Living In A Yoga Village Changed My Life

4 years of full-time work in Sydney. No time to figure out who I was.

I began to yearn for something that would bring me the fulfilment that I desired;

When only reading self-help books & practicing yoga hit it’s wall, I knew there must be something more out there for me.

I recall my good friend Nick speaking on this beautiful place called Krishna Village in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales; An eco community practicing the belief system of Hare Krishna, where the love for your peers & dedication to yourself was expressed through Bhakti yoga.

On a whim, I applied to be a volunteer on their property. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to experience something life changing in a safe space where the support & respect of your peers was so strong & enlightening.

When I was offered a volunteer position, I quit my job in Sydney, packed up my life & drove up to Murwillumbah on the East Coast of Australia. Throughout the summer of 21’ - 22’ I volunteered here, meeting the most beautiful souls, developing a richer connection with yogic practice, whilst breaking down the egoic forms I had accumulated through life & learning to reconnect with my childlike nature.

Below are the notable self fulfilling experiences you would be a part of if you decide to follow this path....

1 . Yoga

Rhys getting lost in the grass

With a constantly rotating lineup of yoga teachers & teachers-in-training, I had the opportunity to experience various styles of yoga including…

• Vinyasa 

• Hatha 

• Yin 

• Yang

• Kundalini

• Sivananda

• Viniyoga

• Tantra

• Guided meditations

  
  

Each day you’re given the opportunity to sweat out everything on the mat.

With the sweat came reinforced confidence, body positivity, tears, actualisation of dedication, strength, happiness & love for my community.

My connection to yoga evolved massively after 2 solid months of practice.

Practicing patience

Like throwing wood on a campfire, I realised just how important it is to keep your flame ignited by practicing often & with dedication. When the flame grows bright, the growth within is accelerated and an alignment with the universe seems flow outwardly. When you burn bright, you aid in bringing the flickering flame out of those around you too; for we are all on the same journey together.

Each day brings fourth new learning opportunities, and the knowledge I gained & connection I formed with the practices of Vinyasa & Yin will stay with me forever. The strength I gained within myself through Vinyasa fuelled my desire to continue travelling up the east coast & on to the next chapter of my life in the Sunshine Coast.

2. Bhakti

The Volly team!

The volunteer program requires 5 hours of work in the morning, and as ‘payment’ you’re offered 3 round vegan meals a day, full access to the rotating schedule & a place to park your tent. This place relies on the volunteers that work within the gardens, workshops & farms of the property; They are the backbone which allows the village to continue providing delicious food, cleanliness & experiences to the paying guests of the property and the devotees.

The goal of devotional service (Bhakti) is to purify the heart and mind, and to create a deep sense of love and connection with the divine. There are so many different opportunities for Bhakti yoga, and the leaders assign you a role based on your history, your desire to learn & your special needs.

I worked a few roles over my 2 months, including…

• Farming - planting, tending to & harvesting fresh produce in the various gardens.

• Dairy - tending to livestock pens & keeping the farm clean (taste testing desserts too)

• woodworking - refurbishing wooden furniture & creating new projects

• construction - labouring for the building of new houses within the community

Offering my body’s labour for the benefit of my immediate community brought rewards in abundance - I was able to witness the fruits of my own labour through the delicious food that was served to everybody thrice daily, the quality of life increase with new wooden furniture & being able to supply devotees with roofs over their heads. 

3. Community

Cooking up a feast for Christmas

With such beautiful landscapes brought beautiful people.

I rubbed shoulders with so many like-minded individuals from so many different parts of the world who shared such passion & love which I had not witnessed anywhere else in my life. Every person brings an interesting perspective, and to be able to share meals over discussions of religion, spirituality, belief systems & creative forms reinforced the fact that we all have something to share. 

Workshops are run daily by community members & devotees alike; This enables strong individuals to run their own classes to share whatever they desire with the rest of the community.

Over my 2 months I dabbled in…

• Poetry

• Cacao ceremonies

• Drum circles

• Trust exercises

• Mushroom healing

• Crafts

• Philosophy

• Nutrition

• Environmentalism

Our volunteer living space included a muddled patch of wet grass where we set up a cute tent city; With people’s various lengths of stay producing different levels of living space. Some stayed in 1-man tents with no cover, where others set up palaces under huge tarps. As my stay lengthened, I moved into the hot realestate of the eastern side, where plots overlooked the permaculture gardens. Over time ‘the blue oasis’ became my home.

Tent city

We cooked, jammed, travelled, sang & danced with each other. Not a care in the world beyond what the weather was doing & what was for dinner. Each day brought further connection & a love for those around me I had simply never witnessed before in my entire life.

I will struggle to list everyone I met, but I am so grateful to meet you Bec, Austin, Kaya, Yenny, Ahvela, Julietta, Sophia, Valentina, Amar, Mosin, Neea, Jonte, Zane, Nikki, Rohan, Reece, Joey, Samantha, Paula, Hanna & Monique. 

These people allowed me to open my heart for the first time; To feel comfortable enough to share my love with others and allow love in. I cannot thank everybody enough for what they have showed me.

I regret not exchanging more contact details.

4. Devotion

In respect to Krishna, you are asked to adhere to the commandments within the Bhagavad Gitā.

These involve some of the below practices, seen as ways to live a true & holy life.

1. Amanitva (Absence of pride)

2. Adambhitva (Absence of deceit)

3. Ahiṅsā (Non-injury)

4. Śanti (Patience)

5. Arjava (Uprightness)

6. Acaryopāsāna (Service to the teacher)

7. Sauca (Internal and external purity)

8. Sthairya (Steadfastness)

9. Atmavinigraha (Self-control)

(I do not consider myself to be religious, I am however open to spiritual experiences. I followed these guidelines as an opportunity to practice living a life of quality in alignment with their God.)

With your devotion to celibacy, sobriety, awareness of your language & consciousness behind your actions - The flow of living a godly life seemed to come naturally in this place. It established within myself the importance of having thought behind your actions & showing restraint in opportunities of ‘sin.’ Establishing a moral code around this practice is something I have valued highly in my life.

Tuesday evenings were Kirtan; a form of call & response chanting [The Sanskrit word kirtan generally means glorification or praise, specifically of the Supreme Being, Krishna (God)]

To sing with others brings a warmth unlike no other, opening pathways closed for years.

Witnessing the opening of the throat chakra allowed a flow of words in alignment with my thought that brought fourth deeper connection with those around me. 

This place taught me so much about myself & about the beauty of the world around us. It showed me there is a God worth believing in, as well as reinforcing within me that everything happens for a reason. I would not have stumbled upon this place if it wasn’t supposed to be in my life, and for that I am forever grateful.

I urge you to get out there & experience what this life has to offer, the world can be so kind to you when you open yourself up to it.