I first came to India in 2008 on a yoga tour. From winter to summer, from a frozen and damp night airport to a hot, concrete, asphalt, or petrol-smelling Dabolim.
Goa!
It got dark quickly, lightning fast in here. All of us had never been to India before. Only later we get used to meeting sunrises and seeing off sunsets and adapted to the special, natural rhythm of life here. We were stunned after many hours of flight and some confusing airport paperwork. We then went out into the hot darkness and loaded into taxis. They took us to our final deployment site. The time on the road flew by unnoticed. We heard rather than saw the ocean. The next morning began with the sunrise.
From bustling Mumbai to tranquil Kerala, India’s kaleidoscope defies easy labels. Goa’s palm-fringed beaches and Portuguese flair offer just one vibrant hue in the nation’s rich tapestry of cultures. This is just one of the facets, slightly embellished for European holidaymakers. And yet it is strikingly unlike any other place where you can vacation.
Palolem Beach comes alive as the sun rises. Yogis stretch under rocks, with sunbathing dogs watching from the side. Their teacher seems a bit down, which is unusual in India. Nearby, one guy’s doing crazy push-ups, while another’s wildly waving his arms. Joggers and people exercising dot the shoreline.
An older yogi is teaching a younger one on a beach towel. A bit down the beach, tai chi fans move in sync. At Patnem, three young guys are doing impressive handstands on the sand.
We walk backward along the water’s edge. A stranger raises an eyebrow, asking what we’re up to. I smile, and he shakes his head. This beach is buzzing with life – everyone’s finding their own groove in the morning peace.
A casual beach morning stroll reveals the locals’ serene, yet dynamic lifestyle – it’s incredible.
In fact, unlike all these good people, we had our place to practice: a flat concrete area, unobtrusively towering over the local life, like our cape, towered over the local landscape. And from the yoga place, open to all sides of the world, you can see Palolem, the ocean, sunsets, and sunrises at a glance…
When was the last time you saw the sunrise? There, happiness, half a lifetime late, finally catches up. Or maybe life has already passed, and we have ended up in paradise? I always suspected that living in paradise is damn boring. And it is very possible that we would have gotten bored on Palolem if we had had time. But our India itinerary included the opportunity to see the “real India” – I was afraid to limit my impressions of this country to Goa only and form a false idea of India as a whole.
Hampi
Riding on an Indian train was an incredible experience, and seeing the dusty streets of Hampi from the “window” of a “tuk tuk” (an auto rickshaw) was equally thrilling. The half-ruined temples of Hampi are just as beautiful as Gaudi’s creations, with their intricate design and history. New residents have settled in the area, surrounding the temples with hovels and businesses like cafes, shops, and guesthouses.
Our hotel was next to the main Hampi temple, where the Shivalingam is kept. One evening, while training on the hotel roof, we heard the beautiful chant “Om Namah Shivaya” from above, and it felt magical. It was an unforgettable experience, and we were either doing yoga asanas, listening, or dancing – we didn’t even want to relax in Shavasana. I sat down. Invisible forces began to swing my body like a feather. I had to surrender to this flow, barely breathing.
Gokarna
In Gokarna, everything is different. Gokarna is a happy city, blessed with shrines. In Gokarna, the past and present merge under the surf of OM Beach. It is famous for its OM-shaped coastline. Life fills the temples of Gokarna, and hermits inhabit caves in the deserts of Gokarna. The joy of life permeates the energy of this place.
I inserted a film bought at the market near the temple. It is a place where nothing reminds us of high technology. Will it work, or is it just a piece of plastic in a colorful wrapper? Go – karna, explains a pleasant female voice in Telugu, Go – karna. You immediately understand that go is a cow, and karna is an ear. It was here that Shiva was born from a cow’s ear. And how many of these go roam the Indian streets? Who knows, maybe each of these go hides something special in its ear? Each of them is the purest example of impeccable cow beauty.
Back to Goa
In this whirlwind of experiences, the calm and joyful vibes took over – and the New Year snuck up on us. The thought of updating the date’s last digit seemed trivial. We found something more important: it’s entirely possible to stay relaxed and stress-free. And somehow, yoga practice morphed into a routine that felt almost instinctive. It started with intense self-reflection, but now it’s all about basking in light and warmth – a true meditation on the sun’s cycle. For everyone, it was a time of new discoveries about themselves. And that’s the thing: it’s just the start.
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