I came back to Lithuania, my homeland, to have some rest after months of travelling and living on foreign lands feeling quite emotionally and mentally drained. I felt like a little bird who had her wings clipped and wounded. I needed to get some rest, but not just any kind of rest. I felt a need to retreat away from everyday life and people. I yearned for the spiritual retreat, so to reconnect with my inner being, with my soul. I felt lost and completely out of order. I knew once I find my way back into the inner world of my being, the rest will fall into its places too, and harmony will prevail again.
Some months before coming for a visit to Lithuania I heard my sister mentioning a Lithuanian medicine man, a yogi, who helps and heals others by teaching them special breathing technique widely known as Rebirthing, which also means being Reborn. This technique as one of Pranayamas has been widely used by yogis for the spiritual growth and healing purposes for thousands of years. Western world was introduced to this technique by Mahavatar Babaji from Haidakhan.
It is all about the inner and outer healing. Rebirthing-breathwork is a breathing technique that claims to heal suppressed emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, etc. Also, rebirthing-breathwork claims that it can heal suppressed emotions regardless at what point in one’s life they became suppressed. The main breathing technique consists of not pausing between inhaling and exhaling. This causes a build up of prana or life energy in the body. Breathing sessions are done individually. For beginners he invites to do the first 10 sessions, where one session can last from one to up to two hours. Whatever that needs to be healed, becomes healed.
Quietly living away from the noise of the city, yogi almost daily travels to the capital of Vilnius to meet his students. His residence is based in the quiet place surrounded by the river Sventoji, in a well known part of Lithuania – Anyksciai. A Lithuanian poet Antanas Baranauskas once wrote beautifully about this part of the country. A poem “The forest of Anykščiai” is a classical work of Lithuanian poetry. It is the first romantic poem in Lithuanian literature in which images of the forest and the tree up-spring to the romantic symbol of living free. For the first time in Lithuanian literature A. Baranauskas praised emotional attitude of country people who preserved their native language and for the first time in Lithuanian poetry the poet began to speak about ties between nature and human spiritual wealth. Beauty of nature evoked creative potential and prompted its expression.
To some people the yogi is known by his spiritual name Choranti and to some by his birth-name Dainius. What a quiet-loud presence he is! Choranti does not talk much, but he ask questions he feels a need to be asked. At times it seems he already knows the answer… He shows a great interested in learning about the person he works with: their inner world, their worries, hopes, fears and joys… Whatever that one willingly wants to share, he welcomes it – no force, no need, no pressure. Even if one chooses to stay quiet, he would respect their wish. However, in yogi’s presence nothing stays unfolded. Layer after layer gets removed gently and unnoticeably.
From the moment I heard about Choranti, I immediately knew I must meet him. My primary plan was to stay in Lithuania for only four weeks, but later I changed my mind and stayed a bit longer, which was from the beginning of March until the middle of April 2012. I was eager to meet the yogi and complete as many rebirthing sessions as possible. So therefore, days before my arrival to my homeland I asked my sister to arrange for us to meet. We met two days after my arrival. He came to my sister’s home. Our first meeting consisting of talking and breathing session lasted for over four hours. I felt as if I was being reborn once again.
We connected straight away. I felt at ease with him. I felt good to open up and tell the deepest truths of mine that, I felt, only him could understand and perhaps even explain. Choranti does not hurry, he gives time to everything – you become his primary focus. To begin with, we spent almost an hour just talking. Actually, he seemed to know it all. The first thing he said to me was: “So what about your past lives, Jolita? What can you tell me about that?” And so we began there…
He gently asked me to trust his guidance, to trust the process and not to get scared no matter what physical sensations I might feel. I surrendered to his guidance fully. My whole body shook during the first session, but I persevered and continued breathing in a way as I was asked. After it all ended I just remember feeling extremely calm and tranquil. The outer world lost its importance and the inner world took over. I experienced an amazing moment of bliss, clarity of mind, peace.
I liked what Choranti said during one of our many conversations: “To take a full breath and truly feel it, is a true living. That is divine.” I must say I agree with every word of his. For many years I thought I was breathing, but after I met him and took a part in rebirthing sessions, I understood that only then and there I was actually introduced to the healing and true power of full breath. There I learned to breathe.
During my time in Lithuania I had an opportunity to spend time with the yogi a number of times. Rebirthing balanced my chaotic mind, rested my exhausted body, calmed my stormy emotions and put things which concerned me into perspective. I remember, at one point before meeting him I felt as if I was losing the meaning of my life and the work that I was doing… However, Choranti’s presence and wisdom and calmness and the practise of pranayama brought me back to my inner truths, to my purpose, to the highest vision of myself. It was the greatest gift that life could have gifted me with at that very moment. I needed it and I had it and I still have it. As I say, at times people who inspire others need help and support too.
Whenever I experience something significant that touches the depths of my inner core or meet someone who is capable of elevating my mind to the higher understanding of life and getting me closer to reconnecting to the spirit of life, I feel an urge to share my experiences with others. I believe that the more positive energy gets spread around, the better; the more people get inspired, the better; the more healing energy gets shared, the better.
One day before I was due to go back to London, Choranti and I met again. I went to the place where most of the times he welcomes his students at Pranciskonu Monastery located in the Old Town of Vilnius. On that day we had a very long conversation and one more rebirthing session. Later we drank some herbal tea and talked and talked and talked. There I also got introduced to the vibrations and power of Tibetan gongs. I told him I wanted to write an article about him and the work he was doing. He humbly gave me his blessing. We also took a stroll on the beautiful Vilnius Old Town streets enjoying the sunny spring day, where he quietly led me to a Vegetarian Restaurant. Choranti strongly supports vegetarian living. At the restaurant I got to taste a lovely T-Masala tea known as yogis’ tea and enjoy some vegetarian meals which I loved.
On that particular day we touched many subjects and exchanged various opinions. I enjoyed listening to him talking about self-realisation. One of his thoughts caught my attention. He said, “If you want to experience self-realisation, you got to relax first.” Apparently right breathing is capable of bringing a so-needed relaxation. And again I must agree, as I had an opportunity myself to experience the benefits of taking a full breath of divinity.
Another thought of his also caught my attention. Choranti repeated it quite often and at times it made me smile as well. He said, “Every fool knows how to be tense”. In other words, be wise – relax, life is good.
After spending hours together on that day, the time came when we had to part our ways. He went back to welcome one of his many students and I went home to pack my suitcase and prepare for one more flight. We hugged and wished the best for each other. However, this was not the end, but just a wonderful continuation of something beautifully powerful – healing, growth, awakening.
So I shall repeat his words once more: “Every fool knows how to be tense”. Breathe. Relax. Life is good.
Website: www.sattva.lt