4 Day Heart Awakening Silent Meditation Retreat

The 4 day silent residential retreat consists of three full days of silence and practice and two half days (one to arrive and settle and one to integrate and depart).

The program provides space for meditation, deep relaxation and self-exploration while observing noble silence (mauna)

This format of retreat provides enough time to unwind, restore, and explore the opportunities brought by a sincere and committed practice. This duration is a great introduction to the practice of meditation for beginners and can also serve to enrich and refresh the practice of experienced meditators.

All Heart Awakening silent retreats are suitable for beginners and for experienced meditators alike.

Dates: 2nd - 6th June 2023 (Queen's birthday long weekend)

2nd June, Friday, is the arrival day, with time for registration, accommodation, dinner and an intro session - arrival to the venue is expected between 4 and 5pm

5th June, Monday late evening coming out of silence

6th June, Tuesday - morning practice, integration, time to pack & departure by 10-11am

Food:

The retreat offers the opportunity to experience a healthy, balanced "sattvic" diet to support the practice of meditation. The catering provides freshly prepared simple vegan meals, nourishing yet light.

Three meals daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fruit and tea are available throughout the day and dinner upon departure and breakfast before leaving are also provided

No meat, dairy, coffee or refined sugar is served which facilitates detox and rejuvenation for the body

Accommodation:

Strathean provides good quality accommodation, mostly in twin or single rooms, set amongst beautiful natural surroundings. All bathroom facilities are shared.

A warm purpose built yoga space surounded by tortara forest hosts all the sessions of the retreat.

https://stratheanretreat.nz/venue-hire/facilities/

Included are 4 nights and 3 full days with 3 vegan meals/day

Pricing:

Early bird shared $590  (expired)

Early bird single room $690 (expired)

Early bird private cabin - $690 (expired)

Standard price (shared twin room or in a spacious 4 beds room) - $680

Private single room - $780 (sold out)

Private cabin (small distance from the centre) - $780 

*All prices include GST

~A non-refundable deposit of $150 NZD (including an administrative fee of $50) is to be paid upon subscription, the rest of payment due up to a week before the retreat starts  - use the credit card system below to book or get in touch via email radha.heartawakening@gmail.com to book with a bank transfer

~ EARLY BIRD price applies to all bookings made before the 12th February 2023

(If signing up with the EB price, it is still only expected to put through the non-refundable deposit before the deadline, then the rest is due up to a week before the retreat starts)

~ Repeat retreaters discount of $50 off the total price

Limited spaces - maximum of 21 participants

*WHAT IS A SILENT RETREAT?

A silent retreat means that everyone participating observes mauna, noble silence. No conversations, but also no use of phone or any devices, not even reading. This external vow of silence may seem harsh or difficult, yet it is actually a very natural and normal once begun and inevitably brings an experience of deep peace. In an environment with less information intake, the mind gets the chance to quiet down and meditation is natural and easy.  Being in silence is a very unique, deeply purifying and enlightening experience. It creates space for a deep insight and a proper reset for the mind and the emotions.

*WHY MEDITATION?

Meditation is known for thousands of years as one of the most powerful practices, within and outside of spiritual context. It is good not only for creating a state of calm or relaxation, but also is the best known path to self-knowledge and self-love. When we retreat into silence beyond mind, there is an unmistakable feeling of being back home, in the heart of being, a sense of connection and purpose.

*WHY "HEART AWAKENING"?

The retreat  is held in the tradition of Hridaya Yoga. Hridaya (meaning the Spiritual Heart) is a spiritual path based on the philosophy of non-duality, advaita, and the teachings of the great Indian sage Ramana Maharishi. Nevertheless, it combines techniques from all authentic spiritual traditions (Buddhism, Sufism, Yoga, Christian mysticism) and sacred poetry reading in order to provide a broad and comprehensive view in the search for the Self. A search that starts and ends in the Heart. “An awakened heart leads to an entirely new way of looking at life, yourself, others, society and ultimately at the whole created order. What that means in practical and everyday terms will differ for each of us.”- Peter Spink Awakening of the Heart and through the Heart - a path of revealing love as the very essence of our being. Just as Rumi said, "Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there"

*WHY DO A RETREAT?

