Yoga escapade in the land of Shiva

Lying here on a rock, in the middle of the Mandakini River, as it flows all around me, submerging me in its harmonic chime; I could easily forget the chaotic gyration of Mumbai. In this moment, there is no before, no after. Just me, the river, the Himalayas and the infinite "nows" that are yet to come. Surely, this is the Kingdom of Shiva himself!

Hidden in the wheat fields of the Himalayan slopes, along the banks of the Mandakini river with the majestic snow clad Kedarnath peak as the backdrop, are 15 tents of the GIO, in Kund, Uttaranchal. Here is where I experienced the Yoga Holiday. Healing the body, balancing the mind, opening the chakras and one's own infinite potential, while dwelling in the awesomeness and oneness of nature, was an amazing concept for a holiday. Yoga in the mornings and evenings, yoga nindra & meditation in forenoon, and the rest of the time to laze and roam in the lap of the Himalayas and frolic in the gushing ice cold water of Mandakini.

The seven day international Yoga Sadhana Camp, in early April, was held under the guidance and expertise of Yoga Guru Sri Rajeshji. The Guru has been conducting such camps in India, Germany, Uganda, Poland, and France.  Recently he returned from Europe, where he conducted Yoga Teachers’ Training workshops, and Depression/ Burnout management through Yoga and resolving other modern-day illnesses.

 At the Himalayan camp, eight Germans, one American, a Dominique Republican, and ten Indians, started their day at sunrise, with chanting of the Guru Vandana- a prayer to the cosmic guru, the Gayatri mantra followed by asanas and pranayama- melting the boundries that exist not only on the map but also in our minds. We were also introduced to the concepts of mantra, tantra, bhakti, spirituality, kundalini, Shiva and Shakti, the various paths of yoga and lots more. In a way, we each received a sort of initiation into an exiting and fulfilling journey in the endeavor to be truly at peace, with ourselves and the World. The teachings were imparted using combination of Yogic Knowledge, Psychology, philosophy and modern science, providing a much more sensible outlook to spirituality and the occult than the “Hocus Pocus” that has flooded the general perception.

Post breakfast meditation sessions with chakra awareness would melt into an early afternoon lunch followed by riverside siestas and dips, and the evenings would end with the Shanti mantra- invoking peace that merged into the sunset. Some days were peppered with group activities, and of course a one day picnic to Tunganath peak, at 12000 feet. The Temple here is said to be over a thousand years old, and the place is rich in the legends of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.  

The camp was a great detox from my vice laden, noise choked life, back in the city. While there was no warden sniffing around for nicotine, much to my surprise, the fresh mountain was enough to calm my thirsty lungs and intoxicate my mind. Through yoga, we cleared the traffic jams that choked our bodies and minds, as we speed down the highway of our being. It’s also an ideal package for those looking for a better understanding of spirituality, without having to put their life on hold. I would highly recommend attending one of these with your partner; though romancing the Himalayas is another joy all together.  

Now, as we all return to our lives, rejuvenated, refreshed and charged to do better on the urban battlefield; we cannot deny the fact that something has triggered inside each one of us, the dawn of something so strangely familiar yet so excitingly new.