MEDITATION TRAINING

MEDITATION MADE EASY weekend retreat
FEB 6-8 Fri 6pm - Sun 2.30pm from $450, twin-share accom

I am happy to say that the first meditation weekend at Nirvana is on again. So get ready to unstrap your boots and rest - relax that mind into the nature of the naturally unproliforated, unborn awareness wisdom. The weekend will follow the usual schedule of meet and greet on Friday evening, followed by pranayama practice, scrumptuous evening meal and spiritual movie. Group practice in walking meditation and silent sitting, breakfast, walking, sitting instruction, discourse, walking, sitting etc. lunch, nidra, free time, evening guided practice, spiritual movie constitutes Saturday’s program…Sunday, as well, except we finish after lunch to go down the mountain and back to our usual lives. Located in the beautiful Beechmount mountains, Nirvana is Shanti Yoga's residential, natural health, holistic retreat site. A gorgeous, natural, eco-friendly, 70-acre estate, with beautiful and bountiful rainforest where nature abounds. We practice and stay on-site in a lovely Queenslander-style building.

Shanti Gowans is a specialist meditation teacher who combines the precision of mindfulness (see her book, An Easy Guide to Meditation), so essential to tame the unruly mind with the openness and clarity of vipassana (see her book Sitting beyond Thinking), the flame that burns up dualistic ego-mind and allows us to glimpse mind's empty essence.

@ Nirvana Retreat Centre, 87 Binnaburra Road, Beechmont.
Fee includes programs, activities, meals and 3 choices of accommodation
Twin share, shared facilities $450 w/end special or $260/day
Single room, shared facilities $495w/end special or $275/day
Single room, ensuite $550 w/end special or $310 per day

MEDITATION AND DEEP RELAXATION OVERVIEW

LEARN MEDITATION EASILY - Fundamentals and basic aspects (Facilitator Cert)
ERADICATING SUFFERING - From fear to fearlessness
SIMPLICITY - Bringing Meditation to real life
INNER PEACE - .Increases focus and dissolves anxiety and stress
FOCUS & CONCENTRATION - Extending and deepening the practices (Facilitator Cert)
MIND AND ITS CONTROL - Taming and training the mind (Vedic)
THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS - Presence (Facilitator Certification)
VIPASSANA - Insight Meditation
DEEPEN MEDITATION - Empowerment program
RELAXATION MADE EASY - Achieve deep relaxation and reduce stress easily
RELAXATION & SELF HEALING - Guided Imagery & Stillness Nidra (Facilitator Cert)

Many of us are slaves to our minds. Our own mind is our worst enemy. We try to focus, and our mind wanders off. We try to keep stress at bay, but anxiety keeps us awake at night. We try to be good to the people we love, but then we forget them and put ourselves first. And when we want to change our life, we dive into spiritual practice and expect quick results, only to lose focus after the honeymoon has worn off. We return to our state of bewilderment. We’re left feeling helpless and discouraged. While we all agree that training the body through exercise, diet and relaxation is a good idea but why don’t we think about training our minds? Like a monkey jumping from branch to branch is our stream of consciousness.

But we have the power to stop the antics of this “monkey mind” and achieve the quiet or still mind that is essential to develop our spiritual nature. 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 necessary. Holding the mind steady... ensuring that you and not the mind determines the content and activity of your consciousness... going from one-pointedness to no-point... ceasing from active thought.

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 silence and alone. Its practice is the first step towards a calmer life, greater clarity of mind, release of strength and wisdom in our lives and the direct realisation of a wellspring of strength and space within. The quiet depths, untroubled by the agitation and churning on the surface of the ocean of mind, reveal the source of all that we are.

Meditation is where it’s at. Meditation affects your life…and your life shapes your meditation. It goes both ways. Less busy-ness in life brings greater richness in meditation. This richness makes you content with less of the trimmings of outer life. As this process continues, less is more...