Meditate silently and meditate lovingly, where love and silence are one and the same. The secret of love is revealed through meditation in silence. When you quiet the noises of the mind that is silence. When you pacify destructive emotions that is love. The two are one and the same. May your commitment to your spirituality and your commitment to loving become the commitment you make in thoughts, speech and actions toward others through expanding your capacity to love.
Meditation introduces you to the center of consciousness which is the source of light, life, and love. Meditation makes you aware and gives you the direct experience of your finest self that reveals perennial love. Meditation is that path leading beyond the body, senses, breath, conscious mind, and unconscious mind, and then to the center of consciousness. Meditation is this inward journey and a journey without movement. This journey of the self through the self to the Self, reveals the means to “know thy self”. Meditation is a method of self-inquiry, self-understanding, and self-analysis that leads to self-control and self-enlightenment. By way of training the distracted mind, such a purified mind becomes free from all disturbances and obstacles. A one-pointed mind experiences inner peace, tranquillity, and silence leading to the center of consciousness and the source of infinite love, your essential nature.
Meditation may be a withdrawal when you close your eyes, but when you open your eyes from meditation, there is a fountain that gushes forth from you through your eyes. Eyes so satiated as though drinking the amrita—sweet honey of this “ever-so-sweet world.” Find the source of your lovingness within.
May you love your meditations and may your loving nature become your meditations.
With blessings of the Himalayan Lineage,
srb
Guided Meditation (from a series of specialty meditations by Swami Veda Bharati)
Come to the place where you are sitting. Be aware only of the space that your body is occupying from head to toe. Be aware only of this moment in time. Let your awareness turn to the subtler essences of your being. Be alone. Be in solitude. Dwell by the self within the self. Gently scanning the inner recesses of your being come in touch with the subtle essences of your being. Be aware of that field of life energy that occupies the same space as your body. The way magnetism occupies the same space as the lump of iron. As the electric flow occupies the same space as the conducting wire. So your life energy occupies the same space as your body.
Become aware of the flow of the totality of your life energy as a field in which the body is being charged continuously. When you become aware of the suffusion of life energy, your breath flows as though it is flowing through your entire body. As though your entire body is breathing from top to toes and toes to top. Feel as though your breath is flowing through your whole body.
Remaining inwardly tuned, I join my palms before my heart and bow my head;
With all the love of the heart;
With all the power of action in the hand;
With all the thought in the head;
I give you my love and worship the deity who is within you.
Meditation is a process of purifying the mind and making it one-pointed, inward, and tranquil. Through the method of meditation, the mind will help you to fathom the deeper levels of your being and lead you to the highest state of realization.
As an aspirant, it is always wise to be vigilant and firm in practicing meditation. Do not expect too much right in the beginning. There is no instant method of meditation. Modern students expect immediate results from meditation and this expectation causes them to fantasize, imagine, and hallucinate many things that they think are spiritual experiences. These experiences are actually products of their subconscious minds. As a result, they become frustrated and imbalanced, and either they stop meditating, or they start following strange methods that are harmful to their progress.
Meditation is a technique that has only one way, and that is a scientific way that is very precise and clear. If you learn how to systematically practice meditation, it will not take much time for you to reach the summit, provided you know the whole technique.
First thing is to have a strong desire, a burning desire within. When you have a burning desire to do your meditation, that burning desire leads you. Sankalpa shakti is needed. “Today I will sit in meditation. No one has the power to disturb me! Thought is a product of the mind. I do not belong to thought.”
If you learn to go beyond the jabbering of your mind, and can go to the deeper aspects of your consciousness, then body, breath, and mind will not come in your way.
They come in your way because you have not trained them, because you have not decided to do meditation. Once and for all you should learn to decide, and fix up a time for meditation in the morning and before you go to bed.
You have been taught to see and examine things in the external world. Nobody has taught you to see and find within. There is no other way but the way of meditation. No object of the world has the power to give you what meditation can give you.
Don’t meditate if you are not inclined to meditate. If you want to meditate, you have to form a habit, because habit weaves your character and personality. If you really want to know who you are, you have to take off all the masks, one after the other. You have to be totally naked. You have to be in the fire. If you are prepared to do that, you can learn to tread the path of meditation.
In the external world there is no object that can make you happy, because all objects are subject to change, death, decay, and decomposition. That which is subject to change, and is not everlasting, can never give you happiness. It can give you only momentary joy.
