Money cannot buy you love. A band no less than The Beatles experimented and wrote us a song about that. The bigger question these days, is whether a little bit of mint-fresh green in your LV can buy you sanity and spirituality. Sunday MiD DAY chats up Prada-clad fashionistas to talk about their favourite "cashram"

'Aesthetics are important. So I believe in Cashram instead of ashram'
Melange owner Sangita Kathiwada has practiced six different disciplines like yoga and Tai Chi, at different times. She now takes off once every six weeks to the Osho International Resort at Pune. She says, "I have been going there for seven years. I go into meditation and various activities like dancing, which is also a form of meditation, work meditation and Vipassana. I am also into Sufi Whirling, which is a form of cleansing. I practice these at home as well but when I go to the ashram and meet like-minded people, I feel their support. I am more assured talking to people there who have more experience. It makes me a better person, helps me deal with my office staff with a positive frame of mind. I bring back positive energy, and that's why I can smile so much. But I don't treat it as a stress buster."

Kathiwada has been working on her mental and physical self, she says, adding, "Wellness encompasses a lot of things. I have always made an attempt to be physically and mentally sound. I have been to spas around the world. I have a steam chamber and a spa room in my house. A masseur comes over every Monday. Everyday I consume tulsi, meethi, amla and almond among other organic things. I am a strict vegetarian and I have lots of salad."

And what about the money that it all costs? She jokes, "Honestly, I can't feel spiritual in a mud hut. Aesthetics are important for me. So I believe in Cashram instead of ashram."

'It's like someone has come and cleaned your lens'
Fashionista Rita Dhody has been following Swami Nityananda for many years. She says, "I don't go to retreat in Ganeshpuri because I am sad. I go there because I am a student."

Dhody calls it an inner journey. "Nothing happens on the outside. If you follow it with commitment and dedication, you change, you transform. Your attitude changes. It's like someone has come and cleaned your lens. It's not a one-time thing. The dynamics of life are complicated. There are always pulls and struggles, so many demands on us."

She makes it a point to practice what she learns daily. She mediates, chants and attends satsangs. "But to go into a silence at home is not possible. I take a retreat every three or four months that grounds me. There are no shortcuts though. I wish there were," she laughs.

She talks about incidents that happened years ago, and how now she can turn back and laugh at how they affected her. "Things keep coming up. There are layers within ourselves, and any form of spiritual practices will help you cross the layers. When past incidents don't affect your persona anymore, you know you have come a long way." And her reason for continuing is, "It gives me a push and momentum to bounce back. A retreat helps me get my focus back."

Dhody talks about Vipassana, where one goes into silence. She terms that the initial silence as deafening. "You are only hearing your own voice and sometimes you don't like what you are hearing."