- LIVE ONLINE PROGRAM
July 2 – 5, 2021
Heal your Heart, Free Your Mind through Mantra, Meditation, Japa and Sacred Sound
FREE PROGRAM 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND RETREAT
Friday – Monday
Sign Up For the Free Retreat
Join us for 4 days of immersion into sacred sound, mantra, chanting and music. Discover how you can deepen your meditation practice and take it to a higher level.
Join ashram staff and guest presenters and experience the art of mantra chanting and the science of sacred sound. Enjoy uplifting concerts of classical Indian music, sufi music and kirtan. Practice daily yoga, meditation, deep relaxation and breathing. Discover the the benefits of Nada, Japa, Mantra and Bhakti Yoga for healing your body, freeing your mind, and uplifting your soul.
Rukmini Chaitanya will host renowned presenters: Dr. Menas Kafatos, Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan, A. Pavan, Amir Vahab, Graham Schweig, Narayan Jyoti, Swami Hridyananda, Swami Brahamanda, Swami Paramananda, Jnaneswari Chaitanya.
Retreat Includes:
- Evening talks with guest presenters on sound, mantra, healing, and meditation
- Concerts of Classical Indian music, Sufi music and kirtan
- Mid-day experiential workshops on meditation, breathing, and the power of sacred sound
- Two daily yoga classes with experienced yoga teachers (including classes for beginners, advanced, hip openers, meditative classes, and more)
- Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation) sessions
- Two Satsangs daily (guided meditation, chanting, and a talk)
- One week access to all the recordings in case you cannot attend the live sessions.
Daily Schedule:
6:00 – 7:30am ET: Morning Satsang
8:30 – 10:00am ET: Yoga class
12:00 – 1:30pm ET: Workshop
4:30 – 6:00pm ET: Yoga class
8:00pm – 10:00pm ET: Evening satsang
Retreat Schedule:
Friday, July 2
6:00-7:00 PM: Introductory talk with Rukmini Chaitanya: Mantra and Sacred Sound
8:00-10:00 PM: Evening Satsang with Pooja Goswami Pavan and A. Pavan: Classical Indian Vocal Concert
Saturday, July 3
6:00 – 7:30 AM: Morning satsang with Rukmini Chaitanya: Nada Yoga and the 4 levels of sound
8:30 – 10:00 AM: Meditative Yoga Class with Parvati Maria
12:00- 1:30 PM: Workshop with Swami Hridyananda: Open Your Heart and Free your Voice through Mantra Chanting and Kirtan
2:00-3:00 PM: Yoga Nidra – Deep relaxation with Narayani Chaitanya
4:30-6:00 PM: Yoga Class with Pranava Chaitanya with focus on hip openers
8:00-10:00 PM: Evening Satsang with Amir Vahab: Concert of Sacred Sufi Music
Sunday, July 4
6:00-7:30 AM: Morning Satsang – Kirtan Concert with Narayan Jyoti
8:30-10:00 AM: Yoga Class with Swami Paramananda
12:00 – 1:30 PM: Workshop with Rukmini Chaitanya: how to cultivate Bhakti (Devotion) in your Japa Meditation Practice
4:30-6:00 PM: Gentle Yoga Class with Krishna Chaitanya
8:00-10:00 PM: Evening satsang with Graham Schweig: Inner Pilgrimage into The Whole Heart: japa, mantra, and kirtana.
Description: The power of japa, the purpose and function of mantra, and how kīrtana is meant to penetrate the whole-heart, hṛdaya pūrṇam.
Monday, July 5
6:00-7:30 AM: Morning Satsang with Jnaneswari Chaitanya: Working with a Spiritual Diary for spiritual development and growth
8:30-10:00 AM: yoga class with Arjuna
12:00-1:30 PM: Swami Brahmananda on Concentration in japa meditation practice
4:30-6:00 PM: Yoga class with Agnes
8:00-10:00 PM: Evening satsang with Dr. Menas Kafatos: Quantum Physics and the Science of Sound: Mantra, Sound and Form
Presenters:
Menas Kafatos
Menas Kafatos, PhD, is a quantum physicist, cosmologist, and climate-change researcher who works extensively on consciousness. He has 46 years of experience in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research, and he holds seminars and workshops for individuals and organizations on the natural laws that apply everywhere and are the foundations of the universe.
Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan
Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan is a Hindustani classical vocalist, composer, teacher and scholar. Growing up in an environment of music and theater, she developed a deep interest in composing music to verses in Hindi and Urdu. The versatility in Pooja’s repertoire is evident in her ability to sing Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufiana Kalam and folk genres such as the Hori, Chaiti & Kajri besides the Khayal. Pooja was trained in Hindustani music by Pandit Surendra Goswami, Professor Ajit Singh Paintal and continues her advanced training in Khayal with her brother Professor Shailendra Goswami. She has also been trained in semi-classical music by the eminent vocalist Vidushi Shanti Hiranand. Pooja received a Ph.D. in Indian Classical Music from the University of Delhi.
