YOG UP on the beach

In a life riddled with stress, tension and barely any 'me' time, finding moments of solace is rather hard.

Zambhala, an annual festival that is bringing together some of the world's best yoga experts, spiritual teachers, practitioners, healers, musicians and artists seems to be the answer to many a Bengalureans woes. Many of them are planning to head to Goa from December 21 to 22 to re-energise their lives at Ashwem Beach in Morjim, Goa.

“I work six days a week and by the time the weekend comes, I am pretty much exhausted. The end result: my social life is also evidently quite nonexistent, so to speak. I am going for the fest with the intention to unwind and relax. For me, the trip will be a mix of relaxation, finding myself, and, maybe meeting a few like minded people as well" says Vipin C, a 26-year-old banker.

The line-up of Indian and international practitioners include -Jehangir Palkhivala, Mumbai's best known yoga teacher and Deepika Mehta with 10 years of Astanga training and Eoin Finn, one of the world's top 10 yoga teachers from Canada and Duncan Wong, who trained Madonna, Bjork and Sting.

According to Zia Nath, a Sufi Whirler from Mumbai who will be conducting sessions, “I am looking forward to the event. It is exactly what people need at the moment."

Sufi Whirling, Zia explains, is one of the most defined forms of meditation. For those looking at achieving something from the session, Zia suggests, “It is an amalgamation of dance and meditation which is a paradox. Through movement, you find peace and stillness."

In other words, to put it simply, it gives you 'nothing', a higher state of spirituality! Incidentally, Zia will be giving a Sufi Splendour performance on the first day and teaching nuances of the meditation form, on the second.

The two-day festival costs Rs 2,800 per head and will feature workshops on different techniques, chanting, group channeling and astro-gazing. All costs are included in the fees, but one-on-one sessions with healers and practitioners will cost more.

Veechi Shashi who is conducting a women's-only workshop on orgasmic meditation says, “Femininity wields great power. When you can love yourself, all facets of life rooted in you begin to change -partner, relationships, family, friends, business associates and even the larger society. By going beyond conditioned conflicting thoughts, you experience liberation and come back home to a deeper self."

Beena S, a mother of two says that she is looking forward to the session on past-life regression. “I want to give it a shot -who knows it might be the answer to questions I have always harboured," says the homemaker who also wanted a quick getaway.

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