Stops Along the Way

After spending our first leg in Mumbai, we left the hustle and bustle of the seaside metropolis for the calm pastoral vibes of the Govardhan Ecovillage. Our trip, however, had some stops along the way…

…the first of which was the Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz, just outside of Mumbai. At the yoga institute, we had a short lecture followed by asana practice. The final part of our asana practice was to lie down in shavasana, or corpse pose. Listening to the instructor’s voice, we were told to relax each and every part of our bodies incrementally from head to toe. Although the whole process only lasted twelve minutes, the mindful acknowledgement of every stressed or knotted part in my body, and consciously working to relax it, made it feel as rejuvenating as a 4 hour nap! Following this refreshing experience, we had a light lunch at the Yoga Institute before departing for the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital.

While it operated as a standard, well administered hospital, I was struck by not only the involvement and importance of the doctors at the hospital, but also of the counseling staff that integrated Bhakti and devotion into their practices. Their tireless and sincere efforts to help others through the combination and of medicine and spiritual healing really opened my eyes to the physical application, or as we learned, the Karma Yoga aspect of yoga.

After a short tour and discussion, we departed the hospital and completed our journey to the ecovillage, where we checked in, had dinner, and called it a nap, resting up for the exciting days to come.

– Gokul Iyer