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Intensive Meditation Retreats
with Swami Jnaneshvara
at Sadhana Mandir (Swami Rama Ashram),
on the River Ganges,
Rishikesh, India
November 17 - December 7, 2010
(or Nov 17 - Nov 26 for a 10-day retreat)
March 7 - 27, 2011
November 14 - December 4, 2011

(Sadhana Mandir Ashram website)
(HIHT Hospital, University and Swami Rama Center)
(Go back to Calendar main page)

During these retreats, I joyfully devote several hours a day to serving a handful of people who are dedicated readers and practitioners of the principles and practices on the SwamiJ.com website, as well as those described in the books of Swami Rama. There is nothing I would rather do than spend time with sincere people in this way. If you are not familiar with my website or the teachings of Swami Rama, this may possibly not be the best retreat for you.

Classes are interactive, and you are expected to fully participate in all scheduled discussions and practices. Our philosophy is that programs such as these should be both fun and useful, and that this happens best with open interaction rather than purely lecture style.

If you feel strongly drawn to spending time together, and learning and practicing in this way, this might be a life changing or affirming time for you. If your interests are other than these, you will find a wide range of other programs in Rishikesh, as well as at our own ashram on different dates. This is a meditation retreat in alignment with the principles and practices of the Himalayan meditation tradition. If your interest is merely so-called "spiritual tourism" in India, this is not the program for you; you would be quite dissatisfied if you came.

Please do not use this retreat or our ashram as a time/place to detoxify/withdraw from either prescription or illicit drug use. If you are under treatment for mental or emotional issues, you may find the self-awareness emphasis of these principles and practices to be too much for you, and it would be better for you to find some different program at our ashram or elsewhere.

Please do not use this retreat or our ashram as a hotel, as a place to simply start your tourist travels in India. Do not just register with the intent to stay for a few days and then move on to other locations. If you wish to travel like that, you might do better to start with the many hotels and guest houses at Ram Jhule and Lasman Jhule in Rishikesh. These are well described in The Lonely Planet Guide and other tourist information books.

While our days together will be rich and full, there will also be time for quiet reflection and walks along the Ganges, which is immediately beside the ashram.

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara (Bio)
 

The programs include:

  • Witnessing, self-awareness and mindfulness practices, and discussions. The discussions will be based on guided practices and your "witnessing" practices between sessions.

  • Group discussion sessions will draw upon the yoga sutras, articles from SwamiJ.com, and some of the writings of Swami Rama.

  • Guided meditation and/or yoga nidra several times per week

  • Video lectures of Swami Rama

  • Four silent meditation times per day

  • Training in systematically integrating hatha yoga postures, pranayama, and meditation for each of the four daily meditation times

  • Personal coaching on breathing and pranayama practices

  • Time for quiet reflection and walks along the Ganges

Materials:

Please download, print, and bring with you these five articles (total of 143 pages). We will use these often for reflection, discussion and self-awareness practices.

We will also discuss some the files below and use them as focal points for practices. Please decide whether you want to download/print them all, purchase them through Lulu (my page at Lulu.com), or print out only individual pages that you would like to discuss during the retreat. I am not asking you to print out all 243 pages below, unless you wish to do so.

Books:

Conscious Living and The Essence of Spiritual Life are very practical, yet thorough descriptions of the inner journey. We will use these two books for some of our conversations, based in part on your readings of them. Samadhi is more detailed and we will use it more for reference than thorough discussion. You can bring the three Swami Rama books with you or purchase them at the ashram bookstore. While we will not be going through these books page-by-page, you will find them to be great reading in your free times.

  • Conscious Living by Swami Rama (ISBN 8188157031; Amazon)

  • The Essence of Spiritual Life (ISBN 8190100491; Amazon)

  • Samadhi by Swami Rama (ISBN 8188157015; Amazon)

Typical day:

Following is a general schedule outline. While there will be several events each day, not all of the listings below will happen each and every day, as there will be "off" time, particularly some afternoons so that there is time for trips to the market. The program is flexible, and we will shift to accommodate the needs of the participants.

5:45-6:30am Tea and hot lemon water

6:30-7:15am Training in Hatha Yoga, Pranayama and Systematic Meditation
     (After the first week or so, we may adjust this to being self-directed
     preparation and meditation time, as participants gain proficiency.)
              
7:15-8:00am Meditation #1
     7:15-7:30am: Preparation (Asanas, relaxation, pranayama)
     7:30-8:00am: Meditation
 
8:00 Breakfast
8:30 Walk, reading, reflection, personal time
 
9:30 Group class, discussion, and training (daily, except Monday)

11:00-12:00 Meditation #2
     11:00-11:30: Preparation (Asanas, relaxation, pranayama)
     11:30-12:00+: Meditation

12:00 Walk, reading, reflection, personal time
 
1:00 Lunch
1:30 Walk, reading, reflection, personal time
 
2:00pm: Videos of Swami Rama lectures (daily, except Saturday)
4:00 Tea
4:30 Walk, reading, reflection, personal time
 
5:30-6:30pm Meditation #3
     5:30-6:00pm: Preparation (Asanas, relaxation, pranayama)
     6:00-6:30pm+: Meditation
6:45-7:30: Supper
 
