Investor to Inner Explorer: My First Meditation Retreat Experience

Om Shanti.

My name is Sharad Somany. I live in Delhi, and I’m an investor. I’m here because of Sister Shivani. I came into contact with her a few months ago, last October, when I was taking a flight from Delhi to Coimbatore. I sat down in the first row and noticed that she was sitting by the window, with no one between us. As soon as she put her phone down and the flight took off, I said to her:

“Sister, I think I have kept you for the next two hours, and I believe I was sent here to ask you a lot of questions.” As a result of that conversation, I’m here today at this retreat. The most impactful thing I’ve found here is that everything we’ve heard and experienced is a form of pure spirituality. There have been no religious overtones—just pure, universal spirituality—and I deeply appreciated that. I particularly enjoyed the meditation, though I found it a bit hard. I’ve never meditated before, so focusing during a one-hour Rajyoga meditation session was a challenge. Still, I hope to carry this practice forward.

Another thing I felt—and I’m sure many others did too—is the deep sense of calm. Just getting away from our daily lives for three days… the peace here has been amazing.

My biggest takeaway?

Like many of us growing up in India, I had exposure to spirituality. People often say we have the power to change things—but I had never heard it said so strongly. This time, it really struck me:

“We have the power within. We are powerful souls.”

That idea has now registered in my mind. I hope to carry this awareness into my daily life. These past three days, we’ve completely forgotten our routine stresses and lived in the present. It’s been a truly wonderful experience.

Sharad Somany
Director
India Century.