retreat

After a 14 hour overnight bus ride from hell, going from Bombay to Goa along the curvy Konkan coast at top speed, we reached my teacher’s place (Akash). I met Akash October 2005, just the day after receiving personal news that left me devestated like none other ever had, and which changed the course of my life forever. Given my state of mind and emotions at the time: I was a mess! i couldn’t stop crying for longer then 1-2 hours for those first 3-4 days. Helplessness, guilt, anger, fear, frustration, and so many other inner demons were surfacing all at once and very strongly. But this state of being also left me open, vulnerable, my guard/ shield was down. The universe was very kind to cross our paths at that point, and Akash has been my teacher ever since.

She is the best mirror i have ever found, and whatever game i am playing, whatever issue i’m dealing with, she has already gone through something similar. She’s a trained psychologist (western standard type), but she is also a sufi (she began her work with sufis in Kashmir when she was 19), an alternative healer (including reiki master, pranic healing teacher, colors, crystals, auroma therapy), uses transactional analysis, she’s an Osho sannyasin, an accomplished potter, and a Gurdjieff teacher. She is truly an amazing package! She combines eastern and western techniques, mind, body, emotional and creative approaches. At her place in the mountains there is a ceramics studio, in Goa we mosaic the floors and mirrors, paint murals inside and outside the house, and cook up dishes! As soon as i realized that we would have limited mobility for a month due to Nisarga’s ankle needing time to heal, i knew it was an opportunity to work with Akash! No doubt about it.

The fact that we would be based in Goa for 3 weeks made it an easier sell to Nisarga, who had never met Akash before. So here we are! And the running theme at this time at Akash’s is Freedom! Freedom to do whatever you really want to do, and with the acceptance of whatever happens subsequently.

We have settled into the large bedroom upstairs (with Nisarga having to hop up and down 3 times per day for meals), which comes with a large balcony which has hammocks and is surrounded by palm trees and flowers. We put out the mosquito netting and take the mattresses out in the evening and sleep naked on the private back balcony under the palm trees, watching the stars and moon slowly, effortlessly, glide across the sky, while a breeze carresses us throughout the night. Every morning for a week i will participate in meditation and Gurdjieff movements from 9-12. Nisarga spends this time on his own, meditating, sun bathing naked, giving himself oil rubs and salt baths, healing. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner here, and if and as often as we’d like we can prepare whatever dish we want. We are not by the beach and there are no tourists around, this is a residential area with dogs and palms. We can always take a 15 minute rickshaw ride to the beach if we feel like it. There is no TV or radio, no internet, and the phone only gets reception on the balcony. There is plenty of time for reading, yoga, meditating, healing, being.

Nisarga described it as his “dream house.” We are so blessed to be on this retreat!