Seminars

Loving Greetings from Haus Yoga Vidya!
We invite you to stay in a peaceful environment where you can gain new insights, access to your intuition, and rediscover your inner resources of happiness. At Haus Yoga Vidya, the daily programme of yoga postures, breathing exercises, deep relaxation, chanting, meditation and vegetarian meals is designed to have an optimal effect on your body, mind and spirit.

Enjoy the rejuvenating tranquillity and closeness to Mother Nature as you replenish your energy and relax completely. In addition to lectures and workshops, there are two meditation sessions and two yoga exercise classes offered daily.

Haus Yoga Vidya also offers many leisure activities such as cycling (bicycles can be borrowed without charge), hiking in the adjoining forests and valleys, swimming, sauna, excursions that you can take to a variety of local points of interest. You are very welcome at Yoga Vidya throughout the year.

We are always happy to receive your suggestions, comments and registrations. Please send them to: info(at)yoga-vidya.de

• December 2019

• January 2020

• February 2020

• March 2020

• April 2020

• May 2020

• June 2020

• July 2020

• August 2020

• September 2020

• October 2020

• November 2020

• December 2020

• January 2021

• Conditions of participation

• Why Yoga Vidya?

• What is Yoga Vidya?

Take a step beyond Hatha Yoga, listen to the intelligence within. Use this opportunity to explore meditation in a range of Hatha Yoga poses. Experience and deepen your knowledge of the true power and mystical potential of each pose. Use this knowledge to bring quality to your everyday decisions and experiences.

Shared room €378; double room €460; single room €544; dormitory/tent/caravan €313

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Asana classes and guided meditations are usually in German. If you need translation for asana classes, please let us know when you register.

Jnana Yoga, Vedanta and the direct way to the realization of the unity. On the basis of the "Aparoksha Anubhuti", "direct intuitive experience of god", a concise ingenious work with 144 sutras, the teachings of Shankaracharya, the great philosopher and master of Vedanta, are unfolded.

"Here the means is explained, by which Aparoksha Anubhuti, the direct realization, can be attained, so that final liberation can be attained ..." (verse 2)"Aparoksha Anubhuti" gives us concrete exercises to directly understand this highest reality.

These practical meditation techniques show Shankaracharya's Jnana Yoga interpretation of the 8 Ashtangas of Raja Yoga - Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Plus:

• stress psychology, sports medical training theory, anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal system.
• Teaching techniques: teaching structure and didactics.
• Individual corrections. Beginners, especially: corrections and assistance. Intermediate level: corrections and assistance.
• Yoga for special problems.  (Yoga for the Heart (Ornish Program). Yoga for the back. Yoga for joint problems. Yoga for breathing problems (asthma and others). Yoga for psychosomatic complaints. Yoga also in a wheelchair. Gentle variations of the Yoga Vidya series for people with physical ailments)
• Teaching relaxation workshops.
• Responding to individual questions from your teaching practice.
• Hatha Yoga: Learn advanced techniques.
• Shank Prakshalama, the complete colon cleansing to purify the whole organism.
• Hatha Yoga and Sport: Sports Medicine. Muscle and skeletal system. Structure of the muscle. How are the muscles influenced by the practice of yoga? Yoga as condition, flexibility, strength and coordination training. Hatha yoga and relaxation: relaxation and stress management. General adjustment principle. Scientific research on the effects of yoga.
• Alternatively, also as F6 bookable: With additional Vedanta lectures (instead of stress management and training theory). F6 also has other teaching techniques.

Required books: Yoga Vidya Teacher's Manual, Yoga Vidya Asana Book (available in German only)

Shared room €714,00; double room €865,00 single room €1.020,00; dormitory/tent/caravan €594,00

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"Aparoksha Anubhuti" gives us concrete exercises to directly understand this highest reality. These practical meditation techniques show Shankaracharya's Jana Yoga interpretation of the 8 Ashtangas of Raja Yoga - Nama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi - but in a much wider metaphysical sense than Patanjali's Raja Yoga. A unique seminar for you as a serious spiritual aspirant that will take you on the ladder of your spiritual evolution.

There will also be an overview of the classic Indian scriptures and the classical 6 philosophy systems. Other Indian texts, philosophical systems and methods will also be incorporated.

In contrast to the training A6 of the same name, from 14.00-15.45 you have additional Vedanta lectures (instead of stress, relaxation and sports medicine training), as well as different teaching techniques.

• Teaching techniques: teaching design.
• Didactics. Individual corrections.
• Especially: Hatha Yoga according to Ayurvedic aspects, adapted to Vata, Pita, Kapha constitution- Yoga for regression after pregnancy
• Introduce new positions in yoga class
• Jnana Yoga techniques in Hatha Yoga lessons for beginners.

