“From time to time, there arise among certain human beings, people who seem to exude love as naturally as the sun gives off heat.” -Alan Watts
There are certain people in your life whom you will come across in your journey, who express an energy that is so bright, so focused, so pure, that you can not ignore its brilliance. That is how I felt when I met Hardy Patel--knowing that he had an incredible impact to make in this world.
When I met Hardy, I was going through a profound process of healing. After dealing with a difficult childhood, I was left with many traumas within myself that led to depression. I was my own worst enemy in so many ways, and I knew that it was time for me to break the cycle: to really find my own inner peace, and heal what happened to me. I was called to go to the Float Place as part of my healing. The word ‘floating’ kept popping up everywhere around me--it was one of those unable to ignore signs from the universe. I did some research and decided to give it a try. I was appealed to the deeper meditative states that floating leads you into--I felt like it was finally time to face and release my inner demons. I booked an appointment and set the intention for my healing. I decided that I would embark on this inner-soul searching journey.
When I arrived at the Float Place, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. Walking into the lobby, the serene environment welcomed me in and I immediately felt more at peace. I was greeted by Hardy--I immediately felt as though this person had something to teach me. He shared his story with me, about how he went on a deep spiritual journey of finding himself after turning to alcohol and partying as a scapegoat. So much of what he shared resonated with me, and I felt inspired by seeing how far he has come on his journey. After the Float, he joined me in the Post-Float room and shared more about his spiritual journey, and how he has connected with so many people throughout Long Island on the path. We exchanged information, and I left the float room feeling more at peace, knowing that I was about to go even deeper on my spiritual journey.
After that toe-dip into spirituality, I became more involved in the community and started going to different events here and there. I still kept in touch with Hardy, keeping up with all the amazing things that he was doing on Facebook. One day I saw this incredible event that he was hosting at the Glen Cove Mansion---A Grateful Gathering. Seeing the conscious community that was gathering together and understanding the breadth of intention poured into the event, I immediately felt compelled to go. At the event, I connected with so many people and I had a deeper sense of understanding that this was my community, these are the people who understood life in a deeper way. Mundane conversations were not an occurrence here: everyone spoke about philosophy, metaphysics, esoterica,--things that ignite the soul. I knew that these were the people that I needed to surround myself with. I felt so welcomed and accepted. I was so grateful and in awe of this event, and so grateful for Hardy’s effort in stitching such a profound event together.
A few months after the Grateful Gathering, I went through an immensely difficult breakup. My heart and world felt like it shattered. This was a person that I at the time believed to be my twin flame. I would do anything I could to make him happy and poured so much of my time, energy and heart into him. I was desperate to find healing, and I knew that it was something spiritual that I had to do to help myself. The first person that popped into my mind was Hardy. I scrolled through my phone contacts and gave him a call. Hardy greeted me with a welcoming hello, and asked me what was wrong, hearing the tone of sadness in my voice. I explained to him my situation, and he paused for a second. “I know exactly who you should meet,” he said confidently. Coincidentally--or as I would soon learn, ‘synchronistically,’ there was an event going on for the spiritual teacher he wanted to connect me just two days away. I excitedly said I would attend, and thanked him for his time. When I hung up the phone, I knew that I received exactly what I needed.
The spiritual teacher that Hardy connected me to resonated with me on so many levels. I started to open up and awaken in different ways that I never dreamed of. I really dug deep within myself to face the traumas that I experienced, and allowed myself to truly surrender to the universe. It wasn’t an easy process, but I knew that it was something that I had to do. The more that I opened myself to different modalities of healing, the deeper I was able to go within. I was exposed to so many people in the community and was able to hone and awaken my own healing gifts as well.
After taking the time to learn more about spirituality and awaken gifts of healing, I opened myself to different teachers and a deeper dive into esoteric knowledge. I was called to go to a spiritual retreat out in Montauk Long Island. I decided at the last minute to attend--and so many things lined up in synchroncity for me to go. When I arrived at the retreat, I was unsure of what to expect, but I knew that there would be profound healing and awakening for me there. Not too long after I settled in, I bumped into Hardy. I had no idea that he would also be attending the retreat, and he decided at the last minute as well. For me, that was reassurance that I was exactly where I needed to be. During the retreat, we practiced deep meditation and inner healing techniques, guided by an incredible spiritual teacher.
One evening after dinner, all of the people of the retreat were gathering together in someone’s room for a party. For some reason, I didn’t feel called to go. I instead sat downstairs in the lobby, introspecting on my journey thus far. Sitting down lost in my thoughts, I suddenly saw Hardy, in a sort of frantic state, running down the stairs. I asked him what was wrong, and he quickly asked me if I had my Reiki certification. I responded with a yes, feeling this sense of urgency swell up within me. He told me that this woman hurt her back and she needed healing, and he felt like he needed a partner to assist in healing her. I happily agreed, and we walked towards her room. When we began healing her, it was intense, and I flowed in Harmony with the energy. I felt my hands being guided towards the area that pained her, and I felt myself gentle pull up a cord of energy from her body. After the session, she mentioned that it felt like we pulled out years of trauma for her body.
We didn’t tell anyone about that experience. The next day at the retreat gathering, the leader mentioned that something profound happened last night, then pointed to me asking me to share my experience. I was a bit shocked because no one told her what happened, but she knew exactly what occurred. This experience helped me to feel more confident in my healing abilities, and understand the weight of the work that I could do. Partnered with Hardy, I also felt deep intention in our connection, as something that could help to heal other people.
After the retreat, I felt so confident in myself and purpose in the world. I began to launch my own healing services to assist others in overcoming traumas and balancing their energy. I started to launch my own business, excited to offer my services to clients.
In October, Hardy felt called to go to Sedona. He had just met someone who was going through her own process of healing--Katelyn. Although they just met, he was called to go on this sacred journey with her. As they continued to speak, they realized how aligned their paths were. During the same time, they were praying to the same God Lakshmi and so many synchronicities occurred. At Sedona at the Airbnb, Hardy spoke to the owner and mentioned that he hosted Kirtans in Northport. By divine synchronicity, the owner of the Airbnb used to live in Northport. Through healings and walking through deep meditations, Hardy began to receive deeper downloads about the event company that he wanted to create. He saw Shiva come to him so clearly during his meditation, and he knew that he would be an integral part of what was going to be created.
The day that Hardy came back, he gave me a call to tell me about how he was going to see Sadhguru live the next day. Still energized by his trip and ready to take the next step, he was guided to attend at the last minute. He had no idea that I was going as well. My best friend Arti had already bought me tickets to my birthday to this same event. While we were at Sadhguru, a powerful awakening meditation gave me visions of Shiva as well, and I spoke to Hardy about it after the event. He started questioning me about my past experiences and spiritual journey, in an interview-like way. After the discussion, he realized that I was the missing link to the vision of the that he saw for Pranic Evolution. We began to work on the framework, and put our intentions and energy into creating this divinely guided project.
After we completed the logo, I began to have dreams about going to Costa Rica. Hardy gave me a call soon after and he told me about how he was going to a festival in Costa Rica next month. I was considering going in March, but he told me not to wait--"let's make dreams a reality." Within only a month in between, in the next 72-hours, I booked my ticket, my Airbnb, and requested time off and everything aligned. Now I am going to Costa Rica and Envision Festival in less than a month!