|
150 yogis and yoginis sharing an
incredible weekend with Erich Schiffmann on the beautiful grounds of
Naramata Centre… what could be more “yummy” than that? It is pretty
hard to sum up such a Spirit-filled event and really capture the
essence of it all!
 Every
moment was rich and delicious! Erich began each session with a Dharma
Talk that prepared the atmosphere for our asana practice. He carefully
guided us to move into the stillness and discover what lies deep within
our being. The repetition of the asana routines helped to integrate
each flow so we could begin to move more naturally from within rather
than having to think about what move comes next.
In each session he repeated the flows,
while adding new elements so we could explore from a new perspective,
sparking our own creativity. And twice we were invited to do the "Free
Form" asana to fabulous music, drawing out the most delicious
expression of the Divine through the movement of our bodies!
 I loved Erich's guidance into meditation... Settle into a
stable seated position, get tall, open at the crown, allow the energy
to flow in, and slide into the feeling of peace. Whew! That takes me
right THERE every time!
We can meditate at any time of the day,
but morning is best not to miss! ...and I love Erich's reasoning why.
"Meditation is like tuning your instrument, and it is always best to
tune the instrument before the concert!"
Once we move beyond the chatter of the
“Little Mind”, we are able to be guided to the Higher Self (or "Big
Mind" as Erich calls it), bcoming more conscious of our choices and
decisions. Erich’s process is to pause, ask, listen, hear, and then
dare to do what you are drawn to do! This is a valuable too we can
practice for every decision we make so we are tapping into the wisdom
of the “Big Mind”, or the Divine within... Start with easy decisions -
ones that you don’t care what the answer is, like when you are
shopping… “Should I buy Gala apples, or Granny Smith?” Once this is
easy, begin to practice this on the harder decisions. Be open to all
possibilities and see what choices appear!
Amongst the Dharma Talks and Asana,
many of us gathered for early morning kriyas outside on the patio,
pouring water through our noses, cleaning our tongues and nauli-ing our
bellies! We shared in morning meditations offered by Bernie Clark, Lyle
Povah, and Sandra Leigh. Bernie also shared his Yoga for the Planet
presentation during free time, and we all had a chance to sing bhajans
at Saturday evening Kirtan led by Lyle and Sandra Leigh. Old friends
reconnected while new friendships were made.
 The loveliest aspect of organizing this
retreat over this last year was working directly with Erich. He is so
humble and very kind. He couldn't have made it easier. He is honest,
generous, non-judgmental, great at communicating, and ok about
everything. He embodies the principles of Yoga, expressing them through
his every action. So many of you have expressed to us how blessed you
feel by experiencing this amazing event! It is difficult to sum up the
gratitude we feel for him taking the time to come to Naramata. We have
all been personally touched by his teachings.
Mugs and Bob McConnell, SOYA
|
Yoga
Teacher Training Programs
