CHYK West DC recently conducted their 7th annual CHYK retreat from August 26-28, 2016 at the Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center (CMWRC) in Silver Spring, Maryland. The retreat was conducted under the guidance of Vivekji (Chinmaya Mission Niagara Falls) and was attended by 60 young adults from various regions within the USA and Canada. The theme of the retreat was “From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Building Self-Esteem through Vedanta.”
The main element of the retreat was Vivekji’s discourses on Nirvana Shatkam, one of Adi Shankaracharya’s most popular texts. Through Vivekji’s illuminating discourses, attendees were repeatedly given potent insights into how seekers wrongly identify with that which is not their nature, and how to achieve real Self-Esteem: by re-identifying with their true nature (Existence-Awareness-Bliss).
Other activities for this retreat included guided contemplation, group discussions and skits, athletic activities, a movie workshop, and Club Sattva (an activity created by Vivekji where all participants must dance to Sattvic pop music while blindfolded). The attendees were also able to celebrate Janmashtami with the larger Chinmaya Mission congregation, leaving all attendees filled with devotion. The retreat activities were designed to encourage attendees to step out of their comfort zone without fear, and all attendees left the retreat filled with inspiration and confident that they could practice what they had learned.
The retreat was a resounding success, and CHYK West DC would like to express its gratitude to Vivekji, the retreat Sevaks, CMWRC, and all others who contributed to the retreat.