For women approaching or over 50
If you have been feeling that something is missing from your life, even though you may technically have everything, you are not alone.
Perhaps you want to slow down, reassess where you are and make space for something different. Perhaps you are asking what the next phase of your life could become.
Vanaprastha is for women approaching or over 50 who want to explore that next chapter with greater intention, purpose, well-being and connection.
Expressing interest is simply the start of a conversation. It does not commit you to anything.
Who it is for
Every woman arrives at this stage differently. Some have spent decades building a career; others have devoted themselves to family, community or care. Many have done all of these at once.
What often connects them is a quieter question: what now? Not as a crisis, but as an invitation to reflect, reconnect with what matters and shape a meaningful next chapter with purpose, and in good company.
What Vanaprastha means
Vanaprastha is inspired by an ancient tradition: the stage of life in which a person sets out on a journey of self-discovery, having carried the responsibilities of earlier years.
Our contemporary interpretation keeps the spirit of that journey and leaves the rest behind. It is an invitation to simplify, to integrate everything your life has taught you so far, and to consciously create a new future.
The second half of life can be explored with intention, purpose and meaning.
An invitation to simplify, integrate past experiences and consciously create the next chapter of your life, while remaining fully engaged with the people and the world around you.
Why this stage deserves attention
Around this time, personal and professional roles are often changing. Children may be becoming independent. Careers, relationships, health, family responsibilities and priorities may all be shifting, sometimes together.
A woman may outwardly have everything and still feel that something is missing.
She may not relate to professional communities built around younger people. Nor is she necessarily looking for a senior-citizen club, an activity centre, a travel group or a retirement community.
Vanaprastha occupies a different space: one of reflection, purpose, well-being, connection and intentional living.
Questions worth making space for
There are no right answers here, only questions worth sitting with, in your own time and in good company.
Some call it crafting your life 2.0. We simply call it beginning again, with intention.
Why connection matters
As roles, families and circumstances change, human connections can quietly weaken. The friendships built around school gates, workplaces or busy households do not always carry forward on their own.
Namrata’s years of facilitating circles have shown her something simple and powerful: when people meet consistently, listen without judgement and share honestly, trust, belonging and mutual understanding can emerge.
That is why Vanaprastha is explored in community. You bring your own questions; the circle offers company, perspective and care while you explore them.
The six-week facilitated circle
The principal Vanaprastha offering is a small, thoughtfully curated circle of women who meet online, once a week, for six weeks.
Inside the circle
This is not a conventional online class where one person speaks and everyone else listens.
It is a carefully facilitated space where every woman has a place and a voice; where quieter participants are given room to speak; where different perspectives are respected; and where trust is allowed to develop gradually, at its own pace.
Purpose, meaning and what the next phase of life could hold for you.
Healthy daily habits that support your well-being.
Nurturing relationships, connection and a sense of belonging.
Every circle is different, and so is every woman in it. Participants may find that they:
These are possible experiences, not guaranteed outcomes.
The circle may also include a special session introducing Lumina Spark, a psychometric framework that can help you understand your strengths and consider how they might inform the way you design the next chapter of your life.
How participation works
Because each circle is small and depends on trust, Namrata gets to know every woman before a circle begins. It is not a test, simply a way to make sure the experience is right for you, and you for it.
Take your time with the philosophy and the programme.
Share a little about yourself through the Expression of Interest form.
A personal conversation about your circumstances, expectations and readiness.
You and Namrata decide whether the offering is right for you.
If you both feel aligned, you receive the programme and payment details. Your place is confirmed once payment is completed.
Submitting the form does not commit you to joining or making a payment.
Express Your Interest (opens the form in a new tab)Other ways to work with Namrata
You may prefer to work with Namrata one-to-one, without joining the group programme. Some women also choose individual coaching after completing the six-week circle.
Participants may choose to stay connected through continuing circles. Participation is entirely optional. Regular circle meetings may be offered, a nominal fee may apply, and further resources and experiences may be introduced gradually.
If you feel called to bring women together where you live, you may choose a separate coaching pathway of six to eight sessions with Namrata. It may include coaching and guidance, Namrata observing one circle that you facilitate, feedback afterwards and a certificate of completion.
Circles created in this way are independent. They do not operate under the Vanaprastha name and may not use Vanaprastha’s name, framework or materials.
About Namrata
Namrata’s work brings together coaching, facilitation, community-building, writing, reflective practices and social impact.
She has run a coaching and consulting organisation for more than seven years, and brings nearly a decade of experience in circle work, facilitation and community-building. She created Life Beyond Motherhood, later renamed Enactive Systems, and Zemyna Foundation.
