yoga

(Nandana) #1

13


december 2018 / january 2019

yogajournal.com.sg

weather. We reached Camp Baraffu around
noon, grabbed a quick bite, and then hiked to
Camp Kosovo in low visibility as we marched
closer to the sky. All I did was follow the
footsteps of the person in front of me, and
made my breath rhythmic with every step. I
was living the moment, not thinking of what
the future held nor delving into the past. Once
we were at the final base camp, we ate dinner
early around 5.30pm, and were told to take
a nap before our biggest climb—the grand
finale!
I barely got 3 hours of sleep before I heard
the guide yelling out for us to wake up. Four
layers up and four layers down, beanie, two
pairs of socks, three pairs of gloves, head
lamps, warmers—all checked. I was all set to
go. When I stepped out of the tent, my first
sight was of Venus welcoming me to walk
under a sky lit bright by a gazillion stars. This
was the day I had been waiting for, and it was
time to give my best as all preparations would
come to test now.
Before we began the climb, we ate some light
snacks with hot tea and coffee. And then we
sat down and chanted some mantras and did a
few breathing exercises. We were divided into
three groups and the key was to walk slowly


and take a few short breaks. The air was going
to be thin, the temperature was going to be
-20 degrees celsius, and it was going to be
pitch dark. The first thing that hit our faces
as we started walking was a sharp, icy-cold
breeze.
Our head lights shining on sand and rocks,
we went through switchbacks and reached
5,000m, one step at a time. My fingertips
and toes were numb, and I had to shake the
warmers so I could transmit some warmth,
and life, into them.
I would breathe in through my nose and with
every exhalation, I would chant Om. Breathe
In, “Ommm”. Breathe In, “Ommm”. Breathe
In, “Ommm”. The rhythm of my chant helped
me focus and remain steady and positive.
We took a few breaks along the way, and at
the last break, we were served hot tea–what
a respite! It really gave us the much-needed
boost. We had been walking nearly six hours
in the dead of the night, and at every 200m,
the temperature dropped by 2 degrees Celsius.
At -20 degrees, I felt breathless and every
step was brutal. Om, Om, Om—I kept going,
getting the energy from the chant and from
the thought that the end was near.
It was 5:56am on October 10, 2018, when we

reached Stella Point—the dark sky was giving
way to a streak of golden ray. I imagined hot
melting iron being poured into a crucible, it’s
warmth slowly spreading to people around.
The horizon turned majestic—a beautiful hue
of blue, orange and gold—as the sun kissed
the sky slowly. It was magnificent. The air
was light, my body was cold, my nose was
dripping, but I felt nothing. The whole scenery
ahead of me became bright and vibrant, and
there was renewed energy and life in the
surrounding. I saw glaciers and icicles on
one hand, and the vast open horizon on the
other. A blanket of cloud teased us sometimes,
blanketing us and gradually letting go. We
were at the rim of the crater and the caldera
was covered with snow in the middle. After 45
minutes, we were at the summit— We reached
Uhuru peak by 6.50am.

The Summit
When we finally reached the summit, I was
in a state of delusion as all this seemed like
a dream: I could not believe I had done it.
Everyone around me, my fellow climbers,
were celebrating our success. I was amazed
by Saanya’s will power, focused energy
and patience. She completed it with utmost
composure and calmness. I was so proud that
she was with me until the finish line.
But it’s not over till it’s over. Like they say in
yoga classes, it is just as important to get out
of a pose as it is to achieve the pose. Reaching
the summit may have been the ultimate
goal, but we had to come down as well. The
sun was creeping on us while we took all
our customary pics. We had a quick snack
and started our challenging descend—sand,
pebbles, rocks made it slippery and dangerous.
My focus was low and strength was fading
out because of lack of sleep. One of our
group members had to be airlifted due to high
altitude fatigue, while another decided to head
back to base camp when he reached 5000m. It
took us 8 hours to finally reach Mweka Gate all
the way down.
It was an experience of a lifetime—while
celebrations and gratitude followed with the
group once we were at the hotel, there was
also a lingering unexplainable feeling of having
seen something unforgettable, a place that
will always be cherished for years to come. I
defined a new threshold for the body and
mind!

Sandip Guptais a professional in Singapore, an
avid dragon boat rower and positive thinker.
He penned his Kilimanjaro experience in a
journal which was edited as the above piece
by Yoga Journal Singapore editors.

At the Summit. We did it!
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