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HRIDAYA RETREAT - ROMANIA
Kamala Yoga and Meditation Centre presents the Hridaya Retreat, a silent meditation retreat for the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart, to be held in Sanpentru (about 2km from the large and important city of Brasov), Romania, during the following period in 2011:
- 20 - 28 August, 2011 (8 days)
- 26 December, 2011 - 3 January, 2012 (8 days)
This special retreat focuses on the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart, our real and essential nature, the supreme and divine Self, âtman. During this immersion retreat, we will address broad aspects of the Spiritual Heart, from a variety of traditions including Christian esoteric, Sufi, and Kashmiri Shaivist traditions. English translation will be available.
The program aims to create an experience most resembling a solitary retreat (as in a cave, for example), with the intention to provide attendees with an opportunity to reach deep inner states of consciousness, intense aspiration for the Divine, and highly focused interiorization for the awakening and blossoming of the soul, jîva-âtman. This method is a unique integration of Advaita Vedanta, Sufism, Tantra, and Dzogchen.
This retreat is led by Yoga teacher Sahajananda (formerly Claudiu Trandafir), whose meditation, for years now, has been dedicated to the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart through Love and the opening of the soul. Sahajananda, an electronic engineer by education, was formerly a professor at the University of Parapsychology in Bucharest, Romania. He has been a Yoga teacher since 1985, specializing in solitary cave retreats, following the example of Ramana Maharshi and other Jnâna Yoga masters. After years of solitary retreats followed by spiritual accomplishment, in 2002 Sahajananda began to guide groups of people using this method and he has now led this special retreat for more than 1,000 participants across Europe and around the world since then. In 2007, he began to lead this retreat in Thailand at the Agama Yoga headquarters, a new tradition which continues monthly during the primary Koh Phangan teaching season.
During these years, Sahajananda has developed a method that gradually cultivates in participants the following attitudes:
- An inner awareness of all sensory perceptions and emotions which will gradually become, through sublimation, an awareness of the Spiritual Heart;
- The calming down of the mind (a state of peace of mind);
- The polarization between the individual soul and the divine Self, âtman, that is experienced as a state of very strong and profound aspiration and longing for God;
- The evocation of death of the physical body as a way of transcending desires and egotistical tendencies;
The act of powerfully evoking and experiencing the mystery of God’s presence inside our Hearts. To support the retreat, complete mauna (silence) must be maintained by all attendees. An atmosphere full of love and aspiration will be created in which participants can surrender to their real and essential nature. This retreat includes advice for guided meditation, lectures, and practical methods such as:
- Ramana Maharshi’s method of introspection (Self-inquiry, âtma vicâra, using the question “Who Am I?”)
- Techniques of stilling the mind using breath control
- Study of the symbolism of the Spiritual Heart
- Methods of Self-centering in everyday life
- Advice for maintaining awareness of the Spiritual Heart, in the tradition of the Fathers of the Desert (from Christianity)
- The Christian method of the Prayer of the Heart
- A proper understanding of Advaita Vedânta’s fundamental principles
- Methods of passing from individual consciousness to Cosmic Consciousness
- The four fundamental stages in the process of the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart
- Daily special meditations on themes connected with Self-Revelation
- Yogic methods that approach the issue of the Spiritual Heart
- Poetry
- Hatha Yoga sessions
Administrative Information
The opening meeting of the retreat will be held on its first day at 16:00. Thus for 2011:
- 20 August at 16:00
- 26 December at 16:00
During this meeting we will explain the guidelines for participants as well as some general principles of the retreat, and we will hold a first meditation together. All administrative details will be resolved during this session, so that when the retreat begins the following morning, the next six full days may be devoted exclusively to meditation and interiorization. The retreat will end after the afternoon meditation on the last full retreat day (28 August / 3 January), after which participants may share their retreat experiences with each other. On the morning following the official end of the retreat (29 August / 4 January) a last meeting for questions and answers will be held.
The program will be of approximately 10 hours per day (about 6.5 hours of meditation, 2 hours for lectures and the reading of inspirational texts, and 1.5 hours for Hatha Yoga practice), with two breaks (for lunch and dinner). The menu is lacto-ovo vegetarian; there are two meals per day (lunch and dinner).
The daily program of the Hridaya Retreat, a silent meditation retreat for the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart:
| 08.00 - 10.00 | Meditation |
| 10.00 - 11.15 | Lecture |
| 11.15 - 12.00 | Guided Hatha Yoga session |
| 12.00 - 12.30 | Meditation |
| 12.30 - 15.30 | Break |
| 15.30 - 18.30 | Meditation |
| 18.30 - 19.30 | Hatha Yoga individual session |
| 19.30 - 21.00 | Break |
| 21.00 - 22.30 |
Special daily meditation (the meditation session itself will be preceded by a short lecture presenting the topic of the day)
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The retreat is held in Sanpentru, a town about 2km from Brasov. The trip from the airport in Bucharest to Brasov takes about three hours, either by train or bus. Participation in this retreat is free. However, accommodation and meals for eight days per person total €180. Room accommodation is double occupancy. A deposit of €80 must be received by 5 July for the August retreat or 20 November for the December retreat, and the remainder of full payment must be made in advance. Please make payments to the following bank account:
IBAN: RO77 RNCB 0053 0485 7262 0002
SWIFT: RNCBROBU
BCR Bank
Bd. 15 Noiembrie nr. 90A
500102 Brasov
Romania
Account holder is:
SC Kamala SRL
Str. Lunga nr. 79
500035 Brasov
Romania
Registration is being coordinated by Kamala Yoga and Meditation Centre. Contact contact@kamala.ro or phone + 40 731 324 241 or+ 40 268 360 424 to make your reservation; registration is made in order of request.
Additionally, a trip will be held following the August retreat:
29 August - 2 September: Hridaya Spiritual Trip in Bucegi Mountains, Romania (5 days near Busteni, Romania)
Fee is €100; trip is fully residential (accommodation + 2 meals/day (breakfast and dinner)), fee includes transfers but not train tickets (from Bucharest to Busteni or from Brasov to Busteni). Reservation with €50 deposit due by 5 July, 2011.
For more information and booking, contact +40 268.360.424, +40 731.32.42.41 or email contact@kamala.ro
Affordable air travel for foreigners wishing to attend these events includes:
- Flights on www.cheapflights.co.uk London-Bucharest return: £117 (Czech Airlines: opodo.co.uk)
- Flights on www.malev.com Amsterdam-Bucharest return: €46
- Flights on www.tarom.ro/en Istanbul-Bucharest return: €187
- Flights on www.blueair.com Paris-Bucharest return (with similar prices for other origination cities): €75
- Flights on www.wizzair.com Madrid-Bucharest return (with similar prices for other origination cities): €150
Public transportation within Romania includes:
- Train from Bucharest to Brasov station
May the Sacred Tremor of the Heart enlighten our lives!
Return to hridaya retreat (revelation of the spiritual heart)