“I remember LLEs with great fondness. All the LLEs I attended were in Penukonda — so they felt like a piece time tucked away and meant for me to discover and challenge myself away from the bustle of life. They were also my introduction to groups – I experienced for the first time how different it is to learn through relating to others and how a group takes and shares responsibility. Whether it was cooking meals together, taking my turn running a community meeting or sitting around a bonfire talking late into the night, it felt like an adventure was just around the corner”

Nikita

“If I look back now what I remember most is an experience of belonging and connection with people. I don’t think I was very open at that time to letting people in, I was still very deep into my defense of keeping people away while at the same time knowing that there was something missing for me and craving a sense of connection. When I was in the LLE I couldn’t hide myself away in roles like I was used to doing – I wasn’t in college so I couldn’t be a student, I wasn’t at home so I couldn’t be a son/sibling, I was with friends but I wasn’t really in a recognisable social setting where I’d figured out the rules of behaviour. I was in a place where I had to be myself – something that was confusing and kinda disorienting but it also felt comfortable – the structure and the schedule helped cos although it was new to me it was at least somewhat defined. There was a sense of belonging that came with it, a feeling that I don’t need to prove myself in some way or get something right to be here and although I only realised years later that this is what was happening to me I still felt it while I was there and that’s what kept me going back to it.”

Pranav

“Back in 2016, I was a traveler. I was living out of a suitcase and there was a lack of grounding. I was jumping place to place, Goa, Manali and so on. When I heard about LLE, I instantly signed up for it. I can still recall how I felt a sense of safe space and felt contained and challenged all at the same time. The stay was quaint, in farm lands of Penukonda, a village in Andhra Pradesh. The most surreal thing about the whole experience was the groups that were created – both large and small. Spaces where I could freely express, reflect and bounce some thoughts not just helped me as a mental health professional, it allowed me to get in touch with areas of my life that I had been overlooking. I had started a backpacker hostel – The Lost Tribe Hostels in Manali back then, and these 3 days helped me understand how powerful tool any community is.”

Stuti

“LLE was part of our certificate course during MSc. It became much more than a course as it went on. It became a community and it provided a sense of belonging. Those 3 days, we stayed together, cooked together, ate together, played together, and shared parts of our lives with each other together. From then on, I’ve always believed in the power of community. As a psychologist, I have also seen how communities can play a huge part in the healing process. It allows a safe space to share difficult emotions, to learn to bare them together, and to take solace in the fact that you’re not the only one hurting. LLE was one of the most profound therapeutic experiences I have had”

Kapil

“My first LLE was in 2016, at the farm in Penukonda, I have always felt out of place in groups and group activities so I participated in the space as more of an intellectual activity, but every aspect of the 3 days had been designed with such thoughtfulness and transparency that it made me re-think what community living is supposed to look like. To me, it was an integration into a philosophy towards being socially conscious and connected not just to the people around me and to the environment. Don’t get me wrong, it was quite challenging, but there was a consciously created space for everything, we spent time together talking in small groups, thinking about what kind of a community we want to be in larger spaces, cooking, and taking walks together. The structure of the day, the possibilities of community time, and the fact that everyone’s dietary considerations were held in mind was a representation of how seen the participants were even before they came together. At the same time, in the community meetings, it felt empowering to take decisions together and not simply agree to something because it is how it is supposed to be. I was pleasantly surprised by the possibility of holding emergency meetings if needed, it felt like an acknowledgment that there might be distress in the community but it would be addressed thoughtfully. I felt held and contained in the community and it is a very vivid memory even today. In many ways, little things I involuntary picked up from this experience drive my outlook toward social situations even today.”

