SATYA: Tending to a shared, eternal fire
Text: Mira Beckstrøm Laurantzon
Photos: Caroline Hargreaves
As summer just started to soften into autumn we had the pleasure of hosting a very special immersion at Finnskogen Retreat - SATYA with Umā.
Umā is a one of a kind teacher. Born into the culture from which the Yogic sciences sprang, Umā is a living vessel for this synergy of traditions, infused with their riches.
Umā has walked a less common path in life. Guided by her own nature far from family, schools and cities, at age 20 she entered into seclusion and a 14-year apprenticeship with her Shaivite guru in his private hermitage in the wild.
She has now been researching and educating in the field of Indian Tantra and Yoga for more than 30 years, and is a senior and much sought after Ayurvedic practitioner and expert.
Umā shares a special connection with Norway and comes here almost every year, and at Finnskogen she brought her uniquely designed program SATYA - synergistic alignment of tantra, yoga and ayurveda.
From several corners of the world we commenced for this meeting. During the immersion we were living with nature, in nature, learning to honor ourselves and others as Nature - yes, as our true natures.
The days started early, in the sandhya - the twilight, with puja, traditional Indian prayer and offering to the Gods, followed by an often long and transformational morning practice; a practice that would lead us deeply into remembrance of ourselves. We practiced deep listening. Shruti - that which is heard, and smriti, that which is remembered.
After breakfast we would dive into Ayurvedic and yogic theory, and spend hours in philosophical conversation and council, before lunch, and the continuation of afternoon and evening practices.
Already the first day at the immersion there was a common realization that this time, it would be all about the fire - the agni. To keep it alive. To feed it. It had to be like this. Why?
We all just felt it. And we would come to know.
It was decided that we would perform an agni hotra, a traditional Indian fire ceremony on the very day we met, which was unusual, but it became natural in this context. After the ceremony it was a common decision that the fire had to be kept alive throughout the time we spent together. So for seven days and nights the fire was fed and it was burning, sometimes through rain and wind. A couple of times there were only a few ambers left. But everytime the fire was saved and the flame kept alive. Some nights people were even sleeping by the fire.
Why? It became our common endeavor. A collective sadhana. For many of us our real practice became alive through this very fire.
“You think you are watching the fire”, Uma had said in the first ceremony. “But it’s the fire that watches you, through its thousand eyes.” (Uma paraphrased).
The Agni is not only the external flame we can see but also our own ability to digest - that be food, impressions, emotions, thoughts.
So no wonder the food was also made something special at this retreat. We had connected with an ayurvedic chef, Jana, who came all the way from Spain to cook her nourishing, wholesome and heartful food, made entirely by ayurvedic principles. It was also special to be able to enjoy very fresh vegetables from the farms around the center, and the milk products that we bought from a special dairy lady, living in the deep forest of Finnskogen, milking her cows by hand and creating all her produce by old recipes.
Only the ones who have sat with Umā know that being in council with her is often an experience that can be hard to put words into. “One of those rare beings that are „a frequency“ more than anything else. Touching and moving every life that crosses her path” someone had said of her.
During this time together we were not only touched, we were ignited. By the fire. In a new, yet deeply remembered way.
Recognizing each other in nature and nature in each other. By listening.
Leaving each other with the courage, the strength and the beating hearts to carry the torch, the fire, forward.