View/teachings
Learning how to care for mother earth and caring for yourself are intertwined. The Shanti Yoga view of sacred world and the teachings on interdependence and impermanence are the ground of our reality. Shanti Yoga understands that one of its challenges is to skillfully incorporate these unique teachings into thoughtful ecological practices. We are also awake to the challenge of creating enlightened society. Practice and education about incorporating more ecologically oriented teachings into our curriculum certainly distinguishes us from other sustainability organisations.
Action
To address the ecological crisis that faces our planet, Shanti Yoga is working on developing a program of action and learning, taking this issue forward with a view of making our own centres environmentally sustainable. This approach is integrative and involves energy, water, waste, food, products, renovation, new construction, transportation, carbon off-sets, financial, etc.
In the process of working on the environment and sustainability, we hope to involve the community. We not only want to share what we are working on, we want and need your input. Spend 4 hours in the morning, for instance 8.30-12.30 contributing to the rainforest project or in the garden or participating wherever help is needed indoors or outdoors. Activities range from tree pruning, grass cutting, weeding, planting, building bushwalking trails in the rain forest, general maintenance of regenerating sites. Join us for lunch and yoga nidra. After three weekends of seva, (service) attend a chill-out weekend retreat for free. The retreats will not only be an opportunity for the group to come together in person and get to know each other but also an opportunity to delve more deeply and personally into the question of what makes you unique. If you would like to be involved, please contact us shanti@shantiyoga.com.au
Communication
Understanding what a powerful resource for sharing information and strengthening communication this can be, we envisage working on establishing some form of resource library, in the form of a manual or website and in the process, build and extend community information through the project. It is also very helpful to understand what others are already doing and what their aspirations are for the future.
YOUTH EXCURSIONS
Nirvana’s unique 70-acre property is a vibrant, living classroom. It is in a bush setting and has a small, organic vegetable garden, solar powered systems, a natural spring and rainforest trails. The conference centre is situated in a Queenslander, which serves as the location for local and international workshops.
We take a wholistic and ecological approach, one that will enable all of us to lead sustainable lifestyles without compromising our comfort, for the future of our planet, endeavouring to create social and economic benefits to community members whilst not harming the environment. We believe that this way of living will soon replace current ecologically inefficient systems and products throughout the world, creating a more conscious modern society. At the heart of all our work is community development in the forms of education outreach and international work.
Rainforest trails and bush walks have been developed for summer and winter, complete with walkways, steps, natural bridges and signage giving visitors exposure to and an understanding of the bio-diversity in our area as well as the meditative life of this region.
Everyone is encouraged to become more energy efficient as our future depends on it. Our systems range from simple solar-power used to provide hot water and lighting at night, to solar-powered water pumps that run quietly for the natural spring water that flows out of the earth. Having provided adequate insulation in the walls, roof and floor as well as choosing an appropriate orientation for our building, has enabled us to take advantage of passive cooling, heating and solar irradiation. Low energy compact fluorescent light bulbs and high star energy rated plumbing and electrical fixtures are also used. Electrical appliances are switched off instead of keeping them on a standby mode. Grey water is recycled for irrigation purposes.
Organic agriculture and support for local food systems is both our policy and practice at Nirvana. Our organic vegetable gardens produce food for our retreatants and visitors through the year. We are experimenting with various gardening techniques that include composting, haybale mulching, brush wall gardens, double digging, companion planting and intercropping in order to achieve the best results. A wide assortment of culinary herbs are on display including herbs for cooking, teas and mild medicinal applications. Mangoes, avocadoes, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines and plums, lychees, papayas and various berries form the fruit orchards.
Our organic gardens are the ideal outdoor classroom, and are used to share and learn about growing food with staff, interns, visitors and volunteers alike, while filling our kitchen with bountiful harvests. Our practice includes local partnering with individuals and communities who are also focused on reaping the rewards of organics.
Nirvana Retreats and The Meditation Institute Youth Forums are great ways to bring nature and sustainability education out of the classroom and into the practical experience of today's new generation of youth leaders. The aim is to help the youth appreciate the many different realities that exist in our world.
Our youth programs range from 1-day excursions to 2-day experiences, bringing together the youth of Australia. In particular, we try to increase the participation of rural youth in all of our programs.
We offer field trips that integrate curricular expectations for people from all walks of life fostering a development of environmental stewardship and global interconnection. These experiential educational trips are designed to encourage teachers and students to consider their roles and responsibilities as global citizens and encourage a greater appreciation of the importance of international cooperation and solidarity as well as exploring our own carbon footprints. Visiting Nirvana is a great way to obtain hands-on, practical experience in working at a community level on a small, sustainable, developmental initiative.
- forest and land stewardship
- rain forest regeneration
- climate change and renewable energy
- food security
- ethnobotany, heritage seeds, healing herbs and
- in the garden
On the Nirvana Retreat site, everything is continuously developing including the staff, structures, gardens etc. The best way to
know what is happening on the ground is to come and see for yourself!
inclusive, expansive vision
a 4 part program of compassion for everyone
to nurture kindness and compassion in the world,
starting with children and all those who touch their lives
1. Children and Youth Day: What Does Compassion Look Like?
2. Family and Public Day: Peaceful warrior
3. Educators and Teachers’ Day: Sharing the wisdom
4. Seeds for the Spirit: an Evening of Music, Yoga and Dance
Other programs also on offer are:
• Touch the earth
• Seeds of Compassion
• Go Veggie. Offerings from earth, water, fire, air and space in kitchen wisdom.
• Food for health, food as medicine
• Living better longer. Optimum health.
• Peaceful Warrior: courage, leadership and life skills
• Kidz yoga
• Bollywood for kidz
• Creative Visualisation and Meditation for kidz
conference centre or workshops.
Presented by The Meditation Institute
• Celebrating 36 years in Yoga Education in Australia •
P.O. Box 3512, Australia Fair, QLD 4215
Ph: (07) 5531 0511 Fax: (07) 5531 0522
email: shanti@shantiyoga.com.au
www.shantiyoga.com.au
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