DISHA PARIVARTAN RETREAT
MAY 16-30, 2016
At times, life becomes so heavy that one is not encouraged to live it anymore. The problems of life, the thinking nature of mind and the heaviness of negativity extinguish the spark of life or rather take one away so much from the spark of life that one finds no way better than just letting go of his/her own body. The underlying assumption is that the sorrows shall end with this lifetime, and a new birth shall solve the inner problems. In that moment, the grass seems greener on the other side and the only remedy one finds is to jump off the cliff.
Thus, a gift, a gift of life, is lost. And the reason for the loss is none other than the Mind. The mind, its thinking nature and its love for negativity make one spend so much time in despair that he/she is taken away from the wonders of life and is not able to see that life is only a mixture of positives and negatives, with one coming after another ensuring impermanence of everything in the end. The mind convinces one with its continued negative thinking that there is no hope for life and its difficult battles are not worth fighting. It takes one away from the very purpose one is born into this universe- to grow from within by fighting the battles in the outside world.
Disha Parivartan retreat is a concept designed for such individuals who have lost hope in their lives due to their troubled relationships, careers or obsessions and are willing to not live it anymore. The retreat aims to provide a fresh hope to its participants with a viewpoint to see their lives, their problems and the reason for dealing with their problems differently. In the end, some may choose to give a new direction to their lives, while some may choose to live the old direction with new vigor.
The retreat, which shall continue for a period of fifteen days, shall work on following aspects:
Click here to know more details on the retreat process
Thus, a gift, a gift of life, is lost. And the reason for the loss is none other than the Mind. The mind, its thinking nature and its love for negativity make one spend so much time in despair that he/she is taken away from the wonders of life and is not able to see that life is only a mixture of positives and negatives, with one coming after another ensuring impermanence of everything in the end. The mind convinces one with its continued negative thinking that there is no hope for life and its difficult battles are not worth fighting. It takes one away from the very purpose one is born into this universe- to grow from within by fighting the battles in the outside world.
Disha Parivartan retreat is a concept designed for such individuals who have lost hope in their lives due to their troubled relationships, careers or obsessions and are willing to not live it anymore. The retreat aims to provide a fresh hope to its participants with a viewpoint to see their lives, their problems and the reason for dealing with their problems differently. In the end, some may choose to give a new direction to their lives, while some may choose to live the old direction with new vigor.
The retreat, which shall continue for a period of fifteen days, shall work on following aspects:
- [Preparing the Self] To relax the participants’ Minds with the help of Nature walk, Meditation, Silence, Writing etc
- [Coming out of Life Drama] To unwind the participants’ life stories and enable them to see their lives objectively while empathizing with different individuals involved
- [Inspiration] To volunteer with people who live their lives differently (working in Education, Farming or other social fields) and understand that it is possible to give a major turn to life while questioning the set rules of the society
- [Spending time with self] To develop an ability to reflect and calm the mind, and to figure out the future course to life
Click here to know more details on the retreat process
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE RETREAT
Those who have lost hope in their lives due to their troubled relationships, career-related choices or obsessions and are willing to not live it anymore.
WHAT TO BRING TO THE RETREAT
Trust in the retreat process and willpower to overcome your situation. It is very important that you come to the retreat with complete faith in the process and with a determination to surrender yourself to the experience for overcoming your situation in life.
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER THE RETREAT
A change in attitude to handle worldly situations. Though things or people in the world shall certainly not change after the retreat, we expect an inner change in our participants so as to handle the outside challenges differently. The mentioned inner change may be about change in thought process, change in priorities or change in perspectives to see people or analyze situations. The outer manifestation shall encompass more compassion, empathy, forgiveness, truthfulness, courage, faith and surrender.
WHO SHOULD NOT APPLY FOR THE RETREAT
- People who are under psychiatrist/psychologist supervision and are taking medications
Reason: We sincerely believe that you should adhere to only one treatment at a time. So if you have faith in your psychiatrist/psychologist, kindly stick to your treatment. Our prayers are with you. Else, if you wish to come to the retreat, we would advise you to come only when you are no longer under your doctor’s guidance.
- People who are facing some other serious health problems and are taking medications
Reason: As we won’t have any special medical facilities/doctors at the venue, we would suggest you to not apply for the retreat in case you have some serious health issues.
- People who are disappointed by their one-sided love affairs
Reason: We believe that one-sided love affairs subside themselves with time and there is nothing much we will be able to do about them in the retreat.
