India - Mayapur project

This project, called Jhanavi Kunja, is placed just next to the Ganges river, 4 hours ride north of Calcutta in West Bengal. It breathes the beauty of simple living and high thinking and this is where you will be staying of you come here. The program here is quite flexible, as the number of volunteers and their abilities and interests vary. The projects that volunteers will be engaged in (according to their interest and according to what is urgent for the moment) are:

Practical cleaning of chosen areas

Many (almost all) areas are inundated by plastic. Previously, India was the best recycling nation, with leaf plates and clay cups and dry toilet systems. But the effects of globalisation has brought to india an inundation with plastics, in form of bags, emballage, bottles, cups and plates, now even the areas that are concidered holy are being polluted and the cow, that for so long and still is concidered holy, has a diet of plastic bags and garbage.

So in this Mayapur project we have dedicated to clean up some chosen places to show people and educate how much the atmosphere and beauty of a landscape/village changes when garbage is taken care of and is not laying around everywhere. The desire to change is the first step, and we see that is must come from witnessing and experiencing the difference.

Education - sustainable alternatives

We invite for lectures focused on a sustainable lifestyle, on supporting local villagers etc etc. Similar to the work that Ghandi started many years ago but that was drowned when TV invaded India with the american dream. You may also according to your interest also help local children by teaching them english and to value a sustainable lifestyle.

Food distribution

Very often in India there is a reason to celebrate. You will be amazed to see that there is almost every week some special day. These days, and other days as well, vegetarian foods are distributed and for sure this is something you can help out with.

Extra opportunities for you

Ofcourse, since you are in India, you have the great opportunity to learn the practical and deeper aspects of Yoga. All around the area there are alot of people singing bhajans (hindu songs). Learn indian music instruments. Opportunities vary.

Since Jhanavikunja also is functioning as an ashram we ask you to refrain from drugs, sex and any type of meat (meat, fish, eggs).

What you need to bring:

- Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, blankets, mosqito repellent, sun block and a hat for the sun.

- Personal hygiene articles to wash yourself and toilet paper, too.

How to come here - by Train

• From Howrah station (twin city of calcutta)

  If you are catching a train at Howrah, a clean and less-crowded train to catch is Intercity express, which leaves Howrah at about 3pm (the train does not operate on Sundays.) It reaches Nabadwip Dham by about 5:45pm.

  There are trains leaving Howrah and which pass through Nabadwip Dham, practically every hour and a half, but they are sometimes quite crowded. It takes about 3 - 4 hours to reach Nabadwip Dham from Howrah.

  Once you reach Nabadwip Dham station, you have to take a rikshaw to Mayapur Ghat and then get on a boat to cross over the Ganga to reach Hular Ghat at Mayapur. Take a rikshaw to come to our farm.
  

• From Sealdah station

  Sealdah is a train station located within Kolkata. There are trains leaving Sealdah and which pass through Krishnanagar. Usually these trains are crowded. It takes about two hours to reach Krishnanagar from Sealdah.

  From Krishnanagar, you can catch a rikshaw to go to the bus terminal (“bus stand”) and catch a bus to Mayapur. Or, you can get into a three-wheeler to go to Mayapur Ghat in Swarup Ganj (where Bhaktivinoda Thakura used to live), get on a boat to cross over the Jalangi river to reach Hular Ghat at Mayapur. Then take a rikshaw to come to the farm.

Train ticketing

If you need to book train ticket, you can do it yourself directly from Indian Railways official online booking website at http://www.irctc.co.in (free registration required). Usualy you have to do booking 1-2 months in advance, especially for popular routes and periods. If you are unable to do advance booking and for all the trains all general quota tickets are already booked, still you have chance to get some extra tickets from TatKal quota, for which booking starts 4 days before the train. TatKal quota tickets will cost you Rs.150 extra.

