INSPIRATION
+ FLOW: A VINYASA/KIRTAN RETREAT:
Esalen Institute, Big Sur CA
Rolf Gates +
GIRISH
February 7th-12th, 2010
{The
Experience: Vinyasa Yoga + Kirtan}
 “Where there is
flow there is no pain and where
there is pain there is no flow.”
The yoga will be a synergy of
dynamic flow and alignment-focused
sessions dedicated to facilitating
within us the vibrant aliveness
so unique to a yoga practice. We
will practice with the flowing
music of GIRISH and join him for
evening Kirtan sessions that will
be nothing short of phenomenal.
Through these practices, we will
take a look at the larger implications
of the word alignment in our lives.
{The
Meditation}
 “Meditation is not forcing
the mind to be quiet, it is bringing
our attention to the quiet that
is already there.”
~ Deepak Chopra
In a life that works from the
inside out meditation is indispensable.
At its essence meditation is simply
the willingness to listen, to feel,
to see, to take an interest in
what is happening right now. The
first yoga teacher in the U.S.
said “You yourselves are
the beings that you seek” and
that truth is felt directly just
by getting still and feeling into,
bringing our attention into, the
quiet that is already there.
Unfortunately many of us feel
as though we have had a hard time
with meditation. The meditation
instruction and meditation sessions
this week will be dedicated to
bringing down the barriers some
of us have to meditation and deepening
the practice of those who are already
meditating regularly. As our understanding
of meditation deepens we will come
to see that it is a means for allowing
ourselves to be that which we have
become.
{The
Food}
 Gardeners gather at dawn amid
steaming cups of tea while the
harvest leader reports the requests
from the kitchen for lunch and
dinner. By the time they've paused
for breakfast, the harvest will
have been washed and moved to the
kitchen's cooler.
The five acres that comprise the
Farm and Garden at Esalen produce
hundreds of varieties of vegetables
for the kitchen. Blessed with a
rich soil and abundant water, the
area has an ideal climate for cool
season crops. Add to this the care
of gardeners who simply love what
they are doing, and the results
are gardens that feed us physically,
emotionally and spiritually.
{Esalen
Bodywork}
 The bodywork at Esalen is world-renowned.
The sound of the waves of Big Sur
provides a soothing background
for any session. This sound, coupled
with the cliffside natural hot
springs and the educational community
dedicated to exploring the "far
reaches of human potentiality",
inspires a unique approach to bodywork
known worldwide as Esalen® Massage.
At the heart of the session is
a sense of empowering each individual
to regain a sense of harmony, reverence,
and balance, and to awaken inner
resources for healing. It is not
unusual to hear, "That was
the most amazing massage I've ever
received."
More on Esalen
Massage
{A
Final Word}
 Most
of came to yoga to find peace and
health and you would not be reading
this if you had not found both
just by spending some time on your
mat. And that would be enough if
we did not have jobs, families,
bills to pay, along with expansive
visions and dreams we would love
dearly to see happen in our lifetime.
How do we care deeply about the
people places and things of this
world and remain peaceful and joyful
at the same time? Connected to
the truth of who we are, unwilling
to move out of alignment with that
truth, there is literally nothing
we cannot do, be, or have. It is
not necessary that we move into
this posture all at once we need
only be willing to move in that
direction. This week we will start
moving.
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