Basunti (Kangra Valley), Dharamsala, Rishikesh, northern India

by Susan Hopkinson
(Brussels, Belgium)

Basunti is a privately run retreat set in a Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary on Pong Dam in Northern India. We practice meditation and yoga in the mornings on the roof of the main house, where colorful birds fly overhead and the magnificent huge vultures prepare their nests in the tree next door. Meals are taken on the veranda, with fresh vegetables from the garden and fruit from the trees surrounding the house. Afternoons are spent lazing around the freshwater pool, or swimming in the lake watching the water buffalo cool down. Evening yoga is practiced in the yoga hut surrounded by a pond, and the chirping frogs accompany our chanting. We follow up the week with 3 days in beautiful Himalayan town of Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj), where the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees make their home. After that we spend another 3 days in Rishikesh, a spiritual meeting place in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas and on the banks of the Holy Ganges river. A marvelous chance to step back from daily life and explore your inner self through the spirit of India. More information from Susan.Hopkinson@skynet.be - Om Shanti.