VIPASSANA MEDITATION, the path of insight
Like a monkey jumping from branch to branch, is our stream of consciousness. However, we have the power to stop the antics of this ‘monkey mind’, to achieve a quiet or still mind which is essential for the development of our spiritual nature.
Meditation has been the central focus of many spiritual traditions. It is not a social activity. It is an inner journey that takes place in stillness, silence and peace. Its practice is the first step towards a calmer life, greater clarity of mind, a release of strength and wisdom in our lives and a direct realisation of a wellspring of strength and space within. The quiet depths, untroubled by the agitation and churning that exists on the surface of the ocean of mind, reveal the source of all that we are.
You will be guided and supported in your practice by Shanti Gowans, a specialist meditation master, who combines the precision of Mindfulness (c.f. An Easy Guide to Meditation, Shanti Gowans), which is essential for taming the unruly mind with the openness and clarity of Vipassana (c.f. Sitting beyond Thinking, Shanti Gowans), the flame that burns up dualistic ego-mind and allows us to glimpse mind’s empty essence.
By attending a retreat in Vipassana meditation, the emphasis is always on the actual practice. Given this emphasis, explanations are still necessary to provide the context for the practice.
(The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness) is an important text because all instructions are directly or indirectly based on Buddha’s teachings. What makes this text so powerful and inspiring is that Buddha’s actual words are presented here. Shantiji presents both the original work as well as an expose of contemporary thought, presenting a wide world view, showing you how the practice of meditation can be a deep and life-sustaining activity.
is for those of you who wish to find your path, gain knowledge, deepen your practice and tame the unruly mind with the openness and clarity of Vipassana meditation. The practice of systematically vacating and unifying consciousness, releases a state of mind, structured differently from the ordinary waking state, nonetheless accompanied by awareness and characterised by an unusual degree of lucidity.
Concentration is practised. Holding your mind steady, ensuring that you and not the mind, determines the content and activity of your consciousness, ceasing from active thought going from one-pointedness to no-point, you will sit wholeheartedly in the middle of your life with clarity and practicality.
Experienced vipassana practitioners will also find this retreat of great benefit because of its wealth of doctrinal and practical dharma treasures.
Mind training is a practice which involves redefining, reconceptualising and reprogramming one’s intentions and way of thinking, hence it is called ‘Mind Training’. It consists of fifty-nine or so proverbs that are designed as a skillful set of antidotes to the unskilful mental habits, paranoia and fixed ideas that cause us all so much suffering. The contemplative practice of exchanging self for other (tonglen practice or ‘sending and taking’) is emphasised in conjunction with the day-to-day application of the mind training slogans. The twin foundations of the practice can be very roughly translated as ‘open-mindedness’, suggestions to expand and loosen up one’s view of the world, and ‘compassion’, which consist of suggestions for relating to the world in a more constructive way.
This does not require you to sign on to a particular system of beliefs, nor is it something you can only do on your meditation cushion. In fact, the best practice is often done out in the world, with exactly those people and situations that upset and irritate you the most.
This fresh approach will greatly benefit you by overcoming obstacles and transforming confusion into wisdom. Practitioners undertake to connect with the world in an unconditionally positive way and also to take full responsibility for their experience of it.
Take a step back and withdraw to a place of seclusion, shelter and privacy, away from home and your daily routine. More than a holiday, a retreat at Nirvana is an invaluable experience that focuses on a healthy, balanced life offered in a beautiful location with an atmosphere of serenity and beauty. Pack the essentials and experience yoga beyond the mat. Restore yourself in a life that nourishes you.
Yoga is the union of mind, breath and body as the one unified consciousness that underlies everything. All creation is a manifestation of this changeless reality. Beneath the world of change is the changeless. Its gifts wholly sustain at every level. Yoga invites you to turn inwards, be still, breathe consciously, move with awareness, stretch and interact with honesty and trust your own wisdom.