A. Pavan
Dr. Pavan, Ph.D., based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, is a Tabla player and teacher. He initially trained in Tabla under Sri G. Laxmiah and has studied with several masters over the years. He presently trains with Sri Rajendra Nakod and Ustad Shabbir Nisar, the illustrious son and disciple of the Tabla legend Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan. He has performed for Katha Dance Theater, Pangea World Theater, and Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) in several productions and concerts. Pavan also appears on recordings of world/fusion music with many Minnesota based artists. Pavan co-composed and performed with Nirmala Rajasekar, Minnesota based Veena artist, the score for Pangea World Theater’s production “Partitions” in 2002, and the score for “5 Weeks” in 2017 with Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan, his wife, who is a Hindustani vocalist, teacher and composer.
Amir Vahab
Amir Vahab, honored as both a peacemaker and virtuoso, is one of New York’s most celebrated and distinguished composers and vocalists of Sufi and folk music. Weaving fiery instrumentals and songs of the historic lands of the Middle East and Central Asia, his work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional and mystical sensibilities. His music symbolizes diversity-in-unity and, while rooted in tradition, has been influenced by contemporary sounds. Amir teaches and lectures to private and group classes in universities, libraries, museums, and cultural centers and organizes music therapy and sound healing workshops.
Graham M. Schweig
Graham M. Schweig, PhD, E-RYT 500 | YACEP, is a practitioner of meditation and heart-centered yoga for more than 50 years. He leads workshops, seminars, and lectures on yoga and religion in the United States and Europe, and has travelled to India twelve times and lived in India for a year on a Smithsonian funded research grant.
Graham holds a doctorate from Harvard University in comparative religion with a specialization in sacred Sanskrit yoga literature. He is a professor of philosophy and religion and director of religion studies at Christopher Newport University and a distinguished teaching and research faculty at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley.
Swami Hridyananda
Swami Hridyananda is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and senior staff at the Yoga Retreat. She has spent over 35 years teaching different aspects of yoga, as well as teaching in Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses. She also teaches meditation, thought power, chanting, and supports individuals on their inner transformative journey.
Swami Brahmananda is Manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat and senior staff of the Sivananda organization. A long-time practitioner of yoga, he regularly teaches yoga philosophy and meditation for the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses as well as meditation immersion courses. He is a much-loved, inspiring, and knowledgeable teacher.
Swami Paramananda
Swami Paramananda is the manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch and longtime teacher of Sivananda Yoga Teacher Trainings in the Bahamas, New York, and India. A much-loved teacher admired for his humor, warmth, and devotion to the practice, he seamlessly weaves classical yoga teachings into modern daily life.
Rukmini Chaitanya
Rukmini Chaitanya is a senior staff member of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas, and the personal assistant to Swami Swaroopananda, the Acharya, or spiritual director of the Ashram. She regularly teaches the Bhagavad Gita during the Sivananda Yoga Teacher training as well as other courses on the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, positive thinking, meditation, and yoga philosophy.
Rukmini Chaitanya is known for her enthusiastic and inspiring teaching style as well as for her devotion to the lineage and the scriptures. She is dedicated to each of her students and has an innate desire to share knowledge with them. She brings a great deal of clarity to every topic and is highly appreciated for her capacity to unfold complicated topics and present them in a coherent and pure way.
Jnaneshwari Chaitanya
Jnaneshwari Chaitanya is a senior staff member and
teacher of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat. An experienced and devoted
practitioner, she is an inspiring and insightful teacher of Yoga and Vedanta in
Yoga Teacher Training Courses and many other the ashram programs. Jnaneshwari
Chaitanya is known for her clear and pure way of communicating yogic knowledge
and it application in daily life, and is especially known for her skill in
teaching the Bhagavad Gita.
Narayan Jyoti (Ron Paz)
Raised on the foundations of the traditional Sivananda yoga path, Narayan Jyoti is a Sivananda Yoga Teacher, musician, and a healer. A personal student of the founder of ThetaHealing, he is a certified ThetaHealing Master and Certificate of Science, receiving his credentials at the certificate creation in 2009. He is the co-creator of ThetaHealing The Body Sings: An Official ThetaHealing Elective course in the art of the Heart Song and is the creator of Rise Beyond Fear and Doubt, an online mindfulness program.
Additional Information:
- This program is offered live through Zoom webinar.
- No experience necessary. This program is open to beginners as well as advanced practitioners.
- Viewing Device: Desktop or laptop computer will provide the best experience, although you can also connect via a tablet or smartphone.
- Internet connection: High-speed broadband wired or wireless is best.
- Video: Download Zoom to your computer, or install the Zoom app to your device. For interactive group sessions, a webcam or integrated camera will allow others to feel more connected with you.
- Audio: Headphone speakers are recommended.