INDIA RETREAT 2017!

YOGARASAYANA INDIA RETREAT:
into the stories

 FALL 2017
KERALA, SOUTH INDIA, NORTH INDIA
September 28 – October 17
with
Arun Deva and Jutta Hecht

Yoga, Ayurveda, Temples, Palaces, Forts, Taj Mahal, Regional Cuisines, Tiger Reserve and more…

India is a land full of ancient stories, myths, parables and other ways of conveying deep truths. Through stories called puranas the deep philosophies of yoga are shown as mythological events.

This Retreat is about experiencing some of India’s sights, sounds, colors, smells and immensely alive canvas.

We will also share some of these stories to heighten the experience of the places we visit… 

ITINERARY:

SOMATHEERAM AYURVEDIC BEACH RESORT:

Sept 28: Arrive Trivandrum early morning: transported on to Somatheeram/Manaltheeram
Sept 28-Oct 2: 5 days of rejuvenation massages, yoga, ayurveda, sightseeing and yummy foods. And of course stories in the evening.
Soak it in as you get acclimatized!

The resort is spread lushly over 15 acres of greenery on a hilltop overlooking Chowara Beach, south of Kovalam and a short drive away from Trivandrum. The gently sloping grounds are sprinkled with traditional thatched cottages and Kerala style wooden bungalows, nestled among native medicinal plants and coconut groves. We will stay in the Special and/or Garden Cottages; independent thatched huts rooming two people.

It is a short walk down to the beach for swimming, morning or evening walks. Along the way down is the swimming pool where you can rest during the day sipping fresh coconut water! The resort has outdoor and indoor yoga rooms. Climbing up the hill you arrive at the Rejuvenation Center with a full staff of Ayurvedic Doctors, where you will receive your daily treatments including abhyanga and shirodhara, Kerala style!
The resort has a thatched restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean, and delicious Ayurvedically prepared meals (3 vegetarian, dosha specific meals a day are included)

Finally, we will visit Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India for a breathtaking sunrise!

SOUTH INDIA:

Oct 3/4: Fly to Chennai and make our way to Mahabalipuram. Stay overnight overlooking the beach. Next morning visit the Beach Temples and Great Chariots and discover the magical stories behind them, including from the Mahabharata. After a late lunch, continue on to Pondicherry, a short drive away.

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Oct 4-7: Pondicherry, the once French enclave, home to Aurobindo, the iconic yogi and great freedom fighter who became a living saint. This quaint town has much beauty and some of the best foods to share with us. We will visit Auroville, a visionary eco-system global city that inspires us to live in harmony with nature and each other: wherever we may be from. Here too we will sit in lush gardens between massive banyan trees whose roots walk on to make new trees themselves. And the spaceship-like golden Matra Mandir for a deep meditative experience.

Oct 7-9: On to Arunachala the sacred mountain, said to be Lord Siva himself! Boy, will we share stories here in the little town of the world famous saint, Ramana Maharishi. Along the way we will visit a small Hanuman temple and a left over temple complex that is not on the beaten track.

Oct 9: After an early morning climb to Ramana Maharishi’s cave of enlightenment and a hearty breakfast we drive back to Chennai to catch out flight to Delhi.

NORTH INDIA:

Oct 10/11: Vrindavan! Famous as the home of the cowherd Lord Krishna. Long before he became the Teacher of the Bhagavad Gita and it is here we will here stories from his life and the message of love and unity hidden deep in the Gita for all to find. Visit the sacred cows at the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram and you will see the love in their eyes when they come to greet you. Next day, hop in the bus for a quick ride to the Taj Mahal in Agra. If you have never been here, it is easy to feel awed by it. Or wander around to your hearts content in the home of Lord Krishna if you have already seen the Taj.

Oct 12: We drive to Sawai Madhopur/Ranthambore to visit the jungle and its inhabitants:


Oct 13/14:  colorful, exotic birds, the spotted (and other) deer, antelope, wild boar, crocodiles, possibly leopards and bear. While it is never guaranteed, this is the best National Park to see the majestic tiger. We will also visit a hilltop fort with a stunning view, a beautiful Ganesh Temple and an off the path Tantric Kali/Shiva Temple to do puja in.

