In spite of flight delays, I arrive in Goa on time. I assume the airlines had taken into consideration the concept of “India Time.” I pick up my luggage and head out of the terminal and there he was, Ravi, my driver from Oceanic Yoga, waiting with my name card to pick me up.
He is a young lad, in his early 20s, aspiring to get his diploma in Hospitality management but since this is a high tourist season, he has taken a break, so he can make money which will allow him to pay for his tuition. I enjoyed listening his take on Goa, the city he grew up in and, how alcohol and drugs are impacting the younger generation. Also, I learned that Russians love to visit Goa a lot, even resume is are in Russian and Ravi already knows some words in Russian.
After a 90 minute ride through the lush green forest, small villages, ocean views and shipyards, we get to Oceanic Yoga Retreat. Ravi informs me that we were lucky that it’s Sunday, and there was not much traffic because normally it takes 2 to 3 hours. I guess it was my lucky day because just before hoping in the car, a guy wearing a red polo shirt with a big imprint of the number 88, bumps into me.
I get off the car and meet Vinod who welcomes me and checks me into the hotel room across the retreat center because my room in the center was unavailable for one night.
I relax for an hour before getting ready to join in the welcome festivities. I put on my white shirt and white pajama. This was one of the request that was made when I signed up for the yoga training.
Dressed in all white, I meet other students who are here for the training as well. We were all dressed in white, like the pure white light, ready for our enlightenment. The teachers were also dressed in white. One of the teachers, Barbara from Switzerland, greeted me and put a red tilak on my forehead. Next, Liz put a marigold garland over my neck. And Bargeet directed me to the room where the teachers and some students were seated in a circle. In the center was a beautifully decorated OM with yellow, red and white flowers.
A bit nervous not knowing what I’m putting myself through, I grabbed the only remaining vacant seat on the floor. We started with some deep breathing and chanting OM. The energy in the room shifted. It was suddenly so peaceful. My stomach flutters and jitters were filled with peace and serenity. Guru Yogesh led the ceremony and shared more about what we will be learning, ground rules and introduced other teachers as well. His personal story about moving from the corporate world to the yogi world was inspiring and resonated with me. His laughter filled the room with joy. Then each of the 21 students, including myself, shared our name and why we were here.
After hearing what other students had to say, made me realize that I was not the only one who on this journey of learning and love. There were others as well. What was really beautiful is that we came from all parts of the world, from Germany, Netherlands, China, Portugal, Iran, Belgium, UK, US, …
After the ceremony, we went to the beach to watch sunset. It was such a beautiful experience of watching the sunset with complete strangers who will become my life long friends in the next 24 days.
It was getting dark and about time for our dinner, so we headed back to the center. The meal was simple, vegetarian and yummy prepared in Ayurvedic style, with roti, rice, dal, vegetable curry, salad and a dessert. I grabbed a seat at a table of six and got to know other students. Breaking bread together and sharing more about ourselves is a great way to know each other, so that’s what we did after we had our meal. We shared, we laughed and we got inspired by each other’s journey.
It’s 9pm and time to go to bed because I’ve to wake up darn early. This will be a new thing for me since I love to sleep in way past 8am. We shall see how I fare for the next few weeks.
