The ALARM BEEPS AT 5AM.
The Punjab winter is punishing. The shower, thankfully, is warm. At 5.45 am, we emerge from our cottages, and walk under a still-dark sky studded with stars to the meditation room. It’s unlit, cosy, like some primal womb. Blankets have been provided and we warm up with some breathwork before settling down for yog nidra—a conscious, guided relaxation of the body where the mind remains alert and aware throughout—followed by a round of meditation. By the time we finish, the sun has risen. The soul is nourished. Now the body must be attended to. So, there’s yoga, followed by a piping hot breakfast (oh, those veg cutlets). After a break, there’s a round of pranic healing.
In the evening, almost the same routine is repeated.
It’s really as simple as that. Or is it? Inside the mind are a million mad thoughts. Voices that refuse to shut up. Visions more persistent than your Instagram feed. Meditation? Easy yet difficult. Luckily, there’s help at hand.
Location,
LOCATION, LOCATION
I was in Hoshiarpur—a scenic, rural corner of Punjab within kissing distance of the Bhakra Nangal Dam in Himachal Pradesh— at Citrus County Firdaus, a chic homestay noted for its large-hearted Punjabi hospitality (the good effects of which you then work off by cycling, etc in the nearby forests and ravines). Every few weekends, the farm stay transforms into the site for a yoga and meditation retreat conducted by Divine Soul Yoga, an entity backed by the corporate might of the Hoshiarpur-based Sonalika Group.
* Set at the foot of the Shivaliks, Hoshiarpur is the citrus bowl of Punjab
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2021 من Outlook Traveller.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2021 من Outlook Traveller.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Can The Himalayas Outlast Tourism?
Love The Himalayas, But Worried About Its Future? Hear From Three Experts On The Future Of The Region And How It Can Be Protected
EATING MINDFULLY
SUNITA NARAIN FROM THE CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT DISCUSSES HER NEW BOOK WHICH COMBINES THE JOYS OF EATING WITH CARE FOR THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE WHO TILL THEM
The Jewels Of Costa Rica
A Long-time Birdwatcher Describes His Travels To The Lush Rainforests Of Costa Rica
WINGED WONDERS
The story of migrating birds is the story of a promise to return, flying thousands of miles beset with dangers.
THE LOOMINARIES
THE ROLE OF THE GREAT REVIVALISTS WHO GAVE INDIA'S TEXTILES A NEW LEASE ON LIFE CANNOT BE STATED ENOUGH. WE TRACE THEIR CELEBRATED LEGACY
KEEPERS OF THE CRAFT
FROM REVIVING TRADITIONAL WEAVES TO CONTEMPORISING THEM WITH MODERN SILHOUETTES, THESE DESIGNERS ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING THE LOOM TURNING WITH A FRESH TAKE ON HERITAGE TEXTILES
SONGS OF THE SOIL
WITH INDIGENOUS TEXTILES FACING THE WRATH OF FAST FASHION AND CLIMATE CHANGE, INDIAN DESIGNERS ARE RALLYING TO REVIVE AND PRESERVE THESE PRECIOUS WEAVES
CRAFT CRUSADER
THROUGH HER TEXTILE EXPLORATIONS ACROSS INDIA, DR PRITHA DASMAHAPATRA HAS BEEN PRESERVING ANCIENT CRAFTS, EMPOWERING ARTISANS, AND INSPIRING TRAVELLERS TO DISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF HYPERLOCAL EXPERIENCES
ON THE GRID
THE VIBRANT MADRAS CHECKS, NATIVE TO SOUTHEASTERN INDIA, HAS NOT JUST TRANSCENDED BORDERS BUT ALSO TRADITIONS AND STYLES
GOLDEN SILK
THE PROPERTIES THAT MAKE MUGA SILK UNIQUE COULD SEE IT BEING USED IN THE BIOFUELS AND MEDICINES OF THE FUTURE