Oct 15: Drive to Jaipur, the Pink City. The very heart of this magical land called Rajasthan.

Oct 16/17: Amber Palace by elephant if possible, City Palace, and our favorite place to stay: Diggi Palace. Yes we end our trip very royally. Majestically. And of course, the stories of the romances of the Rajasthani princesses and heroism of their men.

Oct 17: Afternoon flight to Delhi. Straight to the Friends Colony N Block Market for a last minute shopping frenzy. An amazing final Indian dinner. Rest up at the hotel. And for most an early morning of the 18th flight home.

Registration opens April 15.

Write adretreats@gmail.com for a pre-Registration Special of $100 off the Early Bird Price. (Valid for all email inquiries received by April 1)

Early Bird Special: $3900
(Deposit of $500 will hold your space and price till May 31. (After that the deposit will be applied towards the next applicable tier)
Regular Price: $4450
(Applicable to all deposits made after May 31 and all payments completed by June 30)
Late Registration: $4700
(Payments made after June 30. Space available)

2 Week Retreat options available: write adretreats@gmail.com

Sivananda Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA. April 7-9, 2017

photo
This time around, it is less theory and almost all practicum. So, you actually get a taste for why I keep teaching this stuff. This Emotional Intelligence Stuff. The stuff that when functioning clearly, innocently, joyously leads to clear, innocent, joyous thinking and thus actions. Those that support us instead of bushwhacking us. Every. Single. Time.
REGISTER HERE FOR GRASS VALLEY RETREAT

COMING UP LATER THIS SUMMER:

 GREECE 2017!
A YOGA & AYURVEDA RETREAT
JUNE 26 – JULY 6, 2017

greece-ocean

“FREE FALL IN LOGIC: THE STUDY OF VINYASA KRAMA YOGA
W/SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AYURVEDA

WITH ARUN DEVA
ASHLEY FIALA
VIVI LETSOU

AT ZEN ROCKS, MANI, GREECE

HOSTED BY NYSY YOGA, ATHENS
AVOCADO VEGETARIAN CAFE, ATHENS
ARUNACHALA YOGA & AYURVEDA, LOS ANGELES

$2250 Early Bird Price/$2550 After April 30, 2017.

A deposit of $500 will hold your spot and price till April 30.
After that, your deposit will apply only towards the Full Price*.

INFORMATION: ADretreats@gmail.com

REGISTER HERE
(Once we receive your Registration Form, a link for payment through Paypal will be sent to you. If you wish to pay by check, please note that in your Registration Form along with your telephone number.)

The Details:

Vinyāsa Krama literally means the methodology of a fluid practice within set parameters. There are 10 primary and one auxiliary sequences that make up the logic and freedom of the Vinyāsa style of practice in yoga. Within this logic happens the exhilaration of a free fall! This is the possibility inherent within the flexibility of the variations. Then there is the pranayama’s, the chanting, the meditations.

Ramaswami teaching Anjaneya asana advanced version

 

 

 

Ayurveda: So as not to get injured when the practice is not based on a sounder personal logic, the magic of Ayurveda makes sure we stay on the correct trajectory of our free fall: the health and wellbeing we are all seeking to create in our yoga. We will also practice daily living modalities from Ayurveda and study its basic principles.

Nadi Pariksha in Greece

Nadi Pariksha in Greece

 

Source: Based on the teachings of Srivatsa Ramaswami as transmitted to him in over 33 years of personal practice with the legendary TKV Krishnamachārya and understood by Arun Deva over a decade of practice. Infused with the understandings of Ayurveda through Arun Deva’s over two decades of Ayurvedic practice comes this Free Fall Within Logic.

At dusk
Mani at dusk
 

Practice: In this unique place we will have a very rare opportunity to practice all 11 Vinyāsa Krama Yoga sequences that comprise the basis of all Vinyāsa Yoga Practice. These teachings will be infused with important secrets from Ayurveda that add knowledge and insurance to our practice as Yoga Teachers and practitioners.

