International Yoga Day 2016: YogaUtsav@Yeldur, Karnataka – A Real ‘Ananda’ Experience

Firstly, thank you for being patient all this while and trust me, you won’t be disappointed when you will read the upcoming posts on my blog. I have been busy lately in researching and practically experimenting with a lot of techniques that can be used for personal energy management and change management. More to follow but for now all I have to say is that “you control your state of mind”.

As you might have guessed from the title, this blog post is about my experiences from an event that I attended on 21st June, International Yoga day 2016 – by YogaUtsav team, in association with Village Kids India Trust and National High School at Yeldur Village, Karnataka. Kudos to YogaUtsav team and Village Kids India trust volunteers for organizing such a well intentional and soulful event. Everyone involved in the event – teaching staff at school, guest of honor, volunteers and most importantly the participating school kids; each of them were inspirational and beaming with positivity. I feel truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful experience.

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When I initially looked at the event schedule, I thought it will be a good Karnataka village experience and a break from work routine. Only if I knew then that by the end of the event and day in that village, I will be so much more recharged and will have so many beautiful memories to share.YogaUtsav-Yeldur 182
At 5am, serenity in the village was like nature doing meditation and that fresh air…I can still smell and feel in my nostrils…what a start to a lovely day, sheer bliss! I was literally feeling as if I have been “plugged –in” to a source of abundant positive energy.

Village scene in the morning – residents chit-chatting, some playing badminton, some on a morning walk and others getting ready for their work. Not much different from our city routine but oh wait, I realized the difference within few minutes; first – no one seemed to be in a hurry, second – they were not busy looking at their smartphones and third and most important for us Bangaloreans – No Traffic!!! 🙂

I can go on writing about every minute I spent there but sharing some “fire-fly moments” that will remain forever with me:

  • Kids making mistakes just to make sure that I go to them and correct their yoga postures. Those naughty smiles were so infectious!
  • Kids who knew they had pretty perfect postures, also calling me just to check if they were doing fine. Their sense of pride was so innocent!
  • Ladies of our group clicked selfies with a young boy; seeing his embarrassment was so endearing!
  • A young boy celebrated his birthday with us and when we sang “happy birthday”, his happiness was so sincere!
  • Encouragement, support and respect that we received from the guests and the school staff was so motivating!
  • Kids surrounding our team after the event which made us feel like a celebrity. It was indeed overwhelming for me!
  • A young boy holding my hand when we were leaving after the event and asking me if I had lunch, that sparkle in his eyes was so honest!
  • Love and affection from the family who made lip-smacking lunch for us and then served it with even more generosity. It was truly so humbling!

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It was a gentle reminder that happiness is all around us, all we need to do is open-up and embrace these beautiful moments. Happiness is in the moment!

Stay happy and stay blessed!

~ Piyush

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