Swathi

“The LLE was nothing short of a life-altering experience for me, and even that might be selling it short. I experienced myself as part of a group in a way I’d never before. The LLE pushed me out of my comfort zone, the kind of discomfort that is essential for growth. I felt a range of emotions like jealousy, resentment, morose, elated and enraged, all in a couple days’ time. I saw others model authenticity and invite the same of me. Once I bore my real self naked, there was no going back! I highly recommend the LLE, especially to those in the mental health services, and can’t wait to go back for more myself”

Caroline

“I remember LLEs with great fondness. All the LLEs I attended were in Penukonda — so they felt like a piece time tucked away and meant for me to discover and challenge myself away from the bustle of life. They were also my introduction to groups – I experienced for the first time how different it is to learn through relating to others and how a group takes and shares responsibility. Whether it was cooking meals together, taking my turn running a community meeting or sitting around a bonfire talking late into the night, it felt like an adventure was just around the corner”

“If I look back now what I remember most is an experience of belonging and connection with people. I don’t think I was very open at that time to letting people in, I was still very deep into my defense of keeping people away while at the same time knowing that there was something missing for me and craving a sense of connection. When I was in the LLE I couldn’t hide myself away in roles like I was used to doing – I wasn’t in college so I couldn’t be a student, I wasn’t at home so I couldn’t be a son/sibling, I was with friends but I wasn’t really in a recognisable social setting where I’d figured out the rules of behaviour. I was in a place where I had to be myself – something that was confusing and kinda disorienting but it also felt comfortable – the structure and the schedule helped cos although it was new to me it was at least somewhat defined. There was a sense of belonging that came with it, a feeling that I don’t need to prove myself in some way or get something right to be here and although I only realised years later that this is what was happening to me I still felt it while I was there and that’s what kept me going back to it.”

“Back in 2016, I was a traveler. I was living out of a suitcase and there was a lack of grounding. I was jumping place to place, Goa, Manali and so on. When I heard about LLE, I instantly signed up for it. I can still recall how I felt a sense of safe space and felt contained and challenged all at the same time. The stay was quaint, in farm lands of Penukonda, a village in Andhra Pradesh. The most surreal thing about the whole experience was the groups that were created – both large and small. Spaces where I could freely express, reflect and bounce some thoughts not just helped me as a mental health professional, it allowed me to get in touch with areas of my life that I had been overlooking. I had started a backpacker hostel – The Lost Tribe Hostels in Manali back then, and these 3 days helped me understand how powerful tool any community is.”

“LLE was part of our certificate course during MSc. It became much more than a course as it went on. It became a community and it provided a sense of belonging. Those 3 days, we stayed together, cooked together, ate together, played together, and shared parts of our lives with each other together. From then on, I’ve always believed in the power of community. As a psychologist, I have also seen how communities can play a huge part in the healing process. It allows a safe space to share difficult emotions, to learn to bare them together, and to take solace in the fact that you’re not the only one hurting. LLE was one of the most profound therapeutic experiences I have had”

“My first LLE was in 2016, at the farm in Penukonda, I have always felt out of place in groups and group activities so I participated in the space as more of an intellectual activity, but every aspect of the 3 days had been designed with such thoughtfulness and transparency that it made me re-think what community living is supposed to look like. To me, it was an integration into a philosophy towards being socially conscious and connected not just to the people around me and to the environment. Don’t get me wrong, it was quite challenging, but there was a consciously created space for everything, we spent time together talking in small groups, thinking about what kind of a community we want to be in larger spaces, cooking, and taking walks together. The structure of the day, the possibilities of community time, and the fact that everyone’s dietary considerations were held in mind was a representation of how seen the participants were even before they came together. At the same time, in the community meetings, it felt empowering to take decisions together and not simply agree to something because it is how it is supposed to be. I was pleasantly surprised by the possibility of holding emergency meetings if needed, it felt like an acknowledgment that there might be distress in the community but it would be addressed thoughtfully. I felt held and contained in the community and it is a very vivid memory even today. In many ways, little things I involuntary picked up from this experience drive my outlook toward social situations even today.”

“The LLE was nothing short of a life-altering experience for me, and even that might be selling it short. I experienced myself as part of a group in a way I’d never before. The LLE pushed me out of my comfort zone, the kind of discomfort that is essential for growth. I felt a range of emotions like jealousy, resentment, morose, elated and enraged, all in a couple days’ time. I saw others model authenticity and invite the same of me. Once I bore my real self naked, there was no going back! I highly recommend the LLE, especially to those in the mental health services, and can’t wait to go back for more myself”