After practice in Mani 2014
After practice in Mani 2014

VIDEO: VINYASA KRAMA WITH ARUN

VIDEO: ASHLEY AND ARUN DISCUSS THIS RETREAT IN TEMECULA

INFORMATION: ADretreats@gmail.com

REGISTRATION LINK*
(Once we receive your Registration Form, a link for payment through Paypal Link will be sent to you. If you wish to pay by check, please note that in your Registration Form along with your telephone number.)

 acropolisSCHEDULE:

  • June 26: Drive to Mani and settle in. Evening, welcome and orientation.
  • June 27-July 5 (9 days):
  • 7:30-9:15AM: Morning Practice
  • 9:15: Light morning repast: Fruits, cereals, porridge, tea/coffee
  • 10-11:30AM: Ayurveda lecture.
  • Noon: Lunch
  • 1-4: Free Time
  • Our one group beach excursion will be on one of these days and will start after lunch and extend into the late evening.
  • 4-6PM: Afternoon Practice
  • 6:30-8PM: Dinner.
  • 8-10PM: Satsang (led in turns by Vivi (meditation), Ashley (kirtan), Arun (talk on yoga/tantra/ayurveda)
  • July 6: Morning practice. Brunch and closing circle. Drive back to Athens

 

greece-2017-usa

Arun Deva

QUIETNESS

Dear friend,

It has been a while since I have written. There is so much being written and shared out there anyway, so the ability to just listen for a while got to me.

Also, there was not much to share in terms of events in the life of Yogarasayana, my alter ego. Or rather, my teacher and practitioner persona.

It is not that there has not been a lot going on. We finished the Yogarasayana India 2016: Forest Sage Retreat auspiciously. A lovely group of students and friends sharing some yoga sutra of Patanjali, some jungle time, some Ganges time and some all around good times.

On coming back, I headed to Phoenix to spend time with the students of the lovely Mary Bruce and Lorilee Gilmore, my hosts. The topic was Psychology of a Sage. So you can see where my head is these days…On coming back, I headed to Phoenix to spend time with the students of the lovely Mary Bruce and Lorilee Gilmore, my hosts. The topic was Psychology of a Sage. So you can see where my head is these days…
Read the related article Psychology of a Sage: Activating Higher Functional States here.

And of course the LA Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy Clinic has been in session and has kept me busier than ever.

Then of course there has been all the other stuff that we all shared. The uncertain becoming even more uncertain, definitely a disturbed vata trend. And I believe to some extent, we are all a little shell shocked and a little worn out by events not just here in the USA, but all around the world.

Storm Clouds

Perhaps some quiet is called for. Some time to turtle up, huddle into a shell and examine who we are in there. I feel fortunate that in these difficult times, I have these ancient yogic teachings that I can fall back on. Those that talk about who I am when I move past who I am sure I am: because I know I am flesh and blood, lifeforce, a mind, some intelligence and even some happiness when I allow it. When I say to myself, yes indeed this is me. But it is not lasting. This is the mortal me. It changes just like my world changes. And it is best not to get too attached to this me nor to the world it lives in.

Best to go looking for the me that is not mortal. The one that does not suffer. The one that is also you. It is there we fall in love with each other and everything else mortal. In fact, that is the simplest description I can give of Tantra, of Buddhism, and of the Upanishadic Vedanta. And it is from that place that I continue to grow this love that trumps all the hate I may exude, share, witness when I do not allow myself to be. Just. Quiet.

Arun File - 03

Even in this conversation we are having. To encourage you to join me in this quiet. Where we are a shared Being. Not separate except in our mortal lives. And that is as it should be. Where we can enjoy each other, admire each other, help each other and give each other space when we get under each others skins.

But this is getting long in the tooth. So I will stop here.

I have a quieter year planned for 2017. We shall see how that plays out. Perhaps I will still come to your hometown. However, I do encourage you to join me in any of the below and meet each other too.

There are three teaching Retreats planned:

April: Yoga Practices for Emotional Intelligence: CLICK HERE
Sivananda Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA. April 7-9, 2017


photo

This time around, it is less theory and almost all practicum. So, you actually get a taste for why I keep teaching this stuff. This Emotional Intelligence Stuff. The stuff that when functioning clearly, innocently, joyously leads to clear, innocent, joyous thinking and thus actions. Those that support us instead of bushwhacking us. Every. Single. Time.
REGISTER HERE FOR GRASS VALLEY RETREAT

June/July: The Art and Practice of Vinyasa Krama Yoga with Ayurveda: Zen Rocks, Mani, Greece. REGISTRATION COMING SOON! INFO: ADRETREATS@GMAIL.COM

Ever since I started studying with Ramaswami Sir, back in 2004/5, I knew I would need to teach this miraculous way of practicing. But I also knew I had to wait till it came in my voice. Obviously Ayurveda infused. Here we go. Serious Practitioners and all Yoga Teachers. This is for you.