That momentary joy is evidence enough that there is something that is called joy. You are searching in the wrong place. If you receive everlasting joy, and if you have attained everlasting joy, then you’ll be free. It is for that freedom and for that great joy that you live.
When you sit in meditation, I advise you not to worry about seeing lights. You have to learn to make your abode in complete darkness, so that you can see that gentle light. Do not worry if you don’t see any light or have any visions or experiences.
If you have patience and learn to sit still, the center of life and light will start revealing itself to you. Until then, imagining superficial lights is harmful. Learn to be in the darkness waiting for the light to be revealed.
Having no experience in meditation is the right experience. If you systematically follow the meditation method, there is no chance for you to worry and feel that you are not progressing.
Whenever you are meditating, or making effort to meditate, you are doing something. Don’t say and don’t think that you are not reaping the fruits of your actions. It is not possible. It is unscientific that you do something and you don’t get anything. Every action has its reaction.
If you systematically learn to meditate, you will find that the faculty of discrimination, the buddhi, will help you in all walks of life, both within and without.
You have to pay attention to four important points: building determination, learning to pray, learning to meditate according to instructions, and not allowing your mind to be stained by self-created guilt that destroys the inner spiritual potentials.
Learn to be spiritual in your daily life by doing selfless action. Learn to meditate every day, a few minutes. Don’t become a hypocrite, sitting for a long time and hallucinating. Meditate for a few minutes, and enjoy life. Learn to meditate and learn to be here and now. Meditational therapy is the highest.
Meditation is self-effort, a probe into inner life, and will reveal all the secrets to you in time to come.
Editor’s Note:
This is an excerpt from The Essence of Spiritual Life, page 71 -74, written by Swami Rama.
The Fall season is one of the most beautiful to be experienced being in direct contact with nature: the days are still warm and the landscapes have intense colours, from yellow to orange to red. The forests offer a unique spectacle: the leaves, slowly, lose their natural colouring and change into a warmer one, as the days get shorter and the temperatures decrease. It is a season that naturally invites to transformation and inner reflection.
For this reason, we have organised a Silence Retreat during this period.
The Retreat took place in November, from the 21st to the 24th, in Camaldoli at the Oasi del Divin Maestro, a house of prayer run by nuns, where it was possible to experience a total and complete immersion into the beauty of its Sacred forests. The same place where in May 2025, from the 22nd till the 25th, it will take place the International Retreat with Swami Ritavan Bharati, Spiritual Guide of the Himalayan Tradition, on the theme “Mantra and Meditation”.
From the moment we arrived, we were able to experience the enchantment of Fall, which allowed us to get in touch with the five elements: rain, fog and wind welcomed us with a great storm that accompanied us until the middle of the second day, when a warm sun appeared and stayed with us till our departure. The crisp, cheerful, cool but not cold morning air, its veiled skies and multicoloured sunrises (typical of the autumn period) naturally introduced the search for intimacy that Silence requires. Autumn, like Silence, invites us to listen, to withdraw, to stay in quietness. And then, as the day progressed, the light of the sun (which became more and more intense and warm) illuminated and warmed the path, like a reliable guide that illuminates and shows the path to walk.
All around us, everywhere, leaves, leaves and more leaves: intense and warm colours, a true palette of colours. But also a carpet covering, protecting, warming Mother Earth, and the soft sound of our footsteps gently touching them, as if we, too, wanted to take care of Mother Earth.
A poem that overflows, overwhelms and invites the mind to gentleness, to calmness, to peacefulness. An invitation to enjoy the fullness in Silence.
The direct and profound contact with nature and the five elements pacifies and makes oneself realise that everything is perfect as it is: the immersion into Silence took place naturally and gradually. A few days, but deep and intense, accompanied by devotional chanting, joints and glands and hatha yoga practices, deep relaxations, nadi shodhana, meditation, contemplative walking, silent walking in the forest immersed in the beauty of nature, where the senses were activated but at the same time withdrawn into deep contemplation.
And then japa, contemplation, rest, introspection and silence. Nothing else, but silence.
