RETREAT INTO YOURSELF
AWARENESS RETREATS ARE HIGH ON THE CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
TRAINING MAP AROUND THE WORLD. IN INDIA, THEY ARE NOW BECOMING BLENDS OF
VARIOUS THERAPEUTIC TOOLS TO TRANSFORM THE MIND. WHAT?S IT LIKE TO ATTEND ONE?
READ ON
Kairali is a nice place to be in Kerala, I told myself. Not
sure about what I was to expect, India?s first three day Corporate Awareness
Camp beckoned. Santhosh Babu put together a small group of people to experience
intense wellness techniques such as The Journey by Brandon Bays, Holotropic
Breathwork, Thereputic Hypnotism, Sound Healing and Tibetan Yoga to see what
transformation could be brought about. Having done hundreds of seminars for
corporate he could sense a missing note in the entire bed to elevate people in
typical corporate seminars, given the nature of the human mind.
I would say being surrounded by green the cut off from the
busy world, and enjoying the simple food at the Ayurvedic resort is healing in
itself. ?It is meant to be a heart-intellect-body experience, and healing
happens when we address all levels within us? reminds Santhosh.
The Journey therapy facilitator Anita Anandhas been watching
people benefit from going within, and refreshing Cellular memory of past hurts
to see, often, near-in-stant healing. While it sounds miraculous, Brandon Bays,
who pioneered this after curing herself of ?a football sized tumour?, knew it
that come between good health and a human being. Several small guided
meditations after, by evening we as a group could see self-sabotaging patterns
of thought and emotions in ourselves, and began the journey to resolve them.
By evening, after a long day, we are ready for the small
jamming session and a perfect way to end the day. I am beginning to like this
retreat immensely. Coach Santhosh reminds us it?s not possible to be learning
and looking good, some discomfort in facing ourselves might come up, and is
allright.
The next day, after the abhyanga massage, we are ready for
Holotropic Breath work. I am nervous when facilitator Sharanya Naik says people
may experience all kinds of trapped complexes. Having researched breathwork
before coming into the retreat, it seems like a good thing to do, though I am
not convinced as yet, ?put aside the logical mind, and let the body lead? So I
did.
Three hours of intermittent breathwork later, I had to be
woken out of a deep peaceful sleep, and the world outside looked clearer. I am
still not sure how these techniques work, but they do. I am a far more
positive, centred and calm person.
This is the very first time Holotropic Breathwork has been
brought to India, and I can see it growing fast. It is very important in all
these techniques to work with a certified, experienced practitioner.
The third day has a mix of techniques, Tibetan Yoga,
Hypnotism, and Sound Therapy. At the end of the day, I am tired but happy, I
seem to have learnt a great deal about the mind, awareness building tools, and
am ready to go back to the real world.
While such a short retreat may not resolve all issues, says
participant theater actor Asif Basra, ?it brings you face to face with paying
attention to.? Most of us are not even aware of what that is.
PEOPLE POWER
THE ?HOW? OF GETTING RELATIONSHIPS
RIGHT
?I had my mouth next to my ears with my Bells Palsy attack a
few years ago,? recalls Raageshwari Loomba, looking resplendent now after her
January wedding to International Law Barrister Sudhanshu Swaroop, fairy-like as
ever. The last most of us heard and saw her was her 2011 DVD dedicated to
health and wellness, the 5 Ancient Tibetan Rites which are an ancient set of
yogic practices which are predominantly used by Tibetan monks. Having fixed
herself out of a really complicated paralyzing disease, and finding the love of
her life, a session with Rags feels like physical and psychological therapy
rolled in one, with a live example right in front of you. ?Problems bring out
the best in you if you se them as stepping stones? she believes. I had to come
to terms with anger within, facing it, and finding my peace.? Small things done
sincerely such as the power of writing, visualizing to a long way.?
Raga?s
relationship tips:
- Love
yourself first, you will have lesser friction while connection with others and
finding your own true love. - Your
family is the reflection of your spirituality. - To
know all is to forgive all. - If
we can?t forgive our past hurts, we can?t manifest what we want in our future. - Give
more of what you don?t have. It will unloak the barriers for you. - In
relationships, the Other is good to one when is good to oneself. - I
attracted the new person in my life when I forgave my past. Because, it is not
about him, it is about you! - Sleep
in an environment where the visual depiction of your life?s goals hits you in
the first 17 seconds after you wake up. - Not
only others, we judge ourselves by the way we carry ourselves. Its not just the
mind influencing the body, it?s the body influencing the mind. High-powered
postures bring us back to feeling balanced and strong. - Starting
your day early, around 5 am, is good for the mind, body, and soul.
THERAPEUTIC HYPNOTISM
In old Egypt, the sleep temples existed where people went
into a trance a cured themselves. Hypnotism, as is well known jumps the
conscious brain loop to reach the sub-conscious and them give suggestive
commands that can be therapeutic. Nothing can be done without the absolute
permission of the person being hypnotized. What I discovered is that the
quality of a session also depends on the ability of an individual to send
themselves into a trance, to work on their own issues. I could see clearly how
completely in control of our conscious metal barriers we are, and how easy it
could be to overcome them.
THE POWER OF SOUND
SHRUTI PODDAR, internationally known musician, healer and
wellness experts and a leading practitioner of traditional knowledge systems,
enthralled the group with Nada Vibronics, sharing why and how beej mantras are
sung, and the effervescent beauty of living in rhythm with Indian ragas, and
healing sounds. Sound, she said, was a living entity and hence all the negative
thoughts we speak to ourselves live in our minds till we set them free, by
acknowledging them and dissolving them through sound. A Shri Vidya expert,
Shruti Poddar wears many hats, and one has to sit and experience her pure
invocations to know how powerful Indian mantras can be. Having healed herself
of a complex disease, she has stopped using any kind of medicine for the last
25 years due to the healing her nada therapy brings. Simple aspects of toning ,
such as how to intone the mantra Aum in such a way that it travels effortlessly
from the navel to the forehead made this session really special. I learnt
something simple and profound at the same time.
HOLOTROPIC
BREATHWORK
Holotropic Breathwork is a powerful approach to
self-exploration and healing that integrates insights from modern consciousness
research, anthropology, various depth psychologies, transpersonal psychology,
Eastern spiritual practices, and mystical traditions of the world. The name
Holotropic means literally ?moving toward wholeness? (from the Greek ?holos?=whole
and ?trepein?=moving in the direction of something).
The Process itself uses very simple means: it combines
accelerated breathing with evocative music in a special set and setting. With
the eyes closed and lying on a mat, each person uses their own breath and the
music in the room to enter a non-ordinary state of consciousness. This state
activates the natural inner healing process of the individual?s psyche,
bringing him or her a particular set of internal experiences. With the inner
healing intelligence guiding the process, the quality and content brought forth
is unique to each person and for that particular time and place. While
recurring themes are common, no two sessions are ever alike.
Additional elements of the process include focused energy
release work and mandala drawing. Holotropic Breathwork is usually done in
groups, although individual sessions are also possible. Within the groups,
people work in pairs and alternate in the roles of experience and ?sitter?. The
sitter?s role is simply to be available to assist the breather not interfere or
interrupt the process. The same is true for trained facilitators, who are
available as helpers if necessary.
The participants felt a deep shift in the sacred space
created by the practioners Sharanya Naik and Doug Chancey ?One should not
attempt this on one?s own, though it seems simple. It is absolutely essential
to work in a trained environment. The participant needs to feel safe enough to
let their stored complexes arise,? says Doug.
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