Why India? By Autumn Stefoff
India was the first time I felt like I found myself.
After making the choice to study International Development, I was in my final year of University and unsure of where to go next. I was in a relationship that I knew wasn't right for me and felt stagnant in my personal development. I remember hearing the Study Abroad Staff speak about the opportunity to spend a semester in India and my entire body said YES. But, it wasn't that easy. My partner at the time told me if I went, we were done. My family told me I was crazy. My friends were not all supportive. It was going to be expensive, I was going to be away for my last semester of my University career - missing all my people and missing all the events, but my gut told me I had to go. So, I decided I was HEADED TO INDIA.
We spent months preparing ourselves, studying the culture, gaining understanding for the world we were about to enter.
In January of 2016 myself, and 20 other brave students ventured out on a quest of 4 months in India.
What a wild ride we were about to embark on.
India brought me back to myself in a way I had never experienced before. It brought life back into me that I hadn't felt in a long time. The abundance that this land and its people have to offer is unlike anything I had ever encountered in my life. Yes, it was overwhelming. Yes, it was challenging. Yes, it was tiring. But - was it worth it? YES, 10000% over.
During these 4 months we studied gender, culture, environment and more while travelling with our backpacks through 21 cities in India. Starting in Mumbai (Bombay) we made our way to Aurangabad to the Ajanta & Ellora Caves, stayed at an Eco Lodge in the Rainforest with snakes on our ceiling beams and Lizards in our bathtubs. We rode motorcycles in Hampi, visited the temples in Hyderabad, rowed boats in ceremony on the Ganges River in Varanasi, rode camels through the desert of Jodhpur, visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and lived with host families in Jaipur. We traveled in rickshaws, overnight trains, buses, vans and bicycle rickshaws through cities. We were greeted with warmth, love and welcoming energy. We were adorneddoused with bindhis, flower garlandsleighs and some of us even performed a bollywood dance in an Indian wedding. We were invited in for chai to connect for hours through conversation with someone we likely would never see again. We saw the beauty and the hardship. We tasted the rich flavours and experienced the foul scents. We got the FULL experience, and I would not have wanted it any other way.
Having returned to India 5 times since, and travelled to over 40 cities throughout, this country holds a deep place in my heart. Each time I go it is a new experience. Every time I am surprised and every time I fall more deeply in love with this country.
India is not for the faint of heart, it is for people who want to experience the rawness of a culture. India is for people who seek to discover the truths of ancient history. One day in India can easily be the most challenging and exceedingly rewarding day of your life. It's all about perspective.
I remember being so homesick one day and frustrated with the discomforts of life in India and I was going for a walk to buy some fruit.
As you may know, India has over 1.4 billion people living within its borders, the highest population in the world. I am someone who likes to have my space and my time alone, and in India it wasn't always the easiest to find. To be completely honest, at that moment, I did not want to be comforted, I did not want to talk, I wanted to be upset and feel my feelings. And, if I were at home in Canada I probably would have gone for a walk in the woods or locked myself in my room until I felt better. Isolation.
On this walk, feeling down, I just wanted to grab my fruit and go. Walking along this street, there were probably over 50 vendors selling the same thing. All lined up, right next to each other, selling their oranges. Each wooden cart had its oranges piled on messily and with many of the fruits in rough condition, all at the same price.
As I walked, I noticed this one cart in particular - this cart and these oranges were different. The man had taken the time to build a perfectly symmetrical tower of oranges, each one pristine and bright in colour and topped it all off with a beautiful local flower. This man was offering a peeled
orange for customers to try with a big smile on his face and a quiet demeanor. In this interaction, I could not help but shift my perspective. This man, selling oranges to make a living here on the street every day with several competitors could have chosen to exist in a different mentality.
The mentality I was in.
Instead, he chose to take pride in what he did, to come to work with gratitude and hope and to put a smile on peoples faces with the warmth of an interaction.
The two of us barely exchanged even just a word, communicating solely through expression and gestures. I walked away with more oranges than I could ever eat and a complete shift in my perspective.
Moments like this in India made me realize 2 really important lessons - we heal in community & we create our realities through perspective.
I could go on with stories about my time in India, but what I really hope is for others to experience it themselves. India provides an experience like no other, and with it offers an invitation to expand your mind and open your heart. The energy of India will forever change you, and I cannot wait to walk alongside you in this experience.
Autumn has worked in the wellness space for over 5 years as a yoga teacher, reflexologist, sound therapist, meditation & mindfulness coach, energy practitioner, women's empowerment mentor and wilderness educator.
She is based in Ontario, Canada but has extensive experience travelling around the world and feels cultural immersion is medicine.
She is passionate about connect people with themselves, each other and nature in a way that is authentic, liberating and empowering.
She is a valuable part of our collective and we are so excited to be facilitating an upcoming program in India with her: Root to Rise.
Learn more about Autumn, her work, and this immersive yogic adventure by clicking below.