Sept/October: Yogarasayana India Retreat 2017! Into the Stories.

This Retreat is in the Planning Stage but this is how it is shaping up:
Two sections:
A Southern India portion that includes Somatheeram Ayurveda Beach Resort, Kerala, for a week of pampering and Ayurvedic treatments and then a week of travel around some of my favorite places down south. Such as Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Arunachala.
A Northern India portion that starts with the birthplace of Lord Krishna; continues to the Taj Mahal and then wanders into Rajasthan, and into some legendary temple, wildlife and archeological sites. Along the way we will talk about the teachings of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, the meaning of Tantra which in itself can be quite evasive to pin down and stories from India’s mythological past.
A total of two weeks in Southern India. And one week in the North. Do just two weeks or do it all.

If you are interested in this Retreat, please write to adretreats@gmail.com and you will be put on an Early Announcement Letter with a Special Price Offer.

Meanwhile, I bask in your friendship,

Arun Deva

ANNOUNCING INDIA 2016!

Dear friend,

Greetings from the forests of India. It has been a long time wish of mine to teach the yoga sutra’s. In their own environment. The forests of India. This year, yogarasayana does just that. We are very excited to announce the “Forest Sage India Retreat 2016!”

We will locate ourselves in a very remote but amazingly beautiful, fully equipped, rustically luxurious Retreat Centre deep in the heart of India’s most beloved Tiger Conservancy National Park.

Run by people as in love with the forest as I am. We will visit its animals by jeep safari, by elephant safari and by foot. We will eat sumptuous locally grown organic meals put together by our hostess, who I must confess, understands Ayurvedic cooking better than many who have trained years in it 🙂

But most of all, we will practice the yoga sutra’s.

Yes, practice them. They are not meant for armchair reading. They must have deeper meaning that touches our own lives intimately. That is what I have yearned to teach. Please come join Jutta Hecht, Anjali Deva and me for this. Oh, and you will obviously get an Ayurvedic spin for all of it too!

We will also travel to the very abode of the sages: Rishikesh. Where we will visit the sacred Nìlakanțha Śiva Temple, perhaps river raft, do evening Puja’s on the banks of the Ganges and um, visit the Beatles Ashram:)

Details:
Dates: Oct 14-27.

Locations: Corbett National Park & Rishikesh, India.
Space is limited.

Further details to follow shortly. If you would like advance notice (and a special offer) please write to yogarasayana@gmail.com and tell us why you are interested!
Click Here for More Pictures

MEANWHILE:
Soon as I am back Stateside (and have seen Bruce Springsteen play just one more time J) I am off to Phoenix, hosted by the lovely Mary Bruce and Lorilee Gilmore for: The Wise Day It sold out some time ago, but if you are in Phoenix, please do contact Mary to see if we can fit you in.

April is a month I really am looking forward to.
First, I get to present the Saturday Practicum at the NAMA Conference.

My topic is Satvavajaya Cikitsa: The Conquest of Truth as a Therapeutic Tool.
I am really looking forward to meeting old friends. And making new ones.

April 22-26th I am so very happy to be back at the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Grass
Valley to teach the fourth year of Emotional Intelligence Studies through Yoga and Ayurveda.

This year, we have an additional two days of advanced training for those who may have done this before, have studied emotional intelligence elsewhere, are yoga therapists, Ayurveda practitioners…oh darn it, anybody who wants to and feels they can go further, please come!

Later in May, I will be in Salt Lake again. With Jennifer Ellen and In Body Academy as my hosts once more. We are planning a very special weekend Immersion. And of course there will be some days set aside for consults and follow up’s. Details to follow shortly!

June and July are teaching, practicing and being home in Southern California. I will teach for LMU’s Yoga Teacher Training Course. My own teacher, Srivatsa Ramaswami has requested some of his older students to teach part of his training this year and I am honored to teach the Yoga Sutra Chanting and Subtle Body Anatomy.

