Real Love: Buddhist & Bhakti Practices of the Heart
With Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg and Robert A.F. Thurman
September 21 - 24, 2017
Join Krishna Das, Sharon Salzberg and guest teacher Robert Thurman for a weekend immersion exploring a world of great possibility in Real Love: Buddhist & Bhakti Practices of the Heart. These three friends and colleague bring a lifetime of experience nurturing a greater capacity for love rooted in both the Buddhist and Bhakti traditions. In this weekend retreat, they offer practical tools and techniques to learn to distinguish between the skillful habits that lead to awareness and deeper connection, and the unskillful habits that reinforce our sense of separation.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, we all live our lives searching for a sense of belonging, yet still find ourselves feeling cut off and alone. What holds us back from connecting to ourselves, to our core emotional needs – as well as to one another and to our individual and shared experiences alike? What keeps us from realizing our essential need for real love? Complimentary chanting and meditation practices allows us to reach into our hearts, open them, and take risks by breaking free of the limits and expectations of love we usually carry. In doing so, we create a spacious balance of mind that allows us a more direct, experiential relationship with love. Join us for an immersive weekend to explore the magnitude of the heart and the transformative power of love within us.
YOGA with Lily Cushman: Learn how to integrate and deepen the heart practices of chanting and meditation into your body for greater balance and ease. Our bodies can serve as the vehicle to help us ground these tools into a new way of being by gently exploring how we relate to ourselves and our inherent limitations in action! Lily guides an integrative yoga practice designed to bridge our habitual way of experiencing life with the newfound curiosity and connection that heart practices allow for. Classes are for all levels of student, no previous yoga experience is necessary. Some yoga mats will be provided, however, you are welcome to bring your own.
HANUMAN CHALISAS with Nina Rao: This an opportunity for beginners and experienced chants to dive deep into this practice of chanting this 40-verse prayer in praise of Hanuman, together as a group. The prayer is from the Indian tradition with Hanuman invoked as the very breath of the Divine – our own Divine nature. Many believe that chanting this prayer gives us the strength to get through difficult times with compassion and grace. We will read through the prayer to review pronunciation and translation, and chant the prayer together an auspicious number of repetitions. Word sheets will be provided.
Schedule
Thursday, September 21st
2 – 8pm Arrival and Check-in
4 – 6pm Spa Treatments (must be booked in advance)
6:15 – 7:15pm Dinner – Lhasa Inn
7:30pm Doors Open – Nalanda Conference Center
8 – 10pm Opening Welcome with Sharon and KD, Opening Kirtan with KD
Friday, September 22nd
6:30 – 7am Coffee, Tea, Fruit – Lhasa Inn
7 – 8:30am Yoga Asanas with Lily Cushman (Ahimsa Yoga Studio)
8:30 – 9:30am Breakfast
10am – 12:30pm Program with Sharon (Nalanda Conference Center)
12:30 – 2:30pm Free Time for Spa Treatments, Hiking, etc.
1 – 2:15pm Lunch
2:30 – 5pm Workshop with Sharon & KD (Nalanda Conference Center)
5:30 – 6:30pm Yoga Asanas with Lily Cushman (Ahimsa Yoga Studio)
6:30 – 7:30pm Dinner
7pm Will Call for Public Kirtan Ticket Holders (Nalanda Conference Center)
7:30pm Doors Open for Kirtan
8 – 10:30pm Kirtan with Krishna Das (open to public)
Saturday, September 23rd
6:30 – 7am Coffee, Tea, Fruit
7 – 8:30am Yoga Asanas with Lily Cushman (Ahimsa Yoga Studio)
8:30 – 9:30am Breakfast
9:45 – 11:30am Hanuman Chalisas with Nina (Nalanda Conference Center)
11:30am – 2:30pm Free Time for Spa Treatments, Hiking, etc
1 – 2:15pm Lunch
2:30 – 5pm Workshop with KD and Bob (Nalanda Conference Center)
5:30 – 6:30pm Yoga Asanas with Lily Cushman (Ahimsa Yoga Studio)
6 – 7:30pm Dinner
6:30 – 7:15pm Book/CD Signing with KD, Sharon, & Bob (Lhasa Inn Gift Shop)
7pm Will Call for Public Kirtan Ticket Holders (Nalanda Conference Center)
7:30pm Doors Open for Kirtan
8 – 10:30pm Kirtan with Krishna Das (open to public)
Sunday, September 24th
6:30 – 7am Coffee, Tea, Fruit
7 – 8:30am Yoga Asanas with Lily Cushman (Ahimsa Yoga Studio)
8:30 – 9:45am Breakfast
10:15am – 12:45pm Closing Program with Sharon, KD, and Bob (Nalanda Conference Center)
1:00 -2:15pm Lunch, Check-out & Departure
* Please note schedule is subject to change at any time
About the Leaders
Krishna Das
Krishna Das is a Grammy-nominated chant artist and has sung with people all around the world for over 35 years. His music offers the practice of chanting mantras– mostly in the Indian tradition, with some Buddhist and Gospel infusions. By sharing his life experiences on the path in his book Chants of a Lifetime, and workshops with people […]
Learn more about Krishna Das
Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg is a pioneer in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching. Sharon is the co-founder of the first western meditation center in the […]
Learn more about Sharon Salzberg
Robert A.F. Thurman
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as co-founder and President of Tibet House US and it's Menla Retreat & Spa. A world-wide lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, activist for the plight of the Tibetan people, translator of Buddhist texts, and writer of popular Buddhist books. He recently has been awarded […]
Learn more about Robert A.F. ThurmanCategory : Menla Retreat (all retreats)