The truly peaceful and enchanting place, completely immersed in the sacredness of the Camaldoli forest, allowed the mind to gradually settle down and to give space to the expansion of the wave of silence. The kind and caring attitude of the nuns was a drop of balsam for our, initially, restless souls; the chants of their morning Lauds reminded us of the true meaning of Union in the diversity. A unique single mindfield, strengthened by the power of Silence.
The followings are some reflections from few participants:
“In Silence I rediscovered what I didn’t know how to define as a child, but now I think I can define: Sacred tremors, through Morning Lauds. The Mother of Silence, The Divine Mother who invites to Silence, who is with us in Silence”.
“For me, Silence is a moment during which all my weaknesses emerge. There is a subtle and profound way of communicating in Silence, which originates in ourselves and expands. I felt the expansion of this space and time, and a great stillness coming. And from this space, often mentioned in the practice, I was able to observe myself and be with myself. It was a time just to be, to be here and to let go of the constant need to do something. It was also a way to reconnect with the Christian religion, that I have put aside for so many years, but whose deep spiritual message guides me and is one with our beloved Masters’ message”.
“I came in a hurry and breathless because this is a very busy moment at work, where I also talk a lot. And all this talking, for me, is often uncomfortable. Coming here was regenerating, in this context even more for me. I need silence, it belongs to me, just as I need solitude. These places are very dear to me. When I can, I come here and walk and then I stop and reconnect with my most profound silence, with my most hidden and authentic part, which is emerging more and more. And that is nice to bring out”.
“Silence is very attractive to me and I feel good in it. And I feel good in the forest. It is home. So both things together, for me, during these days have been very good. So many emotions, so many tears: for a recent loss that needed to be watered, for something I still have to fully understand and, this morning, for the honey with mandarine! It was so good that I was moved!”.
“To slow down and to reconnect with being a child. To rediscover slowness in every movement. I need to slow down. That’s my nature: wishing to find that peace, that slowness, which unfortunately I don’t have every day. Slowing down, being in contact with nature. In these spaces I can reconnect with myself. And in these spaces I allow myself to be that child I have never been. The contemplative walk I did barefoot, in the wet grass, freezing my feet, allowed me to let go of all the tensions”.
Our wish, for all of us, is to be able to bring some seeds of this Silence into our daily lives, sprinkling petals of light and stillness into the minds and hearts of everyone around us. The real challenge begins now: the real Silence begins now.
“Fill yourself with meditation. Fill yourself with contemplation. Fill yourself with your mantra. Make Silence an opportunity for a dive into the deeper layers of the mind”. Swami Veda Bharati
On 29 September 2024, we celebrated a truly special moment when the Hungarian community welcomed us as newly graduated teachers of the 6th TTP programme, bringing the number of Hungarian teachers graduated to 129. The sadhakas prepared a heartfelt and memorable event to honor the teachers who guided us and to celebrate our journey together. It was a day filled with joy and gratitude, and I hope the photos we shared capture even a fraction of the elevated mood we experienced.
Over the years, the Hungarian TTP has been evolving, just like its members. As we reached the end of the three-year journey of the 6th TTP, one thing became clear: the Hungarian community has grown mature in embracing and transmitting the teachings of Swami Rama and the great sages of the Himalayas. The program now offers not only a deep theoretical foundation but, most importantly, practical tools that empower us to live these teachings.
As Ashu often reminded us, the training gave each of us a map—a guide to navigate our spiritual journey moving forward. What a rich and detailed map we received! This map was built through the wisdom and dedication of an incredible group of teachers. From Ashutosh Sharma, we learned yoga philosophy in asana practice; from John Sellinger, the Vedic scriptures, pranayama, and yoga nidra; from Stephen Parker (Stoma), subtle body practices, meditation, and philosophical teachings. Anna Mezősi enriched us with yoga and anatomy, József Papp guided us through the Yoga Sutras, and Béla Daubner laid the foundations of meditation.
We were also supported by teachers who played other key roles: Andrea Auner guided the mentor program, Andrea Zsolnai coordinated essential organizational tasks, and Illy Diószegi’s leadership remains a beautiful example of selfless service to the Hungarian Tradition. There are many more truly dedicated members of our spiritual family, whose names I have not mentioned, who supported us as mentors and provided various kinds of service behind the scenes, ensuring everything ran smoothly.
I believe none of us expected to receive so much in terms of teaching, care, and love as we experienced during the program. Some of us faced sudden and profound changes in our lives, others underwent more subtle and gentle transformations, and some endured challenging or even painful moments on this path to enlightenment.
