Why you, me, and everyone should Trek

As a child to me, the most exciting part of the year was the summer vacations. All though most of my friends envied me as their grandparents lived in Bangalore and I got to go to the countryside. This used to be the only time of the year, where I got to spend time in the jungle. Well, my parents were from the Western Ghats of Karnataka, also known as Sahyadri. They were from a small village in Sirsi, and since childhood, I’ve only been listening to their adventurous stories, which to date excites me and thrills me.

My first trek was with a dear cousin and my older sister when I was probably 6 years of age, and I remember it was the most exciting, thrilling, and unforgettable trip ever. The cousin took us to the wildest part of the forest, and for me, it was like love at first sight. And ever since then the Sahyadri has been the biggest crush of my life. I would do anything to be in those trees today.

A lot of people don’t even know what it is like to be in the midst of a forest. Initially, it would be difficult for me as a beginner to trek. This attitude of what is in the store for me kills it all, but since trekking is so addictive I would like to motivate and give some reasons to trek.

In yoga we believe in breaking patterns, it could be psychological or physical, emotional, or energy patterns, the first most important thing to do is to come out of the comfort zone. This move will lead you to change and change leads to growth.

Trekking is an unscripted experience filled with surprises. We learn to take things as they come and not complain every time. It’s a very big life lesson. When it comes to trekking, fitness comes FREE! Regular trekking will only improve the functionality of all your organs in the physical body. It demands you to live in the present and not lose track, which helps you relax mentally. We get to meet travelers, intriguing people and experience various cultures and food which leads to a sense of acceptance. You get a chance to meet people from different backgrounds and build lasting relationships.

“Trekking is nothing but a platform to realign the physical, mental, emotional and energy body”

Nature is my biggest teacher. It was never the destination, but it is the journey within me. Every step I take, every breath I breathe, every moment I spend in the mountains, especially the Himalayas, there is a sense of freedom within me. The silence in the mountains reverberates within me. I keep going back to these places to find myself! Every time I look at a mountain, it makes me feel like I’m just a speck of dust, and my ego is crushed and I surrender to the source of creation. I come back to remind myself, to explore the deepest secrets hidden within me and it has never failed to reveal. This connection with Mother Earth keeps reminding me that I’m only a part of her.

If you can find a place where there are absolutely no sounds of machines and where there is absolutely no mobile network or Wi-Fi if you can just quietly listen to the sounds of the trees, the songs the birds, the breeze, the water, just the natural sound, if you pay enough attention, it can be very healing and you will realize tremendous things can happen to you.

I think it’s very important for every human being particularly if you have children; you can take your children to a jungle, not to a resort.
Just live on a mountain, buy some basic trekking equipment, tents and expose them to nature, and you will see, you will bring up your children not only physically healthy but also far more sensible and accepting and as wonderful human beings. I see a lot of parents today, insisting on their children during the vacation, to watch television or some kind of silly entertainment. I feel it’s extremely important that vacations should always be in the forests, it should have some connection with the roots of who we are.