There is much more to come, including a long weekend teaching in the Lake Arrowhead area with my dear friend, Amy Wheeler Yoga.

As she puts it, a few days of yoga, Ayurveda and fun!

I will also be back in Temecula with TYC and Dana Point with Tam’s Yoga Bungalow.

For now, I leave you with some thoughts on the division coming up between Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Therapist Training. These are my personal thoughts and not endorsed by any organization or person. There has been much written already and it is all very well thought out and stated. This will not come from the same intent to be rational. Rather this comes from the felt sense. Where we may acknowledge something like this: This does not make me feel good. It is from this place I write.

Yoga is nothing if not therapeutic. Yoga is many things. It is union. It is stillness. It is completion and the journey to completion. It is sacred, it is mundane, it is time consuming, it is one hour of asana per week.
What it is not, is a system of exercise in a classroom or gym setting with designer clothes, mats and gossip about our latest smoothie recipes. It is not in competition to other forms of exercise. Tight butts and longer hamstrings are only side benefits and certainly not the goal. Or at least they should not be.
But it can fast become reduced to that. If we let it. Yoga is us. And we cannot be divided and still call ourselves yogi’s. Is a Yoga Therapist different from a Yoga Teacher? No. Just more specialty-trained: in its therapeutic application. They are still only yogi’s. Like you, me and the new person in class.
There are many realities. One is that yoga is by nature, a therapeutic tool. I beseech Yoga Alliance, who has taken on the responsibility of governing this powerful medicine as it transitions into the West, to live up to this responsibility: to keep yoga sthiram-sukham, keep it as authentic as possible. Certainly not declaw it, denature it and create an impotent yoga. When something comes into contact with a hostile environment it can either be strong enough to survive or it mutates to survive. If yoga mutates into nothing but a magazine style set of physical exercises, albeit posing as asana, it will be a great loss for a lot of seekers who will not know how to find its authentic core. Make no mistake, no matter what we do, this authentic core will survive. But let it not come to that. Where the real yoga needs to be once again sought in rare places. It came West to heal us. Let us not allow it to tear itself, and us, apart. ”


Meanwhile, I continue to work hard to bring yoga and Ayurveda together. I believe it is time. Not as an aberration needing correction but as an evolving of sister sciences that end up converging for the betterment of humanity. This work continues officially through NAMA, where our Committee is creating a new Category of Practitioners: Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists. Powerful stuff.

May we find stillness,
Arun Deva

Summer. Greece. India. Fall.

Dear friends,
I suspect that we all have had a busy year so far. I remember thinking in February that this year had already moved into warp speed. Shades of my Star Trek hazy days perhaps…
And here we are mid-June and I realize it has been a while since I have sent out a newsletter!
Things have been pretty fiery on the yoga/Ayurveda path. What with peer review articles, NAMA and SYTAR Conferences and heading up the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Committee for NAMA.
So it is with pleasure that I am able to focus once again on traveling to teach and just hang with familiar faces and make new friends. This has got to the best part of my job:)

I am happy to present:
Saturday 1:30PM: Understanding The Subtle Body: Chandika Hall

Sunday 11:30AM: Healing Emotional Trauma: Chandika Hall

In July/August, my teacher Srivatsa Ramaswami will return to LA, perhaps for the last time, to offer his 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training at Loyola Marymount University. Ramaswami was a direct student of Krishnamacharya for over 33 yrs and his teachings on yoga are beyond anything I have experienced with any other teacher. If you are looking for a YTT, I could not possibly recommend a better teacher:

School of Yoga with Srivatsa Ramaswami

200 Hr Teacher Training Program on Vinyasakrama Yoga—Registered with Yoga Alliance.

In addition, Ramaswami will present teachings on the Bhagavad Gita:

Please contact Sarah Mata at 

sarahmatayoga@gmail.com / 310-266-5177 if you are interested in attending. There are still a few spots left.
Please note that some portions of this will be open to all.

GREECE!

