Anahata (unhurt or unbeaten) is the forth chakra, a green ball of light located at the heart area. Anahata is the “yammie” chakra (its seed syllable is sound YAM) of love, kindness, affection, sharing, compassion, friendliness, forgiveness. If in third chakra, we talked of more superficial (though still very important) relationships with colleagues, class mates, partners etc., in Anahata we talk about parents, old friendships, life partners, children etc. 

On this level to have a healthy harmonious energy center, the most important thing is to truly love ourselves for what we are. This love does not mean loving ourselves for this or that, for certain achievements and victories; instead this love is unconditional. When we start working with Anahata we should, as Sogyal Rinpoche often says, instead of looking outwardly, start SEEING inwardly. We have all experienced it one way or another, by feeling quiet when looking at the sky, when feeling happy being on our own, when hugging someone we love and feeling tingling sensation in the chest, when helping a suffering being we did not know before, during meditation or yoga. Only after we discover and fall in love with our pure being, which is unconditional and perfect from the beginning, can we develop true compassion, kindness and love towards others.

This retreat is suitable for all levels yoga practitioners. Teachings are in Dutch and/or English.

Dates: Friday, 21 September 2012 - Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Mani (jewel) pura (city) is the third chakra, a yellow ball of light located above the navel at the stomach area. Manipura for me is the chakra of our civilization; thanks to its activity our capitalistic empire is flourishing. After taking care of our physical body, heath & home, making sure that we are having fun and enjoying life, we start establishing ourselves in the society. This chakra is all about asserting ourselves in a group, family, society; it is about building our fort or empire (“pura” stands for city). Thanks to Manipura we have got corporations, parties, unions, and countries that exist in our realm.

Motivations that drive us from this chakra are about gaining personal power and control, managing others.  In yoga world this results in patented yoga sequences, yoga styles, and franchising-like yoga studio models. I just recently have read about a law-suit of a yoga teacher against his very student for using the sequence of asanas, which the former has designed. This illustrates immense influence of the global Manipura excess on spiritual disciplines as yoga, very powerful energy that is! Certainly, this energy center is also related to money and wealth for yellow color traditionally symbolized gold (remember, “mani” stands for jewel).

Swa (self) disthana (residence) is the second chakra, an orange ball of light located below the navel and above the pubic bone. After establishing connection with our physical body and having made it comfortable in the base chakra, we continue our journey with making our life fun and joy. As if building the house itself was Muladhara’s job; lighting up candles, hanging paintings and playing music in that house would be the domain of Swadisthana. This energetic center is all about feelings, sensuality, and sexuality. On the physical level it is connected to ovaries (reproductive system) and adrenal gland which in its turn is responsible for production of adrenalin and various hormones.