Required texts:
Yoga Vidya Teachers' Handbook, Yoga Vidya Asana Book, Aparoksha Anubhuti (German translation, Yoga Vidya Verlag)
- Apart from the Yoga Vidya Teachers' Handbook: Normally these books are not available at the book shop Bad Meinberg. Please bringe them with you.

Shared room €714; double room €865; single room €1.020; dormitory/tent/caravan €594

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Yin Yoga is a style which helps you to relax deeply. Begin to find your way into the asanas according to your own body. When your muscles are in a comfortable position, learn to let go and relax on a deep level. As the postures are held for longer periods, you can gain a more intense inner calmness. Witnessing your mental processes will give you a special kind of relaxation.

In English without translation.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Discover the goals and means needed for a thorough exploration of the kundalini system. Open yourself up for a journey of self-discovery. This programme of meditation and reflections will help you to make lasting changes in how you see your life. Begin by asking yourself such questions as: “How do I create my world? What ideas do I want to take root in my mind? What kind of person do I want to be?

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; tent/caravan €153

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Do you want to dive more deeply into your own practice and/or teaching? Join Manisha in this adventure of body, mind and soul. The programme includes playfully adapting yoga poses, either alone or with a partner. There will be a lot of room for developing concentration, strength, flexibility and coordination. Embark on a personal journey to expand your limitations; discover your inner strength and other potentials that are presently hidden by your perceived limitation.
Manisha invites you to bring your own ideas and personal experience to this course; from there you will jointly develop the kind of asanas you want to explore. Do this in a self-loving way to get to know more about your own body, emotions and also your soul. You will find space within yourself for self-acceptance, self-healing and joy.

This programme is open to intermediate and advanced yoga practitioners, as well as yoga teachers. It is conducted in ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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What is my current spiritual status quo and how can I develop it? In lectures and workshops Chandra Cohen explains how to figure out where you are and points out opportunities to unfold what lies inside you.

In addition, you can participate in daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, chanting, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes. Monday-Friday (rate per day):

Monday-Friday (rate per day):
Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights):    
Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption@yoga-vidya.de

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This seminar provides an open space for women to meet and converse on dearly-held topics. Exchanging with other participants will help you to realize that you are not alone. You have an opportunity to meet as sisters and to help each other on your path to more self-confidence and stability.

Raja yoga methods will help you to better understand yourself and to overcome self-imposed limitations. This will lead to mental perspective that are more open to your own needs and will encourage you to stand up for yourself. This programme is in ENGLISH WITHOU TRANSLATION.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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The Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita contain dozens of meditations and worships called upasanas intended to concentrate and purify your mind. From the meditation resolving all forms of the world into one absolute unity, to locating the great secret in the lotus of our hearts to understand the space of everything as no different from the space within myself. These meditations are intended as gateways to peace of mind and an enlightened recognition of self. Each class will unfold a new classical meditation that we will practice together and discuss to discover it subtleties and implications.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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Stories and myths introduce the most profound teachings contained in the Upanishads, the most sacred texts of Yoga and Vedanta. You will hear about a conversations between Yama, the lord of death, and an adolescent aspirant about enlightenment; Yajnavalkya will blatantly usurp King Janaka’s prize challenging the kingdom’s great sages. The rulers of the gods and the demons will prostrate as students before the great Creator to learn the deepest truths of Self.

All these stories serve to inform us about our own path to enlightenment. Class will be a lovely, fun exposition of these stories and their truths. It is an opportunity for you to learn the wisdom of the Self directly from great Upanishadic rishis.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Raja yoga teaches the means to gain the mastery over your own mind. Normally the mind is jumping from one thought and feeling to another. In this seminar we take the time to witness the mind, to recognise its tricks and to find our true nature. This process will give you much clarity, stability and inner strength. The programme is in ENGLISH WITHOUG TRANSLATION.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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Work intensively on your asanas and be inspired by lectures and meditation. Narayani is the co-author of the “Book of Yoga”. Her way of teaching is magical; she will guide you in a playful manner. You will find yourself doing the most difficult variations and be amazed at how much is possible. As a result of her long and intensive asana practice and more than 30 years of teaching experience, Narayani can give you excellent advice. Her calm and joyful personality is always an inspiration! This programme includes little theory and longer asana classes.

