EAT HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAMS
NIRVANA WELLNESS RE
RETREAT AND RENEWAL
Meet god in quiet spaces. Take a personal retreat. Abandon the hustle and bustle of the busy life and relax and revitalise your body in the perfect retreat environment.
From the stream of teachings of realised yogis and meditators come profound practices for transforming your relationships with your body, mind and world. These practices to open our hearts and minds to the true nature of reality are as fresh and applicable today as when they first arose.
If you’re ready to get inspired about your health and create positive lifestyle changes, Nirvana’s Healthy Living programs are your next step. Supported by an outstanding, skilled team who draw upon many years of experience with working with people to turn their health around through integrated approaches to healthy living and led by leading ayurveda, yoga and meditation professional, Shanti Gowans, these unique immersions include ayurvedic education, gentle activities, yoga instruction, health talks and three delicious, all-natural meals each day. At retreat you will discover how reclaim your health and power and experience your innate peace and wellbeing. Residential programs are the backbone of Shanti yoga.
With Nirvana’s Wellness Retreat and Renewal, you decide how to spend your days so that you can create exactly the right experience for you. Come for self-care and enjoy gentle yoga classes, introspective workshops and solo time, including an inspirational satsung program at dusk. Or jump-start your healthy life routine and go hiking, learn nutrition tips, take invigorating bollywood classes and try meditation. You can lie in the hammock or enjoy a soothing massage. Choose to attend as much or as little as you want to of the variety of experiential and educational workshops, outdoor activities and yoga and movement classes.
Many people come alone, while others bring a friend or loved one. Everyone’s experience of Nirvana’s Retreat and Renewal is as unique as they are. We offer a rich daily schedule that allows you to do just what you want, whether it’s soul-searching, celebrating, or simply remembering who you are when you’re not absorbed by the flurry of family, work and life. Your days can be as full or as quiet as you desire. Whatever it is, you’ll return home renewed from the inside out.
What have you got to lose?
Stress? Weight? Fatigue? Unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits? You can break free. Nirvana Healthy Living has helped empower hundreds of people to make the lifestyle changes they needed. And current research confirms that lifestyle is one of the most important factors influencing health.
Come to Nirvana and learn how to create a healthy lifestyle by actually living one. Led by expert faculty, you’ll take part in an immersion program that includes experiential workshops, meditation and yoga classes, health talks, nutritional guidance and three healthy gourmet meals per day. Most important, you’ll take home the tools to continue these practices every day of your life. Here’s what you can expect
Transforming Stress
Address the impact that stress is having on your life.
Reimagine, Rejuvenate, Reclaim Your Life
Craft a meaningful, passionate, healthy life in midlife and beyond.
Restore your digestive health naturally.
Integrative Weight Loss
for a lifetime of sustainable solutions.
Nutrition and Cooking
Food for life, food as medicine. Create health in the kitchen.
Optional Detox for Health and Healing
jump start your life for healthier living.
Yoga for Health
Yoga is unlike anything else. Cultivate a solid foundation for experiencing the benefits of stretch-and-flow yoga in your life.
Hiking, gentle yoga, bollywood dancing and meditation
Cross-training to bring you to a new level of health
Your retreat and renewal package includes
• Accommodations and Nirvana’s delicious all-natural meals
• Daily experiential workshops, guided outdoor activities and afternoon nidra
• Wake, stretch, have your dawn water and stroll upto the hall for daily morning meditation.