The practice of Shanti Yoga, suitable for both new and experienced students, which uses the body as a vehicle for accessing consciousness, has profound effects on the mind, emotions, and physical body. This experiential exploration of asana has four aspects: hatha yoga poses with a focus on alignment and coordination of body and breath; longer meditative holding of postures with breath; vinyasa, flow in the dance of asana movement and joint mobilisation. These enable us to allow our blockages, sensations, thoughts and emotions to be safely experienced with compassion and tenderness. We dissolve blocks and release healing life force energy, establish an intimate and nurturing relationship with our bodies and tap into our own inner knowing. Our bodies become the temple in which we invoke the presence of the divine. These practices cultivate one’s dignity and natural gifts that are able to widen one’s sphere of compassionate and practical influence and are based on a societal vision and aspiration to help the world.
Meditation is a simple, enjoyable, calm abiding practice for achieving inner peace and self-realisation. Through meditation, the mind can settle and clarify to become strong and flexible. You learn to be present and uncover your natural vibrancy, insight, inherent wakefulness and discover the delight of being human.
Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine, as outlined in the classic text books of medicine, written thousands of years ago, is gentle, natural, personal knowledge about life, longevity and healing. All forms of holistic healing are integrated through this unique healing system. Nature works her healing magic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to associate with like-minded people, eat well and healthily but not gain weight and get a fresh start during this group retreat which you can attend for a weekend or over the full ten days. Share scrumptious Ayurvedic, melt in your mouth home-cooking and develop a taste for life. There is no meat or fish, alcohol or drugs. The entire venue is non-smoking.
At Nirvana Wellness Retreat Centre, participants sleep in their own rooms and we all meet to practice in our main practice room. No prior retreat practice is necessary. It’s a great way to learn the practice and gain confidence in it whilst having a wonderful time with other sangha brothers and sisters. There is ample time in the schedule for meditation instruction and what ends up being, very lively and helpful discussions.
There will be daily guided meditation. Program includes time for contemplation, leisure, walks, other outdoor activities and free time. Treatment comes from the outside, healing comes from within. You experience the spontaneous movement of silence in spiritual growth, clarity and inner peace through daily deep, deep relaxation, stress release and self healing for body, mind and spirit. You will be inspired and rejuvenated by spiritual talks and discussions, as expounded in Yoga, Vedanta and Buddhist philosophy dealing with enlightenment. Enjoy spiritual practices towards a still mind, healthy body, joyful and free spirit. When the mind touches the body, cells respond. Experience your own healing magic and that of nature.
Spaces are limited for this very special and life changing retreat, so avoid procrastinating. Book early to secure your place.
Fee includes programs, activities, meals and 4 choices of accommodation.
Twin share, shared facilities
$450 w/end special, $1785/week, $2550/10 nights, $260/day.
Single room, shared facilities
$495w/end special, $1925/week, $2750/10 nights, $285/day.
Twin share with ensuite
$550 w/end special, $2135 per week, $3050/10 nights, $310 per day
Single with ensuite
$600 w/end special, $2310 per week, $3300/10 days, $335 per day.
Detox add $500 for 7 days.
EXCEPTIONAL HEALTH RETREATS
A human being is called healthy when their physiology is balanced, their digestion and metabolism are working properly, their tissue and expulsion are functioning normally and their body, mind and spirit are in a state of everlasting, ongoing inner fortune.
Ayurveda is a philosophy that deals with the preservation of a healthy life and is the oldest known medical system to the world. Its origin lies in India and dates back 5000 years, in the oral tradition. The first written documentations found, are 3000 years old and written on palm leaves.
The word Ayurveda derives from the very old and traditional Indian language. Ayus means life or life span, Veda means wisdom, knowledge, science. Most commonly Ayurveda is translated as the Science of Life. It is rather a system which teaches how to lead a long and healthy life in which the body, mind and spirit are balanced. Ayurveda is also a medical system which deals with the prevention and healing of diseases.
The basic theory of this philosophy lies in the cosmological concepts of the five elements of nature, space, air, fire, water and earth, combining in pairs to form three dynamic forces called doshas. These are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The air and space elements form the Vata principle of movement; the Pitta principle of transformation is characterised through the elemental fire in the waters of the body and earth and water elements combine to form the Kapha principle.
This tri-doshic concept is the aetiological theory behind the Ayurvedic view of a patient. The doshas function in an individually-varying, healthy ratio to each other and are already preprogrammed for an individual at the time of conception, before the human being is born. The harmony and the balance of the doshas in the body is the primary condition of a person's health. To maintain this balance is essential for both the physical and mental health of the individual human being. In other words, the Ayurvedic philosophy views any disease, whether mental or physical, as the result of the imbalances of one's individual doshic constitution.
