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 Ancient Yoga Center (400, Barsana Rd. Austin, TX-78737 – just 17 miles from downtown Austin) is a world
away from the demands of daily life. The natural landscape, spread over 200 acres, creates ideal areas for outdoor fun activities, Yoga and meditation. Enjoy Ashram life, peach orchards, walking trails, healing, wildflower
fields, a natural stream, hills, clean air, the shade of live oak trees, colorful peacocks, outdoor dining and more (http://www.ancientyogacenter.org/)
REGISTRATION
(I) Retreat Price: $450
Early Bird Discount for a limited number of participants (prior to September 20, 2022) -
$380: For one person
$325 for each person if two or more people are signing up together.
You
have the option to stay together or in separate rooms, as per your own choice.
(II) Accommodation at the Retreat is optional. The above retreat price does not include the cost of accomodation. However, it is better to stay at the Ashram for a fully immersive experience..
Accommodation Rates (healthy vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner included)
Rooms with shared hall bath: Per person/per night
3+people - $100
2 people - $115
1 person - $130
Rooms with private attached bath: Per person/per night
3 people - $115
2 people - $130
1 person - $145
For participants not staying overnight
Commuter fees and meals - $70 Per person/per night
Payment
In order to reserve a spot for yourself, please pay a non-refundable amount of $200 via Venmo or Paypal. Alternatively, you can write a check in
favor of Jogi Bhagat and mail it to the following address:
10512 Big Thicket Drive,
Austin, TX-78747
The balance must be paid via Zelle/check by September 20th. If you decide to pay the balance by PayPal/Venmo, please add 4% of your amount to cover the PayPal/Venmo charges.
SCHEDULE
The following schedule is subject to change.
Following are the details of our presenters and their classes and workshops:
Jogi Bhagat
Jogendra “Jogi” Bhagat is a RYT (500) Certified Yoga Instructor and Yoga Therapist. He is organizing this Retreat. He has studied with renowned Yoga Masters in India, Europe and US, including TKV Desikachar. For more
details about his background and experience, please visit his website. This article, which was published in Austin American-Statesman some years ago, showcases his teaching style.
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Yog Nidra
Yoga Nidra is the ultimate relaxation technique for releasing stress and tension held in your body. This meditation technique allows your body to restore and balance itself. It is designed to
melt down tension in all forms and help us in replacing our habitual stress patterns by a sense of joy and peace.
Blissful Yoga
Imagine that your body is dancing on the rhythm of your breath through g e n t l e and s l o w Yogic movements in the perfect weather under the blue sky, hundreds of birds chirping, dancing
peacocks are your cheer leaders, some devotees chanting and worshiping and much more... you are bound to merge into a blissful state. Please don't miss this opportunity. Come and join us to have this divine experience.
Yoga for Peace of Mind - A yoga class by Jogi Bhagat
Discover how Yoga can lead you to celebration of life and a state of total bliss. A combination of Mantra, meditation, movement and Mudra-s will help
you to get rid of your guilt and regret of the past as well as worries and anxiety of the future. We will incorporate the power of sound as a tool for creating harmony in body, mind and spirit. Come ready to release tension,
strengthen your body and connect with your Self.
Appa Deepo Bhav (Be Your Own Light) - Meditation followed by journaling and an interactive discussion on bringing more meaning and purpopse in our life.
We will celebrate Gandhi's 153rd Birthday on October 2nd by learning from the experience and wisdom of Mahatama Gandhi. Please bring your journal with you.
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Pragya Bhagat
Pragya Bhagat is a spoken word poet, essayist, and author of two books. She is also a RYT (500) Certified Yoga Teacher from the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, India. Pragya’s writing explores the intersections
between mental health, body image, and relationships. She has conducted over fifty writing workshops over the past two years and believes in the power of ordinary people to tell extraordinary stories. Her writing has been
featured in the Huffington Post, the Wire, and the BBC, amongst others. Pragya is the recipient of the Orange Flower Award for Writing on Mental Health and the Beyond Black Sakhi Poetry Award.
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Introduction to Reflective Writing
Reflective Writing is a tool to help build self awareness. This can take the form of poetry, prose, or anything in between. In this session, we will be learning briefly about the different kinds of reflective writing.
Journal Writing
We will explore Morning Pages as a journaling technique to build self-awareness. We will also go over the Dos and Don’ts of Morning Pages and the challenges and benefits associated with journaling.
