LHSG Kenya’s Karura Forest Outing

Food For The Body, Mind and Soul!

Healing in nature, planting trees and loving them, running races, celebrating Holi with colours, and food …. A heady mix which is guaranteed to make you high!
This was the menu on the cards for Lotus Healing Seva (Kenya) Group’s open air Karura Forest meeting on 5th March 2015.

We started the meeting under the trees, with our usual weekly healing. Holding hands, in the circle of love, we chanted the opening prayers. The twittering birds became silent, and then joined in louder with their version of our prayers! It was heavenly sitting in the fresh, open air and sending healing thoughts. A colour meditation followed .. appropriate for Holi Day (Hindu festival of Colours).

Next we went to our plot of trees. Those of us, who had not planted a tree, were shown the spiritual way of doing it. They planted three Neem trees. Sheela had brought an antifungal powder which was mixed with water to make a suspension which we used to water all our trees to make their roots strong, disease free and healthy. The trees were also sprayed with strong Neem water, brought by courtesy of Shariffa. Next we blessed our trees with Reiki, and set up the sacred space around them.

Now it was time for some fun and games! We divided ourselves into Team A and Team B, played Dodge ball, and ran a relay race! Our different ages and abilities were no bar to our enjoyment as we screamed with delight while jumping to avoid the ball or running like mad on the field! Breathless and panting, we cheered as we won!

Since it was Holi that day, Monica had suggested that we celebrate by doing a small tika (red colour on the forehead). But the excitement was so high amongst us, that this sedate manner of celebrating soon turned to the rubbing of colour on each others’ faces, and in no time the Holi celebration was in full swing!

It was time now to feed our stomachs, which we did by partaking of the of the various snacks and sweets generously brought by the members. The food table which had been set up right at the beginning, proved to be a constant temptation for the squirrels’ one of whom, much to our amusement, did manage to open a box and help himself to a sandwich!

And so ended our open air Karura Forest meeting. The LHSG sevaks that took part were: Monica, Mamta, Anuradha, Sheela, Bubbles, Nuri, Nalina, Shariffa, Pratima, Yatinder, Lata, Sumiti, Pooja, Dee, Laveena, Grace, Cooky, Neena, Priya, Bindi, Laveena and myself.

Thank you to Monica for the lovely photographs and video, and thank you Neena, Mamta, Cooky, Bubbles for your photographs too … Please do see the the photos and watch the short video and do read the comments of the members below ….

Kamal Tolia

Lata …… Very therapeutic. Healing around the trees was awesome. Some physical activities- hmmm – very good. enjoyed every moment.

Mamta ….. Karura meeting was amazing experience! It felt very quenching on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels! It seemed like we did so much in such a short time!
It kept me on a high for quite some time. I still can’t stop smiling when I think about how we played and enjoyed like little children!
Thank you all for an amazing day! Thank you Kamalji for organising it!

Bubbles ….. It’s always so special to hold our LHSG weekly meeting in the super-charged atmosphere of Karura forest.Celebrating Holi was a cherry on the cake.So heartening to see that our trees are at adolescent stage.Doing extremely well.The physical exercises were so well thought out by Kamalji to lubricate our rusted joints n muscles.It truly brought our inner-child out.Loved every bit of sumptuous snacks served thereafter.Thanks for such a memorable time.

Monica ……. The Karura experience was a power blast to our lazy bodies.
The healing conducted in nature surroundings felt very charged up.
Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
The color meditation was a soul spreading one. I felt like the universe in me and I in the universe.
Meeting our babies, our trees was a much awaited moment. It felt like a rebonding session. I couldn’t help but sing along and felt free like a bird with all the greenery. I released my happiness to the trees, the soil to leave behind those vibrations with them.
Planting tree with my group – Nuri, Grace and Sumiti was a humbling moment.
We named our tree Hritaank as that is Sumiti’s son’s name.
The activities were lot of fun and brought out the child in us alive once again. It was a time to assess our limitations and now an attempt to fight them.
Playing Holi was fun too but I felt the actual Holi was the one we played with the trees.
Read more about my experience in the Asian Weekly very soon.
Thank you Kamal for the planning. Thank you Sheela for enhancing our knowledge. Thank you all those who brought the delicacies and supported my idea of Holi celebration.
It was Jungle mein Mangal truly.

Bindi …. Such a wonderful and playful experience.
It brought child within me out. Rainbow colored meditation was awesome and for a while I felt the whole Karura forest and Kenya was majenta bright pink. All in all beautiful and fun experience.

Yatinder …. Karura it’s place you get spiritually uplifted. I felt lighter, body wise. Almost floating when we were doing colourful mediation. I thank God AND Kamalji for letting me plant baby neem tree. I don’t know why it was thanking me for planting it.
Thanks for making the meeting/picnic very memorable. The food was delicious. Thanks everyone????????

Nuri …. Praying under the arms of a beautiful tree was awesome. It felt like we were being sheltered by our Mothers!! Learning the techniques of planting a tree was spiritual, and sharing the colours of Holi to paint the world was truly an amazing experience!! The fun games (was in the team A that won dodge ball and lost in relay, and to end with a vast array of edibles…. Yes was a great great day. We should do this team Reiki building more often. Aches & pain can come & go but our love for each other grows strong each time!! Love & Light to all, even those who missed out!!

Priya ….. This Thursday meeting at Karura forest was a very special one. Felt very good to be sitting under the trees and sending reiki.
The colour meditation was even stronger with the golden light of sun joining in.
Tree planting was a beautiful experience. Ability that u can help something grow is always special and who would know that better than us women.
Enjoyed the games, putting gulaal on each other, the food and the company of my sisters.
Would love to do it all over again

Cooky … What more would you want in life? Colour meditation with mother nature, assisting mother nature with similar souls on an auspicious day!

Laveena …. Hi powerful ladies. Meeting at Karura forest was great experience. Meditation with colours was awesome.
All activities were lots of fun. Tree planting was wonderful experience.
Praying under the beautiful trees was best part. Thank you lovely ladies for giving so much love…

Anuradha …. Karura is always fun but this time it was very special for me because of holi. I was so happy to see that our plants r doing so well. And d meditation was a pure joy for me( nirmal ananda), it was very fulfilling whole day i was so happy. D games were very encouraging too. Altogether it was a wonderful day for me.

Grace …. I felt fresh, light and airy. I gained a deeper understanding and respect for Mother Earth. I felt thankful to be alive and for all the life forms that support my presence here on earth. I felt empathy and love.
Thank you so much for making the experience possible.

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