Program Reviews

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”
- Kahlil Gibran

These lines form my core in my identity as a mother. I volunteered together with my children at Sadhana Forest with the intention to be in an environment where life pulsates freely providing rich earth for their growth.

It is also a place which resonates with my ideals of children be raised in communities, vegan/raw vegan food, sustainability, inclusiveness, appreciation, exchange, connection to the elements and a contributive way of life.

It can happen only if there itself is a lot of air flowing in terms of diverse and wide array of people coming in, sharing their ways of life through the course of stay and loving in a way that responds to their life’s calling as against the ‘this way’ or ‘must be done’ dictates of the slave world.

Like there are multiple pores in the human body, so much a child (by extension, the mother) open their life to multiple sources of nourishment where people are just themselves. And you can be truly you only in spaces where you live.

Amidst sevas, I naturally learnt what it means to interact or indulge in a meaningful exchange while also developing appreciation and owning the tasks as if my life was complete doing just that. My complain towards tasks at home underwent a change because of this change in attitude.

I usually find people more trusting, particularly if I have to entrust them to my children, if they are capable of letting go of the usual comforts. Everyone and the living at Sadhana forest embodies just that I can offer myself freely without the need to put a guard or a shield.

When you show up this way, you understand from your life that people are essentially the same at the most fundamental level. The eternal struggle to find your place in the world ceases and I found that I began feeling more at home wherever I was. I hope that my children do gain a sense of this.

I no longer need to burn myself out offering n perspectives and can leave them with food for thought while also living as a comrade together with them.

Sadhana brings a deep sense of appreciation and grounding. Our way of living in the city is high raw vegans, sustainability and choosing more off-grid lifestyle. They are teenagers and when they see the world may retaliate or really question. I hope that finding that there are people happily embracing alternate ways of life calms their nervous system and in time they make come to recognize that it’s ok to build and live up to one’s own convictions.

I also like to take of money from the center of all equations and perhaps it may be communicated just a silent way to the children.

And perhaps, the aspect of being in silence as against the constant noise and distractions of the world.

Lastly, we have been curious to identify the plant world - the care, the properties etc so we can develop more appreciation for them during our time in nature.

Thank you Sadhana for meeting so many expectations and values in one single space. As a mother and as an individual, I couldn’t have been more gladdened.

I stayed in Sadhana Forrest for 3 weeks in February 2024. It is a peaceful, friendly and healthy place. It was a marvelous experience and I would highly recommend this to anyone!

You will have the experience of staying inside the jungle. It is wonderful to be waken up by the birds singing. Staying inside the forrest made me calmer and more connected to myself. You can also contribute your work and go planting or watering the trees on the morning.

During my stay in Sadhana I met many people from around the world. We spend a lot of time working together, eating together and having great conversations. Sharing joy and difficulties together was a great pleasure. I hope friendships I made in Sadhana will last for a long time. Quite often people were making workshops on different topics so it was never boring. I enjoyed this community life much more than isolated life the western culture!

The food in Sadhana is 100% vegan. Very fresh and unprocessed. The meals are delicious and give you power for work. After couple of days I started to enjoy not drinking coffee, cause feel more healthy and balanced. Surprisingly I even found it good to wake up early cause you can observe beautiful light after the dawn and the day was so long. During the day it was rather busy so I was not using my phone that much, which makes me more calm and mindful.

During my stay in Sadhana I was watering small trees in the forest, cooking meals for community, preparing the fire wood, cleaning after meals, serving people food, helping at the cow sanctuary, serving at the tea hut and not to forget cleaning the toilets. Was wonderful to try myself in different tasks, to work manually and to see results of my work.

I had really good time in Sadhana Forrest. Before I come i was bit tired of traveling and my stay in Sadhana helped me feel grounded and a little bit feel like at home. Hope I will come back one day!

Sadhana Forest is a truely unique community. The scale of the positive change that is made here is monumental.

This change is generated by the hard work, good will and compassion of such dedicated action oriented volunteers. It feels wonderful to be given the opportunity to contribute to this change in such a real and tangible way.

I've been so inspired by how well community aspect of Sadhana functions and the fact that this can exist in tandem with such strong social and ecological change fills me with real hope for the future.

Life in the forest is not luxurious. The way human needs are facilitated are so well thought out. Here you don't need to try to reduce your impact. All the systems from hand washing to food preparation are designed to automatically reduce your environmental impact. And give so much opportunity for reflection on your impact when outside the forest.

I stayed at Sadhana only 2 weeks, in that time I feel I measurable change in my level of compassion, my willingness to help other beings and my sense of purpose. This place attracts truely beautiful human beings and the relationships I've formed have left me feeling more connected then ever.

If you're looking for a place to do good and are up for some hard work (seva) come to Sadhana. I can't recommend it enough.

If you're up for learning how to live sustainably, without exploiting animals and with people from cultures across the globe then Sadhana Forest is the place for you! I've had an incredible time here, giving to the people of Tamil and the wider world community with the Vegan Forest Festival and giving to the Forest, the creatures who live in the forest and to the planet as a whole.

I recommend Sadhana Forest to families, solo travellers, everybody in between. I get the feeling that this project is a glimpse into the future and a solution to the climate crisis and the problem of animal exploitation, as well as disease prevention with their attitude to food

I heard about Sadhana from a friend who had visited earlier this year, who had explained about it’s uniqueness of experimental living and sustainable approach. The plan was to stay for 4 days but it’s been about 3 weeks now and I’ve never felt a sense of gratitude envelope me this way. .