• Take an experiential workshop in gentle yoga or bollywood dance
• Spend some quiet time alone, enjoy a meditation walk or join a talk on the lawn
• Gather together for evening events and celebrating the day that’s been
May 21-23 Retreat and Renewal weekend (Healthy Mind, Healthy Body)
May 28-30 Teacher Training retreat - restricted
June 18-20 Retreat and Renewal weekend (How to live, love, laugh and last a lifetime)
July 2-4 Retreat and Renewal weekend
July 2-11 Retreat and renewal: 10 days/9night
July 9-11 Peace, love and healing weekend
July 16-18 Happiness and its causes - Meditation weekend retreat
July 23-25 Retreat and Renewal weekend(Food for health, food as medicine)
Aug 20-22 Retreat and Renewal weekend (Believe in yourself, transform your life)
Sept 17-19 Retreat and Renewal weekend
Sept 24-3 Oct Exceptional health: love, light, blessing 10days/9night
Oct 1-3 Retreat and Renewal weekend (Adv. Dip)
Oct 22-24 Retreat and Renewal weekend(Purpose, meaning and the pursuit of happiness)
Nov 26-28 Retreat and Renewal weekend
Dec 17-19 Retreat and Renewal weekend
Dec 27-Jan 3 2011 Retreat and Renewal week
Jan 3-9 Retreat and Renewal week
Healthy mind, healthy body
The modern human experience is unprecedented sensory overload, noise and media stimulation. We're wired to the gills, spending nearly all waking hours in front of the TV and computer screens - bombarded, texting, tweeting, clattering away - now even on airplanes. Shant Yoga and Nirvana Wellness Retreat help you move away from busy-ness and overload. They are among some of the last remaining sanctuaries of silence and serenity, stillness, slowness and just quietness. Shanti Yoga and Nirvana are less interested in pursuing for luxury and pampering and more with celebrating and affirming life, health and wellbeing. Weddings, birthdays, all kinds of persoanl celebrations, multigenerational families can get away together to celebrate and crete memories and do a little 'relationship wellness'.
• It will help me live a healthy lifestyle.
• It will help me be happier and more optimistic in mood.
• It will help me get along better with others and enjoy other people’s company.
• It will equip me with the skills to clear my mind and concentrate.
• People are living longer but are they living with an effective quality of life? It will give me quality of life in longevity
• It will give me the skills to help me break some unhelpful habits and take on more beneficial ones.
Transforming Stress
Address the impact that stress is having on your life
Are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed-out, or anxious? Do you experience symptoms associated with high stress levels, including weight gain/loss, illness, mild depression, or fatigue? Come learn how to address the negative impact that stress is having on your life and regain your health, energy and clarity. You will experience nourishment of your mind, body and spirit in this transformational program.
At retreat, you will learn about the profound effects stress can have on your physical, mental and emotional health. Working in groups using mind-body techniques, you will discover how awareness and mindful living can address the issues that cause you stress, enhancing your resiliency, preventing illness and improving the quality of your life.
Mind and its world and clear thinking
Wisdom teachers speaks about the two sides of the same coin: mind in its confused state (of daydreaming its own world), versus waking up (to its true nature). Like many other Buddhas, Shanti yoga describes the phenomenal world as being nothing but the product of our own essentially confused imagination and thus lacking any real existence outside of the imagining mind. The samsaric mind, which is ignorant about its own true nature, creates an imaginary split into subject and object and then becomes caught up in its own display of the subject grasping at all kinds of objects.
On the other hand, the nature of phenomena (or the mind) is also recognised as the nonconceptual wisdom that lacks any duality of subject and object but realises its own primordially enlightened nature. This wisdom is not something newly produced through the path - it exists primordially and is only obscured temporarily by adventitious stains (phenomena). Thus, its own natural state is always unchanging, just as the sun itself is never altered by the presence or absence of clouds. However, from the perspective of samsaric beings who do not realise mind’s nature, it first seems to be obscured, thus appearing as the play of various dualistic phenomena, while later, its state seems to change into the pure awareness that is free of illusory dualistic creations. This kind of teaching is particularly effective and suitable for these degenerate times.
