Category Archives: light

HEALING THE HEART, HEALING THE MIND

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Healing the Heart
is
Healing the Mind

NOW GOING ONLINE!

The heart is alive. In fact, it brings life to us with each pulsation, sending rivers of prāna flowing through our plasma, blood, muscle, fat, skeleton, marrow and finally, our vital reproductive juices. There it transforms into our very essence itself or leaves us to form a new life with another beautiful heartbeat singing its song!

This heart that is the fiery sun of our own universe, is ever producing our minds through its sensory rays and clear light! Mind as it spreads its venous tentacles to every sense organ so that we can fully experience the world around us. Mind that extends instinctively down into our bellies, so we vicariously feel each perceptive truth as a somatic experience. And mind, like a tree, sends its rising branches upwards to form our brain. Where we think, imagine, reason and occasionally perceive the highest truths.

And yet, we imprison this heart behind gates of arrogance, lust, hatred, greed, jealousy and pride. And we subject it cruelly to fears, unjustly to angers and unmercifully to grieving.

Our hearts are the key to our lives. Heal our heart and we heal our mind. In healing the mind we finally discard the undigested toxins of fear, anger and grief. And spontaneously and oh so creatively, the heart sings its joy and its simple innocent declaration- know me and know peace.

Upcoming Healing the Heart Online Workshop:

June 27. Now open for Registration. Space Limited.  Click here to Register.

July 11: Scheduled. Email adretreats@gmail.com for advance Registration!

 

 

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
In the Vedic tradition, the heart is the seat of emotions, of prāna and of our intrinsic immunity. It is also the origin of the mind and it is from the heart that the mind as emotions moves towards the brain for intellectual understanding and the gut for instinctive behavior. If we free our emotional seat from the siege of its enemies: fear, anger and grief then the rightful emotions of playfulness, innocence and joy rule supreme once again. It is a journey of remembrance. One we should all take together. Yoga and Āyurveda show us the way to do so.
WORKSHOP CURRICULA:
The Heart as Seat of Mind
The Qualities of the Heart: Creativity, Innocence and Joy
The Enemies of the Heart: Fear, Anger and Grief
The Allies of the Heart: Resolve, Patience and Faith
PLUS
Practicum: Emotional Intelligence Yoga Practice: Healing The Heart/Healing The Mind (separate practice video)
Understanding Heart Disease Through Āyurveda: Treating Through Yoga (Bonus separate video)

 A heart to heart prayer:

May we together be each others protection.
May we together nourish each other.
May we together become each others strength.
May we together become wise.
May we always be friends.
May we support each other in finding peace.

May your breath always be at peace!

RASA BHAVA: healing the emotional body

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ENCINITAS- AUGUST 26/27:
RASA BHĀVA
HEALING THE EMOTIONAL BODY
with Yoga & Āyurveda
WEEKEND WORKSHOP

CURRICULUM:

Saturday August 26th
10AM-Noon: Foundational aspects of Ayurveda and Yoga and where they intersect in therapy. Connecting sattva (clarity) rajas (restlessness) and tamas (inertia) to our individual natures of vāta, pitta and kapha: personalizing our emotional healing.
1-4PM: Understanding the tools of yoga in emotional therapy. We will examine the roles of kriya, vinyāsā, āsana, prānāyāma, mudra, bandhā, japā, dhāranā and dhyāna. That is cleansing breathing, sequencing to place in intelligent postures, awareness breathing, external and internal symbolization, internal locks, chanting, becoming aware through breath and body and finally sitting in awareness.
4:30-6PM: Svatantra Nyāya: Finding that the logic inherent within wisdom and compassion equates with love and intelligence. This is the deeper healing, where we end up when we have learned the logic of the body as correct action, breath as correct speech and mind as superior contemplation.
Sunday August 27th
10AM-1PM: Practical Session that will utilize all the yogic tools we speak about on Saturday so we can actualize the experience of emotional stability. A short talk will close out any additional needed explanations at the end. All levels of healthy practitioners are welcome. If you have special injuries or needs you may also observe the practice. It can be just as powerful.