An unbalanced lifestyle, changes of life circumstances, stress and unskilful choices in behaviour and food for your mind-body lead to habits that disturb this essential equilibrium and lead to diseases. The basic principales of treatment in Ayurveda is to restore the individual equilibrium by eliminate the internal diseases to bring back the normal functioning state of the body. Various herbal treatments and applications, oil massages, purification therapies, changes in food and behaviour, Yoga and Meditation lessons are essential parts of the Ayurveda treatments.
At Nirvana
After a warm, informal welcome, you will be accompanied to your room. Depending upon your arrival time and personal comfort, you will be having your initial consultation with your Ayurvedic Consultant either on the day of the arrival itself or the day after. After determining your constitution (prakruti) and imbalance (vikruti), your treatment course, begins. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, any ailment has its roots in the imbalance of one's individual tri-dosha setting. After detailed discussion, a physical check-up and a questionnaire will assist your Consultant and the team of practitioners to work out your treatment schedule and nutrition plan based on your dosha and your current health condition.
The treatment schedule is fully based on the individual requirements of your body, mind, energy and essence. Therefore we cannot prelist the detailed split-up of treatments, which vary from patient to patient. The treatment duration lasts between 60 minutes and 120 minutes daily. After the treatment, you are advised to refrain from physical activity, take a short rest and then have your shower, to ensure that the applied oils and herbs that are no longer going to be absorbed by your body are washed off. This further supports the effectiveness of the various detoxifying treatments. During the whole course of your stay, our practitioners will be in close contact with you to review the progress of your stay.
Unless any restriction exists, we strongly recommend you to participate in the Yoga and Breathwork classes and the Mediation and Deep relaxation sessions as these are supporting elements of the treatment. Similarly we also recommend following the nutrition plan worked out for you. We serve plenty of tasty Ayurvedic vegetarian dishes and tropical and other fruits.
The time apart from the treatments and yoga classes are at your own leisure. Either attend one of the various lectures, take part in the recreation or tour activities on offer, or simply relax on the hammock or spend some time enjoying nature which abounds. Of course you can also simply sunbathe. During evening hours, we offer various information, cultural or entertainment movies on Ayurveda and other topics, Bollywood movies etc.
Nirvana is not just a health and beauty spa, upmarket luxury retreat, or club resort. It is an exclusive, dedicated Ayurvedic wellness retreat for the encouragement of natural living, simplicity and authentic practices for transformation and healing. Fully led programs have been established with the aim of creating nurturing space for personal transformation, deep connection with the natural world and one’s own nature. The facility, situated at Beechmont is secluded and beautiful, perfect for TMI’s programs. Situated on 70 acres, the area has grand, extensive, tropical rainforests, tranquil mountains and ocean all within easy driving distance. Accommodation at Nirvana is in a large Queenslander, known as the retreat house. Accommodation is in 8 single and 5 twin-share bedrooms, sleeping 18. Whether you need to rejuvenate your mind and body, lose weight, heal or simply deserve a relaxing break, Nirvana wellness retreat will provide you with a renewed sense of health and wellbeing through its programs that include Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, deep relaxation, healthy food, nature walks and exercise.
All of us love to retreat from the world occassionally. Such retreats allow us to refocus our lives and reawaken parts of ourselves suppressed by the lives that we have been living. They allow us to enjoy a little peace away from the unbalanced rush and stress of modern living, learn to focus and to be in your quest for self-recovery/discovery.
At The Meditation Institute you embrace the wisdom of the ancients by capturing their peace, spirit and tradition. Experience tranquility and comfort, heal and detox in the serenity of a tropical retreat sanctuary. You will enjoy Ayurvedic melt-in-the-mouth, scrumptous home-cooking and receive excellent instructions in the art of healthy living, gentle peaceful yoga healing, deep relaxation and meditation guided by a living master.
Retreat programs are held in the hinterland of the Gold Coast, in the undulating hills of Beechmont. In a vast and sacred spacious wholeness, Nirvana is a place that you can come to, to learn how to slow down, to sort things out and become nourished mentally, spiritually and physically, with the opportunity to pursue paths to inspiration, beauty, self-discovery and rejuvenation. Enjoy companionship with a small group of like minded people. It's quiet sanity for people who appreciate the simple pleasures of life: silence, time, space and an intact ecology.
