It’s 11:38 (or it was when this was written in Goa). The Yoga holiday in Goa, India ended yesterday. The sun is shining gloriously and it’s time to be in the shade.
I’m relaxing, with some coconut water next to me and enjoying the sound of the night black crows cawing
It’s peaceful, relaxing and tranquil. The gentle breeze is cooling as it caresses the skin.
The yoga holiday in South Goa, India has had many unexpected surprises. Everyone has flown home. I am still here and will be leaving tomorrow. We were all (teachers and students) taken outside of our comfort zone as we’ve explored new ways of being and not being.
Here are a couple of important lessons from this yoga adventure in Goa.
Lesson One - Recharging
Taking time out and changing the environment really recharges and rejuvenates mind, body, spirit.
Right now, I’m sitting on the veranda of my beach cottage writing this blog. I am breathing deeply. I can hear the rhythmic and soothing sound of the waves of the Arabian Sea breaking on the shore 50 metres away.
In the last seven days there has been no TV, email, texting, social media… Divine!
It is really important to unplug from the maniac flow of activities around you and to make time to be in nature. Our yoga holiday in Goa has been the perfect way to journey within and uncover more joy whilst being present in the moment supported by nurturing mother nature.
Listening to waves of Arabian Sea, Goa, India
Just gazing at the vast expansiveness of the Arabian Sea is meditation…nature is in a state of ‘no mind’. The sea, the trees, the flowers, the birds are in the now…living moment to moment. ‘Being’ in nature helps to quiet your relentlessly chattering monkey mind that darts here and there…constantly travelling.
The stillness around you helps to create a new inner quietness. You must make and take time to revitalise. We are not meant to just work, work, work. Or to always stress, stress, stress.
Some people are designed to work more than others. In hand analysis these are doers. Some people also have more energy than others. But even they will burn out or even develop dis-ease if they do not take time out to rest, relax and re-energise.
I’ve noticed over the years that one of the first thing that goes when people are busy and stressed is exercise. How crazy is that? Just when meditation, breath-work, posture work, walking, dancing… exercise generally is most needed, many people cut them out and choose instead to keep the stress in their body and mind.
Health is super important and not just physical health. We also need to mind the mind…this takes us to the next lesson.
Lesson Two - No Mind
Three days into our yoga holiday we had the opportunity to attend a Satsang with Samdarshi a spiritual master from the Osho lineage.
Satsang means “meeting with truth. Meeting with the master and being open to receive the ‘divine fragrance’ through his words and silence…”
The way our yoga holiday works is that we have yoga asana in the morning and meditation and a gentle yin practice in the evening. The day is free to holiday. Attending the Satsang was offered and we all decided to try it out in our “free” time.
Satsang,Agonda, Goa, India
The Satsang took place in a green ‘tent’ a 20-minute taxi or rickshaw journey from where we were staying
It’s not often that we get to meet a master who has attained the ‘no mind’ state. Here’s what happened…
- There was chanting first…another form of meditation – which aims to still the fluctuations of the mind and raises one’s vibrational level. This transformed our energies. At the end of chanting, I felt very peaceful.
- Then the master comes and sits with us while we chant (or not – it’s your choice). The presence of the master and his vibrational energy helps to facilitate the ‘no mind’ state.
As a baby/young child your mind did not chatter incessantly. You lived from moment to moment enjoying each experience fully. Totally present. Then as you grow this is conditioned out of you.
You model the behaviour and energy of adults and then lose this original mind..this ability to be always in the now without being pulled hither and thither by your mind.
Samdarshi – (met on yoga holiday, Goa, India)Some people are able to regain this state. As a disciple of Osho, Samdarshi was able to return to his original mind or state of “no mind”.
- Next Samdarshi takes questions from the audience following the oral master-student tradition. For example, a lady from Amsterdam asked how she could love herself more.
When Samdarshi spoke he reminded me so much of guruji who taught yogic philosophy on my yoga teacher training course in Udaipur, India. Oops! I digress…He answered that we needed to meditate for an hour each day (you can try 15-20 minutes). When the mind becomes still then there is joy and love…The mind must be still for love to surface. This love is always there but is overshadowed by the mental chatter.This unconditional, compassionate love is not just love for self, family and friends..it’s not romantic love…but love for everything and everyone…for the planet, the animals, the birds, trees, flowers…everything. Oneness.This ‘no mind’ state without the chattering, fluctuating mind can just happen and it can be cultivated. Like a seed, watered and nurtured until it sprouts and grows. Then there is just pure love and the ego is no more. This is the state that Samdarshi operates from.
- After this there is dancing meditation (if you choose to stay) which is a lot of fun and the Satsang ends (in total approximately 2 hours). The Satsang is free though you can make a donation if you wish.
Do you want to ‘still the fluctuations of your mind? Many people complain a lot about having busy minds that travel here, there and everywhere, yet when it comes to doing something about it, make some kind of excuse e.g. no time, no money or just take no action in this direction. We prefer to keep the status quo…work, shop, go to the pub or whatever…
We have to make choices and to still your mind you have to act on your intention. Or set an intention in the first place.
Are you a complainer/busy mind sufferer? If so what are you doing about it? If you’re ready to act on you own then go ahead. Go into nature more, do a sitting meditation, or chant, or dance. Practise being in the moment in everything you do. There are many options. Do something.
We liked the Satsang so much that a few of us decided to join the 2-day emotional freedom retreat that followed…
More on our experiences doing sufi dervish whirling, talking gibberish, kundalini and more over the two days. This complemented the yoga holiday perfectly and most people decided voluntarily to join the retreat (12pm – 7.30pm). Quite a big commitment of time. And it was super emotionally cleansing and transformational.
Enough of being hunched over this laptop. I’m off to have a dip in the Arabian sea.
Namaste…