How to Build a Poem
This session will focus on the construction of a poem, line by line. We will discuss the role of sensory details, imagery, and tone. Poetry allows us a certain flexibility - a poem can be anything at all - but many of us feel
we can’t write poetry or that we won’t enjoy it. This session will include fun exercises to remind us of the joy that comes with play.
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Jim Rigby
Rev. Jim Rigby is pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX, and a longtime activist in movements concerned with gender, racial, and economic justice. In 2007, he was named “Texas Public Citizen of the Year” by National Association of Social Workers.
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Sprituality and Activism
How can our "inner" pursuit of peace and our "outer" concern for justice be harmonized? Can we live lives of peace and joy even as we work for a fairer world? In this workshop we will seek to learn from wonderful people like Gandhi and Thich Nhat Hahn who learned to balance loving and peaceful hearts with inspirational lives of activism.
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Shalini Rao
A life established in religion and spirituality, Shalini's upbringing always inspired her to celebrate the conversations of the “why”, the “what”, and the “how”. Growing up in a family where Bhajans or devotional singing was a life-practice,she has always had a strong inclination towards chanting, and singing. She has been learning Hindustani Classical Music and one of it's oldest forms called Dhrupad, along with the Sadhana of Mantras and Stotras.
A mother of two young boys and having the experience of two decades of living and working across three continents,she has been inclined to go back and study our scriptures and to essentially find the connection between human well-being and the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. This led her to the study the Scriptures of timeless Eastern Civilization like Srimad Bhagawad Geeta, Upanishads, Yoga, Ayurveda, and music, only to find that everything is interrelated and the goal of all these paths is Self-actualization or awakening to an experience of Bliss that is in each one of us, no matter where and how we are. The wisdom of these timeless scriptures and postulates can make our lives wholesome and meaningful. It is this quest that has drawn her to create a platform where seekers can all come together and discuss, learn, share, and collaborate. Her platform can be accessed on www.flittinghummingbird.com.
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Mantra Meditation
Experience the transformational, heart-opening benefits of an intentional chanting practice, and receive guidance on how to create your own. To find a sanctuary of divine love within your own heart, again and again.
If it is true that our energy flows in the direction of our intention, how do we ensure that our focus is where we want it to be?
Chanting Mantras as a practice could find our way to divinity that dwells within the sanctuary of our own heart. Chanting can help us refocus and connect to our True Self, to our meaning and essence. With devotional attention, it can help us navigate the world with love.
Join Shalini on a calming, heart-opening, and divine experience, where you will discover how chanting can lead you back to the essence of your being, and help you recommune with what resonates authentically in your heart. Shalini is in a unique position to interpret the meaning of the mantra for our modern world and help you claim and personalize the practice for yourself.
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Neha Kamble
Neha Kamble is a rising freshman at the University of Texas at Austin studying Computer Science and Business. She began learning Bharatanatyam and semi-classical dance at the age of six. For the past eight years, she has studied under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Preya Mangalat Patel where her interest in Bharatanatyam has blossomed into a strong passion for the dance form. She completed her Aranagetram in the summer of 2019. Since then, Neha has continued expanding her dance repertoire through workshops with renowned gurus in India, including Smt. Padmini Ravi. She also helps teach and lead classes for younger students at Devi School of Dance. Over the years, Neha has performed at various cultural events in Austin, including International Yoga Day at the State Capitol, Asian American cultural festivals, and CRY Austin. She has also led Bharatanatyam workshops for students from low-income communities, and worked with local artists and musicians such as Oliver Rajamani.
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Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam, a pre-eminent Indian classical dance form presumably the oldest classical dance heritage of India is regarded as mother of many other Indian classical dance forms. Conventionally a solo dance performed only by women, it initiated in the Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu and eventually flourished in South India. Theoretical base of this form traces back to ‘Natya Shastra’, the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text on the performing arts.
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Srajan Bhagat
Srajan studies Yoga from his father (Jogi Bhagat), Ananda Marga, Art of Living, and has a Yoga instructor's certification from Swamy Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India. He studies music at the Nizami School of Music, training in music, poetry, and sitar with Ustad Nizami.