Release stress, learn to heal, relax deeply. Treatment (body, mind and spirit) comes from the outside, healing comes from within.
Learn to meditate. Deepen your meditation in silence, spiritual growth, clarity, inner peace. When the mind touches the body, cells respond.
Easy, gentle Shanti Yoga for those who prefer a less physically demanding class. Stretch, relax, breathe, meditate, body, mind and breath flow together in perfect harmony to improve your health, sense of wellbeing and quality of life.
Be energised. Enjoy nature walks and allow your senses to be enriched by the magnificent beauty.
Be inspired. Encouraging, stimulating and rejuvenating talks and discussions on health, wellbeing and spiritual practices. Various evening programs which could include chanting, informative videos, group discussions.
Eat well. The retreats are fully catered with three scrumptuous, healthy, Indian Ayurvedic melt-in-your-mouth home-cooked meals a day, including fresh fruit,vegetables, salads and juices. Lunch is the main meal of the day. Meals are served buffet style.
Sleep well. Linen, towels, electric blankets, heaters are provided; no radio or television, to enhance the peaceful retreat atmosphere.
Accommodation is shared, either in the Homestead or the Raj Garden Pavillions.
We use alternative resources which include natural spring water (for drinking, cooking and bathing), solar, wind and gas power.
Unwind and be pampered. Ayurvedic massage treatments, bodywork, facials and Ayurvedic health/nutritional consultations are available as an optional extra from $75 per hour on site. Please pre-book.
Please read the information carefully before you enrol on a course or for a retreat.
The Meditation Institute has become widely known for the deep-reaching and thorough teaching conducted here. People come from all over to participate in this unique training. At work here is reconciliation of the hallowed traditions of religion with the contemporary spirit of egalitarianism and advances in science and philosophy. Added to this is a serious concern for the social sphere, seeped in the liberating alchemy of divinely inspired forgiveness.
The property, Nirvana Organic-Eco-Retreat Sanctuary, consists of 70 hectares situated in dairy/rain-forest country, a complete retreat from the outside world, approximately 8kms from Beechmont, in Queensland, Australia.
The retreat or course is a process. Each course is quite different from all previous. The possibilities lie in your ability to receive. The interaction between the different things we do, the combination of yoga, relaxation, meditation and other activities makes the effects of the retreat greater than if you sat at home and did a few yoga exercises on your own or went to a yoga class once a week. Consider it a process, an experience, not just things to learn. During the process you get to know more about yourself: your body, your energy, your mind and about how your attitude towards yourself and others influences your state. The process will help you keep your attention awake, provide you with extra energy and sensitivity which allows you to understand that inhibiting habits of thinking do not have to stand in the way of what you really want to do with your life. You reach a deeper understanding of your different dimensions and abilities and of yourself as consciousness - your true identity.
Our residential retreats vary in length and depth. Come if you want to live for a week-end or 7, 10 or 14 days. When you isolate yourself from work, family and worries you gain perspective. When you turn all your attention for a period of time to one particular area, your abilty to use what you learn increases considerably.
No previous experience is required to participate. Everyone is welcome. What really counts is your desire to explore yourself and what we teach. The possibilities lie in your ability to receive. Each course is quite different from all previous. The structure and content of the courses and the way we teach present something to the beginner as well as the advanced student who has used yoga and meditation for years. Our teaching is set up in a practical way. Your memory should not be dependent on 'understanding’, nor a piece of paper. Not only part of the brain, but your whole body will remember. The teaching is enhanced by talks and advice where necessary, so that you get the full benefit. All we do is part of this training situation: the silence, the lectures, the teaching, the walk, to eat, to work, the bed-time, to sleep. Retreatants have no TV or radio, no newspapers or telephone calls, except, of course for the exception of vitally important messages (leave your mobile phone at home), no mail, walkman, computer, internet and shops and without using your car at all. The moment is created by your presence. The way you experience tells you something about yourself. Come because you want to gain experience and also an effect, which is obtained by participating in the process.
Nirvana is open from 4 pm on the day of your retreat/course. Room check-out time is 11am the last morning. The retreat ends after lunch, at approximately 2 pm on the day of departure. Make yourself known to us immediately you arrive. Register. Wait to be shown a room.
