5 Days Heart Awakening Silent Meditation Retreat

Consider the depth that only silence can bring and come retreat with us, yet into your own self!

*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.

7 days retreat, including 5 full days program with meditation, deep relaxation and self-exploration while observing noble silence(mauna) 

Daily Schedule:

7.00 - 9.00 - Meditation sessions

9.00 - 10.00 - Breakfast

10.00 - 11.00 - Teachings

11.15 - 13.15 - Hatha yoga and meditation

13.15 - 16.00 - Lunch and rest/ walks/ journalling

16.00 - 16.50 - Afternoon practice (yoga nidra/ relaxation techniques/ pranayama)

17.00 - 19.00 - Meditation sessions

19.00 - 20.00 - Dinner

20.00 - 21.30 - Questions and answers / Technique presentation/ Practice

"Close your eyes. Fall in Love. Stay there."~ Rumi

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Dates: 30rd October - 5th November

30st October, Thursday, is the arrival day, with time for registration, accommodation, dinner and an intro session

5th November - morning meditation, tidy-up, departure

Food:

the retreat is catered with 3 yummy vegan meals per day 

+meals upon departure and before leaving

The diet is Sattvic (pure and balanced), with no caffeine, alcohol or drug intake which facilitates the detox and rejuvenation of the body and mind and creates the right conditions for yoga and meditation practice.

Accommodation:

Private or shared (2 or 4 beds) rooms available.

The retreat venue is a beautiful old homestead surrounded by lush green property where we can take walks and feel close to nature. Speaking mountain views, little lake and private Goddess forest :) 

Also, so easily accessible - only couple of kms from SH1 into the country. Pick ups can be arranged from the town of Otaki or the train station of Waikanae

Look up www.stratheanretreat.nz

Pricing:

~ 6 nights and 5 full days with 3 vegan meals/day - $880

~ EARLY BIRD price - before the 15th August - $800

~ Unwaged, students and return retreaters - $800

~ Private room - $50 additional charge

~ If booked together with "Follow Your Bliss" retreat at Space Yoga Wellington - $780

~A non-refundable deposit of $150 NZD is to be paid upon subscription, the rest of payment due up to a week before the retreat starts

(account number 38-9018-0117320-01, name on account I Z KUZEVA)

~ Payment plans available - weekly, forth-nightly, monthly

(If signing up with the EB price, it is still only expected to put through the non-refundable deposit before the 1st August, then the rest is due at any time before the retreat starts)

Limited spaces - maximum of 16 participants

For more info and TO REGISTER, please contact Radha

email: radha.heartawakening@gmail.com

phone: (+64) 020 4055 7734

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 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.

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For more information about Hridaya Yoga and the Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreats held worldwide, visit 

http://hridaya-yoga.com