The progressive acquisition of formal and informal mindfulness skills (including meditation and yoga) in a supportive way enables you to open-heartedly bring this wonderful and innate practice back into everyday life as a way of managing stressful situations. It also teaches us how to use practical and heart-centred mindfulness skills when communicating with others. Mindful dialogue helps to preserve and enhance relationship and also to nurture and support self and others within that. This can be particularly useful when strong thoughts, emotions and issues are present. When it comes to the whole subject of loving others, you must know this: how you handle your own heart is how you will handle theirs.
• A new understanding of the dramatic effects that stress can have on our physiology and biochemistry
• An appreciation for the power of mind-body medicine to transform old habits and create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle
• Tools to use every day to recognize and transform stress into creative energy
• A deep, nurturing experience for yourself.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Nutritional Consultation
• Relieve stress with a relaxing shirodhara treatment.
Reimagine, Rejuvenate, Reclaim Your Life
Craft a meaningful, passionate, healthy life in midlife and beyond
This program is designed for women and men over 40 who want to reinvigorate their life with joy and health.
Wherever you find yourself, in your busy modern life, you can know that the new busy is not like the old busy - with stress balls, antacids and crazy eyes. The new busy are not the too busy. Re-defining the busy life today isn’t complicated but it is complex - full of things, both big and small, fun and focused, really important and not so much. There are those who always have a suitcase packed - they know that having a full calendar means having a full life. They take their desk with them, constantly exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions and information because the world is their workspace. The new busy know that staying on top of their personal life is essential to an effective working life and must bring together all the worlds in happy, healty harmony. Midlife can be a challenging, yet powerfully creative time. We find ourselves letting go of old identities and moving into new territory. It can be a time of adventure when we explore reinventing ourselves with the benefit of all the experience, confidence and wisdom we’ve acquired over the years.
It is a time to take stock, reconnect to your dreams and joy, address growing health concerns that interfere with you living your fullest and make critical choices that will affect the rest of your life. Come and discover how to create a truly meaningful, healthy, and extraordinary life.
At retreat, you’ll spend time with an exceptional faculty that includes mental and emotional education, nutrition, fitness, life-management and yoga, as you learn how to make fundamental lifestyle changes that will make all the difference in how you age - with energy, vitality and a sense of joy and fulfillment.
• Have noticed a downward shift in their health
• Are overstressed and losing focus on life’s priorities
• Are going through life changes and want to focus on getting healthy
• Want support in creating a plan for the second half of their lives.
• Enhance physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance
• Reduce the risk of the chronic diseases of aging, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia
• Incorporate the benefits of yoga into your life
• Decrease stress and increase harmony in your life
• Make lifestyle changes that allow you to live more fully.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Take care of your body with a healing ayurvedic massage
Do you suffer from chronic gastro-intestinal symptoms? Do find yourself taking expensive medications or over-the-counter drugs just so you can eat without discomfort? If so, you may be among the one in five Australiana who are challenged by gastrointestinal concerns.
This innovative digestive health aspect of Nirvana retreat program will help you address your gastrointestinal (GI) challenges and restore your health. Come learn the connection between GI health, immune imbalance, inflammation, and common symptoms, e.g., pain, depression, fatigue and rashes, that often have their origins in the gut.
You will learn
• Ways to repair the gut with important nutrients and specific supplementation strategies
• How to remove GI toxins from your diet
• How to decrease inflammation and improve immune function
• How to replace digestive enzymes
• The value of reinnoculation with pre- and probiotics to create a balanced GI “ecosystem”
• Strategies for managing celiac and gluten-related food sensitivities
• Mind-body techniques, meditation, yoga and guided imagery.
This program is ideal for people who struggle with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, e.g., gas, bloating, reflux, cramping, constipation or diarrhea, or those diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome); IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), e.g., Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis; GERD or “reflux” disease; Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity; and many others.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Nutrition Consultation
• Nurture yourself with a relaxing ayurvedic massage.
