Sadhana Forest — Attraction in Tamil Nadu

At Sadhana Forest, there is a Non-Judgmental Discussion workshop every Tuesday. Please listen to what I have to say without judgment, as if I were sharing my thoughts in that workshop. :-)

It did not feel like volunteering, and I did not find it rewarding.

When I came to Sadhana Forest to volunteer, I expected to do activities focused on taking care of the forest. While there are some tasks related to the forest, I felt that most of the time, we were simply providing labor for the Sadhana Community. On Fridays, I felt that we were mainly cleaning and organizing just to make the place look presentable for visitors.

It felt more like the Sadhana Community rather than Sadhana Forest.

Most of the work was about maintaining the Sadhana Community rather than caring for the forest. Instead of feeling like I was becoming a part of the forest, it felt more like I was experiencing a structured community they had built. Since "Sadhana Community" better reflects what I experienced, I will use that term from now on.

It seemed that maintaining the Sadhana Community was prioritized over volunteers.

There were many rules focused on keeping the community running rather than ensuring volunteers’ well-being. One of the management members even stated that the Sadhana Community is not a democracy and has a hierarchical structure. Additionally, one of the management members highly recommended leaving if Sadhana Forest did not feel like a good fit.

For these reasons, perhaps "Sadhana Kingdom" would be a more appropriate name than "Sadhana Community." Communities are usually meant to support the happiness of their members, but Sadhana did not seem to pursue that.

The Sadhana Community charges 600 rupees per night for food.

If the Sadhana Community does not make a profit from volunteers, this seems like an excessive amount.

Food ingredients in India are very cheap, especially when bought in bulk. Since volunteers cook their own meals, there is no labor cost. There are also no expenses for rent, electricity, or gas.

Even in a regular Indian restaurant that covers these expenses, 600 rupees would be enough for three meals a day. However, dinner on Thursdays and lunch on weekends are not provided, meaning some days do not include three full meals. While volunteers can use ingredients to cook their own meals, requests were sometimes denied if there were too few people. Also, on Fridays, dinner—including dessert—is provided for free to visitors.

I hope the Sadhana Community will be more transparent about the 600 rupees they charge per night.

Long-term volunteers (including management) call themselves volunteers, but I heard that some receive financial compensation. (If this is incorrect, I would appreciate clarification from Sadhana.) Meanwhile, short-term volunteers pay money to volunteering.

Additionally, it sometimes felt like the benefits they received came at the expense of short-term volunteers.

There was less free time than expected.

Before coming to the Sadhana Community, I looked at the schedule and expected to have a lot of free time after the second seva (volunteer work). However, I was often assigned to a third seva, and with workshops and orientations, I had less personal time than I had anticipated.

Sadhana Forest promotes its positive aspects on its own, so please refer to their materials for that. I wrote this review to provide useful information for those considering spending at least the minimum stay at Sadhana Forest. If you think this place might not be for you after reading my review, I recommend visiting on a...