In all cases, we are deeply grateful to have received exactly what we needed rather than what our egos might have desired.
May the Guru’s blessings guide us wherever we are needed.
The word guru is a compound of two words, gu and ru. Gu means darkness and ru means light. That which dispels the darkness of ignorance is called guru. The energy and action of removing darkness are guru. Guru is not a person, it is a force driven by grace.
To put this another way, there is an intelligent momentum that pervades the universe that is moving all human beings toward the perfection we call God. Guru is that intelligence. Everyone’s receptivity to that intelligence varies. It depends on preparation, which includes the development of vairagya or non attachment, and abhyasa or practice. In other words, guru is always there, but the student may not be ready to receive what the guru has to offer. When the student is prepared, the guru always arrives to help the student do what is necessary to progress in removing the veil of ignorance. It is said that when the wick and oil are properly prepared, the master lights the lamp.
Guru is not a person, but guru can be represented in a person. One who has developed his or her own spiritual awareness to a very high level can guide others, and is considered to be guru. Only one who is finely attuned to the inner guide can inspire the awakening of the inner guide in another. Guru is not a physical being. If a guru begins thinking this power is her or his own, then they are no longer a guide. The guru is a tradition, a stream of knowledge.
In India guru is a sacred word that is used with reverence and is always associated with the highest wisdom. The guru is unique in a person’s life. The relationship between disciple and guru is like no other relationship. It is said that guru is not mother, father, son, or daughter. The guru is not a friend in any conventional sense. It also is sometimes said that the guru is father, mother, son, daughter, and friend all in one; the guru is sun and moon, sky and earth to the disciple.
The truth is that the relationship of guru to disciple is indescribable. The relationship extends to the realm beyond the world, transcends death, and stretches far beyond the limited karmic bonds associated with family and friends. A mother and father help sustain the body of their child, and nurture and guide the child through the formative years of life to adulthood. Guru sustains, nurtures, and guides a soul through life times to ultimate liberation.
The relationship with the guru is based on the purest form of unconditional love. There is complete openness with the guru. The disciple should hold nothing back from the guru. This is why in the tradition, a student goes to the guru and offers a bundle of sticks to burn. The bundle symbolizes that everything the disciple has is offered unconditionally to the guru. Everything is offered to the guru so the guru can do the work of shaping the student spiritually. The disciple comes with full faith and entrusts his whole life to the guru. The guru takes that life and chops it and burns what is not necessary, and then carefully carves what remains into something sacred.
In this chopping and burning, the guru is merciless. The guru’s job is not to hold hands with the disciple and wipe away tears, but to cut into pieces the disciple’s ego and all that stands between the disciple and freedom. The guru does not allow dependence. If the disciple becomes too dependent on the guru, the guru pushes the disciple away, insisting on independence. It is a remarkable expression of the deepest love.
To be on a spiritual path with a guru is not an easy thing. It is not pleasant. The guru tests the disciples, puts them in the most difficult situations, and creates obstacles for them. All the tests, difficulties, and obstacles are meant to train and expand the consciousness of the disciple.
That is the sole work of the guru. The guru wants nothing from the disciple. Guru is that force moving a soul toward enlightenment. The guru’s actions are from pure compassion. As the sun shines and lives far above, the guru gives spiritual love and remains unattached.
Editor’s note
This is an excerpt from Sacred Journey by Swami Rama, published by the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, 2002.
The most sacred nine nights of the Navaratri (‘nava’ meaning ‘nine’ and ‘ratri’ meaning ‘night’) remind us of the spirit of the Mother Divine, the Mother of the entire cosmos. She is Shakti Herself, the one who infuses our days with a fresh and warm radiance, and adds a depth of silence to our nights. She is the most Divine, the most Pure, the most Sacred, the most Wise one. She is the One who gives birth to the entire universe and the One who breathes life force into each one of us. As our beloved Swami Veda Bharati has said,
“Please understand, there is no You.
All awareness is she.
All knowledge is she.
All creativity is she.”
