Overview
Living in harmony with Nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. Ecological values have been intimately woven into religious practices, rituals, folklore, arts and crafts and have subtlety permeated into the daily lifestyle of the people.
While the protection of nature and wildlife is often mistaken as a contemporary concern, our culture has long since believed in some of the fundamental principles of ecology and recognized the interdependence of all life forms. The Shaktiyogashrama Earth Gurukul programs have been conceptualized and created to take one back to that sacred lifestyle – of living in harmony with nature and thus the Self.
Programs
The Wonders & Beauty of Nature
Nature is a proof that God exists.
Caught in the mad rush to survive, modern man has become blind and insensitive to this magnificent Existence of which he is a vital part. The only balm to his stressed life is living in Nature. Natural outer spaces are the key to connect with the inner spaces of the heart & Consciousness. Tuning in to the intelligence, wonder and beauty in Nature, humbles and heals the human being.
The austere, silent and beautiful environs of Shaktiyogashrama provide an ideal backdrop to its ecological programmes.
Living in & with Nature (practical)
Loosing touch with one’s body, with the Earth and with occupations that completely involve the body has been one of the greatest losses of modern civilization. The ‘Living in & with Nature ‘ programme at Shaktiyogashrama is an effort to bring back some of that into our lives and work with Mother Nature to create Food, the most basic yet significant aspect of our Life. This programme teaches to work with our hands with a song on ones lips & a prayer in the heart.
Living in & with Nature (food)
If life is Energy, then food is the primary source of that energy and therefore of great significance. Modern life underestimates the importance and significance of food, food habits & food timings; even the manner in which we eat & the state of mind in which we eat are all responsible for the kind of energy that we carry in us. This programme on Food & Health explores the many approaches to Food – not just food for the body but also food for the mind, for the emotions & for the soul.
Land Art
The traditional arts and crafts were always eco friendly using locally available natural materials that are reusable & biodegradable. With the onslaught of capitalism & large scale productions that needed to go global and have ‘box office’ value, this fundamental principle of traditional art was neglected. The Land Art programme at Shaktiyogashram is to re learn this eco friendly approach to art that is organic, cost-effective and actually conducive to creativity. It encourages the innocent joy of pure creativity, free of the need to consume, sell or market.The pristine & naturally rich environs of the ashram are a perfect setting for this programme.
Thoughts
Food is the gift of God to all the creatures to appease hunger and thirst and give the energy required to support the activity of the body and mind. Food supports growth as well as acts as the seed for the decay, disease and death to set in. If mobility and consciousness are taken to be the hallmark of life, then the expression. of life is seen to be in ascendance from plant kingdom to insects, birds and animals on Earth, in the water and Air and further on to mammals and Human beings. Since no creature wants any harm or injury and since one is bound to reap the fruits of his own actions, it follows that vegetable herbs, roots, l eaves, grains, grams, fruits and cow’s milk is the natural food for human beings. If also has curative,
preventiv!! and restorative powers…
This century has witnessed explosion of knowledge in every field of life. This is especially seen basic sciences and medicine. Progress in medical search was tremendous during last fifty years. So much so that is becoming impossible to keep pace with incoming information. This led to specialisation and super-specialisation. This form of medicine has definite advantages but slowly the adverse effects have started surfacing. Although, specificity and exactness are virtue 1 modern medicine the same are becoming its drawbacks too. This perfection itself is leading to its decline. A cardiac surgeon or physician will think of heart only, a neurologist only the brain, ear specialist, hand specialist – all these specialities are slowly but definitely losing the basic concept of man as a whole. Here the first, difficulty comes in, what are other reasons for this…