Himali Pathirana

Recorded testimonial about the experience at the Heart Wisdom Retreat in Austria, August 2024.

What did you like most about this retreat? What are you taking with you?

I really can’t tell you one favourite thing because there were so many great things we did! The 5 Element Form in the mornings, Meditation, chanting Mantras, learning about different methods… so there’s a really big scope of things I learnt. And I’ve the feeling that there’s so many things that I’m going to take with me.

But if there would be one thing that had the biggest impact on me, then it was probably the chanting. I’ve never practiced it before. If you would have asked me one week ago if I would like to chant, I would have probably answered “no”. Haha. 

It was really great to learn the different Mantras and really getting into it for a person who has never been chanting before.

And I kind of had an epiphany that this is something very soothing, connected also to what we learnt about expanding the breath and different techniques of breathing. In combination with chanting, it was such an amazing feeling. 

I’m a person who has allergic asthma and my breath is very short. During this week, I truly felt how my breathing changed and combined with chanting, being in a different mental state, was very special to me. That was probably my favourite part of this week.

What did you enjoy about Caroline’s teachings?

I can whole heartedly recommend Caroline as a teacher. She has such a great voice to listen to. Being guided with her voice through the whole week with all the practices that we did from Meditations, chanting Mantras, the 5 Element Form (moving practice), to the lectures that she held, was amazing.

Her way of speaking, talking to the group and also her way of giving insights into her life and how her knowledge came to be was really a beautiful way of feeling connected to her and it made her connected to the group as well.

She was able to hold the space, and she also gave space to each and everyone of us to share our thoughts. 

It was a very special group, we were a small group, which made it very exclusive. But I believe that even if we would have been a bigger group, she would have been able to hold the space, to give everyone the space to share their story and thoughts and emotions.

It was very emotional at times and people shared some of their intimate emotions, which I believe is only possible if the space allows it and she made it possible.

She always asked us if we’re interested in more, always answered questions.

I believe what she also did during the week was to look what the group needed and adjusted the plan accordingly.

What I really liked was that it was not a classical Yoga Retreat where you just do “Yoga, Yoga, Yoga” and then it’s done but there was so much more. A lot of learning, experiencing… it felt very spiritual.

And what I really liked was that she conveyed so many methods on how to do it. I really feel that I have the tools to do it at home now. From different breathing techniques to meditations to chanting different Mantras.

I’ve so many things to take with me.

I believe that Caroline is very good in conveying knowledge and I personally have the feeling that I can really keep it. From experience, this is something that a teacher is either capable of doing or not. And she can definitely do it.

Himali Pathirana, Austria