My experience at Sadhana Forest was nothing short of transformational. I am feeling so full of love. My heart and my cup are filled all the way up. I have immense gratitude for this place and more importantly, the individuals who have contributed and shared their love within this community. I had few expectations of what my experience would be like other than a knowing that it would be life changing. And as I leave this experience, I can say all the expectations were met plus so much more. I have found so many silver linings and the smallest joys that meant more to me than what one would think would be largely inspiring. Through the conversations I have had, the connections I have made, witnessing the freedom of all children, stepping up to help each other whenever possible, and deep listening I have both given and received, I am leaving with far more wisdom than I could have hoped for. As a vegan for the past 5 years, it was eye opening to have received many new perspectives on what veganism means to different individuals. It has not only reinforced the values I have had but given me many more values to hold going forward. Living within a forest has been a dream. Waking up to the sounds of the birds was beautiful. Going out each morning to the forest not only felt great to contribute to nurturing the trees but also I would find it so mindful seeing different critters and animals all around me. One morning I saw 10 peacocks while out there. Nature is so inspiring and there was always something new to see. Overall, being about to be outside first thing and get my hands in the dirt was a blessing and so grounding. I attended many workshops that filled me with joy. Almost every weekend there was a sound bath both Saturday and Sunday morning. These were very healing for me. The inner child workshops, sharing circles, and meditation workshops all held space for me in ways that were so needed. To have a space where we can practice deep listening and sharing from the heart was so special. I also loved all of the yoga and acro yoga workshops and was able to both learn and deepen my understanding. There were many more ranging from ecstatic dance to laddo making to learning about edible plants. These experiences and knowledge will be with me forever. I cannot forget to mention how amazing the Wednesday night non-talent shows had been. I would find myself laughing harder than in a long time during these “world famous” events. You are able to perform anything you like, no matter what level your skill or experience. The beauty was in the imperfections and vulnerability. There was no judgment, making it so easy to share a silly dance or a deep, emotional poem. One more thing that you must take advantage of at Sadhana Forest is the mud pool. Give yourself a mud face mask. Meditate in there. It is purifying, cleansing, healing. It is also insanely fun to enjoy with others. I have highlighted many of the physical beauties of the Sadhana community. However, I think the most important advice I can share when considering is to allow yourself to be open. Have as little expectation as you can. Be open to new perspectives and new experiences. Be open to being vulnerable with others and creating new connections. Be open to being yourself. Be open to just being. And allow the magic of Sadhana...

When I went to see the presentation at Sadhana Forest, I thought this is a great place with friendly people doing well to the planet and humanity. After spending one week volunteering there, I am reconsidering this. Although they say in their presentation that their main goal is reforestation and water conservation, the main work is community work to spread out the idea of veganism which wouldn’t have been a problem if it were done with more compassion. As a volunteer, I had to wake up at 5.30 am in the mornings and the first work session would start at 6. Not enough time for bowel movement in the morning, which is why I think most of the short-term volunteers I talked to had digestive problems and were constipated. The food is also very tasteless. After the first session, there is breakfast and then the second working session till lunch time. Then there is more work in afternoon and if you have a free day you are probably too tired to enjoy it. Work consist of digging holes for planting trees, cleaning compost toilets, clearing paths, work at the cow stall, community kitchen. The kitchen work is very intense because the team is small and they cook for so many people. The lead is usually stressed about completing the meal in time and puts a lot of pressure on the team mates. If you want to take a short break to rest from working in the kitchen for over 3 hours, they will tell you to chop-chop and not rest. The place works like a corporation, a hard-core one. People are extreme vegans there. They take the money for daily food from volunteers and they won’t return it if you decide to stay less than the minimum stay. This trapping of people seems unethical to me. Most of the volunteers there look over-worked. The rules are very strict and rigid. If you feel tired and want to rest and skip the work sessions, they don’t allow it. Only if you are sick they allow rest for more than one work session, but then they put you in quarantine and you are not allowed to go out or participate in any of the workshops or social events. It is quite a joyless place, and you rarely find those precious time in stillness in nature because you’re over-worked. I feel they exploit people for their extreme-vegan cause.

I used to believe in the work they do, but after experiencing the energy there…it made me think of some work boot camp or worst. The most shocking thing was how fake it all seems, how they say they work for a good cause and for them the end justifies the means. Being there just put me in survival mode, I was feeling so tired and sick.

Please warn volunteers about the amount of work. Please give volunteers a day or two of trial before you take their money. I wish there were a volunteer rights place that would prevent you from spreading this kind of practices. There are two types of teachers in this world: teachers of presence or teachers of suffering. Which one are you? Please learn actual compassion and not fake NVC compassion. Please be more transparent. Please be ethical towards volunteers. Humans also matter. You have had so many such reviews here from volunteers, why do you still want to create this...