CREATIVE ITINERARY
One thing that’s made our past retreats so special was that we took an individualized approach to our curriculum and teaching. In practical terms, this means we’ve set a plan for what we’d like to cover during this retreat, but are always open to be spontaneous in how the individual days are laid out – the retreats follow this “creative itinerary” rather than something rigid that takes away from the enjoyment of the entire experience.
Every retreat group we work with is unique; we realized a long time ago that attuning the teachings as much as possible to those who come, tailoring the Sadhanas and theoretical teachings based on the individual, keeps things nourishing and simpler to understand.
A special part of these retreats is the atmosphere of immersion in the teachings and social environment together. We always look to find the right balance, allowing room for meals together, as well as time to explore nearby Rome & the Italian countryside, while still allowing for longer than normal days of teaching and practice when it makes the most sense to do so.
Within the Vedic tradition of Jyotish, profound ancient wisdom & mythology ties in closely to twenty-eight different lunar mansions called ‘Nakshatras’. Each of our birth-horoscope are infused and guided by nine of these Nakshatras and the individual themes & mythologies represented by them. Studying these archetypal soul-themes helps us attain greater self-understanding and self-realization.
During this retreat we will examine how these “themes of the soul” operate and steer our lives. Their projections onto our lives can occur either unconsciously or consciously – this depends on our knowledge and wisdom base. Held within the Nakshatras you’ll find in your horoscope are spiritual tests and lessons that help us to mature our soul and heal us by their mysterious grace.
To add further dimension & practical benefit to these teachings, we will explore how the constantly evolving astrological climate of the sky, which we all share, can help us develop our individual Nakshatra-themes through the lens of spirituality. Without this awareness we can often end up dragged along by their power rather than benefiting from their transformative potential.
I’m thrilled that I get to teach alongside Gloria Goldberg for this retreat.
Gloria will focus on one of the jewels of mature Iyengar Yoga sadhana; the way in which BKS Iyengar and the Iyengar lineage have practiced several different asana cycles. Teaching will include the Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Virasana, and many more cycles. In these cycles we witness the beauty and profound power of the sequencing which is inherent to Iyengar yoga. We will learn how we can grow in our practice through their sequential methodologies. In Sanskrit the term “krama” is used when one proceeds carefully and systematically, with important steps and stages required to reveal the hidden power of a pose.
