The right attitude for the Himalayan altitude

Himalayas is one of purest magical and magnetic mountain ranges on planet earth. Regarded as the spiritual engine of the world, it has attracted yogis, mystics, sages, rishis to explore the heights of its sacred offerings. These phenomenal rocks, streams, caves have witnessed millions of years of spiritual evolution. Interestingly, Himalayas is the most spectacular rock formation which was under the sea. The phenomenal range stands together as the longest piece of crumpled earth stretching over 2500 kilometers. If one would watch carefully, the peaks of these stunning mountain ranges are in a formation like folded hands, as if it bowed into a perpetual salutation (Namaskar Mudra) in reverence to the mystical Lords of the elemental forces and beyond. A deep urge to surrender to nature happens naturally in such a profound setting.

                     On top of Tsakha Peak, with views of Kinnaur Kailash

Majestic in its splendour, it has been home to the most exquisite flora, fauna and ancient civilizations. As an endeavour to heighten the spiritual journey of Kevala soul family members, we embarked on our third edition of expedition (Wings to Freedom-3) to Himalayan destinations that took us to the remotest villages, caves, peaks, rivers and unchartered terrains of Himachal Pradesh, the land of Gods and Rishis.
Driven by indomitable spirit and powered by practice of Himalayan kriya yoga, our team were gearing up to brace up to the Himalayan challenge. The team composition of 17 aspirants were passionate and interesting to say the least. Our age group ranged from 21 to 66 years old with varying levels of wanderlust and adrenaline rush. The challenge posed by high altitude, shifting terrain, sub-zero temperatures kept us supremely alive and alert to rise above the ordinary states of fatigue and anxiety. It was vital to keep the spirit in a state of celebration and support each other as a close-knit family while many of us were going through intense physical and emotional challenges.

The 15 day odyssey ushered us through the remote and spectacular valleys and snow laden mountain peaks of Kullu, Banjar, Kinnaur, Spiti and Lahaul. Gearing up to the Himalayan expedition was a challenge. Most of them arrived for the trip from Dubai where temperatures were hovering around 50 degrees centigrade. The switch from sea level to high altitude is a shocker that one has to accept. Busy work schedules and heavy road traffic scenarios meant very little time for mountain fitness training.

When I greeted them all at the Mohali Airport in Chandigarh, I could feel all of their deep intent, cheerful and positive attitude to face the challenge. I assured them that we would commit to dedicated kriya practice in Himalayas to fine tune the breath, lung power, endurance and strengthening techniques to ease the trekking journey.

Interestingly our kriya intensive sessions took shape at sunrise when the outdoor temperature was hovering at 5 degrees centigrade. Thankfully we managed to inspire everyone to push themselves well enough to generate enough firepower within through intensive breathing techniques like ‘agnisara’, ‘akhanda sudharshan kriya’   ‘kundalini kriya’ and ‘surya nadi bhedhana’.

Any technique is as good as any philosophy if it can’t be applied at the point of need. Hence the core focus of our Himalayan kriya yoga session was to apply it during our uphill trek, which seemed the prime challenge.

We may assume that our preparation is good enough to face the Himalayan challenge. However it takes tremendous sustained grit, determination and high spirited state to rise above the unpredictable scenarios that crop up. More importantly, it would only be wise to surrender to receive the blessings of nature Gods if we have any inclination of accessing the inroads to those remote mountain peaks. The Himalayan spirit is kind of playful in its offering. One would never know what would be the right ‘gear’ for a trek. The mighty winds could blow you away in one instance or the sun could pierce through urging you to discard all your thick jackets. Dressing in layers would mean, you would carry your jackets at some point. Discipline comes more naturally in these high altitude treks. Drinking more water would mean, you would have to develop bladder retention capacity or keep searching for secluded open-air toilets.

