October 2019

In October I returned to the Himalayas to spend a month at Dharmalaya; to reconnect with the place and people and to digest some of my experiences from the previous year at Schumacher College. I had a very renewing and uplifting time being on the land and with my extended Indian family.

I participated in a yoga retreat called the yoga of nature which was filled with many opportunities for introspection and reflection. It was a nourishing space to be in and gave me some clarity about the qualities of being that I want to cultivate and bring into my life and work.

It was beautiful to see how the buildings that I had been a part of had gone on to evolve and unfold in that very slow and beautiful way that things do here. It was great to see the finer finishes in the duplex and meditation cottage and that they were looking better than envisioned. The bridge and upper section of the dormitory look and feel great. The upstairs space is well lit and has a good balance between opening out to the world and being a cosy space to retreat into.

We got started on the outdoor seating area with a new group of volunteers and interns. It was good to see life being brought into this space as it had been empty but full of potential as two and a half years prior we constructed a 10,000-litre ferrocement water tank here.

Here are some pictures from my time in paradise in the hills.