Arrive and unwind. Your healing adventure begins as soon as you arrive at scenic Nirvana. Following your registration, unwind during your free time. As a rule, the retreat starts in the evening on the day of arrival with dinner at 7 pm and in the evening, join us for orientation, introductions and an explanation of the retreat program.
Accommodation in Nirvana is twin-share in the Queenslander homestead (the main building) Many rooms take advantage of the panoramic views and clean air. All rooms are un-serviced. We allot the rooms according to the group’s composition, the participants’ gender and age and the order you have confirmed your booking.
The climate is sub-tropical. For the brief mountain winter nights, all accomodation is heated, all beds have electric blankets. The Main building, with the meditation hall and dining area has reverse-cycle air-conditioning.
If space allows, you are welcome to bring your child for half of the full course fee. Contact us beforehand if you wish to be here together with your child.
The smooth functioning of the course depends upon the help of friends who volunteer to look after the running of things. You have probably met them already, we call them “co-ordinators.” They often have a lot to do. Whenever possible, please help.
Activities include Meditation: guided and silent; Yoga; Breathwork: The joy of breathing fully; Walks; Progressive Relaxation; Chanting, which is relaxing, calming and joyful. It is a ready source for reflection and deepening understanding. It requires mindfulness and a certain degree of concentration. Relax and listen quietly; Help in the garden; Talks and lectures which range from Health, Nutrition, Relationships to deeper esoteric philosophy; optional massages and Yoga therapy, chikitsa, with body
stretching and alignment (appointment necessary), optional lifestyle, health and dietary counselling (appointment necessary).
The property is approximately 70 acres and the area is rich in wildlife. If you choose to go for a walk, please notify us of your planned route. We recommend a minimum of three people for walks in the rainforest on the property.
We serve vegetarian food, supplimented by organically grown vegetables from the property. We avoid stimulants such as coffee, chocolate, black tea and alcohol. If you consume these try to reduce your intake to nothing a few days before you come, so that you can avoid withdrawal symptoms. You don’t have to be a vegetarian, however, it helps you get something out of the practices and the diet is therfore a condition of the course.
Come prepared to accept the following:
* Read all of this information. Clarify any questions with the co-ordinators
* Observe the silence as outlined (varies for each retreat).
* Please be punctual for activities at the scheduled times.
* Do not use your car at any time during retreat.
* We regard leaving the premises equal to leaving the course. No refunds are appplicable.
* Only eat the food served by the retreat and only in the dining area.
* Do not smoke on the premises, neither indoors nor out-doors. If you must smoke,then take a walk alone to the top of the road and do not influence others who might want to stop smoking, neither by smell nor by sight.
* Mobile phone usage is only permitted outside the property as a courtesy to other retreatants. Mobiles to be turned off during program times and at night. We suggest to either leave your mobile telephone, clock radio, computer, walkman and everything similar at home or deposit such items in our office upon arrival.
A retreat or 'refuge’ means taking a break from the normal influences and impressions. In this way your stay with us is more of a holiday for your body and mind than other stressful holidays surrounded by tourists.
* Be careful and responsible for property
- Please do not put soap, cigarette butts, newspapers in the toilets.
- Please do not remove mattresses, blankets, pillows, furniture, equipment or part thereof from the accommodation without direct permission each time.
" Come only for what we teach. Do not use other techniques (meditations, therapies, massage, astrology, tarot etc.) other than what you learn here.
*At Nirvana, we are unashamedly committed to ongoing improvements and renovations for which we make no excuses or apologies. This should not inconvenience you.
In every generation, the adept teacher passes the yoga on to the pupil who is ready to receive a thorough training and experience a greater awareness. A stable personality is not reached through excessive effort, but through an in-depth knowledge of yourself and an acceptance of your abilities and characteristics - your own mind. No matter how great a genius you may be, your teacher will test your real identity and you will learn to prefer real experience to theoretical knowledge, dreams and expectations.
To thoroughly know and independently have worked with yoga and meditation over a long period of time is a prerequisite for anyone who is going to teach. This is the case with the full time teachers of the courses at TMI. They have been through extensive personal training and their full time education has lasted several years, in accordance with the tradition. As teachers we demand of ourselves that the process be kept going all the time - and with you as part of it, so that the intensity is not lost.
