Astonishing event: They climbed snowy mountains in swimsuits to test their minds against the cold!

A 'bizarre' event held in the Sapanca district of Sakarya has left onlookers astonished.

In the strange event that took place in Sapanca between January 18-21, 2024, 26 participants aged between 22 and 55, who had no prior experience with such activities, entered waters coming from the mountains and climbed to the summit of Kartepe in an environment where everything was covered in snow and the air temperature was below zero.

INSTRUCTOR IN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

While it was observed that the participants did not wear protective clothing during the event, it did not go unnoticed that the instructor was fully clothed.

Instructor Doruk Taraktaş said regarding the bizarre event, "In the 4-day camp, we don't just suddenly say 'let's go into the ice or let's climb the mountain.' Participants begin to discover the true power within them through small exercises. With an 'I can do it' mindset, they release themselves into nature for this adventure and rediscover their true potential and the skills we have possessed for thousands of years, which we have begun to forget due to the 21st-century lifestyle that has accustomed us to comfort."

DARK RETREAT MEDITATION COMES TO MIND

This strange event in Sapanca brought to mind the 'dark retreat' meditation practice conducted by Yoga Instructor Çetin Çetintaş, which has been widely discussed in recent weeks.

In the meditation in question, participants live for 3 days with their eyes blindfolded. Participants, who do not listen to music or use phones during the meditation process, meet their basic needs with the help of instructors.

Participants, who can only eat their meals through supervisors, are asked to find the building they stayed in by being left in the middle of nature in a wooded area after the meditation process in single rooms is finished.

Çetintaş explained the purpose of the meditation in a television program he attended with the following words;

"The dark retreat is about turning inward from the state where we try to perceive the outside with our senses, and by remembering that our senses are actually deceptive, instead of perceiving the outside with our senses, we use our heart's eye... We actually see a story, but how much of this story do we really see? How well do we know the person in front of us? We are always judging with something, we judge as much as we can perceive. There is a saying, 'We can only know as much as our vessel.' Our goal in the dark retreat is to overflow from that vessel and experience everything deeply from the heart by feeling that we have a connection with everything."

Yoga Instructor Çetin Çetintaş