How was Goa?

A two-month apprenticeship in Goa? Not exactly where you’d expect to go for work, right? And whenever someone asks, “How was it?” my immediate response is always, “There were a lot of highs and lows.”
Stepping into it, I realized it was so much more – challenging, exciting, and at times, overwhelming.

It was already decided that I would go to Goa, I had my yoga classes there and my workplace, JOSMO decided. I had made a promise to myself for the new year: since I was getting this opportunity, I had to make the most of it. I did my best to live up to that promise. But honestly, it was a BIG shift—one I didn’t see coming.

It took me a month to adjust, build a routine, and settle and make a new schedule for me.
This word “new” was also freeing.
A new city, new work, new everything—it gave me the freedom to rebuild myself.

How I started building my schedule, 

I used to wake up every day at 5:15 AM, go to my yoga class, then travel 45 minutes to work, do 9 hours at work, and travel back 50 minutes to my place.

On top of this, I had to fit in my meals, hobbies, exploration, and social life. After all, I was in Goa,I didn’t want to take that for granted & just work work work. But that’s exactly how it started.

A week into my apprenticeship, I realized I hadn’t seen a proper sunset, sunrise, or even been to the beach—in Goa! It frustrated me so much that one night, I just drove to the nearest beach, touched the water, and stayed there for an hour. And just like that—I felt instantly happy.

Internal Growth

While I was working, there were definitely a lot of learnings like time management, client interactions, logistics, teamwork, and even working on a Sunday for the first time, but in this blog I want to talk about what changed internally.

–  I rediscovered the joy of spending time with myself. In Pune, I got so caught up with college, work, and my old schedule that I stopped intentionally making time for myself. But here, in a new city with new people, I chose to be by myself—whether it was during long drives back from work or just in everyday moments.

–  At the same time, I also realized that if I didn’t meet my friends or do something fun over the weekend, I would go crazy.

–  Self Compassion : I’ve always had a habit of going over and beyond in everything I do, and it sometimes overwhelms me. But here, adjusting to a new place was already intense, and I physically and emotionally couldn’t take up more. Learning to tell myself, “It’s okay. One thing at a time, you are doing good. you are enough,” was a huge step because I have always thought of it, here I observed, got aware and put it to practice. 

–  Nowness : With everything going on, I didn’t even realize how quickly the weeks were passing. I knew that in no time, the two months would be over. So, I made a conscious effort to stay present and experience everything—whether it was a high filled with joy and excitement or a low where I felt exhausted and overwhelmed. Because in the end, it was all contributing to my growth.  Later, I volunteered at a seminar led by Avinash Ananda, where he also spoke about this concept and called it “nowness.” It was something I had already started practicing, but after that session, I began doing it with even more intention.

A Small Win

Back home, I struggled with sugar. I’d always say yes to anything sweet, and every attempt to cut back ended in disappointment. But this time in Goa, with a fresh environment and a clear intention, I tried again. I can proudly say, I avoided sugar 90% of the time and still explored a lot of cafes in Goa. This was something that used to stress me out in Pune—I’d always think, “If I put my mind to something, why can’t I do it?”

But in Goa, I didn’t pressure myself. I simply set the intention and was kind to myself. Maybe it was because I was so busy, or maybe it was the people around me—a special thanks to Golda, my manager, who used to make fruit salads for Yonella (a team member) and me.

A major learning or a “prove it to myself” moment was showing up every day at 5:15 AM for yoga, working 9 hours, and to brutally say it, still having a life. Managing it all gave me a real “I can do this” feeling. Before Goa, I struggled to prioritize my health or other interests over work, and it made me anxious. But once I was there, I decided no overthinking, no comparison, just get up and do it. And it worked. Now that I’m back, that “I can do this” feeling stays with me

The Fun Side

Besides work, I also:
– Tried bungee jumping for the first time!
– Did a lot of touristy things—visited churches, got a temp tattoo, explored a ton of beaches & cafes.
– Witnessed the famous Goa carnival.
– Made genuine connections and built memories I’ll always hold close.

Now that I’m back in Pune, I’m rebuilding my schedule again. It’s funny—this is home,my default, yet I have to be careful not to slip into old patterns. After being a different version of myself elsewhere, I assumed I’d carry that forward. But it’s so easy to fall back. Telling myself, “One late night won’t hurt” or “This doesn’t really matter” made me realize how quickly habits shift.
Coming back isn’t just about settling in – it’s about choosing what to build on.

So, to answer your question from the beginning – “How was Goa?” 

There were a lot of highs & Lows 🙂

– Nidhi Sancheti