7:30 Satsang and discussion of self-awareness practices (Except Thursday)

9:00 Personal hatha, pranayama, and meditation #4
     9:00-9:15: Preparation (Asanas, relaxation, pranayama)
     9:15-9:45+: Meditation

OFF TIME (Exceptions to above schedule):
     SAT afternoon off
     THU evening off
     MON morning off

These free times are intended to be used for your personal readings and for quiet reflection or conversations about program experiences, not for shopping excursions or sightseeing. Please take such trips before or after the meditation retreat; this will greatly help your retreat experience. Please plan to stay in the ashram during the meditation retreat unless you have urgent needs. Internet shop is a short walk (about 10-12 minutes) from the ashram and can be easily visited after lunch. There is also a daily needs store just beside the internet shop for items such as soap and toothpaste.

Orientation session:

Our orientation session will be Sunday evening, March 6, 7:30pm. Please plan your travels such that you will be in the ashram and in the meditation hall at this time for the orientation session.

Closing session:

Our closing session will be Sunday morning, March 27, with the "official" closing to be at noon, after our late morning meditation together. Please plan your departure for sometime after this closing session.

10-day retreat:

If you would like to participate in the retreat, but do not have three weeks available due to your other obligations, please come for 10 days, from Marcy 7 until March 16. The orientation session will be Tuesday evening, March 6, 7:30pm (the same as for the 3-week retreat). Please plan your travels such that you will be in the ashram and in the meditation hall at this time for the orientation session. Please plan your departure for afternoon of March 16. The morning session of March 16 will be devoted to any questions you may have, and enjoying your farewell with the other participants.

Register early:

If you would like to participate, please do not wait long to let us know of your interest, as there is limited space. If the program is full, you will be added to a waiting list in case of cancellations.

To register, please do two things:

1) Register by contacting Ms. Kamal through the ashram website at SadhanaMandir.org. You can write her directly by email. There are forms that she will want you to complete and return to her.
SPECIAL NOTE: As of July 25, 2010 I have noticed that the "Programs" link on the website is not working with Firefox browser on either pc system or Mac system. It also does not work on Mac using Safari browser. It does work with Internet Explorer on pc system. Therefore, you may be unable to get to the description page, the registration form, or the email of Kamal unless you are using a pc and Internet Explorer. I have written to her to advise her of this problem. Please be patient and try again in a day or two or go to a pc computer that uses Internet Explorer. Or, try this direct link to the program page. Thanks for your patience.

2) Please also contact me directly so that we can discuss your meditation retreat via email before we are together in the ashram. Please explain in some detail why think that you and I should spend so much time together over these three weeks, and what you hope to gain from this.

Fees:

Double occupancy only, as space is limited.
Duration: 3 weeks, application is required (above)
Program fee: Rs. 600 per day (US$1 = approx. Rs.45.5, or about $13/day) (includes food and lodging)
Other lodging is available at nearby hotels if you wish (you'll need to arrange your own bookings)

This is very inexpensive for international travelers, but is priced this way for sincere seekers who feel a deep personal resonance with these teachings. We will also have a means for you to anonymously donate to our ashram, hospital and university (about 20km away) for its charitable work if you wish. There is no expectation for you to donate, however, and you will not be pressured to give money. At the same time, however, donations are sincerely appreciated to support the charitable work.

Transportation:

You will have to arrange your own transportation, including airline if international, and domestic transportation within India. People have a wide range of preferences, so it is best that you explore these yourself. However, if you want a couple tips of who you can easily deal with for your transportation within India, or from the Delhi airport, you may wish to contact these people:

Ajanta Hotel: This is a moderately priced hotel in the Pahar Ganj area of New Delhi, near the New Delhi Railway Station. They focus on serving the needs of foreign visitors. They will send a car to the airport to pick you up. They also have a travel agency that can help you arrange train, bus, or car transport to Rishikesh, as well as other tours and travels. There are obviously many other hotel choices, and I list Ajanta Hotel here only because I personally know of them and have stayed there often.

Triveni Travels: I have known Mr. Bhuta Ram of Rishikesh for over 12 years, and have found him to be consistently reliable. He will send one of his taxis from Rishikesh to either meet you at your hotel in Delhi or at the airport if you wish to come directly to Rishikesh. His is also a full service travel agency.

If you wish to explore other travel options, the book Lonely Planet Guide for India is extremely good. It is widely available through online sellers and travel stores.

Visa: Indian visa is required for most people from most countries. Proper type is a "tourist" visa. If you are in US, your visa is through Travisa. I don't know about Indian visa application from other countries.

Other activities while in Rishikesh and India: If you wish to do other travels during your visit to the ashram and India, please arrange these during the days before and after the meditation retreat, so that you can fully engage in the meditation retreat itself without interruption. There will, of course, be times during our days for brief visits to the internet shop and daily needs stores which are only a short walking distance from the ashram.

Maps and Photos


 

Front part of the ashram. This is the lower building
that can be seen in the satellite photos above.
 

 



 

 

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This site is devoted to presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of the Tradition of the Himalayan masters in simple, understandable and beneficial ways, while not compromising quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which complement one another like fingers on a hand. We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha, and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the Absolute.