Kerala to host Mindfulness retreat

It will witness therapists like celebrity coach Santhosh Babu, singer-actress Raageshwari and American holotropic breathwork experts Sharanya and Dough, among the others.

The five-day retreat will offer tools and methodologies for inner transformation of individuals keen to explore inner development.

"Mindfulness, as a concept, is gaining popularity with thousands of people showing interest in meditation, yoga and mindfulness. Time magazine's January 2014 cover story focused on 'Mindfulness Revolution' while the Wisdom 2.0 conference, held in San Francisco in February 2014, deliberated mindfulness”, said the retreat director Santhosh Babu.

Babu added, "This Mindfulness Retreat is for people who want to be self-aware and work on themselves. We look forward to working with 40-50 individuals -- corporate executives, businessmen and families -- with an open mind, the quest for greater understanding and the will to explore more."

Well known singer-actress Raageshwari is now a facial and Iyengar yoga practitioner.

She began a long journey of positivity and healing when she was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, a nervous disorder that leads to the paralysis of the facial muscles.

As medicines could not help, she restored strength of her facial muscles through facial yoga and Iyengar yoga, without reconstructive surgery.

"For me, the growth during the time I was ill, was huge. Today I know exactly what I want, and that became possible, because I had the time to rediscover myself, when I fell ill. Introduction to yoga, meditation, and holistic healing started to take over my life. If you really, really believe in something, it will come true," said Raageshwari.

Other session experts include US-based Holotropic Breathwork trainer Sharanya Naik.

Holotropic Breathwork, is a tool developed by Dr. Stanislav Grof as an adjunct to psychedelic psychotherapy and as alternate to LSD that was once used in psychotherapy.

Raji Prakash, the retreat co-chair said, "The attendees will benefit from self-awareness, mindfulness, overall health and personal transformation."

Shruti Nanda Poddar, an expert on Vibrational and Sound healing, will help participants get in touch with their inner self through the power of music.

The 'Mindfulness' retreat will also include sessions on Kundalini Yoga and meditation by Anita Anand and Pranic healing by Nidhi Jain and Shivani Hariharan.

The retreat is immersive and every hour spent at the Kairali Ayurveda Village, the residential retreat venue, will ensure that both the body and the mind are working together.

A typical day would have yoga, expert sessions, a range of Ayurveda massages, music and feedback.

Organic vegetarian food, especially created by the Ayurveda centre, will complement the life changing experience.

Founder managing director of Organisation Development Alternatives, Santhosh Babu helps organisations transform through leadership development and culture transformation.

Author of India’s first book on coaching, Santhosh Babu is also an author and columnist.

He teaches hypnosis to healers and is known for hypnosis demonstrations in IIT Delhi, Mumbai, IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Calcutta.