Only after coming back from India was I able to sit down and write about the experiences I had during my spiritual journey. I thought of writing while I was on the trip but instead I chose to feel, see, and hear everything the wonderful country had to offer.
I landed in New Delhi which is a very fast and large city. It is a mix of old and new, ancient tombs and new architecture, home of millions of people from all walks of life. After two days of browsing around I left for Amritsar to start the real spiritual retreat.
Amritsar is the home of the famous Golden Temple – a focal point for Sikhs but welcomes followers from all other belief systems. The energy at this place is absolutely amazing, it feels like it`s not of this world: either the cumulative energy of the tens of thousands of daily pilgrims or the energy left behind by the Sikh Gurus makes it feel like you are not on Earth. I spent the entire day visiting the whole complex: the Sikh museum, the 3 Holy trees, the Gurdwaras, Baba Deep Singh Shrine and culminated with stepping into the Sanctum Sanctorum – the Golden Temple itself! Stopping and meditating in all these places, enjoying the company of the very welcoming people, having lunch at the Langar, and seeing the closing ceremony was an amazing experience! One must visit it to understand it, the feeling can`t be put into words.
Very close to the Golden Temple there is a small Gurdwara dedicated to one of the greatest yogis that ever walked on Earth: Baba Sri Chand, a reincarnation of Lord Shiva. There is a sacred fire pit and a powerful meditation cell to experience. The place is so quiet and you can spend time relaxing in the yard or meditating by the fire.
The next day I went out of Amritsar to visit the Well of 84 steps at the Goindwal Sahib, a nearby town. There weren’t too many foreigners as most of the pilgrims looked local or from India. The devotees believe that reciting Japji Sahib and dipping into the sacred well clears karma. Each step is thought to clear 100,000 life cycles from the 8.4 million reincarnations we go through. I was able to witness a few pilgrims reciting the prayers and dipping into the water. This is one stop that will surely happen again on the next spiritual trip to India!
We decided to put together a yoga retreat for meditation in India October 12th – November 5th 2017 so everybody can experience these wonderful spiritual places. You can find more details and register here!
Next blog I’ll share my beautiful experiences in Dharamsala and Rishikesh!