Re-establish a relationship with health, Transform your physical health and your mental attitude towards your life, health, happiness, work stress and relationships. When you take care of your body, your mind also becomes clearer and more focused and you will feel less anxious, more relaxed and will sleep better each night. You will be ready for some wonderful ways of promoting physical and mental wellbeing such as yoga, meditation and nidra.
We are lured into eating nutritionally empty foods through the way they look, smell and taste. A craving is the body’s desire for a substance that will create a certain chemical change. Examples of such substances include alcohol, sugar, cakes, salt, saturated fats, chocolate. They give the body an immediate supply of sugar/energy from an artificial source. If the body has to extricate natural glucose from fruit and vegetables, it takes a little longer. Not all cravings are bad. They could be your body’s cry for something it genuinely needs.
Toxins congest your system, slow down your metabolism, clog your digestive tract and pollute your blood. At a detox retreat you rid the body of poisons, flushing out mental and emotional toxins. Detox retreats remove a lot of stress from your digestive system enabling it to process your food more efficiently, clean your cardiovascular system of plaque (fatty deposits which cause narrowing and hardening of arteries, restricting your blood flow) and work at dissolving away the calcium and mineral deposits contained within your muscles. During the first 48 hours you may experience such symptoms as headache, stomach pain, nausea, fatigue and even mild palpitations.
In a world that appears to be moving farther away from the values of the ancient mystics towards an increasingly impersonal, complex and technological future. The times we live in underscore even more dramatically the need to distinguish between what has lasting value and what is only of passing worth; what takes the soul further away from the Divine and what brings it closer.
You learn a lot at a course or on retreat but not all learning takes place in the meditation hall. Your body must be able to transform the energy you acquire from the practices. An important feature of the process that you will experience is the tasks around the centre: in the garden, in the forest, in the fields, making food, rolling chappattis, dish washing and cleaning or perhaps doing repairs. Socially speaking, karma yoga (as these activities are called) implies that you do things for others, with others and don’t expect to be waited on. Afterall you have not come on a hotel holiday, but on a retreat, with people who want to work with themselves. And what you want from it is to better able to deal with the tasks and challenges awaiting you at home. Activity creates energy and drive. “When one is active, then one is stable. Stability can only be achieved through action. When happiness is achieved one is active. Somebody who cannot find happiness is not active.” (Chandogya Upanishad). Many have discovered this secret on our courses.
Without karma yoga it would be impossible to run such comprehensive courses which offer many paths to reach deeper states. This opportunity is intensified by directed activities and common tasks. When you let go and give something, then you are more able to receive what you came for. The energy is transformed and it becomes at your disposal. Karma yoga is an activity that balances the rest of your course and contributes to the increase of your wellbeing. Karma yoga is part of the program.
It isn’t necessary to bring much to the Retreats. Most important is a ready and open mind. Patience and dedication are also crucial. Bring:
* Mat and Blanket for yoga and nidra
* Cushions for meditation
* Toiletries and personal items, including natural insect repellant.
* Outdoor weather gear and sunscreen and footwear for rainforest walks.
We trust that your stay with us will be happy and enjoyable. We, on our part will do all we can to make it so; however, if you are to make comment on any part of our service or facilities, please feel free to contact management in writing.
TAKE A BREAK at NIRVANA
Twenty Reasons to Spend the Holidays at Nirvana Wellness Retreat
1) Shanti Yoga practice and teachings
2) Intensive Meditation practice, both sitting and walking
3) Discussions, many group sessions
4) Silence: hearing the breeze in the grass and seeing the mist dance
5) Meeting your mind
6) Relaxing in the fresh wind, open fields and peaceful rainforests
7) Eating delicious, wholesome food that it cooked for you
8) Practicing peace in peace
9) Leaving your telephone t.v. and computer behind
10) Meeting new friends
11) Walking with nowhere to go
12) Watching a sunrise
13) Aimlessly wandering under the great open sky
14) Catching up and practicing with old friends
15) Candlelit dinners
16) Wildlife, listen, watch and admire nature
17) Laughter
18) Surprise
19) Best massages and treatments, natural and Ayurvedic
20) The best New Year's party anywhere
Feel better naturally. Transformational and healing
Recharge. Take a step back and withdraw to a place of seclusion, shelter and privacy, away from home and your daily routine. More than a holiday, a retreat at Nirvana is a valuable experience that focuses on a healthy, balanced life in a beautiful location in an atmosphere of serenity and beauty. Pack the essentials and experience yoga beyond the mat. Restore yourself in a life that nourishes you.