Namrata is a meditation and yoga practitioner and a student of pranic healing, and believes ancient wisdom can offer valuable responses to modern-day concerns. Her approach is not tied to any single religious or spiritual tradition, although she has been influenced by Buddhism and by Indian and international teachers. A researcher at heart, she brings multi-sensorial and reflective writing practices into her work.
Vanaprastha also grows out of her own experience of this stage of life. She approaches it not only as a coach and facilitator, but as a woman consciously creating her own next chapter.
In Namrata’s work, longevity is not a medical or clinical idea. It means living with purpose, developing healthy daily habits, building nurturing relationships, creating connection and belonging, and preparing consciously for the years ahead.
Her work
Years of coaching, facilitation, writing and community work, all of it shaping the way Namrata now holds space for women at this stage of life.
An organisation Namrata created as Life Beyond Motherhood, later renamed Enactive Systems.
The foundation Namrata created, working with partners on ecology, community well-being and vocational training for women.
More than seven years running a coaching and consulting organisation.
Nearly a decade of circle work, facilitation and community-building.
Tree planting, clean-up hikes, school programmes and environmental workshops with partner organisations.
Internship opportunities for students alongside this work.
Books, a journal article, a newsletter and recorded readings, listed above.
In the words of collaborators
These reflections come from organisations that have worked with Namrata through Zemyna Foundation.
My experience of working with Zemyna Foundation has been really, really good.
We’ve worked together on many projects since 2018, including a tree-plantation drive at Sapna Ranch, an interactive session with children on Antarctica and climate action, clean-up hikes in Bangalore and Delhi with Mahindra Susten, and systems-thinking and juggling workshops for children during the lockdown.
Namrata is a very mindful and nurturing leader and facilitator. My experience of working with her was fantastic, and I would love to support and collaborate with Zemyna Foundation in the future.
It has been our pleasure to associate with Zemyna Foundation on initiatives in schools and communities in Sikkim. These have ranged from menstrual-hygiene communication and planting saplings in government schools to a hackathon on solid and liquid waste management for college students.
Over the years, we have seen that the foundation’s heart lies in ecology conservation, waste management and creating positive change in society, one individual at a time. We look forward to continuing our association with Zemyna Foundation.
Zemyna Foundation has been an enthusiastic and participative partner in Project EBHLE. In addition to providing funding, it has contributed encouragement, ideas and international exposure.
The foundation supported an afforestation project in which more than 500 saplings were planted to create a long-term food forest, as well as a series of wellness and healing sessions. In January 2024, we jointly presented at the International Communal Societies Association conference.
We have been partners for a decade and hope to continue this symbiotic connection for decades to come.
Questions you may have
Women approaching or over 50 who want to explore the next phase of life with greater intention, purpose, well-being and connection, and who are open to listening and sharing within a small, facilitated circle.
No. Vanaprastha is an online, facilitated coaching circle. It is not a retirement programme, residential community, ashram or property development, and it does not ask you to step back from your family, work or community.
Yes. Vanaprastha is open to women globally, and additional cohorts may be organised for suitable time zones.
Each circle is a thoughtfully curated group of 6 to 12 women, and never more than 12.
Yes. The circle meets online for six weekly sessions of ninety minutes each.
No. Sessions are not recorded, so that participants can speak freely and what is shared stays within the circle.
Namrata will contact you to arrange a personal conversation about your circumstances, expectations and readiness. Together, you will decide whether the offering is right for you. If it is, you will receive the programme details, including dates, timings and payment information.
No. Submitting the form does not commit you to joining or making a payment. It is simply the first step towards a conversation.
Yes. You can choose one-to-one coaching instead of the circle, or after completing it. Six individual sessions are ordinarily recommended, and pricing is discussed privately.
No. Programme and coaching fees are shared personally during the conversation with Namrata. For one-to-one coaching, a sliding scale may apply depending on your circumstances.
No. Vanaprastha is a facilitated coaching and reflective experience. It is not medical treatment or psychotherapy, and it is not a substitute for professional healthcare. If you need medical or psychological support, please consult a qualified professional.
Express your interest
If Vanaprastha resonates with where you are in life, you are invited to express your interest.
Submitting the form does not commit you to joining or making a payment. It is simply the first step towards a personal conversation with Namrata.
Prefer to write first? Email thelotuspond55@gmail.com.
Vanaprastha is an independent programme created by Namrata Arora and is not affiliated with any residential community, property development or other organisation using the same or a similar name.