If you know that going on another diet isn’t the solution, come nourish yourself and invite changes that will continue to unfold long after you return home. Nirvana’s integrative weight loss program offers a comprehensive curriculum that supports a healthy, long-term weight-reduction process. Guided by an exceptional program that includes nutrition, stress and life-management, fitness and yoga, you’ll learn how to shift into a natural, balanced relationship with your body.
The Integrative Weight Loss program can help you
• Learn why diets don’t work and how to naturally lose weight and keep it off
• Develop healthy life skills and learn tips on how to maintain a healthy weight
• Understand the importance of metabolism and nutrition for healthy weight management
• Experience a healthy body image
• Explore your weight issues in a caring and supportive environment
• Learn the best strategies for your personal goals and lifestyle
• Leave feeling rejuvenated, motivated, and full of hope.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation to help you develop a realistic plan for when you return home
• Pamper yourself with an Ayurvedic Massage
Food for life, food as medicine. Create health in the kitchen
Do you want to eat healthier foods and cook more? Do you want to understand more how the food you eat affects your body and mind? Are you a stranger to your kitchen because of time constraints, lack of energy, or feeling intimidated? Are you interested in learning about “super foods,” smart supplements and easy cooking tips that can bring cooking back into your life?
This cutting-edge program provides the latest research on which foods, cooking techniques and nutritional supplements can help promote health, vitality and mental clarity. Join Nirvana’s culinary team, for a fascinating, fun, and nutritional culinary adventure. Discover the best ways to prepare food to ensure you get the most out of them with Nirvana chefs. You’ll take home delicious, easy recipes that incorporate power foods that boost your mood. And you’ll get the real facts about nutritional supplements, including how to discover what is right for you.
• Are interested in eating healthier but don’t know where to start
• Are confused by the media’s nutrition hype and want real answers
• Would like to improve their health and their family’s health
• Have taken one of the other Yoga Health programs and want to learn even more about nutrition
• Are looking for time-saving tips and easy cooking techniques.
• Which foods promote health and well-being for you
• Which foods increase the risk of disease and obesity for you
• How to prepare intelligent, healthy, whole-food meals
• What supplements can and can’t do for you
• Why “how” you cook foods is so important
• What role “super foods” can play in your life
• What food labels really mean
• The art of shopping with economics and our planet in mind.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Take care of your body with a healing ayurvedic massage.
A jump start for healthier living
Time for a detox? Detoxification is a natural body process that is compromised when our system becomes overloaded from a variety of causes that include poor diet, allergies, stress, infections and toxins such as heavy metals. In this cutting-edge program, you will learn the science behind detox as you experience an integrated approach to cleansing the body.
In this program, you will
• Enjoy a nutritionally balanced, vegetarian, detox diet plan
• Learn the five common causes of toxic overload and how stress impacts digestion and detoxification
• Explore the essential elements of a science-based detoxification diet, including critical nutrients that support toxin removal
• Get answers to questions on detox topics that include organic, raw foods; acid-base balance; water needs; detox supplements; exercise; skin brushing; and sauna
• Discover how to create a sustainable detox kitchen and learn culinary nutrition tips
• Explore yoga postures that assist the detox process
• Take walks and hikes through the beautiful Beechmont mountains
• Learn strategies for dealing with emotional detox.
This program is ideal for people
• Who have symptoms that can be improved by a detox program, including headaches, brain fog/poor concentration, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches and pain, bowel, wind and bloating, fluid retention and skin problems such as acne or eczema
• Interested in learning about the latest science and research on detoxification
• Interested in an integrated body, mind, and spiritual approach to removing toxins.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Relieve stress with a restorative ayurvedic massage.
Shanti Yoga is in a category of its own and is unlike anything else. It delivers ancient wisdoms that anyone can use and is a synthesised, unique style of yoga of living peace for body, mind and spirit. It is so profound and powerful, yet easy to do. Doctors and health professionals are recommending yoga for preventative health, to treat a variety of ailments and for psycho-emotional healing. You will be guided by a senior-level team of mind-body yoga teachers in learning the basics of Shanti Yoga, both on and off the yoga mat. You will take home the tools, knowledge, and inspiration you need to make yoga a regular part of your life.
