Amritapuri

Greetings🙏

Now the time in Amritapuri (5.4.-1.6.) is already almost a week behind me.

The free time here in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, until the start of school in a week is very convenient for me to process and record my moments and impressions from Amritapuri for you.

Overall, it was a fulfilling and intense 8 weeks that I spent here in the ashram of Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi).

As some of you may already know, it was not my first time in India and at this place. Last year, for the first time, I was there with my mother for almost 3 weeks in August and had already 'sniffed' a bit of ashram air.

This time it was a completely new experience for me because, first of all, I was alone there. Of course, I know some dear people from there, but still, it's something different to be there alone.

Secondly, I was there for almost two months this time, which has definitely left lasting positive impressions in my heart.

Overall, I was physically and mentally very well during this time, apart from some minor physical ailments in between. Because I could withdraw at any time (e.g. to the beach right next to the ashram), I was able to find a good balance for myself and my needs. Sometimes, many Indian people, especially, visited the program days of Amma, so it was particularly busy on some days.

I participated in a 20-minute meditation course developed by Amma herself. Meditation is already helping me a lot to relax and release tension.

So far, I haven't been able to practice meditation disciplined every morning, but at least I try to take the time for it 2-3 times a week.

The ashram is organized through Seva (voluntary service), i.e. every ashram resident and visitor should register for a service for at least 2 hours a day.

I signed up for sewing, and working in an ecological shop. After 4 weeks, I approached the Indian nurse of Damayanti Amma (Amma's mother) to ask if she needed any help.

I was lucky because I was allowed to start working the next day and work for the very old woman. That means, for example, assisting with transfers and care work.

It was very exhausting for me, as the morning shift lasted 5 hours every day. During this time, I had to be very focused and mindful of everything I did. Not an easy task. 😋😃

But overall, I am very grateful that I was able to do this work. It is not something ordinary to be able to experience the mother of an Indian guru in such a private and intimate way.

Here in Amritapuri, I have learned and discovered a lot about myself, for example, that it can be quite nice to be alone and just feel yourself, your own perceptions..

I would say that I am very sensitive and perceive a lot around me. Here in this place, the perception often changed, which I found to be totally fascinating. You feel a general mood that can be completely different the next day.

I have been greatly enriched by the many conversations with dear friends from the ashram, as well as the evening phone calls with family and friends.

During one of my many trips to the nearby Dolphin Beach, I got to know Vishnu, with whom I have formed an intense, friendly connection. I am very interested in how he views things from his Indian culture and thus expand my horizons.

The last day was very intense and beautiful for me. An Indian girl who lives next to the ashram wrapped me in my very own saree, which I bought here in the ashram 😍

I felt really great in this beautiful attire. And once again, I was able to immerse myself deeper into the Indian world. It's a wonderful feeling to wear it, although not very easy, as it restricts leg movement while walking. I had decided to have friends take pictures of me on the beach in the saree to have beautiful memories of this last day. It was a fantastic atmosphere on the beach...

Now the first part of my long journey is over, and my work in another state, in a different environment, is approaching.

I am happy and grateful for two relaxed and joyful months in Amritapuri, from which I could gather a lot of strength for my upcoming volunteer service.

-----

Greetings🙏

Now the time in Amritapuri (5.4.-1.6.) is already almost a week behind me.

The free time here in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, until the start of school in a week, is very convenient for me to process and record my moments and impressions from Amritapuri for you.

Overall, it was a fulfilling and intense 8 weeks that I spent here in the ashram of Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi).

As some of you already know, this was not my first time in India and at this place. Last year, for the first time, I was there with my mother for almost 3 weeks in August and had already "sniffed" a bit of ashram air.

This time it was a completely new experience for me because, first of all, I was alone there. Of course, I know some nice people from there, but still, it is something else to be alone there.

Secondly, I was there for almost two months this time, which has definitely left lasting positive impressions in my heart.

Overall, I was physically and mentally very well during this time, apart from some small physical discomforts in between. Because I could withdraw at any time (e.g. to the beach right next to the ashram), I was able to find a good balance for myself and my needs. Sometimes, a lot of people, especially Indians, visited the program days of Amma, so it was particularly busy on some days.

I participated in a 20-minute meditation course developed by Amma herself. Meditation helps me a lot to relax and release tension.

So far, I haven't been able to practice meditation disciplined every morning, but at least I try to take the time for it 2-3 times a week.

The ashram is organized through Seva (voluntary service), i.e. every ashram resident and visitor should register for a service for at least 2 hours a day.

I signed up for sewing and working in an ecological shop. After 4 weeks, I approached the Indian nurse of Damayanti Amma (Amma's mother) to ask if she still needed help.

I was lucky because I was allowed to start working the next day and work for the very old woman. That means, for example, assisting with transfers and care work.

It was very exhausting for me because the morning shift lasted 5 hours every day. During this time, I had to be very focused and mindful of everything I did. Not an easy task. 😋😃

But overall, I am very grateful that I was allowed to do this work. It is not something obvious to be able to experience the mother of an Indian guru in such a private and intimate way.

Here in Amritapuri, I have learned and discovered a lot about myself, for example, that it can be quite nice to be alone and just feel oneself, one's own perceptions ..

I would say that I am very sensitive and perceive a lot around me. Here in this place, the perception often changed, which I found to be totally exciting. You feel a general mood that can be completely different the next day.

I was greatly enriched by the many conversations with the dear friends from the ashram, as well as the evening phone calls with family and friends.

During one of my many trips to the nearby Dolphin Beach, I got to know Vishnu, with whom I have formed a deep, friendly connection. I am very interested in how he looks at things from his Indian culture and thus I broaden my horizon.

The last day was very intense and beautiful for me. An Indian girl who lives next to the ashram wrapped me in my very own saree, which I bought here in the ashram 😍

I felt really great in this beautiful attire. And once again, I was able to dive deeper into the Indian world. It's a great feeling to wear it, although not very easy as it allows little freedom of movement while walking. I had decided to have friends take pictures of me on the beach in a saree to have beautiful memories of this last day. It was a great atmosphere on the beach...

Now the first part of my long journey is over and my work in another state, in a different environment, is getting closer and closer.

I am happy and grateful for two relaxed and happy months in Amritapuri, from which I could draw a lot of strength for my upcoming voluntary service.