The Navaratri thus is an invitation for us to get in touch with the divinity, purity, sacredness, and wisdom within ourselves which is our essential nature. Our ashram joyfully celebrates the Divine Mother’s presence and the transformative energy of the Navaratri festival each year during March-April and September-October. This time too, we celebrated the Navaratri festival from October 3-12. The festivities commenced at the Ma Tara temple, with customary invocations of the five elements, worship of Shakti and Guru, followed by a sankalpa (sacred resolve) for the 9-day non-stop 24-hour recitation of the Sri Lalita Sahasranama (Thousand names of the Mother Divine). The mantra chantings that began filled our hearts with Her ever loving presence.
The Ashram was brimming with love and devotion as more than 50 participants came together from 7 countries for the Navaratri retreat—Cultivating the Divine Feminine—with Rabindra Sahu, including a large group of 33 members from Hungary. The retreat took us through a journey of understanding and contemplating upon the various forms of the Divine Mother. The nine nights of the Navaratri are dedicated to nine forms or aspects of Mother Durga. Each form of the Mother unveils a different energy force that guides a sadhaka on the spiritual path. They also represent various spiritual qualities that are essential for self-transformation. The retreat concluded with Kanya Pujan, where we worshipped 9 young girls representing the 9 forms of Mother Durga (Navadurga).
Here is a very brief overview of what was shared during the retreat:
Ma Shailaputri: She is the power of stability, inspiration, and represents new beginnings.
Ma Brahmacharini: She is the power of meditation, devotion, austerity, and self-discipline.
Ma Chandraghanta: She represents the power of alertness, purification, peace, and serenity.
Ma Kushmanda: She is the power of creation.
Ma Skandamata: She is the power of motherhood and nurturance, and represents pure love and compassion.
Ma Katyayani: She is the power of courage and strength, and represents our ability to fight against ignorance.
Ma Kalaratri: She is the power of destruction of ego and fierce purification.
Ma Mahagauri: She represents the power of radiant divine light and spirituality.
Ma Siddhidatri: She represents enlightenment and highest wisdom.
We pray to the Mother for self-purification so Her energy can be cultivated within each one of us. When She, the Mother of the entire Universe, is invoked in our hearts, we can never be alone. As Swami Veda has said, “When She’s known, the sorrows become pleasures. The poisons become ambrosia. The worldliness becomes liberation. The world being within Her, when I dwell in the world, I dwell in the realization of Her. Hence the worldliness becomes spiritual liberation.”
True sadhana lies in our ability to maintain this connection with our inner divinity, to carry the purity, holiness, and innocence that we have experienced during these nine days and nights of Navaratri into our everyday lives. To make not just these nine nights, but every day and every night, a divine one.
Let us pray to the Shakti principle for purification and guidance on our spiritual path, so we may realise Her subtle essence that is within us.
Every year, HYMNS (Himalayan Yoga Meditation Network Society), the Dutch branch of AHYMSIN is organizing a silence retreat. We welcome participants from the Netherlands, countries nearby like Belgium, Germany, and Scotland, and sometimes also friends from other parts of the world. Our retreat location is a beautiful former monastery that is now a conference center. Silence of centuries can be felt here. We have been coming here for many years now, enjoying the peaceful surroundings, our monastic-cell-like bedrooms, and the quiet hospitality of the staff.
This year we had our silence retreat in September with guidance from Swami Ma Tripurashakti Bharati, Pierre Lefebvre, and Uta Bisseswar. During these five days, we experienced the silence deeper every day, with an ashram-like daily schedule. Prayers, joints & glands, relaxation, guided meditation, contemplative and brisk walks, silently sharing delicious food and many contemplative moments. We were also blessed with beautiful sunny autumn weather.
Uta guided our joints & glands and hatha sessions, while Pierre and Swami Ma Tripura guided the meditations and sessions. With their knowledge, experience and love, they were able to touch our minds again and again to observe, comprehend, and guide us deeper into our practices.
Our retreat was culminating in the 24 hours of Akhanda japa from Sunday evening till Monday evening. The energy of the Tradition and the support of the whole group was vibrating as we recited the Akhanda Mandala Karam mantra silently and continuously.
In our closing circle on Tuesday, one of the participants summarized her experience clearly and beautiful: “it was Exploring, Experimenting, Playing and Enjoying”.
Book release
In the opening session of this retreat, HYMNS was pleased to release the Dutch translation of Swami Veda’s book: Mind: The Playground of Gods. This translation was done by Riemke, with much help of the Dutch sangha: 15 friends/initiates helped with reviewing and editing, every one of them doing a part of the book. They also helped with their experience and creativity to translate the most difficult sentences or words. It was a joyful group project, resulting in this nice little book.