Cost: $150/$175 at the door.
Please note that this workshop will be held at a private studio.
It is limited to 15 people.
Please register or inquire further at adretreats@gmail.com


HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONAL BODY?
The link between the mind and the different organs/systems of the body is  well researched and documented in Ayurveda. Now the progressive field of psychotherapy has related our instincts to our reptilian stem, our emotional to the limbic, and the rational to our neo-cortex. In Āyurveda, however, the mind is not restricted to this structure, instead it begins in the heart, reaches downwards into the gut and upwards into the brain. The connections are easy to see as seats of instincts, feelings and sensation/thought. Therefore, all our instincts and our rational thinking revolve around the mediating emotional state. When our emotional state is one of creativity, innocence and joy, we see beauty, feel compassion and instinctually open to universal waves of loving. However, when our emotions are dominated by fear, anger and grief, we become susceptible to the 6 enemies of the mind: lust, rage, greed, jealousy, envy and delusion. And our thinking and functionality begins to operate from these states. In Ayurveda, it is also said that if you wish to conquer these six enemies, there is no better pathway than that of yoga (sattvavajaya cikitsa). After years of personal practice, study and teaching on the relationship of the emotional body to our health and our peace of mind, the results I have gained offer clear, succinct information on the use of these yogic tools. We will do an actual practice to show their effectiveness in transforming fear, anger and grief into creativity, innocence and joy.

After 7 years of teaching this at the Sivananda Yoga Farm, Grass Valley; we are pleased to be able to bring it to Encinitas; and later this year to Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. If you would like it closer to your own hometown, do reach out! adretreats@gmail.com

TESTIMONIAL:
The first time I attended Arun Deva’s Emotional Intelligence workshop, I was literally blown away.  I could not even take notes as it was so fascinating.  I then decided I needed to hear it again – and this time I managed to take notes.  We all know what note-taking ends up being – another pile of papers that are pushed aside somewhere, never again to be referred to.  Not in this case.  Arun’s material is so totally right on, so very timely – I have referred to it many, many times – not only for students and/or clients, but for me as well.  Thank you Arun for sharing this meaningful knowledge – EI is a gorgeous workshop.  I recommend it highly to one and all. 
A. Abhaya Geyer, C-IAYT; AHE-300, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist/Educator, Yoga Instructor, Ayurvedic Health Educator

TO REGISTER: adretreats@gmail.com

The Forest Sage India Retreat 2016!

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The Forest Sage India Retreat 2016!
Oct 14-26.
The practice of the yoga sutra
 

I have, for long, contemplated teaching the yoga sutra’s of Bhagvan Patanjali. Never being ready. Once I visited Jim’s Jungle Retreat I knew this is where I wanted to do it. It was in the forests that they were first heard.
We will practice and meditate on select sutra’s by bringing in an Ayurvedic perspective. So we understand their secrets for extraordinary healing potential.
We will take safaris to visit the animals, birds, forest & jungle, perhaps the local village and the little sleepy town: by jeep, by foot and if you like, by elephant.
In Rishikesh (home of the Ganges and the Seven Sages) we will do evening prayers on the river, perhaps shoot some rapids on her feisty water, visit a very special Shiva Temple, delve a little more into Ayurveda, visit the evening bazaar and umm, the Beatles Ashram.
-Arun Deva

Come join Jutta Hecht, Anjali Deva and me for the Forest Sage India 2016! Retreat. This is an intimate, space limited retreat***

To sign up or inquire: write yogarasayana@gmail.com

Itinerary:

Oct 14th: Arrive Delhi early morning. Humayun’s Tomb and Janpath Market

Oct 15: Early morning drive to Jim’s Jungle Retreat in Corbett National Park

 

Oct 15-21: Corbett National Park.
Daily activity:
Morning yoga/Jeep Safari
Brunch
Workshop: Yoga Sutra Patanjali
Hi Tea
Evening Pranayama /Jungle Walk
Documentary
Dinner
(Optional activities include Elephant Safari & Bird Watching Tour)

Oct 22: Drive to Rishikesh. Evening River Puja on the Ganges

Oct 23: Shiva Temple and the Beatles Museum/Intro to Ayurveda/Pranayama
Oct 24: Morning yoga. Free day. (River Rafting option or visit Ananda Spa). Evening Puja at Parmath Niketana.

