now a week later and back in the land of the noise (we spent the majority of each day there in silence), each one of us feels changed in some way by our time at the Ashram. Everyone took something different out of it, and it would be impossible for me to cover all the bases of 7 people’s experiences. So, below is a short piece from each one of us on what our time there meant to us!
Grace: There are so many amazing things I will take from the experience at the Ashram. It opened my mind to more perspectives and a better way of life. I’m truly grateful for such an unforgettable experience.
Sergio: The Ashram changed my life. Through intense amounts of meditation I came to many realizations of myself and the importance of others to my happiness. I absolutely loved it.
Matthew: The Ashram presented a different more structured side of the hectic humdrum of India and for the most par, I loved it. Perhaps a but structured, but it balanced the other extreme, and I came out better than I was before. Overall a wonderful experience! Hari Om Tat Sat Jaya Guru Datta!
Elana: Before going to the Ashram, I thought meditation was just something I could do when I was super stressed out, only once in a while. But Phool Chatti taught me just how powerful meditation can be when you practice it daily.
Rachel: I’ve always meditated before going to Phool Chatti Ashram. But I got a different perspective on meditating and a different perspective on the world and the people around me, most importantly how to reach my Higher Self. I have a greater appreciation for the woman who carried me for 9 months as well. I cannot help but see her as omnipotent. I love you mom.
Mary: I found the silence of the Ashram to be frustrating, but the meditation, yoga and chanting opened my perspective of spirituality more than I thought was possible. I felt inspired by the practices and all the wonderful people we lived with from all around the world.
Kippie: Before going to the Ashram, I had never really meditated or done yoga before. I never thought of these two practices as interrelated, and I never realized how transformational they could be to me on a spiritual as well as physical level. I feel that after just 7 days there, I am more aware of my self and my thoughts, and am excited to continue meditating on a daily basis!
