A note before you start reading the blog. There are no pictures in this blog that will give a visual idea. The words may make you resonate with the exerience I had. It may trigger a desire in you to experience something similar or it may trigger a memory of a similar  experience you had. Whichever it is, enjoy the read!!

A Wellness Yoga Retreat … When I received the flyer for it, something just clicked in me and I decided to register for it. That one of the two yoga instructors who curated the retreat is a dear cousin of mine, mattered certainly; however, the primary reason was that I felt I had to attend the retreat. Why? This is a question I didn’t entertain. Sometimes it is good to follow the feeling :-).. The fact that I didn’t know anyone else attending the retreat, gave me no second thought of attending.

Am I incredibly grateful and happy to have paid heed to my feeling!!!

When I saw the entrance of the venue where the retreat was conducted, I wanted to turn back and come home. This place looked like many of the resorts we had been with Mr. D for our vacations. As I walked in, I was flooded with many many memories of Mr. D and our vacations with him, for almost three and half years. I just allowed myself to shed some tears – bittersweet memories!! What a start indeed!!

As people trickled in, there was an exchange of a smile with some, a wish with some and an instant connect with some. I realised that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know anyone else who was attending the retreat. A handful others gave me company 🙂 No one was a stranger anymore.

A group of those attending, work with a school at Mysore and knew each other. They were all in small and big groups, generating a lot of laughter and energy. And then there were those of us who had met for the first time and creating our own energies, with one another. The curators of the retreat brought with them their own energies. This is the second of their retreats and their USP is to have instrumental music playing live, during some of the session. This time the musician was a violinist. He brought with him his own energy. So much energy coming together from the word go.

Not having been to such a retreat before, I did not pay much attention to the agenda but wanted to flow with it. As we flowed with what was planned, the known and the unknown blended and bonded slowly. When the day proceeded, we were also made to realise that not all that is planned will happen. Nature has its own ways to make us realise it.. A heavy downpour in the evening that didn’t let off for almost a couple of hours. It was so beautiful that we did yoga (and yoga nidra) and meditation, with the sound of rain lending its own background music. It was live music all the way, be it with the violin played or the patter of the rain or the sound healing!! Musical retreat!!

The morning may have brought with it some soreness and some groans from the muscles that moved; but the good sleep had, would have made up for all the soreness and muscle groans :-).. Some more yoga and some groans from some and an increased flexibility in some..

Was it the heavy downpour that lent an extra freshness and refreshing look to the environment or was it the groups’ cumulative energy that did it? A combination of both and the latter playing a bigger role in this..

Thinking back, I didn’t see anyone looking or showing displeasure or anger, thru the one and half days. There was nothing that took away the fusion of energy. In fact, the blending energy levels of the group increased and there was much more laughter and along with it a lot of calmness and peace at play; and most definitely quite a lot of introspection and reflection. Mobile phones retained their battery energy and they weren’t drained either 🙂

It was a packed one and half days – not tight not loose.. not heavy not light.. not known not unknown.. not flexible not rigid.. the yin and the yang..  and a lot for both the physical and the mental state.. So much planning and so much execution to make this happen!!

Each one would have different take-aways from the retreat and each one will implement it in their own ways.

Sometimes, our experiences are so profound and powerful, that words fall short!! Yet, some words strike.

Humility.. Gratitude..

A sense of gratitude for having spent precious many hours with a group of people, where each one is humble in their own way. I Can or WE Can, doesnt really matter!! 🙂

Spirit.. Energy.. Connect.. Stillness..

You are just with yourself.. so spirited you feel .. the energy reverberates and you  can feel it.. you feel so connected with yourself.. with all that reverberating energy and strong connect and a high spirt, there is just stillness.. a paradox indeed and a beautiful one at that!!

An experience to be experienced!!

 

NOTE:

Some details of the curators of the retreat

Malhar Yoga Wellness Retreat

Curated by Padma and Rupali

They can be followed on

https://www.instagram.com/padma.befit?igsh=OGQydngzOXYyN200
https://www.instagram.com/eather_yogi?igsh=MTJlZTV4cGNiMGlwMw==