Earlier this year I went to a special place tucked up in the
jungles of Thailand. A place immersed deeply in nature called Gaia Ashram that
welcomes students from around the world to learn and grow together in alignment
with nature.
Gaia Ashram hosted 25 of us and with inspiringly talented teachers and facilitators we dug deeper in to the learning’s of the land. We were empowered with practical knowledge that enabled us all to live a more sustainable
lifestyle free from the dependency we have on unnatural resources and the short
cuts of the modern age which rely heavily on toxic substances, that consequentlypollute our lands.
On my journey, I am again and again awestruck by Nature and
am grateful for the practices that have connected me deeply with her / it. I know there are some who see and advocate for a better alignment of our
collective energies with the planet and the one organism we are all a part
of.
What I experienced at Gaia Ashram was more than an internship. While we trained in practical ways to build and grow organically and learned how to sustain and support life; it was also an opportunity to go more deeply in to the unwavering truth within that recognises itself in nature. Realising this oneness nurtures a very genuine care for life on this planet. I still smile to myself when I remember my friend Pasang, a Tibetan monk who would pick the beetles from the path as we trekked through the Himalayas. So divine to see such a care for life.
What I experienced at Gaia Ashram was more than an internship. While we trained in practical ways to build and grow organically and learned how to sustain and support life; it was also an opportunity to go more deeply in to the unwavering truth within that recognises itself in nature. Realising this oneness nurtures a very genuine care for life on this planet. I still smile to myself when I remember my friend Pasang, a Tibetan monk who would pick the beetles from the path as we trekked through the Himalayas. So divine to see such a care for life.
For the first two weeks we studied Natural Building learning
how to create structures from the materials of the land. It was so awesome to
realise that one can build bricks and mortar simply from combining the
plasticity of clay found in the earth mixed with sand to give it structure. In
a beautiful way it was like building a giant sandcastle as we collaborated in a
mud pit, made bricks and built walls (and a pizza oven!) out of all the
materials available on site. There were no masks and lots of muddy hands!
The days were long, starting at 5.45am for meditation and
yoga before breakfast followed by the day’s offerings of Personal Empowerment
Workshops and Natural Building. Our international group; zany, honest and
beautiful, over time gently opened up and the masks slowly faded away as we got more and
more vulnerable and real together. It was so refreshing.
We learned how to work together in a community, the
responsibility of honouring time and energy of others and the challenging
recognition that community living is no walk in the park. That there can be an abundance of triggers; that some people get upset if there’s sugar in their breakfast and
that others just don’t want to play in the group and that it is all ok. It is
not a common experience in Western society to have so many people living so closely together and I feel I have more empathy for
the families that live on top of one another in the East or in the shanty towns
I saw in South America.
What amazed me was how such a large group of people were
able to reconcile - if not appreciate - their differences while practicing
non-violent communication (aka 'Compassionate Communication') void of the notoriously disempowering finger point
when expressing feelings in a group setting. We encouraged one another to
take full responsibility for our choices and yet there was an embracing honesty
and accountability. It fascinated me to watch our humanity unfold in this
shared intimate space and while I was there to learn more practical
teachings so I can build my own sustainable empire one-day; these lessons were
undoubtedly invaluable.
The second two weeks had us in the garden planting organic
vegetables, creating compost, natural pesticides and veggie patches. Surprisingly
I found the garden to be a very welcome retreat from all the activity going on
and I loved offering my time and energy to pulling out weeds (very liberating!)
while creating a stunning mandala pebble path to beautify the space. I tapped
in to the inner gardener in me and am excited to devote more time to crafting
edible gardens in the future rather than putting energy in to the supermarket
giants and some pretty horrific farming practices.
But what of this for you dear reader? Well, I don’t know if
you are with me or not, but I need to be honest about my feelings on how we
really treat the planet and ultimately ourselves. I wouldn't say I was anymore perfect than the next person, but I
continue persistently to try and learn how to tread lightly and live life with sobriety,
implementing energy thoughtfully considering all I have learned.
It’s been a pretty humbling process and not something I expected to find myself doing when I chose to leave corporate life for world explorations.
To completely embody our true nature we must develop a greater awareness, honesty and responsibility for our inside worlds and a gentleness with that. To see the self-limiting beliefs and behaviours that can be deeply embedded in the psyche and drop the masks worn to protect bottled fears inside. I cannot begin to tell you how liberating and expansive that process is but perhaps witnessing my travels around the world might reflect that to you; Anything really is possible. Which is why I remain hopeful.
It’s been a pretty humbling process and not something I expected to find myself doing when I chose to leave corporate life for world explorations.
To completely embody our true nature we must develop a greater awareness, honesty and responsibility for our inside worlds and a gentleness with that. To see the self-limiting beliefs and behaviours that can be deeply embedded in the psyche and drop the masks worn to protect bottled fears inside. I cannot begin to tell you how liberating and expansive that process is but perhaps witnessing my travels around the world might reflect that to you; Anything really is possible. Which is why I remain hopeful.
I hope that the world we create
together will reflect a deep compassion, care and practice that is in alignment
with the rhythms of nature and to have care - if
not reverence - for Nature’s great unifying spirit.
Interesting article: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists
Interesting article: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists
Great TED Talk 'Life is Easy. Why do we make it so hard': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21j_OCNLuYg