Shanti yoga is related with a view free from any elaboration, like the sky; and a practice, unmovable and stable, like a mountain; and action, profound and vast, like the ocean. It integrates outer, inner, secret and innermost secret practices through directly recognising your own original, undefiled nature, free from delusion. Through the practice of Shanti yoga, people discover freedom and unexpected openings. The effect is often immediate and surprising. The feelings will stay with you, as well. They even, like a good dog, follow you around and make you happy in heavy weather. And when you're in trouble you'll know what to do; it's like when you hear music and your body just dances. There is a leap in the Shanti yoga way - instead of pushing a stone up hill, you are carried by a great current.
The founding teacher and blessings of the direct lineage (that directly penetrate our minds) of Shanti yoga is transmitted to students through Shanti Gowans, who embodies the sacred feminine. Born in Bangalore, India, she is is an accomplished teacher and practitioner of yoga and meditation since 1972 and brings four decades of experience of facilitating psycho-spiritual integration and development through bringing together understandings and methods from yoga, meditation and Ayurveda.
Yoga breathing, pranayama in Shanti yogic practice was developed by Shantiji especially for use in daily life. The point of practice is to open the subtle channels (nadis) in the body and get the prana moving in a way that helps one to awaken. It is also extremely beneficial for health and vitality.
Yoga for health helps you to
• Cultivate greater health, vitality and well-being
• Learn a yoga flow to practice and expand on at home
• Practice techniques for stress relief
• Make yoga a regular part of self-care
• Incorporate meditation into your life
• Live more mindfully.
Sample curriculum of workshops and classes
• Master Class: Yogic Philosophy and History
• Foundational postures
• How to arrange the postures into a comprehensive flow that you can practice at home
• Basic yogic breathing techniques
• Anatomy and yoga
• Meditation
• The yoga of healing
• How to apply yogic principles to your life “off the mat”
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Integrate your experience with an ayurveda herbal-oil treatment and exfoliation (abhyanga-garshana)
Nature walks, outdoor exercise, yoga, meditation, bollywood dancing and nutrition, the ultimate vacation getaway for active people. For everyone in good physical condition and able to hike three miles a day.
This invigorating program offers you a structured active experience in a retreat-like atmosphere. Learn how to incorporate yoga into your fitness routine, get informed about ayurvedic nutrition and enjoy the outdoors and classes. Tone your body and spirit while learning to live a healthier life—and have fun doing it.
This program is ideal if you want to
• Be challenged by daily hikes
• Revitalise and step up your current fitness routine with Bollywood dance classes
• Incorporate yoga and mindfulness meditation into your approach to healthy living
• Immerse yourself in an enjoyable fitness experience and have time to retreat
• Learn nutritional information for better health
• Develop core strength, cardiovascular health, and flexibility.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Schedule a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Relax tired and tight muscles with an ayurvedic massage
Are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed-out, or anxious? Do you experience symptoms associated with high stress levels, including weight gain/loss, illness, mild depression, or fatigue? Come learn how to address the negative impact that stress is having on your life and regain your health, energy and clarity. You will experience nourishment of your mind, body and spirit in this transformational program.
At retreat, you will learn about the profound effects stress can have on your physical, mental and emotional health. Working in groups using mind-body techniques, you will discover how awareness and mindful living can address the issues that cause you stress, enhancing your resiliency, preventing illness and improving the quality of your life.
Mind and its world and clear thinking
Shanti yoga speaks about the two sides of the same coin: mind in its confused state (of daydreaming its own world), versus waking up (to its true nature). Like many other Buddhas, Shanti yoga describes the phenomenal world as being nothing but the product of our own essentially confused imagination and thus lacking any real existence outside of the imagining mind. The samsaric mind, which is ignorant about its own true nature, creates an imaginary split into subject and object and then becomes caught up in its own display of the subject grasping at all kinds of objects.
