My journey in India ended in early April after 5 months spent in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. Besides meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques that transformed my daily practice, this country particularly inspired me with its ashrams. I come away full of ideas and dreams to create the practical school of Living Nutrition. If you want to know more about this, you will find in this article on nature yoga a summary of the teachings I received in India and my vision for creating a community.

I bring back with me a dose of gentleness, tolerance, and patience that the Indians are generous with. My memory also retains the vivid recollection of having seen a country function with a minimum of organization but with good verbal communication. There is always someone to help you when you are in trouble. The cultural differences between the East and the West are so great that one inevitably comes away enriched from having, for a time, tasted another way of living. It helps to reconsider one’s beliefs, habits, and to open up to difference and novelty. This is one of the universal virtues of travel, wherever it may be. But after 5 months on site, I felt weary of the constant agitation, noise, and pollution. What I missed most in India was not being able to walk and recharge in the calm of nature. That is why, in particular, I was happy to return to France and find a clean and organized country, not overcrowded, where even Paris gave me the impression of being in the countryside.

When you stay at home, it is harder to realize all that we have that is precious in France and that we mistakenly take for granted. Like, for example, simply being able to walk in clean nature, sometimes even with the luxury of being alone. This is extremely rare in India! I also realize how much we have quality teachings in France, regardless of the fields. On the other hand, we lack resourcefulness, patience, and especially this openness to spirituality that makes India conducive to the emergence of ashrams, which are precious places for rejuvenation and transformation. I had never been around a population as “connected” as in India. Even in a crowd with dense traffic, no one bumps into each other, and many things work with the operation of the Holy Spirit…

Since being back in France since April 8, I am happy to have reunited with family, friends, and to spend time in the natural spots dear to my heart… I then picked up Free Your Van, which had been patiently waiting for me near Lake Paladru at a garage that restored its health by changing the gearbox, clutch, and a driveshaft, not to mention some bodywork. Ready for new adventures, my van took me to Aix en Provence to attend a Nonviolent Communication (NVC modules 1 and 2) workshop. More than an innovative approach to communication, it is a revolutionary vision of relationships with oneself and others that invites one to redefine their way of thinking.

Then, I crossed France towards Bordeaux where I was expected by an association to lead a 3-day event around the natural feats of the body through a film, workshops, and conferences. Unfortunately, the association preferred to cancel the event due to an insufficient number of reservations. No matter, I honored the other appointments I had in the Bordeaux region to provide individual consultations and, at the same time, had the pleasure of meeting, against the backdrop of spring, beautiful people with whom common projects related to the practical school of Living Nutrition could come to life…

To be continued…