Program Reviews

While I came to Sadhana Forest to volunteer in reforestation, I learned and experienced so much more. You can expect to learn information across a wide variety of topics, including zero-waste, composting, water conservation, and vegan cooking. The different types of volunteering range from low to high physical work, but all of it was a welcome change from desk work. With the volunteering I had the opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge, such as different methods of planting new trees or how to make coconut milk from scratch. I loved being part of the Sadhana Forest community and spending quality time with the people here. Everyone is ready to listen and lend a helping hand. If you’re looking for a well-rounded experience that includes volunteering, skill-building, sustainability and community look no further and stay at Sadhana Forest!

One of the things I like most about Sadhana is that it’s not only the forest that is growing, it’s also the people. You learn so much here, and you can really bring your full self to the community. No one judges you and everyone is so welcoming. The work itself is so meaningful - helping to regrow the natural forest here, cooking for the community, cleaning, preparing water irrigation devices. In that way, you also learn a lot about conservation, sustainability and plant-based diets. These are all things you can bring back and integrate into your life at home. If you’re already thinking about coming here, think no further - do it!!

Sadhana Forest is not just an experience, it's a way of life. I have grown up in India, so community living has always been a part of my childhood, but I never imagined living so closely with nature. Apart from indulging in seva, I learnt a lot of things about myself and it has given my life a direction, an alternative perspective. I realised that all the other species apart from humans have different personalities, moods, tantrums, emotions, experience pain, and trauma, just like humans and acknowledging all of this is very important. I also learnt to use compost toilets and to manage the compost after, which was one of my nightmares. But after I did it, I realised it's not at all how i imagined it to be. I relished some very delicious cuisine from all over the world each day I spent here. I worked and met with different people from around the world and learnt about different cultures. I have made friends for life in a very short span of time. In the process, I learnt to be compassionate, even when it's very difficult. And most importantly, I learnt to break my own mentality barriers and now I can take on life with a different perspective.

I came to Sadhana Forest expecting to learn more about reforestation and water conservation techniques, with the aim of understanding how my ecological footprint impacts the Earth. Although this expectation was met, I was also warmly welcomed into an accepting and unconditionally loving community of people from different backgrounds. In Sadhana Forest I got to know more about myself through meaningful interactions with others. The individuals I have met here were able to hold space for me and showed no judgement. If there is one thing I could take home with me from this experience it is the capacity we have to impact others through selfless acts, even a simple smile can change the trajectory of ones day.

It is the perfect vacation and volunteering project for me. I get to put my believes in action again and reconnect to parts of myself I hadn’t accessed in a long time. The community is really a safe space and really takes all the social anxiety off you. Also constantly living in the forest helps regulate the nervous system well with all the forest bathing that happens. Doing hands on physical work also helped me learn and start taking care of my body again. And considering the resource footprint minimisation while staying here is an added advantage. And you do all this while helping sustain an evergreen dry forest which has been grown in a dry arid land supporting the local biodiversity and recharging ground water table. I wouldn’t ask for more from a place.

I'm spending 3 weeks at Sadhana Forest, and every day I'm meeting lovely, unique people from all over the world. I've learnt so much in a short space of time - sustainably planting trees, maintaining compost toilets, conserving water, maintaining the culture of a community. At first Sadhana can feel quite different from our conventional lives, but after a few days of settling in, I really started to experience what makes this place special. There's nothing quite like living in the middle of a forest!

The people here are very warm and welcoming to everyone. I felt like I was already a part of the community since the day I arrived. Obviously, the first 2 days I did take time getting used to the schedules but, by the 3rd day, I had adjusted quite well.
There are people from places from all around the world, and was really nice to hear about their experiences.
At Sadhana Forest, they practice water conservation and reforestation.
The food here is vegan, and surprisingly it was really nice. We eat a lot of fruits which taste amazing and also keeps us hydrated.
It's so calm and quiet here unlike the cities with all that hustle-bustle and craziness, which is just nurturing and peaceful for my mind.
I would definitely recommend to stay here to get away from the chaos and just to experience life the forest in a productive manner.

Living in Sadhana Forest is an enthralling experience. Waking up to the sounds of nature, starting the day with warm smiles in a community of people from all over the world, doing Seva , preparing healthy vegan meals, relaxing in the serene environs, learning about different cultures, learning and contributing to sustainable practices of living by conserving water and much more is what you gain when you come to this forest.
Being in sync with Nature, community living & having healthy meals, works as a catalyst for one's own self growth. I was touched by the compassion way of living here, with people and animals living in harmony with each other. The pace of the day allowed me to unwind in the lap of nature whilst indulging mindfully in the volunteering tasks.
The accommodation is comfortable for toddlers and adults. An experiential stay, where each day feels fulfilled and blissful.

