During my visit to the ashram, one of the deepest moments came when I sat at the water’s edge.
There had been hustle and bustle, but here I could pause. Across the lake stood the meditation hall, surrounded by the colours of autumn.
Cool air moved over the water, drawing ripples across its surface. As I sat facing the hall, I felt a calmness, a stillness that seemed to whisper me into a deep state of rest.
The water continued to move. I watched its surface and felt myself settling.
When I finished my breathwork practice, I noticed another person sitting with their eyes closed, taking it all in. There was something gentle about being met by that quiet presence.
I moved quietly, allowing the moment to continue.
Nature’s beauty was all around me. The colours of the season seemed to be celebrating: crimson, orange and gold along the shore, with the deep green of the evergreens between them.
I wondered whether there might be a few more beautiful weeks before this rainbow display, too, came to rest.
Perhaps that awareness made me look a little longer. I wanted to take in the water, the trees and the hall across the lake while they were just as they were.
That moment stayed with me. Amid a full and bustling visit, there had been room for this quiet experience.
It reminded me that I can sometimes meet movement with calm. Sitting there, I did not need the ripples to disappear to feel still.
I could rest beside them.
Where have you found a moment of calm within a busy day?
Words and photographs by Diljeet K. Jandu