Creating a quiet and supportive environment, a group retreat is the best way to immerse yourself into Self Enquiry and silence and reap the benefits of it.  How often do we take time for ourselves? With no devices on, and no agenda, with no scattered information for our mind to process? A silent retreat is possibly the only way to truly experience deepening in our meditation practice, purification on all levels and the chance for insight and actual inner transformation.  In the space of a retreat where all is provided and catered for you, pure food and no intoxicants, you can allow yourself the treat to just Be, rejoice in the wisdom of the Heart, heal and restore.

*WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

The sessions of the retreat include presentation of techniques from different meditation and mystical traditions and the time to practice them, inspirational talks sharing the vision of Non-duality (Advaita Vedanta) and a daily Hridaya hatha yoga practice to relax the body and harmonise the energies.  A retreat suitable both for beginners and for people with an established practice, looking for expanding the their practice . It opens the doors to he practice of Hridaya meditation and provides you with the tools to establish your own meditation practice. Hridaya meditation has proven benefits on all levels of our being - physical health, mental clarity, emotional release, deeper self-knowledge, loss of anxiety and rekindled spark for Life, lived in alignment with our innermost truth and with an open heart. There might be some challenge faced in the process, yet a retreat is always a very rewarding experience with something to offer for everyone's specific needs. It can be a great way to reset, to restart, and it can provide with time for contemplation and a quality decision making.

Daily Schedule:

7.00 - 8.30 - Meditation sessions (with a break)

8.30 - 9.00 - Breakfast

9.00 - 9.45 - Karma Yoga

9.45 - 10.45 - Teachings

11.00 -13.00 - Hatha yoga and Meditation (with a break)

13.15 - 16.00 - Lunch and rest, time for walks or journalling

16.00 - 16.50 - Yoga practice (relaxation/pranayama)

17.00 - 18.30 - Meditation sessions (with a break)

18.30 - 19.30 - Dinner

19.30 - 21.00 - Questions and answers, Evening Meditation Practice

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About the facilitator:

Radha Iveta is a Bulgarian born certified Yoga and Meditation teacher. In 2014 she completed her 500h teacher training course at the Hridaya yoga community in Mexico where she had lived immersed in the teachings for several years. Ever since, she has been teaching classes, courses, workshops, silent meditation retreats and yoga teacher trainings globally, yet mostly in her country of residence, New Zealand. Radha's passion for silent retreats grew big while living and serving in the Hridaya Yoga community where 10 days of each month were spent in mauna, noble silence. After participating in numerous retreats, Radha started coordinating them for the school and later on, also on her own. She's facilitated retreats in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Norway and New Zealand, with duration from 1  to 10 days.

More information on https://www.heartawakening.org/

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TESTIMONIALS from previous retreats:

"The retreat was incredible. Truly magical and inspiring. Life changing. A finding of the self. A wonderful gift. More than I imagined. A coming home to me and a space that allowed me to do so.

I learned that everything I longed for is here, within me, accessible to me. I learned about my true self and ways to access my true self in the heart" - V.G.

"The retreat was heart opening, it has changed my perspective on so many aspects of life, including a complete change in my daily yoga/ meditation practice. I feel more centred and grounded in unexpected and delightful ways. It was  challenging at times, mostly relaxing and often blissful. I learned how to truly meditate, how to ground myself, how to be more compassionate towards myself and others and how to move more intentionally." - G.B.

"It was amazing. I didn’t exactly know what I was coming to, but it has left me the calmest and most grounded I have ever felt. I have learnt so much and feel I will forever be different. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself." - H. T.

"No matter what your experience level with either yoga or meditation, the silent retreat is a very blissful and enriching event. I felt safe, well looked-after and guided and loved the entire time. Although I was hesitant about my feelings to be in silence for so long, it came very naturally. The whole group carried one another and you never felt out of place or not 100% accepted in the way you are." - P.S.

"An amazing journey from being stressed, anxious and confused about my life and totally stuck in the mind to now feeling centred, rejuvenated and at ease with everything. I had incredible experiences of seeing my body open up to stillness, elevated states of being, deep meditations and breakthroughs of long stuck emotions." - K.H.

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For more information about Hridaya Yoga and the Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreats held worldwide, visit http://hridaya-yoga.com