Finding beauty in every single moment, is like breathing happiness, breathing love. A simple, easy love. Not for a specific person, but for everything around you. A love where your soul is dancing inside your body. Because love is the force that makes life worth living, gives it colour, depth and warmth, it allows us to feel.

Sitting on a little balcony overlooking the river Ganga in Rishikesh, while the sun is slowly setting behind the hills. A red and blue rug, colorful wallpaintings, sipping from a milky coffee. A feeling of total relaxation and happiness. A beautiful view, no worries, just sitting. At this moment my mind can only think ‘can life be any more beautiful than this moment’.

Last May I was also in Rishikesh. With a totally different atmosphere and goal. It was my last day before going back to Amsterdam after a 10 week adventure through India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and back to India. This trip was the seed of my plan to return back to India. However at that moment, sitting alongside the river Ganga with some beers and stoned guys, I could never have imagined the way I am sitting here now.

A month of no alcohol, no late nights, no heavy food. A month of balance, spirituality, friendship, discovering and education. I am still trying to grasp all details and impressions from the last four weeks. Reflecting on the powerful lessons I have learned, the beautiful people I have met and the crazy things we have done. Because next to all the spirituality, deep philosophical topics, heavy physical exercise, mantra chanting and anatomy classes, we had a lot of fun. Try picturing 15 newbie yogi’s inserting a small rubber string through their nose to pull it out of their mouth and gently flossing a part of the mouth which has probably never been touched before.