Essai #7 - A Transformational Path - Part I
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Here a small part of the experience I gained during my two separate two-month stays in India.
How did it all start?
It’s a long story, but it all began when I was 15, in 2006. I felt deeply insecure and decided to start learning meditation. I traveled to Paris, among other places, to deepen and understand my practice. After all, I wanted to see and understand what was behind the scenes and, first, where this path to peace and harmony originated.
The first time was in October 2018, on what I guess, was a 13-hour flight. When I first set foot on Indian soil, I’ll be honest— it was difficult to adjust to the new environment. My mind needed to shift quickly, and I felt insecure, tempted to return home. But looking back now, I’m truly grateful that I stayed.
I could fill an entire chapter about what I experienced and the people I met at that time, but to give you just a taste of it, if I may repeat myself with a small snippet of what I wrote in my => sound documentary <= (sorry, it’s just in French), here’s a poetic glimpse to describe what I used to feel:
[...] a place where one can spiritually elevate themselves, with the presence of God felt everywhere. A place where your brain is always overwhelmed by honking and barging people. Above all, it is also a country where the senses are heightened. It’s impossible to avoid the distinctive smell of heavy traffic, blending with the eucalyptus essence of the small cigarettes. One breathes in a warm, spicy humidity, overwhelming at times, due to the fumes of burned plastic waste mixing with the stench of urine and sewage. Amid this mix of unpleasant odors, the scent of sandalwood from temples and shops attempts to stand out, blending perfectly with the delicious lemony fragrance of a certain chewing tobacco, which Indians freely spit on the walls, leaving red stains...[...]
After returning to France, I noticed how our Western world feels deeply sanitized, almost lifeless— a place where everything needs to be controlled and cleaned.
At the end of this journey, I became a yoga teacher and learned new meditation techniques, such as => Vipassana <=. I developed a strong "connection" to India, and my curiosity deepened, leading me to explore its philosophy through books and its medicine, particularly Ayurveda, which I studied for three years with my Vaidya => Atreya Smith <=.
At one point, I became so immersed in this pursuit that I lost touch with the material world, forgetting my creative side. But today, I’ve learned to balance both worlds within me—reminding me that growth and life are a continuous dance.
mot4i