On the other hand, the nature of phenomena (or the mind) is also recognised as the nonconceptual wisdom that lacks any duality of subject and object but realises its own primordially enlightened nature. This wisdom is not something newly produced through the path - it exists primordially and is only obscured temporarily by adventitious stains (phenomena). Thus, its own natural state is always unchanging, just as the sun itself is never altered by the presence or absence of clouds. However, from the perspective of samsaric beings who do not realise mind’s nature, it first seems to be obscured, thus appearing as the play of various dualistic phenomena, while later, its state seems to change into the pure awareness that is free of illusory dualistic creations. This kind of teaching is particularly effective and suitable for these degenerate times.
You will take away
• A new understanding of the dramatic effects that stress can have on our physiology and biochemistry
• An appreciation for the power of mind-body medicine to transform old habits and create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle
• Tools to use every day to recognize and transform stress into creative energy
• A deep, nurturing experience for yourself.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Nutritional Consultation
• Relieve stress with a relaxing shirodhara treatment.
Reimagine, Rejuvenate, Reclaim Your Life
Craft a meaningful, passionate, healthy life in midlife and beyond
This program is designed for women and men over 40 who want to reinvigorate their life with joy and health.
Wherever you find yourself, in your busy modern life, you can know that the new busy is not like the old busy - with stress balls, antacids and crazy eyes. The new busy are not the too busy. Re-defining the busy life today isn’t complicated but it is complex - full of things, both big and small, fun and focused, really important and not so much. There are those who always have a suitcase packed - they know that having a full calendar means having a full life. They take their desk with them, constantly exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions and information because the world is their workspace. The new busy know that staying on top of their personal life is essential to an effective working life and must bring together all the worlds in happy, healty harmony. Midlife can be a challenging, yet powerfully creative time. We find ourselves letting go of old identities and moving into new territory. It can be a time of adventure when we explore reinventing ourselves with the benefit of all the experience, confidence and wisdom we’ve acquired over the years.
It is a time to take stock, reconnect to your dreams and joy, address growing health concerns that interfere with you living your fullest and make critical choices that will affect the rest of your life. Come and discover how to create a truly meaningful, healthy, and extraordinary life.
At retreat, you’ll spend time with an exceptional faculty that includes mental and emotional education, nutrition, fitness, life-management and yoga, as you learn how to make fundamental lifestyle changes that will make all the difference in how you age - with energy, vitality and a sense of joy and fulfillment.
This program is ideal for men and women who
• Have noticed a downward shift in their health
• Are overstressed and losing focus on life’s priorities
• Are going through life changes and want to focus on getting healthy
• Want support in creating a plan for the second half of their lives.
You will learn how to
• Enhance physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional balance
• Reduce the risk of the chronic diseases of aging, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia
• Incorporate the benefits of yoga into your life
• Decrease stress and increase harmony in your life
• Make lifestyle changes that allow you to live more fully.
Recommendations (additional fees apply). Please reserve early as appointments are limited.
• Add on a personal Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation
• Take care of your body with a healing ayurvedic massage |
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.
Standard rooms
These rooms provide an opportunity to meet people. They allow for two people per room and have nearby bathrooms.
Pay for 6 nights, get 7th night free. ( i.e. bonus of $298)
Standard plus rooms
These simple, peaceful rooms are a great midrange option. They include a single bed, with shared facilities in the bathrooms nearby.
Pay for 6 nights, get 7th night free ( i.e. bonus of $325)
Ensuite Rooms
These quiet, private rooms are perfect for those who want a real retreat and include simple décor, a single bed and private amenities.
Twin share. Pay for 6 nights, get 7th night free. (i.e. bonus of $360)
Single Pay for 6 nights, get 7th night free (i.e. bonus of $395)
Detox add $500 per 7 days or $85 per day
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. |
