CURRENT MISSION

We are visiting Almaty from 3 August to 16 Aug 2024, and we're super excited to discover this beautiful country and rich culture. We would love to meet local folks living in Almaty, learn about their life, and know more about the beauty, history and culture of Kazakhstan. We are planning to stay around the city centre so it's easy the explore the main parts of the city. We would also love to explore some other parts of Kazakhstan.

ABOUT US
Hello! We are Ankit (37) and Pooja (37), a married Indian couple based in Mumbai, India. After spending close to a decade in the corporate world, we decided to switch gears and found our true calling in Watsu (Water Shiatsu) - a deeply relaxing form a aquatic somatic work practiced in warm water. We've been among the pioneers in spreading this aquatic therapy in Mumbai and other parts of India, as well as overseas. You could find out more about our work on our Instagram handles: @poojawatsu & @ankitwatsu

Interests: We're both curious and fun-loving people. We like to meet people and enjoy deep conversations. We love walking and spending time in nature. And we love to learn new things and explore new places.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW WE PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We started couchsurfing as hosts in 2011. We had the privilege to host and meet some of very lovely and inspiring backpackers, many of whom are now friends. In 2017, we switch roles and participated as surfers on our backpacking trip around Central Europe. We're back here now hoping to connect with locals in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We have met some of the most amazing people through couchsurfing and made some life-long friends. Feels great to be part of one big global family. Couchsurfing helped us widen and deepen our worldview, learn new ways of living and thinking, and helped us appreciate people from different cultures and traditions. In some ways, it truly changed the course of our lives. Look forward to many more meetings and heart-felt connections.

Interests

Alternative/ Holistic Education, Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, Behavioral Economics, Music, Singing, Dancing, Photography, traveling, cooking, World history, Languages, Cultures, Literature, Permaculture, Gardening, Organic Farming, Ayurveda, Yoga, Vipassana, mindfulness, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Vegan/ Vegetarianism, Kathak, body massage, Watsu, Amnion, etc.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• singing
• folklore
• dancing
• education
• cooking
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• buddhist
• martial arts
• teaching
• history
• languages
• psychology
• sufism
• ayurveda
• watsu
• somatic therapy
• aquatic bodywork

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Right Here Right Now (I acted in this award-winning short film ;-), Dead Poets' Society, Forrest Gump, The Sound Of Music, The Terminal, The Matrix, Children of Heaven, Latcho Drom

Music: Simon & Garfunkel, A. R. Rehman, Prem Joshua, Mari Boine, Krishna Das, Old English And Indian Classics...

Books: The Forty Rules of Love, Siddhartha, Animal Farm, To Kill A Mocking Bird, The Old Man And The Sea, The Tao Of Physics, The Glass Palace, Sea of Poppies, The Gaze, The Bastard of Istanbul, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ankit:
When I was 16, I acted in a short film (Right Here Right Now by Anand Gandhi) which has won several national and international awards. You can watch it on Youtube. I am the young boy at the beginning of Part II (Part I- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVAokeqQuFM Part II- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYJePEnvUY)

I went on a 3-month soul-searching trip to Brazil, Peru and Bolivia in December 2014. It was one of the most life-changing experiences ever.

Pooja is one of the most renowned Watsu® therapists in the world and has played a pioneering role in spreading the work and building awareness about it in India as well as globally. She is also the first Indian-origin Watsu® and Woga® teacher

Teach, Learn, Share

We love to chat about anything and everything. We love to listen to people's stories and journeys, and are more than happy to share our own. We speak English fluently.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

India

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