Though most of the Dutch people do speak English quite well, it’s nice to have the teachings also explained in our own language for deeper understanding. You can order your copy of Mind: de speeltuin van goden via our mail address boeken@yoga-hymns.nl. A few more Dutch translations are also available and HYMNS is planning to continue with translating Swami Veda’s teachings.
Retreat program next year
Our next year’s silence retreat is already planned: 19 – 23 September 2025 and will possibly be extended to a full week retreat till September 25.
We have also scheduled a winter weekend retreat with Pierre and Uta: 17 – 19 January 2025.
You are welcome to join any of these retreats. For information you may contact: info@yoga-hymns.nl
Online activities
HYMNS is hosting the Full Moon meditations at European time (21.00CET) on zoom, guided by our European senior teachers and sometimes by Swami Ritavan Bharati. You are very welcome to join. We are also blessed to share zoom-satsangs with Wolfgang Bischoff, senior teacher from Germany. These satsangs are on irregular basis, about every 8 weeks.
Editor’s Note:
To know more about the Annual Silence retreat in the Netherlands, you may read more about their previous retreats:
A place where one can find peace,
A place whose beauty can get your heart seize.
The Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama is a bliss to those who seek solace from the hustle and bustle of life and those who forget the right path to drive…
The aura of the meditation hall will take you deep within… to introspect, to bring out the best in you, and guide you when you are in need and all your tensions will get freed…
The wandering of the mind gets a pause when the inner voice calls… Meditation is the solution in every walk of life, so that in any situation a human can easily strive…
Yoga taught in the ashram makes your body light and squeezes out all the stress inside…
All the teachers in the ashram are so dedicated, and their teachings are first-rated. After a few classes, one feels elated like they visited the Himalayas practicing under the guidance of Swami Rama and getting rid from the cycle of all karma.
– Nilu Tater
Editor’s Note:
The author recently visited the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) ashram with her family to meet her brother, who is a Gurukulam student. She shares her experience of joining the ashram immersion program through the poem. She also recited a similar poem in Hindi language –
For the second time a summer camp in Greece was organized by Sofia Foteina from the Himalayan Tradition in Greece.
Nikos, the friendly taxi driver, was waiting for us at the airport in Athens and in less than an hour we arrived at the camp. The location is great, it is a scouting camp in the forest so there is plenty of shade. It can be very warm in Greece and this time it was 36 degrees Celsius. But luckily, we had a comfortable room with air conditioning. And the camp is very close to the seaside, so every now and then there is a bit of wind cooling us. What I like very much is that there are no tourists at the beach there, besides us that is. A nice walk of only 5 minutes in nature will take you to the seaside with a small sandy beach.
The first evening after arrival we met and did a body percussion game to introduce ourselves. Tamara was guiding it. We shared what we like, what we don’t like and got to know each other a bit. Very soon there was a friendly atmosphere with lots of laughing also. We had a conversation about the subject UNITY and what it meant for us personally. We talked about love, sharing, caring, listening to each other, cooking, communicating and working together.
Every morning at 6 am, before first yoga class began, we met at the gate with Laura and a small group to go to the beach doing some simple standing exercises and after that a nice refreshing swim. After that, at 7 am, there was yoga class in an open space under the trees guided by teachers from the Himalayan Tradition. At 8.30 am, we were ready for a marvelous breakfast. The cook did a great job for us, three times a day there was so much tasty and nutritious food.
After breakfast was finished we did some seva, arranged by Anna, for half an hour only, cleaning tables and brooming away all the needles from the pine trees. We were with 36 adult and 16 kids from different countries in Europe. It was so nice to see the kids trying to communicate and speaking English together and soon new friends were made. From 10 am to 1 pm was time for playing on the beach and in the sea. After lunch we had 2 hours of quiet time.
There is a small office where you can buy books of the Tradition and some malas and bags for yoga mats. Sofia and Athina were so kind to help me sell the good luck elephants to support the school for girls in Odisha India. All elephants I brought with me were sold.
