At the count of 1 - Cracking the next level

Dhyanalinga, Isha Yoga Center

It has already been a little more than a year since I moved to India and more so to Isha Yoga Center (ashram). As I look back, I feel that the whole year has gone past in a jiff filled with lot of happenings. Well if not enlightened, I have definitely become lightened. I lost around 10 pounds of excess weight within a matter of first few days of my stay in ashram. It's not that I was climbing up and down the coconuts trees daily or was doing any other intense physical activity. But just with regular basic Sadhana and exposure to the elements of nature, my body was getting lot lighter, stronger and stable. Well that was my beginning with the Sadhanapada program that I had signed up for.

Just staying in ashram, itself has been a great Sadhana for me. My experience of staying here until now has been very similar to traveling in an escalator that is eternally powered. It constantly pushes one to his/her destination as far as they stay on it with the needed minimal balance. If one is willing, then they can walk or run on top of it, making the journey quicker. But there is always a constant upward movement in the background. Definitely for someone like me who frequently pauses in between, staying in ashram has been a great blessing.

The ambience of the ashram is such that, what would usually take days for me to create happens in a matter of hours in this place effortlessly, especially when it comes to ingenuity and creativity. I am currently supporting IT team with one of the registration systems used here in the ashram. Well, I can hear quite of few of you saying "Registration karma!" 🤪 With almost zero formal training in IT, my role has been more of a catalyst in a chemical reaction than anything else. The primary purpose of the catalyst is to take a form that will speed up the reaction and in turn the product delivery. It engages with almost all the components involved in the reaction as if it is going to be a part of the final product. But in the end, it comes out untouched along with the final product.

Starting from people who carry a profound understanding of life but yet walk around with utmost humility to the awe-inspiring Dhyanalinga standing as a doorway to the dimensions of the beyond, one has no choice but to get grounded in the path. The life in Ashram till now has been so exhilarating, that anything else that I could think of doing in the world outside looks like a down hill. It's like driving your car in a downtown after maneuvering it at high speeds in an interstate. It's just not exciting enough. While the journey has been fulfilling until now, but I feel that I have just started to graze the surface of undercurrents that powers this place. It is only in these moments that this ensemble of chaos called ashram, looks absolutely majestic and so perfectly organized beyond any form of engineering or math that I know of. These moments often strengthen my hope and resolve to complete the rest of the journey successfully. 

An important episode that shook the world during this time and still shaking has been the "Corona". I think staying in the ashram during this time has been the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The way in which the foundation has responded to the situation starting from within the premises to the surrounding villages has been astounding. Whatever words I could think of to describe the care that has been provided just falls short. The closest description that I could think of is like a mother trying to protect her offspring from the predator exposing herself to the danger and ready to offer herself if need be.

So, at the count of the first year, I feel that the game has moved to the next level in terms of many aspects of my life. In this level, it looks like the monsters that I have to fight are way smaller, more resilient and tenacious than the previous levels. It's like fighting bed bugs after slaying fire spitting dragons. They are so tenacious that in fact quite a few of my friends have tasted homelessness due to bed bugs than anything else in their life. I see that these monsters have always been there with me, constantly etching into my resolve. It's only now that it has come into my awareness. Also, whatever badges and points that was earned in the previous level only adds to the richness of one's life and doesn't necessarily translate to the next level except for the depth of understanding of life. So, it doesn't matter which level one is in, it still only takes a moment of unawareness and a teeny-tiny bullet to end the game. Drenched in Grace and with an unknown number of levels that's yet to be cracked, this game of life can't get any more interesting than this!