Weekend Retreat in Australia

I'm posting this in the name of Prema (Maria Steiner)

The first weekend of September I organised and taught a Yoga & Meditation weekend in a very green part of Australia (not all is desert or beaches). We had a good weekend at the Gunnebah Retreat near Murwillumbah in northern NSW. Surrounded by lush subtropical gardens, in a secluded environment, it is ideal for an intensive yoga get-away.

Nine keen students participated in the daily program of meditation, mantra repetition, chanting, asana, pranayama, lecture and vegetarian cooking classes. Following the five points of yoga as taught and introduced by Swami Vishnu-Devananda: proper exercise (asana), breathing (pranayama), relaxation (savasana), vegetarian diet, positive thinking and meditation (dhyana).

The topic of the weekend was Yoga & Peace; also finding inner peace through the practice of yoga.

We did likita japa (writing of a mantra) and filled a few pages with peace mantras “om namo narayanaya” and “loka samasta sukhino bhavantu” for the Om Namo Narayanaya Bank on the summit of Vishnu Peak in the Himalayas.

Another highlight was the practice of Tratak a concentration exercise. Steady gazing at a lit candle and then visualizing the image of the flame in the third eye centre. This exercise may cause tears to flow but these will cleanse the eyes (kriya). Tratak is an excellent preparation for meditation.

The vegetarian cooking class and meals are always popular. Students like to be a bit practical with their hands, besides all the theory and sitting cross-legged for a long time, and learn new recipes. Get some tips on how to become vegetarian and change the diet and meals at home. Plus it is nice to prepare the meals at the Retreat as a “family”.

For me as a teacher it is always nice to organise and teach an intensive Yoga Retreat. It is inspiring to see the enthusiasm of students wanting to learn and know more about yoga than just the weekly hatha-yoga class. And since I’m a yoga student as well I’m always learning something new through the books and my teachers while preparing for the Retreat.

Om namo narayanaya !!

Prema Maria