Georgia attracts not just plain tourists but also spiritual travelers, and already this summer numerous yoga-retreats as well as self-development programs take place there. No wonder: mountains, nature, climate and whatever else here is quite perfect for a break from everyday routine and complete immersion into the practice.

Theoretically, many people long for changes and freedom. But in fact, when they realize that it means abandoning some customary things, people back out. It is not good, but it is not bad either, it just happens that way, that’s all. If a person rejects freedom, it only means that he is still not ready, not having a motivation strong enough to dare accept it. And it is quite natural.

I live in a tiny town of Sighnaghi in the Kakheti region. Here everyone knows each other and is aware of all the news in the town. Yes, sometimes it may be annoying but there is another thing. When I felt unwell, the neighbours noticed that I did not appear outdoors; they came to visit me and took care of my recovery. In Poland, I was not even acquainted with my neighbours. Here, when I leave my house, every passer-by greets me. This is a rare example of close and warm relationships among people.

Everyone likes reading the stories about people who managed to shape their lives the way they wanted. They do exactly what they are really interested in and make a living from it at the same time. Keep up their own pace of life which energizes them and helps overcome laziness. Stay in touch with those who please them. Protect themselves from useless and negative information poured from sources of all kind. Maintain balance of their world with their own hand.

But it’s even more enjoyable to meet such people. It looks like they are not so few...

My new acquaintance, Devi, a guide in the mountains in northeast Georgia, is half-German and half-Indonesian, has lived in Georgia since 2011. Devi has travelled through all the mountain paths and forests on foot and knows Kakheti, Kasbegi, Khevsureti, Tusheti, Pshavi and Vashlovani better than the locals.
Her story is so multifaceted that I have been wondering for a while how to approach her, which perspective make a leading one.

In fact, all the changes begin with the people simply doing their job. Sooner or later, the society takes notice of them and realizes that such actions yield results and even success. Then some people decide to try it themselves… This is how knowledge is naturally spread.

After I had just decided to open a restaurant in Udabno, all my acquaintances in Tbilisi were trying to discourage me. They would say, “Do you realize what you are doing? Do you know what “Udabno” means?” It was risky, but from a logical point of view it had to work. Fascinating story of downshifting in Georgia...

We were in Bali, and Arthur decided that we had to leave Moscow, as it was the dead end for us. So he arrived in Georgia, made friends there, found this corner, and wrote to me: “I’ve found such a place, we will live right in the reservation”. That’s how we just packed our things, rented the flat and appeared here, without any guarantees. Fascinating story of downshifting in Georgia...

We spent half a year thinking whether we were ready to part with the native land and whether we would manage to set up a business in Georgia, to rent a flat and make ourselves as comfortable as we were used to being. All that time we spent in preparations: I studied the social part, and my husband – the commercial one. A couple of times he arrived here, in Georgia, and settled problems on the spot. After half a year we left everything and moved. Fascinating story of downshifting in Georgia...