Every afternoon the kids were playing and doing arts and crafts with Tamara. The adults were with the kids or attended a workshop for parents. Carmen shared her experiences with healthcare and we talked a lot about lifestyle and Ayurveda in particular. I shared a massage to bring VATA dominance down. This massage I learned from Aafke de Geus who was my Ayurvedic teacher in the yoga academy Amsterdam. People were very pleased with the workshop and did like to know more about Ayurveda and lifestyle. So Carmen suggested to do an Ayurveda workshop for next year.
After 6 pm, it was time for family yoga classes or adult yoga and children yoga separately guided by Marilu, Sofia and Laura. And then again, the cook surprised us with a delicious meal for dinner.
In the evening time there were different activities. We watched a movie about Mahatma Gandhi. One evening there was kirtan singing, the children played on small instruments. And Anna brought her guitar for me to play. Also Anna played a beautiful Greek song and her husband sang so beautifully. So next year Anna will bring 2 guitars to play and sing together. I am looking forward to that. One evening we shared cultural things from our countries Greece, Italy, Hungary and The Netherlands. We sang and danced and we had so much fun together.
Thursday, we made a trip by bus to the beautiful museum and temple of Artemis. The evening before, a friend of Sofia came to tell us all there was to know about the temple side and that made the trip even more nice. On our way back we had some time to spend on a beach, it was crowded with tourists and there was a line to go in. In Greece you have to pay to go to a nice beach. But my husband and I decided not to go stand in line. Just across the street there was a nice restaurant, where we ordered a good lunch.
The atmosphere among us in the camp and during all activities was so warm and nice, like one big family. We enjoyed our stay very much and definitely we will come back next year. Thanks to the team that made this possible: Sofia, Anna, Athina, Laura, Carmen, Tamara, Marilu, Irini. We had a great time.
Perhaps you join us next year? You are welcome.
Warmly,
Louise Molenkamp
Editor’s Note:
To know more about the Summer Camp in Greece in 2024, you may want to read
A new big circle, a new big party: thus ended the fourth year of the Italian TTP, in the presence of Pt Ashutosh Sharma.
“Cultivating our selfless love and compassion for other beings is the most important thing we can do. Even Jesus said it to his disciples: Let people know us by how we love”. “Let people know us by how we love them in teaching”, “This is just the beginning of our sadhana! Bringing the heart of this lineage to all people, bringing it out, is the most beautiful thing we can do!”. (Dr Stephen Parker – Stoma ji, connected from Minneapolis, opening the final sharing of the Italian TTP).
“We are blessed with the love and light of our guru-guided path through those words: Love, Serve, Remember. We remain steadfast to continue on the path of light serving selflessly as our expression of gratitude”. (Part of Swami Ritavan Bharati’s message to all attending the final session of Training on the Path of Giving, Sharing, and Loving).
With these inspiring thoughts and words we opened one of the most powerful moments of the final Italian TTP Retreat.
Love, fragility, family, acceptance, harmony, openness, mission, caring, sharing, transformation, freedom, motivation, emotional independence, healing were just few of the many wonderful words that accompanied and warmed the intimate and sacred space of the sangha, united in listening and embracing the other.
It was not a conclusion, but a true celebration: the beginning of a new journey! A spiritual family that over the past four years has matured together, honouring its path of growth and supporting each other with love and mutual respect, even in difficulties. Kalyana mitras truly together and close in joy and sorrow, aware that darkness doesn’t exist: it is only an absence of light.
Strong and intense connections, that will remain forever, beyond time and space; strong and intense connections with no more roles, but only Love, that divine force that allows the light, within each of us, to shine.
It was a time for listening and rediscovery, a time for understanding and compassion, a time for trust and surrender.
“When you surrender, you are there … and something bigger happens.” Ashutosh reminded us.
He reminded us of the importance of remaining humble, of remaining students because once we become teachers we stop learning. “If we want to learn, we have to remain students”.
As he reminded us of the beauty of being ourselves and he did it, as always, through a story Swami Veda often told “In Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, they make the most beautiful carpets in the world. The art of making carpets is part of their history and there is not a mistake in the weaving. So what do they do? Always voluntarily and consciously, they leave a knot, which interrupts the perfection of the carpet. Only God is perfect. Human beings are not perfect and, therefore, they voluntarily and consciously destroy the perfection of the carpet with a small knot in the weave”.
“The real certificate will be given to you by your students when they feel loved in your presence” (Swami Veda Bharati).
With Love and Gratitude to the Lineage,
Om shantih
