A lot is written about Yoga how it connects the mind, body, and soul and how not only it helps in de-stressing your life but also helps you practice your personal and professional values with integrity. I experienced this type of awakening through the age-old practice when I visited the Kaivalyadhama in Lonavala founded by Swami Kuvalayanandaji.
Nestled amid the natural beauty of the Western Ghats, Kaivalyadhama is spread across 172 acres and aims to heal by fostering the best practices of Ayurveda, Naturopathy, and Yoga.
You can choose to stay at the ashram for seven days (1 week) or more depending on what you seek to gain from this alternate style of medicine. During the stay, residents are encouraged to follow the rules of the ashram, which include strict wake-up and lights-out times, adherence to a given diet chart, and of course regular Yoga and meditation sessions.
While most residents remain busy throughout the day thanks to a packed schedule that is customized to their needs, they also get a chance to socialize for a few hours every day.
During my time at the ashram, I introduced myself to other residents who had joined for similar week-long courses. As is the case when one socializes, our chats frequently turned to routine topics such as politics, the stock market’s performance, the COVID-19 pandemic, and many more. On my part, I chose to remain a listener rather than participate in these discussions. It was by really listening to these conversations that I came to two conclusions:
- A trend towards nuclear families has created loneliness. So many parents may have achieved a lot during their younger days, but now they were dependent on their children. They felt an acute sense of loneliness from not being close to their children, as their offspring taught by the parents themselves, spread their wings and flew out of their nests.
- You don’t need to do much to stay happy – just learn to slow down, look within, and Search for the light.
We live in difficult times and as we strive to grow professionally, often tend to skip service to values such as integrity, authenticity, credit, helpfulness, honesty, and dignity of labour. My week-long sojourn at Kaivalyadhama helped me reconnect with these values and brought me back to myself. I would recommend this kind of break for everyone to get in touch with their “swayam” and return healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
Be healthy, be wise, and wealth will follow.
Ms. Bharati Pancholi
Ms. Bharati Pancholi is a certified financial planner and a regular visitor to Kaivalyadhama. She uses lessons from her life and the world around us to advocate the importance of savings and planning for a rainy day. This blog was first published on the FP Study Group website.