Retreating to India

My trip to India went by in a flash and it was everything I hoped for…stilling on the inside, rejuvenating on the outside and filled with so many special moments. Dhyanidham is the name of the ashram that I spent the bulk of my time at. It’s here that I got to spend countless hours meditating, basking in the presence of my teacher Shri Anandi Ma, eating a 100% homemade, fresh foods and enjoying the company of hundreds of like-minded yogini’s and yogini’s. It’s truly an eighth wonder of my world:).❤️⠀⠀

I’ve been with this meditation group for over 20 years, so in addition to all the actual meditation retreat, it was like a mini family reunion as friends from all over the US and Europe came to the event. So in the middle of large stretches of meditation and other practices, there was a lot of catching up, reminiscing and laughing. Best of all, it was so beautiful to see how much they’ve added to the ashram.

Letting Go & Filling Up

For me the beauty of going on retreat to the ashram in India is about letting go and filling up on the beauty and peace that surrounds me, inside and out. This year I disconnected from social media for over a month–and LOVED every minute of it :)! It’s amazing how our brains have become wired to be constantly distracted by the little device we all carry in our back pockets and  can’t seem to part with for even a few minutes. Between social media, text messages, FaceTime, googling and emails how are we ever suppose to be present these days?

Stopping that constant flow of noise had such an amazing effect on awakening my senses. This gave me the opportunity to really enjoy my surroundings, my loved ones and my myself–in real-time. I loved experiencing whiffs of freshly lit incense and aromas of indian food, hearing temple bells and birds chirping, catching up with a friend over lunch and then silently drinking in the beauty of the Narmada River while walking to the temple, being engulfed by colorful sunrises and blissful meditations and really enjoy display of rich, colorful clothing and the gorgeous natural life that I was surrounded by.

This pic is one of my faves from my trip! Opening my eyes after an early morning meditation,  morning after morning to colorful canvases like this was like catching a glimpse of the divine in action…

Here’s to letting go and filling up!

xo,
Kajal