Five Things We Appreciated About Our Stay with the Hare Krishnas

We volunteered at Varsana Eco Yoga Farm, a small, sustainable Bhakti community, about an hour outside of Bogota during the second week of this month. What attracted us initially was the guarantee of 3 meals, a bed, and a yoga class every day for an unbeatable price. We also wanted to learn more about organic farming and community life in an eco-yoga monastery. What we didn't realize is that the people who make up the community at Varsana are quite religious; they are members of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, a Hindu organization, popularly known as the Hare Krishnas. Though we often found ourselves at odds with some of their practices and beliefs (namely the role of women, surprise, surprise), there were many things that we appreciated about our stay with them.

Sharing Skills Among Volunteers

We met volunteers from all over the world; Australia, Germany, Spain and Poland just to name a few. Everyone had an interesting travel story, life experiences, and something important to share with the rest. During the afternoon, volunteers had the opportunity to give workshops, free of charge, to members of the community and other volunteers (instead of working the usual 4 hours in the garden, kitchen, or construction site). We participated in a Thai massage workshop, a Prem Shakti (a healing dance) workshop, a guided imagery and music (GIM) workshop, and I offered a music therapy workshop. It was wonderful to have the chance to learn about these new art forms and methods of self-expression by trading knowledge and experience -rather than money- for the experiences.

Organic Farming and Vegan Cooking

Varsana has a huge organic garden where they grow a variety of fruits, veggies and herbs. The majority of what they consume is grown from the garden, and all food that isn't eaten is recycled in their extensive compost project. The food was healthy and delicious, and followed the Ayurvedic diet: no meat, no dairy, no onions, no garlic. Both Tomasz and I had the opportunity to work in the kitchen and prepare meals for more than 100 people.

It Takes a Village

Everyone in the community devotes half of the day to "service." The members and volunteers take turns working in the garden, cooking meals, working in construction, cleaning, and doing various necessary tasks around the farm. By working together, everything is completed in a timely manner, and the rest of the day is devoted to socializing and worship. On our first day, Tomasz and I spent 4 hours filling in holes between bamboo poles at the construction site of Varsana's new restaurant. Though the task was repetitive and monotonous, we didn't get bored or tired; in fact, we enjoyed it! It was meditative and soothing in a way, and we were able to talk and not think too hard about what we were doing. This experience definitely speaks to the advantages of simple, low-stress work.

Yoga Everyday

Although the Bhakti yoga offered at Varsana wasn't the cardio vinyasa that I am used to, I forced myself to step back, take a deep breath, and slow down. The classes had a heavy emphasis on meditation, deep breathing, and empowering visualizations. While I prefer more fast-paced classes, I appreciated this different style of yoga, and took it as an opportunity as a teacher to learn how to lead slower classes that focus more on the inner than the outer.

Natural Construction

Varsana strives to be sustainable in all aspects of their community life, including construction. They utilize materials such as wood, bamboo, stone, clay, and hay to build their restaurants, temples, and living spaces. Tomasz was fascinated by the structures of the various projects and was inspired to learn more about this type of construction.

That's all for now! Check back next time for our post on the Coffee Region!