Yoga Lifestyle Series
In November the Prama Institute began offering its Yoga Life Styles Series beginning with the Yoga of Self Care led by Ac. Vishvamitra and Kristen Wallace, a yoga teacher who had taken the Ananda Marga Yoga Teacher Training. This workshop featured the theme of the Ethics of Love with experiential exercises to illustrate the love of self and others reflected in Yama and Niyama along with asanas, meditation and kiirtan.
The second workshop in the Yoga Life Style series led by Ac. Vishvamitra, Ramesh and Hiranmaya was the Yoga of Silence offered in February which involved twenty participants in sitting, walking and eating meditation, punctuated with brief lectures and stories. Janika led the group in daily yoga classes. Fifteen participants requested meditation lessons and have joined a group meditation at the Ananda Marga jagrti in following up their Yoga of Silence retreat.
The third Yoga Lifestyle Workshop given in May was Yoga Detox presented by Dada Dharmavedananda who directs the Ananda Marga Health Center in Cebu Philippines. This workshop, assisted by the Prama staff, involved physical and psychic cleansing. The participants did extensive meditation to clear the mind along with a 36 hour juice fast, mud and steam baths to cleanse the body of toxins. The participants benefited greatly from daily classes that included a power point on diet and fasting presented in a participatory style by Dada Dharmavedananda. Many expressed a desire to visit his clinic in the Philippines for a more extended 7 day detox program. The Prama Institute is planning to sponsor a trip to the Ananda Marga Health Center in Cebu Philippines for those interested in going. Some of our staff is planning to undertake training with Dada in order to continue giving Yoga Detox programs at the Prama Institute.
Other Programs
The Prama Institute continues to have repeat business from many yoga, meditation and healing groups. Jason, a Peruvian shaman returned in December as did Asheville Yoga Center for an Ayurvedic program. Willington NC Yoga and North Main Yoga of Greenville, SC are returning twice within the next 6 months. Kundalini Yoga is offering a program for 70 participants in May. The Awakened Heart, a meditation group from a Jewish temple, led by Professor Rick Chess, Professor of Literature and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at University of North Carolina will return for its second retreat this May.
Sadhana and Philosophy Intensive
The Prama Institute has a full schedule form May through November and is featuring an eight day Sadhana and Philosophy Intensive from July 31 to August 8, 2010. Workshops will include:
Spiritual Practice and Sentient Health with Ac. Jyotirishananda Avt.
Tantra for Contemporary Living with Ac. Pranakrsnananda Avt.
The Inner Spirit of Bhakti and Karma Yoga with Avtk. Ananda Usa Ac.
The Specialty of Ananda Marga Practices: A Comparative Study of Popular Contemporary Yoga Practice with Kristine Weber
Tantric History and its Relevance to Our Sadhana Practices with Roar Bjonnes
Living with Immortality: Exploring best practices for exhausting our sam’skaras with Howard Nemon
Biopsychology for Individualized Yoga Therapy and Cooperation with Ac. Vishvamitra
For further information visit: http://www.prama.org/
or contact the Prama Institute at: / 1-828-649-9408 .
Internship
The MU and Prama Institute is planning to start an internship in June that would be open to men and women who are interested in a 3 month residential work-study program. Participants would live in housing on the land and have a daily schedule that involves meditation, yoga postures, spiritual philosophy classes, organic gardening, landscaping and participation in supporting Prama Institute programs for the public. Interested parties can contact the Prama Institute at the www.prama.org website and 1 828-649-9408 .