YOGA is the union of mind, breath and body. Its gifts wholly sustain at every level. Inviting you to turn inwards, be still, breathe consciously, move with awareness, stretch and interact with honesty, and trust your own wisdom.
MEDITATION is a simple, enjoyable, calm abiding practice for achieving inner peace and self-realisation. Through meditation, the mind can settle, clarify and become strong and flexible. You learn to be present and uncover your natural vibrancy, insight, inherent wakefulness and discover the delight of being human.
AYURVEDA is gentle, natural, personal knowledge about life, longevity and healing. All forms of holistic healing are integrated through this unique healing system. Nature works her healing magic.
Marrying the modalities of yoga's limitless freedom with meditation's clarity from an awakened mind and Ayurveda's wholistic healing, bring together the wholistic balance of your body, mind and spirit at retreat.
All around us at Nirvana, is a force that encourages us to reflect upon and reassess our lives, evoking a sense of calmness through her intensity and beauty. Mother nature, always the giver and provider, is the source of Nirvana's pristine air, spring water and organic produce as well as many of the ingredients used at Nirvana.
Nutrition and sustenance are the elements that allow us to function at our optimum level. Our bodies and minds are fuelled by what we feed them. At Nirvana, we feed them with pure food and air as well as thoughts that are positive and healthy.
Vitality is the key to living a full life and the energy that drives those who sustain such a life. The practices of Shanti yoga - gentle stretching, breathing and relaxation reignite the spirit of healing and vitality ensuring that you reawaken your senses, ease your body of tension and enjoy the benefits that exercise bestows on your body.
Beauty is as much a state of mind as it is an external presence. The simple truth is, that if you feel good, you'll look good and do good. A retreat at Nirvana provides the very core of this belief. Relax and indulge yourself in some of Nirvana's relaxation massages such as marma point or lotus feet and several Ayurvedic treatments like shirodhara, that will renew, replenish, revive and rejuvenate you to your utmost beauty.
A calm mind in a relaxed body is where you will find inner peace and serenity - the essence of harmony. Practice the art of contemplation, meditation, deep relaxation and self healing. Leave Nirvana enlightened, balanced and free of stress.
A necessity of life, water is a source that replensihes and cleanses us. You will heal through the use of Nirvana's fresh, spring water, not only through enjoying our organically grown vegetables, delictable cusine, but also in our treatments and even whilst bathing.
Offering a place where both the physical and spiritual are nurtured and encouraged through meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and cleansing treatments, Nirvana is a retreat away from the hectic pace of life with time for contemplation, discussions and reflection. Here important things and insights are revealed together with a fresh perspective on the benefits of relaxation and health as a functional and important part of life's balance. n the majestic rainforest covered hills, it’s quiet luxury for people who appreciate the simple pleasures of life…silence, time, space and an intact ecology.
• Guided meditations daily. Walking, Standing, Sitting. Calm abiding and Vipassana (insight).
• Deep, deep relaxation and healing for body, mind and spirit: In silence we grow. In stillness we heal.
• Gentle Shanti Yoga and breathing, suitable for beginners: when the mind touches the body, cells respond.
• Energising rainforest walks: towards a still mind, healthy body, joyful and free spirit.
• Scrumptuous Indian Ayurvedic vegetarian meals. Share soul food.
• Eastern philosophy
• Companionship with a small group of like-minded people.
• Comfortably furnished rooms are equipped with heater; bed with electric blanket and doona; linen provided; Options include: single room with ensuite; single room with shared bathroom; twin-shared with shared bathroom.
TRAINING THE MIND
Join Shantiji this spring as she weaves together the view and practice of the Vedic tradition with the Buddhist tradition. We will cultivate the nature of mind transmission both as a practice and as a way of life. Take part in one of practice intensives led by a master.