Oct 25: Morning yoga. Ayurveda Daily Living Talk. Drive to Haridvar to catch the evening train to Delhi. Arrive Delhi late night.
Oct 26: Delhi: Sightseeing/shopping. Lotus Temple and Khan Market

Oct 27: Early morning flight/Retreat ends.

To sign up or inquire: write yogarasayana@gmail.com

Early Bird Special Till May 30th:  $3750
A deposit* of $500 will insure your price till July 1st.
After May 30th: $4250
All payments** must be completed by August 1st
After July 15, prices will rise to meet additional costs of late room and transportation bookings.
*Deposits are refundable at $250 till August 1st, after August 1st no refunds will be issued.
** No payments will be refunded after August 1st. All unfinished deposits will not be refunded nor applicable to offered prices but subject to new prices based on additional costs of late room and transportation bookings.
*** This Retreat focuses on the practice of self-inquiry based on the study of the yoga sutra of Patanjali and the wisdom of Ayurvedic living.

To sign up or inquire: write yogarasayana@gmail.com

Fine Print:
The above prices include the following:

  • All group travel as stated. Any personally requested additional travel would be at your cost
  • Airport pick up and drop off
  • Lectures, yoga, pranayama with Arun, Jutta and Anjali. Any personal consultations will be subject to time, availability and additional cost.

AT JIM’S JUNGLE RETREAT:

  • Shared Double Occupancy Luxury Cottages
    (Some cottages sleep 4 based on double occupancy per room. We will fill these last or use for family occupancy). (Please note, that the surcharge for single occupancy is substantially high)
  • 2 Jungle Safaris per person (by Jeep) (Optional Elephant Safari available at cost)
  • Afternoon Jungle Walks
  • Yoga Sutra Studies 
  • Morning Yoga
  • Evening Pranayama
  • Includes one massage per person (additional massages arranged at discounted prices)
  • All meals (includes Brunch, Hi Tea and Dinner)
  • Refreshments available in between meals including all non alcoholic drinks
  • Laundry services
  • Please note: Jungle Jim’s Retreat is WiFi free

IN DELHI AND RISHIKESH:

  • Shared Double Occupancy Rooms (Single Occupancy may be available at additional cost. Please inquire)
  • Breakfast
  • All group transfers, sightseeing and excursions as mentioned. (includes Neelkantha Shiva Temple and Beatles Ashram if open)
  • All currently applicable taxes.
  • Visit to Neelkantha Shiva Temple and Beatles Ashram
  • Evening Puja at Ganges

What is NOT included:

  • Airfare/travel not specifically included above, including to/from your own starting and ending destinations, whether in the Americas, Europe, India or elsewhere.
  • Tipping. (We will pool tips for Group Tipping wherever applicable. We estimate this to work out to around $100 total per person)
  • Additional costs you may incur as a result of taking this trip including but not limited to passports, visas and other incidentals.
  • Additional incidentals you may incur such as laundry (except at Jim’s Jungle retreat), phone calls, internet, alcoholic beverages, any foods or drinks not specifically covered above, or any items of a personal nature that are not expressly mentioned above.
  • All meals not expressly mentioned above. (Exclusions include lunches and dinners outside of Jim’s Jungle Retreat)
  • Any transportation not expressly included above.
  • Any additional expenditure not expressly covered above whether of an individual nature or voluntarily as part of a group. No additional expenditure will be required of you that is not voluntary and not covered above.
With light,
Arun, Jutta and Anjali

To sign up or inquire: write yogarasayana@gmail.com

ANNOUNCING INDIA 2016!

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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