My time at Sadhana forest has been a whirlwind of fun and learning. I had no idea about this place before coming to Auroville. A friend told me that he wanted to see and go on the tour around a sustainable living community. I was happy to join him and after Luke, a long term volunteer, told us about the impact that this place has, I paused my tour around India and signed up to volunteer for 10 days. I have never made a better decision. From reforesting to tending the rescue cows, each day has been a blessing and my mind has never felt so balanced in my life.

On my first day I was welcomed in with open arms and was given the full run down of the week ahead. I was impressed by the division of sevas (selfless daily activities) and how they made the community almost completely self sufficient along side the reforestation project. These community tasks and the reforestation projects really help you bond with other volunteers who all have a similar mindset; that they want to make a positive impact on the wildlife and community in the area. Even though it has only been 10 days, I have made friendships here that I can tell will stand the test of time. Sadhana forest really has a family feel here and I can now even consider it a home.

On to the food. A guilty admission, I am neither Vegan or Vegetarian outside of the forest, but have been cooked and served a wide range of incredible foods that I would never have tried myself. From peanut butter pancakes to Thai green curries, the food here has been excellent. There has even been a request here for a Sadhana forest cookbook. I regularly drink alcohol and I have never been particularly spiritual in my life (another guilty admission). However coming here has enlightened me to other ways of living, some of which I will implement into my every day life. There is such a strong community feel that time flys by and the urge to have a beer or glass of wine with dinner completely goes.

On a side note, you will struggle to find a better deal than 600 rupees a day for food, accommodation, entertainment and a wide range of workshops all run by volunteers. For 10 days, that’s 6000 rupees, which is £60 for the whole experience. Absolute bargain if you ask me.

No matter if you are coming directly here or only passing by, whether it’s to volunteer for 10 days or 6 months, Sadhana forest will be worth your trip. It is an excellent insight into what conscious / sustainable living looks like and will teach you how it is even possible. The stay itself has given me the opportunity to explore Auroville in more detail as well as feel part of a like minded community. You will meet amazing people, have a great laugh and do some work that will actually feel meaningful. I can only thank Sadhana forest for the opportunity to volunteer here and would highly recommend to anyone else!

"Today is the ninth day in Sadhana Forest. I am getting more and more accustomed to living in the forest, feeling comfortable and calm. I mentioned to a friend a while ago that I was about to travel to India and I would fly to the city of Chennai. He mentioned Auroville to me and he thought I would like this area. He mentioned Sadhana Forest in particular and decided to go to India. The first stop was Sadhana Forest. I also wanted to experience life in a volunteer based community.
This is my first experience of living with a community. We have different tasks that require division of labor every day. We will get up early together, cook, clean, go to the forest to water... and so on. As long as the forest needs help, we will help each other. We'll all do it together. In Sadhana you will meet friends from all over the world, just like a big family, and you will get to know everyone easily. There are different tasks every day, you will seva (selfless service) with different people, and you will also have various activities. You can participate in various workshops and activities. After seva in the afternoon, you can go out to explore the surroundings, or you can enjoy the quietness and comfort in the forest. There is a mud pool if you want to soak in the water, a library if you want to read a book, and a meditation hut if you want a quiet little space for meditation, yoga, or sleeping. I occasionally walk to the Tea hut to have a cup of coconut milk chai. I really enjoyed my time in the forest, and the time will slip away unconsciously and you won't realize it. Whether you want to meet new friends, learn about their forest restoration methods, or experience group life, come to Sadhana Forest. It will be an unforgettable memory. Thank you Sadhana Forest!"

今天是來到Sadhana Forest的第九天，越來越適應在森林裡的日子，愜意平靜。我是在前一陣子跟朋友提起我即將要到印度旅行我會飛到Chennai城市 ，他跟我提起了Auroville這個地方，他覺得我會喜歡這個區域，特別提起了Sadhana Forest，就決定到印度的第一站就是Sadhana Forest了，也想要體驗在volunteer based community 生活。
這是我第一次跟community 生活的經驗，我們每天都有不同的工作需要分工合作，我們會一起早起、煮飯、清潔、去森林澆水….等等，只要森林有什麼需要大家幫忙的我們都會一起去完成。在Sadhana你會認識來自各個地方的朋友，就像是個大家庭一樣，你也會很容易就認識大家，每天都有不同的tasks你都會跟不同的人一起seva (selfless service)，也會有各式各樣的工作坊、活動你可以參加，下午結束seva你可以出去探索周遭，也可以在森林裡享受這份安靜愜意，有mud pool如果你想泡泡水，也有圖書館如果你想看本書，有meditation hut 如果你想有個安靜的小空間，冥想也好瑜珈也好睡覺也好。我偶爾也會走到Tea hut去喝杯coconut milk chai 。我很享受我在森林裡的這段日子，而且時間會不知不覺的溜走你不會意識到，不管你是想來認識新朋友還是了解他們如何林地復育還是體驗團體生活，來Sadhana Forest 絕對會是一段難忘的回憶。謝謝Sadhana Forest！