It’s been quite a journey especially connecting with wonderful people who have come from different parts of the world to share and learn about sustainable living ( linked to veganism), reforestation, water conservation and most importantly compassion which is taught through and through in every seva we partake in and to treat the animals around you the way you would treat yourself which is with love and respect.

The immense shift from the normal way of consuming media through your laptop or phone screens and working 8 hours a day to make ends meet to a mindful living where you are working towards basic but important needs such as cooking food, planting trees, ensuring cleanliness and promoting sustainable living for a better future. The simplicity of life here eliminates the question of what’s your purpose or how you can be someone of greater value instead encouraging you to be grateful and mindful in every action

The focus is on selfless service and putting materialistic gains on the backburner. The idea of compassion can truly be understood here living in the forest that’s always giving. I’m humbled and in awe with the way of living in true unity and seeing hands on work being encouraged in an age where we are all behind screens. Thank you Sadhana for being one of my biggest mentors and giving me more than I could ask for.

The comfort zone of our daily lives makes the mind dull and makes life very monotonous. For me, Sadhana Forest is to get out of my comfort zone. It makes me feel very vibrant and gets me out of the rut of my own thinking process.

The whole place is designed to throw you out of your comfort zone, right from the dry toilets to living in a shared dormitory with fellow volunteers to working together in different sevas where you cook food for the community or clean utensils in which food is cooked or taking care of the forests and the community etc

The non judgmental space that this place provides one is another major reason for me to flock here again and again. Majority of the people who one meets here have in someway broken away from the established pattern of the society and they understand each other’s mental struggles and provide space for everyone to just ‘be’ and not be this or that!

The sense of community that one feels here is something special. All the activities and the structures are thought out in such a way that people come together and get to know each other. Human relationships are a marvellous thing once you get a taste of it!

I also like how people are not in a rush to achieve here. Their concern is with existing now and not with the ‘what next?’

The slowness of life here is what I really admire and would like people to experience as well. Happy volunteering if you make to Sadhana :)

Wenn du das Leben in der Natur und in einer internationalen Community suchst, die vegane sowie eine nachhaltige Lebensweise und Wiederaufforstung unterstützen möchtest, dann ist Sadhana Forest der richtige Ort für dich. Hier wird die vegane Ernährung praktiziert, die Community erlaubt es nicht, verarbeitete Lebensmittel und Dinge wie Alkohol, Koffein etc. während des Aufenthalts zu konsumieren.
Ich nehme viele neue Freundschaften und jede Menge gute Erfahrungen mit, ich komme ganz sicher wieder.

My time here at Sadhana Forest was quite a unique and beautiful experience.

I came here not knowing what to expect, just wanting to learn about reforestation, living sustainable and eco-friendly but I found myself emerged in a much more enriching experience.

Sadhana is a place where you live within a community, working together through selfless service called "seva". Everyone contributes to the community in different ways, such as, helping in the kitchen, cleaning the toilets and accommodation areas, helping with the reforestation project, working in the Goshala - cow sanctuary, and many more jobs.

We come together as a community at meal times where we enjoy fresh, whole, organic food prepared by the volunteers in the kitchen. It gives us the opportunity to get to know one another, sharing and learning about one another's experiences.

There are many other activities that connect the community like core value talks, sharing circles, non-talent shows, nights out and eco-documentaries. Various activities can also be hosted by volunteers where they can share what they know like yoga, meditation, NVC, men/women circles and much more.

Overall in my experience, what has impacted me the most is the connections I have made with the people here. I have never felt more welcomed, included, heard, understood with people I have just met in all my life. It has felt like I have always known the people here and that we are like family.

In a bigger view, Sadhana is a tremendous project that has made a huge impact on the world, not only with the reforestation they have done, but also facilitating a community with its core values of inclusivity, non-competition, selfless work and compassionate living for anyone and everyone to be apart of. Their endless dedication to creating this new world has my utmost respect.

I highly recommend this experience for anyone who this resonates with even in the slightest. It will broaden your perspective on life and you will learn for much about yourself and others.

Sadhana is a place I will never forget

My experience at Sadhana Forest has been wonderful! The community of volunteers is very strong, kind and generous. The most beautiful aspect of Sadhana Forest are the connections that you form with people from all around the world. The community attracts a diverse range of individuals, all who are consciousness and warm. I enjoyed living simply and spending time in the forest with my animal friends. We participated in daily volunteer work, in areas that supported the maintenance of the Sadhana Forest community (sometimes foresting, other times cooking and cleaning). Eating delicious vegan meals together was a favourite part of my day, and rewarding after challenging work. The community is very organised, and so adjusting can be difficult. However, I felt well supported and cared for. I would recommend staying for a minimum of 3 weeks to feel integrated in the community.

Coming to sadhana forest was something that I gifted myself with. This place offered me much more than just an forest experience. I came with a list of things to learn starting from reforestation, water conservation, sustainable lifestyle, living in a community and to name a few. I liked the non-judgemental environment that is offered by the place and people. It made me feel very connected to the nature and for that I'm very grateful. The conversations and people had a huge impact in my pursuit of purpose. This place offered me to channelize my thoughts and give a direction to venture out into the unknown with my recharged self and disconnected beliefs.