The Himalayan workshop was a great way to connect with yourself. We first got off the train at Kathgodam and took cabs to van niwas Ashram in Nainital. The journey from the station to Van Niwas offered some breath taking views of the flora and fauna of Naini Tal. The ashram is situated further up the Nainital and one can catch spectacular view of the city from the ashram. The night view was even more fantastic. The Ashram is nestled among heavily wooded hills, in an ambiance that feels divinely serene. The entire span of our 5 day stay consisted of activities like trekking, rappelling, rock climbing and river crossing. The fresh air and the connect with the nature made this trip a really memorable.
The biggest learning out of the whole program was the ability to stretch one beyond the comfortable zone. e.g. people were not very sure about completing 18 km trek but almost everybody completed. This type of activities give us the real examples of how we behave in our normal life and if we want to achieve something that look intimidating at first , we should not give up.
The awesome ashram provided a very good atmosphere to be away from the hectic life of the campus and we get to connect with our fellow participants. This was the experience mix of sharing, cohesion, fun and adventure. The food was simple and that pushed us to think of mess food as luxury. The rules of ashram made us test our own self decline and control over the way we behave otherwise . Morning we get up at 6:45 am and by 7 we were doing either pranayam aur yoga .8 am is the breakfast time. We had to "shram-dan" i.e. wash our utensils once we use them. And after the whole day activity 10 p.m. The light goes off. The set of activities which were planned were told to us in the first and the people were sceptical about their ability to walk 18 kms a day and hang from a rope.
It was a moment of self reflection for all of us as we had grown accustomed to a way of life which lays no importance to the well being of the mind and body. The sessions on stress management were an eye opener for the participants and the techniques which were talked about were taken very well.We also took a time to visit the city and buy some gifts. Designer candles were the speciality of Nanital and we bought lot of it. Boating, Tibetian market, rope way etc was one of the memorable experience that one can cherish for the lifetime. This
No comments:
Post a Comment