Seeing Through Life for Adding Meaning to Life
Yoga Retreat : 22-30 December 2023

A Yoga Retreat titled Seeing Through Life for Adding Meaning to Life was conducted by The Mother’s Integral Health Centre, a unit of Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Delhi Branch), from 22-30 Dec 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Ramesh Bijlani, who was joined by Dr. Aditi Kaul as the principal facilitator. The retreat was attended by 15 participants, nine from India, three from the UK, one from Spain, one from Brazil, and one from Hong Kong. Since most of the participants already had a fair exposure to Integral Yoga, and some of them were yoga teachers, the program focused on several major works of Sri Aurobindo, namely, Essays on the Gita, The Life Divine, Savitri, and The Human Cycle; and The Mother’s Words of Long Ago and Prayers and Meditations. In addition to Dr. Bijlani and Dr. Aditi Kaul, several sessions were conducted by Shri Prashant Khanna, Dr. Mithu Pal and Dr. Srividya. A recently made film on Sri Aurobindo by the Ashram was screened for the participants during the retreat. One particular talk was devoted to the Mother and her attributes signified in her 12-petal symbol. An hour long session in the late forenoon gave a taste of various styles of Physical Practices of Yoga (asanas and pranayamas) by Ms. Priya Pranav Gupta, Ms. Monica Chand, Ms. Vidya Mundhra, Ms. Ruchi Arora and Dr. Ramesh Bijlani. Other activities of the Retreat included a conducted tour of the Ashram premises, a visit to Sri Smriti and other exhibitions in the Ashram, and evening meditation. The spiritually-charged Christmas cel8 ebration in the Ashram combined fun with tranquillity and festivity. A heritage walk to the Archaeological Park near Qutub Minar conducted by Mr. Aditya Pathak was a unique experience for everybody. Participants received several books which may be of help in furtherance of their journey on the path of yoga and self-finding. Many positive comments by the participants made it quite evident that they felt highly satisfied with the know-how, insights and experiences that the Retreat had provided them.