Alternatively you can also contact us for booking train tickets and taxis:

Contact:

Phone: +91-0565-2443932 or +91-9800496392
E-mail: vrindakunja(at)gmail.com

If you receive no answer neither by phone nor email you can always email: vasudeva.das(at)gmail.com

Ecuador - Saraswati Ahimsa Vana

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Welcome to Saraswati Ahimsa Vana… a hidden paradise in the Amazon Jungle that words cannot describe. We are a Bhakti-yoga orientated family starting up an organic farm and nature reserve to protect part of the Amazon rainforest and the animals within. Our goal is to teach our foreign visitors and Ecuadorian neighbours about simple living, high thinking.

At the current moment we are reforesting 26 hectares (approximately 60 acres) of secondary rainforest with native plants and trees from the Amazon, returning natural feeding grounds to the hunted animals. We are in the process of forming a legitimate Ecuadorian foundation to offer a haven to the surrounding Amazon wildlife.

for contact and exact location, visit their website: http://wisdomforest.org



Our project is a non-profit based community living system but we kindly ask for donations to be able to enlarge our nature reserve before the rainforest is cut down. To enroll on our volunteer program we ask for a donation of $10 a day, $70 a week... or $300 a month. This is to cover the cost of food and personnel and anything left over goes towards the nature reserve foundation. If you would like to give an extra donation to help buy surrounding land to protect the animals from hunters it'll be more than welcome too. We'll give you good vegetarian food 3 times a day...(please do not bring any meat, fish or eggs) and we ask you to help out with a minimum of 7 hours service a day, there is lots to do as this project is just starting up... We kindly ask everyone to refrain from smoking, drugs and getting angry throughout their stay... this place to get away from all of that boring stuff....

LODGING FOR VOLUNTEERS

We have just finished building the new lodge for volunteers. We have one big room for male and another for female volunteers. Both have a nice view of the jungle surroundings.

House during construction (now it looks like on the picture below.) We want to construct more houses like this and smaller ones for volunteers to live in.


This house hosts kitchen, yoga/conference room and toilets.


As a volunteer you’ll have the opportunity to experience a different culture and different way of living based on Vedic Principles, with people who care about nature and ecology. Volunteers have the opportunity to help and learn about vegetarian cooking, permaculture, natural medicine, green building, yoga, meditation, philosophy, and will learn about working with conscious art and educational programs for children living in and around the community. You can also bring your creative energies to our workshops, make new friends and have the experience of a lifetime.

The wild animals (monkeys, capybaras, toucans, macaws, deer, armadillo, boa constrictors just to name a few) are still hunted for food and the nearby forest is disappearing as we speak. Our goal is to work with the local community schools throughout the Napo Province and Ecuador to teach alternative sustainable ways of living and create a better future for Ecuador and its people.



If you are nice to the animals they will like you :)



This is the most dangerous animal in the whole forest but some fortunate souls are allowed to play with her





Can you see the bird?


for contact and exact location, visit their website: http://wisdomforest.org

WHAT TO DO THERE?

Tropical Permaculture

In the rainforest everything grows very fast and permaculture is the natural way to go here.








Green Building



Composting

Compost is great help in rainforest permaculture

Yoga and Mantra Meditation

for contact and exact location, visit their website: http://wisdomforest.org

Plus much more...

- Chocolate Making
- Drumming
- Teaching English
- Learning Kichwa
- Vegetarian Cooking
- Tubing in the river

And much more... every Sunday there’s an excursion to incredible river or waterfall off the beaten track, unforgettable places...

If you enjoy swimming you´ll be in your element around Saraswati Ahimsa Vana…



Planting coconut trees



Take a swing like tarzan!

Temascal - Aztec sauna

Banana harvest

for contact and exact location, visit their website: http://wisdomforest.org

Colombia - Varsana Yoga Monastary

1 hour outside of the city Bogota you find this beautiful Yoga Monastary. There are 10 hektars of the most wonderful water sanctuary where the river comes directly out of the mountain.



Work; preserving the watersourses, organic agriculture, community development, kitchen work, eco trailmaking, tourguiding, sleepingbeds (unlimited)

Contact: Nispapa

Tel. 0057-(9186)69028

Homepage: http://www.varsana.com/





This is a vegetarian restaurant on the land constructed from bambu.


A nun meditating in the morning...




Sculptures in the park...


Sometimes one have to watch out!

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