Thankfully, we had enough trust and drive to submit to the power of true surrender to the Mother Nature. The guiding spirits allowed us to bask in its expansive bounty and derive the best of views, and pleasantness in weather when we needed warmth of the sun, or a caressing breeze. The grace flowing through was evident. We felt welcomed by nature spirits everywhere we set our foot upon. The elements of wind, sun and rain seemed to be in right proportions for keeping us excited and progressive in our journey. The sun peeked out of thick clouds when we offered our deepest prayers and warmed us with brilliant solar flares, flashing through murky skies. Our soul family gathered excitedly to explore the science of surya vigyan, kriya yoga, nada yoga, and rishi vigyan. Everyone got to realize the true power of himalayan kriya yoga as we it enabled us to derive the energy booster effect whenever we needed it the most.

The mystical, magical, magnetic and majestic Himalayas pulled each of us out of our comfort zones. There is an unmistakable charm about Himalayas which brings out the best in every true explorer. The intense urge to surpass the resistances and rigid patterns became apparent as we witnessed extra-ordinary efforts from our friends to take on the challenges encountered during the uphill trek.

We discovered that trek guides could do very little to individually help a group of 17 trekking at varying pace. This situation forced us to rely on our instincts and determined effort to endure through the trek, while we traced the path to the destination and guided others along the way. Many unpleasant situations could have creeped up, but we made truce with the fact that any difficult situation can be diffused just by remembering three important aspects of life (a) We will not go through anything that we truly can’t handle (b) We will get what we have asked for (c) We are exactly where we are meant to be at any given moment.

Interestingly this applies across to most situations in our life. We will not derive an experience unless we explore. An experience can either elevate our awareness or cramp us into fearful situation. The pre-conceived fear is that we will have to go through pain and suffering before we derive a blissful knowing. A daring encounter with the true self can make a powerful impact on our journey.

View of Kinnaur Kailash from Kalpa (balcony of Grand shambala Resort)

We had tremendous revelations all along the way. The mysticism of Himalayas is palpable in its rarified mountain air. The guardians of elemental forces and masters magically communicate through spectacular snow dressing on mountains and cloud formations. The special cosmic rays are available to awaken those that are ready to receive it. We had the honour to witness profound elemental communication at Kinnaur, Kalpa, Gete Village, Spiti, Kha-Nimo and Chandratal Lake. The science of Megha Sandesha (cloud communication) is a thrill to experiment in these panoramic setting that spreads miles across mountains.

‘Wings to freedom’ is a phenomenal exploration series offered by Kevala Foundation. It attracts the most amazing free-spirited beings to celebrate the Himalayan journey in its profound manner. We celebrated and made friends with so many travellers we encountered along the way. Everyone kept wondering how we remain so genuinely happy and smiling. We looked at each other knowingly. We kept reminding ourselves all along that ‘All is well’ when we decide to be happy anyway despite the odds. In himalayan yogic parlance, we greeted each other “Alak Niranjan”  and eased up our path with laughter. The wild, free-spirited child in us soaked in the himalayan glory in the way it was meant to be.

Himalayas will always remain an enigma. One look at these magnificent snow laden mountains is inspiring enough to drive away all the journey fatigue. It is so evident that these mountains have witnessed avalanches, blizzards, gusty winds, twisters and yet have remained undisturbed for millions of years. This is called ‘Atal Avastha’. There is no better place than Himalayas to realize the self in the fastest possible way. The sacred space is alive with the spirit of enlightened beings. However it demands supreme readiness and completeness in surrender, which is the right attitude for receiving the peak experience.
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Maha Yogi Dr. Pradeep Ullal is a celebrated himalayan yogi who guides Wings to Freedom journeys to himalayas, while taking a break from the celebration center- Kevala Foundation at chikmagalur in South India

Our Wingers for third edition of Wings to Freedom:
Sandi Saksena, Sylvia Christensen, Vijaya Nair. Amrita ji, Dr. Pradeep Ullal, Monika Agarwal, Arvind Nair. Devika Valsaraj, Lavanya Varma. Ramya Acharya, Bhavinder Singh Gujral (Mattu), Kaveri Krishnamurthy, Bhavani Prasad, Peewee Sanchez, Diego Sanchez, Kristin……

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Wings to Freedom -3:::::: In Gratitude to Amrita ji for making it all happen

Amritaji , our expedition designer, time keeper, who managed to keep us on our toes