Lojong, or the Seven Points in Mind Training is a great activity by way of over coming obstacles and gaining merit which cultivates realisation in emptiness and compassion, the essential qualities practiced in the Buddhist tradition. In this practice-oriented course you will explore the mahayana slogans of Atisha, a 10th
century Indian Buddhist master whose teachings left a deep imprint on all Tibetan lineages. Practitioners undertake to connect with the world in an unconditionally positive way, and also to take full responsibility for their experience of it. The practice involves redefining, reconceptualizing and reprogramming one’s intent and way of thinking, hence it is called ‘Mind Training’.
The contemplative practice of exchanging self for other (tonglen or “sending and taking”) is emphasized in conjunction with day-to-day application of the mind training slogans formulated in Tibet in the 12th century by Chekawa. .
Unlike many practices it does not require that one signs on to a particular system of beliefs, nor is it something one can only do on one’s meditation cushion. In fact, the best practice is often done out in the world, with exactly those people and situations that upset and irritate you the most.
The twin foundations of the practice are Absolute Bodhicitta, which could be very roughly be translated as ‘Open-Mindedness’, and Relative Bodhicitta, which could be translated, again very roughly, as ‘Compassion’.
The fifty-nine or so proverbs that form the root text of the Lojong practice are designed as a skillful set of antidotes to the unskilful mental habits, paranoia and fixed ideas that cause us all so much suffering. They contain both Absolute Bodhicitta suggestions to expand and loosen up one’s view of the world, such as Find the consciousness you had before you were born and Treat everything you perceive as a dream, and Relative Bodhicitta suggestions for relating to the world in a more constructive way, such as Be grateful to everyone or When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.
This fresh approach including guided tonglen can be considered a definitive presentation of the 7 Points of Mind Training and comprises:
Introduction
> Point 1: Absolute bodhicitta: open mindedness
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> Point 2: Relative bodhicitta slogans: compassion
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> Point 3: Transforming painful circumstances.
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> Point 4: Forgiveness. View and guided practice of Tonglen.
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> Point 5: Extending the practice to one’s whole life.
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> Point 6: Courage, empathy, and putting other’s first.
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> Point 7: Concluding slogans
Spring is a beautiful time of year at our hinterland retreat, beautiful one day, perfect the next.Don’t miss this opportunity to hang out, eat well and healthily and not gain weight and get a fresh start during this group retreat that is conducted over eight days. Here people sleep in their own rooms and we all meet to practice in our main practice room. Sonja is our main chef with Tanya and Glee the prep. chefs who take turns preparing meals. No prior retreat practice is necessary. It’s a great way to learn the practice, gain confidence in your practice and have a lovely time with other sangha brothers and sisters. There is ample time in the schedule for instruction and what ends up being very lively and helpful discussions.
Let Shantiji and nature work her healing magic.
RETREAT DATES FOR 2010
February
5-7 F-Sun Transform your life
March
26-28 F-Sun Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine. ALC
April
1-5 Th-M Vipassana meditation 5-day Easter retreat
5-9 M-F Total relaxation and stress busters 5 day/4night
9-11 F-Su Peace, Love and Healing in Exceptional health
1-11 Th-Su Easter Vipassana detox retreat 11day/10night
16-18 F-Su Ayurvedic Anatomy and Physiology ALC
May
21-23 F-Su Healthy life & preventive medicine in Ayurveda
June
18-20 F-Su Ayurvedic diagnosis & Aetiology ALC
July
2-4 F-Su How to live, love, laugh and last a lifetime Cert IV
2-11 F-Su Exceptional health/detox: 10 days/9night
16-18 F-Su Happiness and its causes
23-25 F-Su Ayurvedic pharmacology & manufacturing ALC
August
20-22 F-Su The Ayurvedic treatment of diseases ALC
September
3-5 F-Su Transform your life Cert IV
17-19 F-Su Ayurvedic Massage ALC
24-3 F-Su Exceptional health: love, light, blessing 10day/9night
October
1-3 F-Su Exceptional health and wellbeing: The good life
22-24 F-Sun Applying the wisdom of the ages ALC
November
5-7 F-Su Purpose, meaning & the pursuit of happiness Cert IV
12-14 F-Su Exceptional health: life changes
26-28 F-Su The Ayurvedic lifestyle consultation & Practice ALC
December
17-19 F-Su Choose your mood. Relax at will
27-3JanM-M Joyous being. |