This is my fourth year teaching in Greece and it has become a second home. But I had yet to do an Immersion and Retreat long enough to perhaps tempt some of you to come across the big pond and study there with me…so here it is:
Ayurveda Immersion For YOGI΄S: The Path of Healing & Realization with Arun DevaSept 19-23
An Intimate Ayurveda & Yoga Weekend Retreat with Arun Deva Sept 25-27

INDIA RETREAT 2015! SPECIAL EDITION: 2 Spots still open.

Jutta and I are most grateful. We filled the Retreat quite quickly. We were unable to offer any more spots for the first week.
Thus we created a Special Offering that goes from Oct 14-30 only. And now we have only 2 spots left for this also. Thank you!
We would love to have another couple of you join us!

This Retreat will be composed of two separate adventures, one in the south and one in the north.

The Hidden India Retreat:  Oct 14-23, 2015

The Royal India Retreat: Oct 23-30, 2015.

The Price is $3950.
Full payment must be completed by July 15 2015 for this rate.

If you are interested in joining us, you may wish to reach out right away:
Please write Arun Deva at yogarasayana@gmail.com.

The Retreat Details:

Hidden India Retreat:

Oct 14: Mumbai! 

Check into your hotel early AM upon arrival, freshen up and head out on a tour of Arun’s favorite Metropolis. Stops will include The Prince Of Wales Museum, the infamous Leopold’s Cafe for afternoon tea, the magnificent Taj Mahal hotel overlooking the Gateway of India. The drive back will wind through the Queens Necklace/Marine Dr and the beaches of Juhu. Spend the night in Mumbai.

Oct 15: A quick flight into Mangalore, take a ride through the Karnataka Rain Forest to land in the quiet little village of Hariharapura. Where you will join us.

Oct 16-17Hampi! 

Famous for its well preserved ruins of the Vijayanagar Empire (1300’s), there are indications the site was actually established back in the first Century and may even have been a part of the Ashoka Empire (3rd Century BCE) We will spend two days exploring this amazing find that seems to be still not discovered by the elite travelers, just the front line of backpackers and we will get to enjoy it while still pristine with small simple guest houses, no fancy Tourist Hotels yet. Our friend Rocky Guest House and associates will more than make up for it with amazing service and food! But most important, it is believed this is the home of Hanuman and the feeling is palpable!

Oct 18-19: Moving further back in time, we come to the Cave Temples of Badami, dating as far back as the 5th Century.  These caves will take your breath away. We will also visit the ancient Temple Complex at Pattadakal.

Oct 20: Dandeli is a wildlife refuge in the heart of the rain forest. An overnight stop here to take a couple of nature walks and a peaceful morning coracle ride on the river to listen to the sounds of the jungle waking up.

Then onwards:

Oct 21-23: Goa! Need we say more? We will stay off the beaten track where the beach is not overflowing with tourists and take a tour of the city and its surroundings with time for beach strolls and the famous Goanese food!

The Royal India Retreat:
Oct 23: We will fly onwards to Delhi, the Capital of India. Arriving in time for a little shopping and sightseeing before checking in for the night and a quiet dinner.

Oct 24: Drive to Agra: Taj Mahal!

If you have not seen it, there is no way you will be prepared for this. If you have, the second time is quite an eye opener indeed as you notice so much more!

Oct 25-26: Continue onwards into colorful Rajasthan to Jaipur, the Pink City. We will visit the Amber Palace, located at the top of the hill and most likely make the climb on elephant back! This is quite an amazing Palace to visit indeed!

Oct 26-27Pushkar! Stay in luxury tents. Ride on camels. Visit the famous Brahma Temple and shop around the lake for all kinds of amazing gifts (maybe even some for others:)

Oct 27-29Ranakpur. Some say the Jain Temples here are the most incredible of all. Arun fell in love with it when he was 19! After a late lunch continue to Udaipur. The Lake City. Our last most amazing Palace.

Oct 29-30: Fly back to Mumbai, get a good night’s sleep, next day sightsee and shop, rest and late at night (early 31st morning), fly home full of memories and also with full bags to remind us of the magic of India.

To learn more or to sign up for the Retreat: Please write Arun Deva at yogarasayana@gmail.com 
 

Special Price*: (space limited)
$3950 (PP)
All payments must be completed by July 15, 2015
*after July 15, if space is still available, prices will rise as per our additional costs.