A stint at Sadhana Forest

Sadhana Forest captured my attention as an intentional community when I watched a documentary on YouTube as I was browsing through a playlist on sustainable agroforestry, natural farming and permaculture practices. To me, it served as a great example of how conscious practice of the principles of regenerative living can cause transformation in an ecosystem where human beings are living in harmony with nature. I couldn’t wait to experience life at Sadhana Forest first hand. At the nearest possible time where I could make space on my calendar, I decided to pay them a visit. The official website https://sadhanaforest.org/ was a great resource in getting me prepared and oriented. Finding them on Google maps was simple enough, finding my way to Sadhana Forest was a lot more interesting as it’s nestled away outside the city limits of Pondicherry and getting there took me through some villages and deserted paths. All in all, the sight of the tranquil green space of Sadhana Forest cheered me up and so did the signs welcoming visitors in. Over the 3 days that I experienced at Sadhana Forest, some key elements really stood out for me. One of the most important elements was the spirit of service (seva) amongst the group of people who have been staying at and caring for Sadhana forest for years. Their sense of authenticity, compassion, leadership through responsibility and openness to learning, growth & contribute shone through in every interaction with members, volunteers and visitors alike. Another key element was the sense of feeling centered, grounded, connected to nature and people that we felt as we went about contributing in caring for the space: cooking meals for the community, cleaning & feeding cows in the gaushala, planting & caring for native trees, collecting wood for the kitchen stoves and so many more activi that constantly brought the group together. The food here was clean, fresh, organic and prepared with care and it was palpable in the effects I could experience. The impromptu workshops that were held here also brought in a lot of flavour to my experience here. I felt so much more energetic after a day of engaging with the group than I did at the beginning of the day in the city. I would certainly come back here again. And I would recommend that you visit Sadhana Forest if you are interested in sustainability, regenerative living practices, unschooling, volunteering, permaculture and the like.