How I lost and found my water bottle at Sadhana Forest
Ana's Sunday Roaster- 13th March 2024
“Hey Ash, I didn’t loose my water bottle today”, I exclaimed with happiness on a warm evening after dinner, here at "Sadhana Forest" in the southern part of India where I have been living for the past week. Everyday I would lose my water bottle and everyday I would ask people at least 3 times about it. Ash would say the same thing every day, “its telling you something, figure it out!”. As a child, when I learnt about ground water depletion, and how water is so crucial for the survival of human race, I would think of extreme measures that can be taken at home, like bathing in half a bucket of water, using the thinnest level of stream in the faucet, reusing bath water for flushing toilets, placing a bucket under a leaking tap. Adults would quickly dismiss my ideas and tell me that we have plenty of water and I don’t need to worry. Sadhana Forest not only implemented everything I imagined as a child but did so while living amidst the nature and while managing volunteers, guests and children.
I have grown up in India, community living has been a part of my childhood, but I never imagined living so closely with nature, while valuing every species in the planet equally. In my experience, every other species was supposed to serve some purpose, cows were supposed to give us milk, dogs were used to guard the home at night, hens were raised to be eaten by humans. Its not like I didn’t love the cows at home, I did very much, but I didn’t realise that they were used for something. When I met the cows at the goshala, I realised they have so many qualities, have moods, they throw tantrums, feel love and compassion, they like dislike things, just like any one of us. And they also pee in your stuffs if you make any delays in feeding them. 😃
As a hatha yoga practitioner, I have known the 8 limbs and have read numerous books about it, but never truly comprehended the importance of yamas and niyamas in life. Sadhana Forest gave me an opportunity to practice and understand both of them in real life situation. Compassion is one of the core values practiced at Sadhana and living in the community really pushes us to discover what we truly are. The way we conduct within ourselves, the way we talk to other people and conduct our surrounding, the impact we have on other people all comprises of our existence in this planet. Are we truly being ourselves when we speak to other people or are we wearing a mask? Are we listening to a conversation to truly listen or just to pass a judgement or constructing a reply in our head? It is difficult sometimes to be compassionate with people, but these are the times when we are truly tested. We may never know what a person is going through, the least we can do is to see things the way they are without any judgements. Compared to this, I find asana practice very easy!
“To do seva is to involve, as, only in absolute involvement, there is life”. This is a quote I wrote for the main hut board when I was asked to decorate it during main hut cleaning seva. The path of service was not easy for me. My tendency initially was to prefer one seva over the other thinking one might be dirty or not good enough. I would get irritated over the fact that I had to fetch water for bathing from a distance. Over time I was able to break a lot of such mental barriers. I came to understand that the concept of waste is highly subjective, as it can be repurposed for valuable tasks. Nothing in the nature is wasted. Take for instance, the compost toilet, a seva I dreaded doing, yields healthy manure, surpassing even that is derived from cow dung. I plucked courage to touch and smell the manure to fully comprehend its beauty. As for the water fetching, I don’t know what I was complaining about, I always had help for it. In the process, I also got the opportunity to talk to people about various cultural phenomenas. Interestingly, water is fetched in different ways in different cultures, now I know! Eventually, I also gained strength from watering the plants in the forest to fetch water on my own. 😅 As far as loosing my water bottle is concerned, I learnt to be more mindful of where I place my items. I want to thank Ash for not looking out for my water bottle when I asked him to. It has taught me an important life lesson.🙏🏽
On a particular morning when there was no seva, I got the time and chance to meditate and spend some time alone. With great zeal and ardour, I went to my secret hut to meditate. I tried and I tried, but failed to even close my eyes. After fighting for half an hour with myself, I decided to just observe. There was only a small rectangular section of the forest which was visible to me. In the next hour, I just watched from a distance. I saw a couple of bumble bees in their breakfast spree, a squirrel collecting food from ground, tiny ants going about their day, at least 5 different species of birds and lastly the peacock showed up, someone I was forever looking out for! It arrived when I was least expecting it. Just like the mind. Cessation of the mind is only possible when it is not forced.
The aspect of my stay here that touched me the most deeply and stirred my emotions was my interactions with the people. Warm, thriving beings with beating hearts and spirited nerves with blood raging through them. I got to perform seva with them during the day working hand in hand together for a purpose and sharing interesting, stimulating conversations during meals. I felt accepted and loved and taken care of. I got the opportunity to nurse a friend who wasn’t feeling well and I feel grateful that she opened up to me with all her heart. Anna, Maheshwar and Pavan I share a unique funny bone with you all and now I have a home to come to in Greece. We already have started a cult!😄I got the opportunity to teach whatever little dancing I have learnt over time with people which was very fulfilling experience.
In the context of people, I want to express deep gratitude to my friend Matt, with whom I shared a profound connection regarding yoga. He generously offered me a yoga class at the meditation hut, an experience I hadn't had in quite some time. I am mostly teaching classes, I had forgotten the feeling of being led, to just follow and let go of the thinking. The gentle afternoon breeze coupled with his soothing voice created a tranquil atmosphere, inducing a trance-like state within me. As it left my body relaxed and stretched, I found myself able to effortlessly close my eyes, a feat that had been elusive lately. The thing that gave me most joy was when people asked me not to leave in their own ways.
Sadhana Forest is not an experience, it is a way of life. If anything, it has made me question my life choices. It has shown that there is a way to exist without harming the planet, that there is an alternate lifestyle where no one species is above the other and each one can be respected and nourished. It is not a travel destination that you go to and enjoy a little and forget about it. It is a place to learn and implement in whatever small way possible.
That’s all Folks!
Hey. It is really wonderful to read about your experience at Sadhana Forest!
Thank you very much for your seva and for writing this beautiful article about your experience! We hope to see you again soon!