What three days at Chanod changed

Namaste. My name is Shraddha Kathiriya, and I have been actively connected with the organisation for the last two years. Dhiraj sir shared an opportunity to participate in an Oasis Movement workshop — 36 days of involvement, spread across a three-year commitment. I was hesitant at first. Then I took the plunge.

All good things take time, and Rome was not built in a day. It has been a while since the workshop was conducted, and with time passing I have been observing and experiencing the changes. This workshop brought a beautiful transformation to my life, and here I am sharing my excerpts of the journey.

The workshop

It began on 8 January and ran to 10 January, at Chanod. This was my first ever participation in an Oasis Movement workshop, and I was very much excited about the forest-like natural surroundings. The workshop culture, the facilitators, the peaceful environment, the well co-ordinated arrangements — all of it was amazing.

Around 43 participants from different organisations took part, divided into two groups. The objective was to develop and bring positive transformation in the lives of the participants. We gathered and discussed our thoughts, our differing life experiences, our challenges, the importance of other people in our lives, and most importantly how far we trust ourselves.

Trusting ourselves is the topic I really enjoyed. We also talked about cultivating good habits and getting rid of bad ones.

How my life changed afterwards

First and foremost, I started to understand myself from within. Earlier I used to think I am not beautiful. During the workshop I questioned myself — why am I thinking so negatively about myself? Beauty lies within the heart and in a person’s actions. It has nothing to do with physical appearance. I realised I have many good qualities and skills that others want to learn from me.

Instead of focusing on what others say, I should strive towards my own growth and the well-being of my family.

I learnt to make a timetable and follow it from the start of the day.

I learnt to take care of my health. Earlier I used to sit down straight after meals; now I take a short stroll instead. Health is wealth, and slowly I have started practising it. Clean eating too, rather than the fast food that satisfies the taste buds without giving the body what it needs.

I learnt to live every moment of life. We cannot predict the next moment, so live fully in this one.

How we can be useful to others is something this workshop answered.

There is no age limit on learning something new. One should strive to learn every day.

The biggest change I made in myself is this: even when another person has wronged or harmed us in some way, we can still meet them with a smile. That is what makes us strong enough to face whatever comes.

Thank you

I wholeheartedly thank my organisation for the opportunity to participate. With this experience I have gradually started putting the learning into practice in my daily life.