- People who are addicted to alcohol, smoking or any other serious intoxicants
- People who only wish to test/check the retreat process and are not serious enough to change their lives
Reason: We sincerely believe that you should adhere to only one treatment at a time. So if you have faith in your psychiatrist/psychologist, kindly stick to your treatment. Our prayers are with you. Else, if you wish to come to the retreat, we would advise you to come only when you are no longer under your doctor’s guidance.
- People who are facing some other serious health problems and are taking medications
Reason: As we won’t have any special medical facilities/doctors at the venue, we would suggest you to not apply for the retreat in case you have some serious health issues.
- People who are disappointed by their one-sided love affairs
Reason: We believe that one-sided love affairs subside themselves with time and there is nothing much we will be able to do about them in the retreat.
- People who are addicted to alcohol, smoking or any other serious intoxicants
- People who only wish to test/check the retreat process and are not serious enough to change their lives
GROUND RULES FOR THE RETREAT
- Participants would not be allowed to leave the process in between. It is essential to join the retreat on Day 1 and complete the same on Day 15.
- Participants would not be allowed to stay outside or leave the retreat venue during the course of the retreat.
- No Smoking. No Drinking. No Tobacco. Any participant found breaking this rule shall be asked to leave the retreat in between.
- Participants may have to switch off their mobile phones and other gadgets so as disconnect from the world as per the facilitators’ advice during the course of the retreat. However, this rule may not apply to all the participants and also may not apply for all fifteen days.
- At the end the retreat, participants shall be advised to either go for Vipassana course or not as per their individual progress in the retreat. Those who are advised to do so may choose to go as per their own calling. There is no compulsion to follow the advice.
BATCH SIZE
We wish to keep it to a maximum of five participants per retreat. Our intention is to create a space where every participant shall feel comfortable to share his/her inner feelings and troubles.
VENUE
Venue of the retreat shall be Deer Park Institute in Bir, District Kangra of Himachal Pradesh. The venue is easily accessible via road, rail and air.
Road: Volvo bus service from New Delhi to Baijnath. Taxi for Deer Park Institute (12 Kms).
Rail: First train from New Delhi to Pathankot. Second train from Pathankot to Ahju/Baijnath/Paprola.
Air: Flight from New Delhi to Gaggal Airport, Dharamshala. Taxi for Deer Park Institute (65 Kms).
Road: Volvo bus service from New Delhi to Baijnath. Taxi for Deer Park Institute (12 Kms).
Rail: First train from New Delhi to Pathankot. Second train from Pathankot to Ahju/Baijnath/Paprola.
Air: Flight from New Delhi to Gaggal Airport, Dharamshala. Taxi for Deer Park Institute (65 Kms).
TIMELINE
May 16, 2016 - May 30, 2016
followed by Vipassana at Hoshiapur/Dharamshala from June 1 -12, 2016 (Optional)
followed by Vipassana at Hoshiapur/Dharamshala from June 1 -12, 2016 (Optional)
FINANCES
The entire retreat shall be organized on Gift Economy Principle, which means that we will not keep any price tag on our offering and the participants would be free to contribute as per their own wish by the end of the retreat.
However, as participants would be staying in Deer Park Institute, they will have to pay their accommodation and food bills directly to Deer Park as per actuals. About charges, Deer Park offers various options for accommodation that range from Rs 100 per day (Dormitory) to Rs 600 per day (Single Room). Food charges are Rs 100 per meal.
However, as participants would be staying in Deer Park Institute, they will have to pay their accommodation and food bills directly to Deer Park as per actuals. About charges, Deer Park offers various options for accommodation that range from Rs 100 per day (Dormitory) to Rs 600 per day (Single Room). Food charges are Rs 100 per meal.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
In our previous Disha Parivartan Retreat, we had one participant, Ajay Chaurasia, from Mumbai. Ajay is a 30 year old young man who got lost in the battles of life and joined us to find a new direction and energy. He was mainly troubled by his personal relationships with family members and could not find a way out to solve the issues. As a result, his professional life was also in shambles. During the retreat, after spending time with himself, he realized that he needed to start accepting the circumstances with his family members and give a new direction to his professional life. In the end, his ability to empathize with his family members, understand their situation and give a new courageous start to his professional life helped him to get back to the world.
For those who wish to attend this retreat, it would be worthwhile to speak to Ajay about his experience directly on phone. He can be reached on 9890333015.
For those who wish to attend this retreat, it would be worthwhile to speak to Ajay about his experience directly on phone. He can be reached on 9890333015.
For more information about the retreat, write to Ashish Arora (sahajfoundationinfo@gmail.com) or call him on +91 98168 62327
