The Arrival
I opened my eyes from my jet-lagged black out still seated in the passenger seat of the highly orchestrated weaving van moving along the roads of India. I was really here. I had truly plunged and taken my leap of faith. The net did catch me cause I was riding through the zig zagging forest road that was leading us through the hillside of Rishikesh. Again, I witnessed my sense of ease and feeling of being at home. This triggered the child inside of me and happiness revealed itself through a smile.
Our approach to Sattva Center was coming soon and the joy of seeing Anand as well as meeting our adventurous group was only minutes away. The last time I had seen Sattva was in its beginning stages where Anand, my husband and I had lunch under a tent by the streaming river because the structures had not been fully built.
It was lovely to pull up to a driveway that was beautifully gated. The doors opened allowing us through and down the hillside to the property of Sattva. It was even better than I had remembered while still being as magical and transcendent. We were immediately greeted with smiles and help. Anand was standing, kindly smiling and powerfully instructing his people at Sattva on the details of our arrival. A sense of being taken care was immediate. Each of the four us in the van stepped out. Mario, Ken, Aizhan and myself were ushered to our rooms and given time to settle in. One by one our group of the Four Sacred Peaks were streaming in.
I felt excited, energized, a little jet-lagged, happy, young and relieved that I had nothing to do except relax. I felt I could truly embrace my freedom and break through some barriers while being in this amazing environment. It is funny though, when we have moments of stepping into the new that we find ourselves slightly not knowing what to do next. I found myself jumping from one relaxing thought to the next. Do I unpack? Take a shower? Meditate? Lay down? Write? Read? So much freedom and no distraction. Again, bliss. I lost myself in the transcending state and awoke to a knock on my door. Hours had gone by. The group was waiting for everyone to gather, meet, greet and share our first meal together.
I couldn’t wait to connect with the fellow riders and learn about each one. Some of them I knew, though not deeply, and mostly I would be meeting everyone for the first time. I have always thrived off of the unknown, meeting new people and learning. It was beautiful to see all of their faces. We gathered in a circle, sat in our wicker chairs near the poolside and listened to Anand greet us all. He always has such grace, poise, wisdom and childlike joy to share.
There were eighteen of us including Anand seated in this circle. It was time to introduce ourselves, share a little something about who we were and why we came. I looked around at all the faces taking it in. I was slightly distracted by my excitement of actually being there. It was my first trip in four years that I had done alone and I was still reveling in the fact that I made this desire happen.
I listened and became fascinated by our eclectic group. It was becoming apparent to me how special we all were. We had come from all over the world and all walks of life. We were seeking the unknown and desiring profound spiritual experiences. I felt what made us most unique was we all seemed to be a bit of a black sheep in our own worlds and thrill seekers. I had never been with a group of people who possessed all of these same qualities. For the first time I was not the only one who had gone sky diving, snow boarding, down a zip line in the middle of a jungle, 4-wheeling in the jungles of Costa Rica, etc. I felt this experience was going to be unforgettable and fun.
At this point I had concluded we were a charismatic bunch of characters and this was my quick diagnoses:
Mario- an athlete, world traveler, a big heart, a lover, a giver, a seeker of Vedic knowledge, someone who loves an adventure, school of hard knocks and wants to experience everything like a child, the life of the party.
Ken- an intellect/scholar, a high achiever, a big heart, perceptive, funny, witty, a new seeker of spirituality, curious, grounded, happy, content.
Anna- my friend, a mother, a nurturer, an artist, a teacher, an entrepreneur, sensitive, huge heart, a giver, a healer, compassionate, a woman stepping into her power.
Elle- a strong woman, determined, goal oriented, established, bold, tough yet glamorous.
Mark- a strong man with a soft heart, lovable, genuine, seeking, a world traveler, a healer, a lover of knowledge.
Fred- the elder, eager, accomplished, established in years of experience and life, seeking a greater meaning, open.
Maria- innocent beauty, smart, free, deeply observant, artist, fearless, happy, grateful, joyful to be experiencing it all.
Adam- the student of life, the joker, the filmmaker, the visionary, the athlete, the boy, the performer, stepping into his own.
Katrina- beautiful smile, her eyes are the window to her soul, feminine, playful, digging deep, the silent observer, a girl yet a woman, breaking her way through old and new barriers.
Elana- sweet hearted, softness, feminine, princess, deeply caring, seeking, ready to love and be loved, eager to figure out her next step in life.
Alexis- the power of hair, sensitive, aware, beautiful smile, a seeker of wisdom and knowledge, a teacher, feminine, a healer and a lover.
Regina- a queen, soft heart, the feminine goddess, a healer, the master of style and quality, a sense of humor, deep, contagious laughter and a giggle of a child.
Aizhan- a woman, beauty, world traveler, wise, deep, seeking new experience and expansion, embracing the unknown willingly.
Jennifer- a mother, a lover, sensitive, quiet, taking it all in, courageous, seeking, a hidden shy beauty, an artist.
Jeff- the cool one, distant yet curious, fun, light hearted, sensitive, an artist, stylish, balanced, seeking clarity and answers with detachment.
Ryan- the outsider, silent observer, sensitive, a healer, curious, open, strong, kind heart, nurturer, humble, beautiful inside and out.
Kim- bold, powerful, loving, nurturing, masculine yet feminine, a lover, a teacher, wise, humble, observant, massively of service, intriguing.
Scott- filmmaker, soft heart, hard worker, divine, innocent, youthful, boyish, talented, driven, open, curious, stepping into manhood, a romantic, a lover.
Anand- a powerful born leader, wise beyond his years, full of joy, a risk taker, a black sheep, a visionary, bold, boyish, fun loving, playful, passionate, a destructor of irrelevancy (Shiva), dynamic, intelligent, divine, transcendent, a man of many faces, a true master forming in his youth.
Myself- a mother, a nurturer, feminine, athletic, a healer, a teacher, lover of wisdom/knowledge, a warrior/queen, an observer, bold, Kali, seeker of playfulness, a lover and on a mission to break through to the next level.
This was our group through my eyes and state of consciousness.
http://www.mysattva.com
http://www.thehighestpass.com
The Sequel: Four Peaks Of Freedom