A CHYK Adventure in London

My trip to London was unexpected but the plan fell into place seamlessly. I wanted to attend Swami Mitrananda’s week-long yagna in London, followed by a CHYK camp. Having known Swamiji for more than 15 years, I knew that this was an adventure I could not miss. Swami M is a monk like no other.

SWAMI M

His means of teaching Vedanta to youth are largely non-traditional, for instance, Swamiji has organized motorbike rallies in the Himalayan region and to Leh, Ladakh, as part of a program called “Meditation on Wheels”. He has organized success

ful CHYK adventure camps (including whitewater rafting, trekking and camping). He lives by the tenet Vedanta is learnt through adventure and by living and breathing it. Swamiji’s innovative approach to teaching Vedanta inspired me as young adult and under his guidance, I attended the Yuva Veer Program (Youth Empowerment Program) to become a trained youth facilitator.

CHYK CAMP – PURE DYNAMISM AT ITS BEST

Apart from attending morning and evening talks by Swamiji, I attended a 2-day CHYK camp in Ashford with about 117 young adults (25-35yrs). The text for the camp was “Gita for Yuva” (Gita for Youth) which is a collection of shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita that relate to youth concerns and goals.

The CHYK camp a phenomenal experience. The amazing enthusiasm and dynamism of the UK CHYKs really blew my mind away. They undertook all their tasks with enthusiasm, creativity, skill and professionalism. There was no room for half-heartedness. This truly embodies the spirit of dynamic living that Sri Krishna discusses in Bhagavad Gita – do your duty to the best of your ability.

Swamiji had about 5 sessions with the camp participants, including a Q & A. Other sessions included watching and discussing the movie, “October Sky” which had a great message about the power of perseverance. The CHYKs also organized a unique musical production for the evening. Each group of participants was assigned to perform one story of Sri Krishna’s life. In between every group’s performance, their Swaranjali group (singers and musicians) sang lively bhajans, and this musical continuity turned a series of skits into a musical production. The camp participants were fun and spirited, so it was a very entertaining evening.

PERSONAL CAMP HIGHLIGHT

The highlight of the camp for me, however, was the outdoor adventure activities, in particular, High-Ropes. There were three activities – Jacobs’ Ladder, The Equilibrium and The Ultimate Leap of Faith – all of which tested your ability to conquer fear of heights and (an essential teaching of the Bhagavad Gita) overcome your fear. The hardest part about philosophy is to walk the path. And here came my opportunity to walk the talk, so I could not refuse.

The Ultimate Leap of Faith

Due to lack of time, we had to choose a single activity, and I picked the Ultimate Leap of Faith. I had to climb a 30-foot pole (with the support of wooden cogs), and onto a small wooden platform, and then jump to catch a trapeze. I had to face my fear of heights – and it was not easy. I was buckled and harnessed for safety purposes, but this was very little assurance for me. I did not want to fall off a 30-foot pole (nor dangle in suspension) and I did not want to fail. I knew that others were watching (as was Swamiji) and this was significant pressure. It was battle with my mind to climb up the pole. As I climbed up the 30foot pole, I continuously pushed away any negative thoughts (“OMG, I must be crazy!”, “I HATE heights”, “I’m going to fall”, “”I can’t balance”, “My hands are slipping, I cannot grip the cogs”). I stayed focused on the task. The challenge was hauling myself onto a platform at the top of the pole (only wide-enough for 1 person to stand). I had continuous encouragement and guidance from my friends below, and that definitely helped. Every second felt like an hour. Once I finally got on top of the platform, I had to stand up and face the trapeze which was about 4-5 feet away from me. The instructor below started counting down to my jump, but I stopped her and told her I would do it in my own time. I then gathered everything I had and leaped forward to catch the trapeze – and I made it! J

This activity was very insightful. It made me realize that it was a good analogy to life. Divinity is the “safety harness” in our lives, and so really speaking, we are in good hands. However, our fears and our desire for control are so strong that we often forget that the Divine is looking out for us. Another insight was how fear can be a powerful agent in limiting our potential. My fear of heights had the ability to affect my physical body (sweaty palms, deep breathing, quivering etc), and seriously affected my ability to perform. The way to deal with fear is through conscious positive thinking and self-encouragement – every step of the way. Finally, it made me realize that if we truly want to reach our highest potential, we must be willing to surrender our fears and take a leap of faith.

The UK CHYK camp proved to be an amazing learning experience, where I had opportunities to practice Vedanta outside of the classroom and spent time in the inspiring company of the UK CHYKs and Swamiji.

Sharanya Rao