Loving Nature with Amrita Virtual Academy
I was recently blessed to stay six months in Amritapuri, India, and do seva (“selfless service”) for Amrita Virtual Academy. Even though the seva was in an office there, I realized how closely connected we are to Nature in Amritapuri, at all times. There are trees, bushes, plants and birds almost everywhere. Even in the seva office, I could feel the breeze from the sea when the window was open, and, at times, I could see the smallest snake outside the window. (There was a mosquito net covering the window, so we always felt safe 🙂.) The ashram is surrounded by the backwaters and the Arabian sea, which you can see from the higher buildings or when you take a walk.
When you arrive at Amritapuri’s International Office, there are so many flowers and flowering bushes welcoming you, for example: the many bougainvilleas (pictured below). When you go a bit further through the gate, towards the temple (the heart of Amritapuri) the majestic peepal tree, with its heart-shaped leaves and all its birds, greets you, setting the tone of holiness of the place.
Even on the walls, by the Western Café, there are recycled bottles with hanging plants. Also the mango tree there is in full bloom and loaded with ripening mangoes now.
Next to the Indian Canteen, a sacred banyan tree stands grandly. Amma planted this tree in a ceremony during Amritavarsham 50 (the celebration of Amma’s 50th birthday), with water from rivers all over the world. (There is a video on Youtube from the Amritavarshan celebration, here.)
Even sitting in the big hall where Amma’s daily program is often conducted, you are surrounded by Nature. You can hear the wind, the rain, and the birds, as the structure does not have closed walls. These sounds, I find, are conducive for going within and help to give a feeling of connectedness with all of creation. The experience makes me think of this quote from Amma:
There is a rhythm to everything in the cosmos. The wind, the rain, the waves, the flow of our breath and heartbeat—everything has a rhythm. Similarly, there is a rhythm in life. Our thoughts and actions create the rhythm and melody. When the rhythm of our thoughts is lost, it reflects in our actions. This will, in turn, throw off the rhythm of life itself. Today, that is what we are seeing all around us.
-Amma (Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi)
The appreciation for the connectedness to Nature in Amritapuri, made me check into the Gardening and Nature content Amrita Virtual Academy offers. As I write this, summer is in full swing in India, and, of course, the weather is very different here than in more northern countries, like my home country of Sweden. But, gardening is a year-round activity, and it’s great to prepare in advance! And, summer is a great time for the preparation of seed saving. Winter is the time for the planning and planting of seedlings. Both subjects are covered in the AVA courses! There are so many ways to connect with Nature, both by being in nature and by gardening, so I wanted to see what the AVA library offers. As I found that the library is quite vast, I decided to make a compilation of the content, and share it with you, so you can easily check out whatever you feel drawn to!
Amma’s Garden & Message
A very special, intimate, and inspiring clip that I feel is a good start, is the Amma’s Garden & Message, a vlog with Amma. [AVA Members can click here to view it]. You can find it in the Satsang Library, where all the satsangs from Amrita Virtual Academy’s courses and retreats are archived and sorted by topic for easy viewing. This short vlog is one that everyone can enjoy, whether you are into gardening or not, as it gives you some precious moments with Amma.
There is also a sweet video from one of the rooftop gardens in Amritapuri that you can watch on YouTube. Vikasita gives you a relaxing and devotional tour among the plants and vegetables. Since the video is on Youtube, you can watch it whether you have joined the Amrita Virtual Academy membership or not. Watch the Amritapuri Terrace Garden Tour 🍅
Amritaculture – Gardening as a Spiritual Practice
“Amritaculture” is a series of devotional gardening courses taught by a global team of expert gardeners. They offer an in-depth approach to gardening for both beginners and seasoned growers. The courses are especially helpful if you have a place where you can garden, whether it’s outdoors or even indoors, with some pots by the window. Amritaculture can help you to make gardening a spiritual practice; to deepen your connection to Amma, to your own Self, and to all of Creation. It teaches you how to grow your own food, which Amma has stressed for many years as being important. The courses also aim to help you increase your love and devotion to Nature, which we know is very needed in this age, both for our own well-being, and for the well-being of the world.
Something great I found is, if you have any doubts throughout the process of gardening with Amritaculture, there are possibilities to ask questions in the AVA forum, and also a library of recorded Q&A sessions to see how other gardener’s trouble-shooted their gardening season with the AVA instructors.
Amritaculture’s “Grow and Serve” with Green Friends Australia [AVA Members can watch it here] is a special, short and heartfelt program where a family of three from Australia (Kalivati, Ribhu and little Suriya) share how they started a Community Garden project during the Covid-lockdown. They started by creating their own garden. Then, they looked to see if they could help others to do the same. Thus, they ended up helping devotees establish gardens, and from that point, the project grew bigger. Without telling the whole story, they are now serving a wider community along the Sunshine Coast!
Here you can read more about GreenFriends and projects around the globe. Maybe there is a group for you to join in your country, too!
Earth Day Retreat – April 20, 2025
On April 20, there will be a brand new Earth Day Retreat in the AVA Membership. The title of the retreat is “The Five Mothers”. I am very curious what it will be like… Find out more here!
Inside the AVA Membership are also the one-day or two-day long Earth Day Retreats from 2023 and 2024! The retreats are titled, “Nurture Mother Nature” and “You are the Self-effulgent Sun”.
You can do the retreats with the guidance of a suggested schedule, or in a self-paced manner. The retreats offer an opportunity for focused sadhana, coupled with love for Nature. Within each retreat are sessions guided by many competent spiritual seekers, as well as senior swamis/swaminis. The sessions feature yoga, guided meditations, mantra japa, DIY sessions, and also sessions that teach you more about the culture Amma grew up in.
Natural Living: Workshop series
There is also the “Natural Living” workshop series, which includes high-quality DIY episodes, ranging from a workshop taught by French Swamini Amritajyoti Prana, presenting tips on how to use essential oils, to a workshop taught by Meenamba, who has led the great Amrita Upcycling project in Amritapuri since many years. Meenamba teaches how to make practical tote bags from recycled plastics, and much more. Our dear Tanmayi, from Amrita Virtual Academy, shares more about the “Natural Living” series in a blog she wrote while testing an episode. You can read about her experience here.
In the end, what I really enjoyed about the Nature and Garden content, is the mix of spiritual teachings and the practical application through different workshops and sessions that carry Amma’s way and message so well… high spirit, but feet on the ground!
What I want to mention also, is the valuable course about one of the foundations of our life: soil. In “Soul of the Soil”, Seetala and Chandrika teach on growing more organic food with less work by harnessing the power of microbiology. Learn to use current research methods on regenerative agriculture combined with love and respect for Nature’s perfect interplay.
Thanks to Nistula for sharing her inspiring experience with Amrita Virtual Academy.
We encourage you to join the Earth Day Retreat 2025 here. It is going to be a beautiful retreat about The Five Mothers of Ancient India.
The retreat is part of the AVA Membership. As an Amrita Virtual Academy member, you have access to more than 80 different courses and retreats in different fields.
Discover more about the AVA Membership here.
Or sign-up here.
