Embodied Awakening Retreat

Welcome to 5 days transformative immersion in the aspects of embodied awakening. Inspired by nondual shaiva tantra, aka Kashmir shaivism, we will explore what it means to wake up to the nature of reality, and what is the direct way of being that which you already are - primordial boundless awareness itself. As this lineage is a path of Beauty and Awe, the emphasis is on intimacy with reality and the whole of your experience. This is a path of recognition of an ever present non-conceptual truth of what you are, and bringing that realization into all aspects of your life. It is a way of moving in the world with gentle ease and flow, being open to grace in all that we encounter. It is a way of attuning with and abiding as the natural pulse of life (spanda). The key is to experience all sensation and emotion as pure aliveness. Eventually, this leads to an indescribable deep surrender, which brings about the kind of fulfilment and fullness that is not dependent on exterior condition. “You contain unimaginable magnificence inside of you and that magnificence must reveal itself.” (Paul Muller Ortega) The program consists of meditative contemplation (tattva bhavana), embodied yoga and somatic movement sessions, various inquiry practices, authentic sharing, celebration and ecstatic dance. The simple yet profound awareness cultivation practices are sourced from the rich tantrik tradition, such as the fascinating Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. There will be hours of silence to allow the powerful and integrative meditation practices to sink deeper, as well as hours for socializing and getting to know our ‘kula’; our fellow practitioners. We are nurtured by each other's intrinsic wisdom, delicious vegetarian food and daily sauna. Welcome to this retreat to remember, explore and welcome the totality of who you are. “Your essence-nature, the Source of all you experience, flows equally in all three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, none of which are other than It. [In all these states,] the Perceiver never departs from Its own essential nature." (Spanda-karika verse 3, trans. by Christopher Wallis) TIME: The retreat begins Wednesday 21.9.2022 and participants can arrive from 16:00 onwards. The official program begins at 18:00. The retreat ends Sunday 25.9.2022 after lunch and clean up. We are ready to drive home latest 18.00 PRICE AND REGISTRATION: **Earlybird** price (until 1.8.2022) 510€/420€ (full time students and unemployed). After this 610€/520€. The price includes the retreat program for 5 days, accommodation, three meals per day and sauna every night (payment plans available for those with low income). To reserve your place please send an email to: [email protected] After receiving your email, we will send you payment info and some questions for you to answer like food allergies, accommodation preferences etc. Your place at the retreat will be secured after your registration and payment of a deposit of 100€. If you have any further inquiries, don't hesitate to contact us! VENUE: We will stay in a beautiful retreat centre in the quiet countryside of southern Finland. An old village school building situated in the middle of fields and forests will offer generous space to practice and rest. The venue provides an atmosphere of calm and simplicity with beautiful surroundings that invite for walks and contemplation. There are different options for accommodation that will be chosen during the registration. For more detail ls, please visit: http://lammiretreat.com/home/ FOOD: We will have three meals per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our catering is taken care of by an amazing culinary crafter. She will cook us delicious vegetarian and gluten free food during the whole retreat. Water boilers, coffee and tea will be supplied all day. There will be an evening snack also available after the program ends every evening. WHAT TO BRING: -Bedding (sheets and covers or a sleeping bag) -Warm and comfortable clothes suitable for sitting as well as for movement -Pen and Paper / Notebook -Water bottle -Thermos flask if you would like to keep hot drinks on you during the day -Personal hygiene and towel -Yoga mat (yoga blocks if you have) TRAVELLING TO THE VENUE: By car: Map link to the center: https://goo.gl/maps/HBMSY8b8JhR2. By train/bus: Check www.vr.fi and www.matkahuolto.fi for the most recent info. With a train you first have to go to Hämeenlinna or Lahti and then with the bus to “Lammi (Hämeenlinna)”. Busses go to Lammi from all major cities via Hämeenlinna or Lahti. Ridesharing (Google Doc): In the registration email we will send you a link to a doc where people can share car rides and to synchronise their arrival in Lammi with public transport for a shared taxi (10km) from the venue. You are warmly welcome! Gloria & Viivi Please check the discussion area for the introduction of the teachers, and other information! FACILITATORS: Viivi Jokela Viivi Jokela facilitates space to immerse in nondual awareness and recognition. She shares about the universal wisdom of awakening to the nature of Reality and the deeper truth of what we are. Her background is in the lineage of nondual shaiva tantra (Kashmir shaivism), which she first encountered academically (MA), and later on experimentally as direct experience. She is especially inspired by the aesthetic aspect of the tantrik path: a way of moving in the world in which there is an ineffable relaxation into pure sensation, free from artificial division or conceptual overlay. Abiding in the sense experience in this unfiltered manner, one attunes with self aware wonder. A sweet sense of yielding and expansiveness takes place. Life reveals itself as one unified flow. Grounded on the meditative contemplation practices of the direct way, she integrates somatics, intuitive movement, music, and embodied yoga to explore this so called natural mode of being. Her main teacher is Christopher Hareesh Wallis whom she met in 2014 after a profound awakening impulse took place. Other teachers that she has studied with are Adyashanti (nondual zen), Paul Muller Ortega (shaiva tantra), Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (bön dzogchen), and lately Rupert Spira (Kashmir shaivism & advaita). Gloria Salo Gloria has had passion for paths of awakening consciousness since she was a child. She used to study yoga from her mother's books and teach yoga to her classmates at school. She began her serious study of yoga 20 years ago. After she found the esoteric and tantric practices of yoga and meditation, she committed herself to the ancient sacred yogic and tantric tradition. She lived years in an ashram near one of her teachers to deepen her understanding of spirituality, yoga, tantra and self-inquiry. During the years abroad she graduated as a yoga teacher, and concluded a years long tantric education. Gloria has always had deep interest in human psyche and the different dimensions of consciousness. The quest to understand the hidden potentials deep within, led her to graduate with Masters of Social Sciences, majoring in Social Psychology. Gloria has written her Master Theses on Mindfulness Meditation and in her academic studies combined psychological studies with her personal experience in meditation. Gloria is a child of not one but many traditions. She has srudied with a world famous yogi Gokulchandra Das and has graduated from various Gokul Yoga Teacher Trainings with the emphasize on deep yogic practices and Bhakti - heartful devotion. These days she studies and practices classical nondual tantra from the Trika lineage with Christopher (Harees) Wallis. Currently she is training NVC (non-violent communication) and Living Compassion, and is doing her post studies in cognitive therapy. Gloria is continuing to study different forms of human unfoldment and believes that the best teacher is first of all a great student. In addition to yoga and tantra Gloria likes to involve herself in creative and transformative projects. She is a producer of consciousness awakening events, practices dance and is an active member in the psychedelic art and music community, teaching tantra in many of the big festivals in Europe. ******************* FYI If you feel the intuitive call but cannot make it to this retreat note that we also offer an IMMERSION in October which takes place in Helsinki: https://www.facebook.com/events/749518663071170