Spirit Of Service Retreat
Location: Ahmedabad
Duration: --
"Service is the work of the soul. It is what the soul must do to be itself." — Rachel Naomi Remen
WHY? Service begins with a question the heart has always known: What can I give?
Not because the world is broken and we must fix it, but because life is whole and we long to honour that wholeness. When we serve, we're not standing above anyone — we're kneeling beside them, offering not our surplus, but our very selves.
Our wounds serve. Our uncertainty serves. Even our fumbling attempts at love become threads in the fabric we're mending together.
The world speaks endlessly of its disconnection — loneliness touches one in six people, trust dissolves, communities fray. And yet beneath every statistic pulses an indestructible truth: we are built to care. In crisis, strangers become family. In silence, a listening heart becomes sanctuary. Science confirms what ancient wisdom whispered: acts of compassion rewire not only our biology but our very sense of who we are.
Perhaps service is how we remember that we belong to one another — not as a philosophy, but as lived experience. It shifts us from asking "What's in it for me?" to discovering we never stood alone to begin with. Each small act — a genuine smile, full attention, a shared meal — becomes a quiet rebellion against the myth of separation. These aren't leftovers we give when convenient; they're offerings from the most alive part of ourselves.
The greatest gift we have to offer isn't our expertise or our solutions. It's our presence — the courage to show up fully, to slow down enough to see another person, to meet fear with tenderness and cynicism with steadfast care. This is the intelligence not of the mind, but of the heart. Not speed, but symphony. Not power, but participation in something larger than ourselves.
In a time when the world measures worth by what we accumulate, perhaps the more fulfilling question has been hiding in plain sight: How deeply are we giving -- our attention, our kindness, our whole-hearted presence -- until we recognize that service was never an action, but our very nature?
This December, we invite you to explore these questions not as theory, but as lived practice — through a three-day retreat held December 18-21, woven into a ten-day global immersion with kindred spirits from Vietnam, Japan, America, and beyond.
HOW?
Together, we'll engage head, hands, and heart:
Head — Learning from inspiring guest speakers and global thought leaders who illuminate pathways of service.
Hands — Stepping into the world with local immersions: village visits, spontaneous acts of kindness on streets and buses, connecting with grassroots NGOs doing transformative work on the ground.
Heart — Coming together in silence and song. Morning yoga and tai chi. Stories of transformation from our own turning points. Contemplative meditation. And closing with a sacred "three steps and a bow" pilgrimage — walking the questions we've been living.
WHERE?
The retreat will unfold on a beautiful campus nestled in nature, a place with its own legacy of service. This is where Ishwar Patel — a Gandhian who revolutionised sanitation across India — lived his quiet philosophy: "If an act leaves residue, it is not an act of service." His life was a testament to what we're gathering to explore: that the smallest acts, offered with wholeness, can shift everything.
And here's what makes this gathering unique: it's entirely volunteer-led. Every facilitator, organiser, and guide is steeped in the same spirit we're exploring together. No one is being paid to care — everyone is here because service itself is the reward.
WHO?
Whether you're eighteen or eighty, new to service or a longtime practitioner, skeptical or seeking — there's a place for you in this circle. All that's needed is your willingness to show up, to wonder, to offer what you have, and to receive what arises.
To join the retreat, please click on the 'Apply For Retreat' button below and complete the application below and we'll get back to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
While each retreat may center on different themes, the spirit of Me, We, and Us—of serving both inner, relational and societal transformation—remains interwoven throughout. Rooted in a many-to-many learning field, the days weave together head, hands, and heart elements, blending reflection, practice, and dialogue to awaken collective wisdom and flow.
Also, please note that because it's an unfolding collective experience, it is required that participants be fully present for the entire duration of the retreat. For example, if you skip a circle to take calls or meetings, it disrupts your experience as well as others'.
A beautiful and serene campus on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, the heartland of Gandhian revolution, will be our home for the retreat. Built by legendary social entrepreneur Ishwar Patel, the space is an architectural blend of activism, work for humanity, spirituality and modernism.
You’ll also stay in the ESI Campus, in beautiful yet simple shared rooms with one or two other participants. If the campus reaches full capacity, we extend our stay to nearby hotels or partner spaces – to keep everyone comfortably included in the retreat flow. Also note that even if you’re local, you are required to stay throughout — so the spirit of community can deepen with every shared moment.
Over the past twelve years, thousands have joined from many walks of life—leaders and educators, artists and entrepreneurs, students and homemakers—each drawn by a shared intuition: “we are not merely what we do, but who we are becoming.” If you feel called to explore the relationship between inner and outer change, and to connect with kindred spirits in that journey, this retreat may serve as a gentle catalyst — helping your aspiration find new depth, direction, and flow.
To nurture meaningful connections, group sizes are small. A volunteer team carefully reviews applications guided by sincerity of intent, recent engagement, potential for group synergy, and grounded participation. Due to limited capacity, while we can host only a few, we hold deep gratitude for everyone who resonates with this spirit. For more details on our retreat selection process, see here.
After you submit your application, our volunteer team will review it and get back to you within a few weeks. A volunteer may reach out for a brief conversation to learn more about you and your intent. If your application is accepted, you’ll be guided through the next steps — including sharing your travel details to confirm your spot.
For any queries, please write to us through the contact link rather than reaching out to individual team members — it helps us stay organized and responsive to everyone.
Simply put, we are a group of ordinary individuals, who come alive in doing small acts of kindness. Collectively, the Moved By Love team has held thousands of circles and hundreds of retreats — all rooted in the spirit of inner transformation and service.
Many of us are also actively involved in the larger ServiceSpace ecosystem, which hosts a range of online and in-person projects offered entirely in the spirit of gift — from Awakin Circles and Pods and more. We look forward to staying connected through these shared spaces and values.
Yes. Where most of the world runs on transactions, this retreat runs on love — expressed through multiple forms of wealth.
Each retreat is made possible through offerings of generosity from past participants — thousands of hours of volunteering behind the scenes, monetary contributions that help cover the costs of hosting, spreading the word to invite kindred spirits into the circle, or simply blessings that sustain this field of love.
At the end of the retreat, everyone has an opportunity to participate in this ongoing chain of generosity — in whatever way feels true, whether through service, resources, or their blessings. [To learn more about gift economy ideas, read here.]
Absolutely! You’re welcome to forward the invite to anyone you feel would be a good fit. Each person needs to apply individually, using their own email ID and phone number. Please note that your acceptance doesn’t automatically guarantee theirs — and we generally avoid including several people from the same group in one retreat, to allow for diverse interactions with the larger circle.
If you are a retreat alumni, you’re also welcome to apply as a volunteer — capacity permitting. We’re grateful to walk this path together.
If you have any questions, please contact us anytime. To co-create our sacred field of emergence, we welcome you join us!
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