Kirtan Meditation
We call our music ‘Kirtan Meditation’ because it is a form of meditation. There are many ways to enter that space of intimate silence where one touches the stillness resting below the ever-shifting surface. The breath and movement are common means to
access this sublime realm of ‘Self’; music is another. Kirtan is an ancient practice of call and response music which is perfectly formulated to usher one, even the novice, into this sacred space of stillness. Sanscrit mantras
are used to focus the mind while the music sweeps in and opens the heart. When one enters into this practice with sincerity (meaning doing the best one can, letting go of hesitations and insecurities, giving 100 percent), then
the outcome can be truly spectacular. But it takes sincerity.
Traditionally, each mantra has a specific intent. Songs to the Ganesh are meant to remove obstacles blocking our path. Songs to the goddess Saraswati are prayers for higher knowledge. While reflecting on the intention
of the specific mantra might help to deepen our practice, it is not a necessary component of effective Kirtan. Being present and singing with sincerity is more than enough to move one into a place of clear mind and open heart.
We invite you to join us in uniting our voices for peace.
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 Please bring the following:
- A Yoga mat and any props that you may need
- Water bottle with lid
- Notebook and pen, if you like to take notes
- Extra cash or check if you are interested to purchase gifts from Radha Madhav Dham shop and on-site massage etc.
- Flashlight
- Comfortable shoes if you would like to enjoy walking at Radha Madhav Dham
- Please leave valuables at home
Help us to spread the word about this Retreat
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Yoga Retreat/Vacation?
Usually when we go for holidays for recreation, we become so tired that after coming back, we need another holiday to rejuvenate. A retreat should rejuvenate us while also giving us practical techniques for physical, mental and emotional
well-being.
It is time to step back from everyday stresses and strains and put things back into perspective. A retreat is good for recreation, but it is more about "re-creation". It gives you the perfect environment to relax,
rethink the direction of your life and enjoy great activities. It is an opportunity to spend time with oneself, and reconnect with nature while enjoying the company of like-minded people - a wonderful long-term friendship
can spring from such retreats. More importantly, a Yoga Retreat provides a clearer direction towards a peaceful way of existence. It develops an increased capacity to resolve the inner turmoil and anxieties that are experienced
every single day.
 What is the difference between a Yoga Class and Yoga Retreat?
Have you ever felt peace, serenity and sense of well-being after attending a Yoga class? If your answer is "yes", it is time to learn more tools of transformation in a retreat that can extend "after Yoga class" peace
and joy in your day-today activities. It is an opportunity to leave behind clamors of daily life to deepen your Yoga practice, build true strength and enlighten your spirit.
What is Reflective Writing?
We all have our own ways of using the written word as a way to express how we feel or how we think about the world. In the writing sessions during this Retreat, you will learn
how to use reflection as a tool for building self-awareness. We will do this through various kinds of activities, such as journaling, collage, and telling our own story.
I don’t want to be a writer/ I don’t think I write well. I’ve never done yoga before. Is this Retreat for me?
Yes, yes, and yes! The Om Shanti Retreat welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds. You don’t
need to have any experience or aspirations in writing/ yoga to learn how to use these tools.
Who is organizing this Retreat?
Jogi Bhagat, Certified Yoga Instructor and Therapist, is organizing this Retreat. He has studied with renowned Masters in India, Europe and US, including TKV Desikachar. (http://medicinalyoga.com/about_teacher.html)
What is special about Radha Madhav Dham Ashram?
Not everyone has the money or time to take a Yoga Retreat in Fiji, Hawaii or Bali. Sometimes paradise can be found right at home. To this end, we created Om Shanti Yoga Retreat at Radha Madhav Dham Ashram. This Ashram's
serene and beautiful environment provides an ideal location for a lot of fun filled and stress busting activities.
Can I attend the Retreat without staying at Radha Madhav Dham?
It is better to stay at Radha Madhav Dham Ashram for a true immersion experience. But, staying at Radha Madhav Dham during the retreat is optional.
In case, you decide not to stay at Radha Madhav Dham during the Retreat, you will pay $70 per night. This includes the Commuter Fee and the meals of the day.
Can I attend the Retreat just on Friday, Saturday or Sunday?
Yes, it is possible. These rates do not include the above-mentioned $70 per night, as charged by the Ashram.
Friday, September 30: $100
Saturday, October 1: $250
Sunday, October 2: $150
Don't miss this powerful opportunity to leave behind clamors of daily life,
and engage in a weekend of connection and renewal.
For questions and concerns, contact Jogi 512-963-8364 and jogibhagat@gmail.com
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