Shared room €213; double room €247; single room €281

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Deep in our hearts, we all long for reconciliation, for becoming "one again" with ourselves and with all we love. Authentic reconciliation begins with looking attentively at our own actions in thought, word and deed to see how we make mistakes ourselves. However, we do not condemn ourselves for these mistakes, but directly acknowledge our own fallibility. She belongs to us. The next step is to apologize. We allow the energy of forgiveness to flow through our whole being. This energy makes it easier for us, cleans us from within, until we feel completely free. A feeling of gratitude and love comes up. In this theme week we practice this kind of reconciliation with ourselves, with our body, with Mother Earth and with other people.

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day):
Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38
Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights):
Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption@yoga-vidya.de

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This programme presents an ideal opportunity to relax and recharge yourself with power and positivity. You will be introduced to the different aspects of yoga and meditation. Experience physical and breathing exercises, meditation, mantra-chanting and more. This programme is in ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Vedanta is the philosophy which is called the “end of knowledge“. It attempts to lead you to freedom and immortality by posing such questions as “Who am I?”, “What is real?”, “What is happiness?”

The systematic analysis of these questions guides you in attaining true wisdom. Vedanta philosophy is based on the premise that your essential nature is pure consciousness, pure being, knowledge and happiness: Satchidananda. This insight helps you to get rid of all entanglements of your mind. This training will include talks in English (with German translation) on Jnana Yoga and Vedanta, Indian scriptures and philosophical systems.

The classes on hatha yoga teaching techniques, sports medicine, relaxation and stress management will be in German (remember to let us know if you need translation).

Shared room €714; double room €865; single room €1.020; tent/caravan €594

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To heal, we need to learn to forgive. Past situations may seem like a big load that affects your present life, but these experiences become a transformative power when you learn to forgive. During this weekend, Swami Tattvarupananda will lead you on a path of transformation using Yoga and Vedanta. You will learn new steps on the path to healing and wholeness.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Precise knowledge of human anatomy is applied to the highly effective basic series underlying the Yoga Vidya training system. You will get valuable tips on how to make your asana practice more effective and prevent many physical problems.

Shared room €267; double room €318; single room €370; dormitory/tent/caravan €228

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All human beings are in search of the inner peace, which already exists deep inside. Through the practise of Meditation and Yoga you can better deal with distracting emotions and find inner peace.

This seminar presents a peaceful approach to life, joy and heart opening up to new perspectives.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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If you are interested in understanding your true nature, the nature of the mind and of the world, this retreat will be of great value. Freedom and lasting happiness are the result of this knowledge. The course is not merely an academic or intellectual exercise. It is a dynamic traditional teaching that engages the participants in such a way that it produces insight into the nature of reality. Vedanta is a means of Self inquiry, one of the oldest and most successful enlightenment traditions in the world. Text: Shankaracharya's Aparoshanubhuti. In english without translation.

Shared room €89; double room €104; single room €129; dormitory/tent/caravan €70

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Learn to teach Yoga in English. You are a yoga teacher and would like to offer English yoga classes in an international context? Here you will get valuable tips and material with common vocabulary. You will take part in two English Yoga classes daily and receive templates for English Yoga Vidya style classes.

Shared room €256; double room €307; single room €359; dormitory/tent/caravan €216

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Ram Vakkalanka, an indian Sanskrit expert, talented sitar player and experienced meditation leader will be a guest at Yoga Vidya.

Vedic Astrology can help you to better fulfill your potential! You will learn the basics of Vedic Astrology and look at the horoscopes, which provide an inside into Karma and Dharma. Valuable tips for the analysis of horoscopes, to help you and others to discover the own tasks and fulfill them.

Shared room €256; double room €307; single room €359; dormitory/tent/caravan €216

The spiritual path is said to be a mixture of personal effort and Divine grace. Grace comes by tuning to the Divine during satsanga, which literally means “being in the presence of people seeking wisdom and truth.”

Swamiji is a yoga master from Rishikesh, India. His mere presence is highly uplifting. He radiates profound peace and quiescence, causing you to connect with your true nature on a deeper level. Tensions seem to drop away by themselves; your mind turns inward of its own volition.

Shared room €267; double room €318; single room €370; dormitory/tent/caravan €228

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Colour is an expression of Energy. Contrary to popular belief, colour is internal to us and there is no colour in the external world. Meditation on certain colours, especially in certain formations, can help us energize ourselves, reduce negative energies and emotions and create positive space around ourselves. In this workshop, we explore colour beyond its socio-cultural context and learn certain meditations involving specific colours to heal ourselves mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Shared room €308; double room €375; single room €445; dormitory/tent/caravan €255

We are all bundles of wonderful energies. However, these energies remain dormant in most people. Awakening these inner energies is necessary for the realization of our full potential and achievement of our goals and dreams in life. It is also important to harmonize our inner energies with the Universal Energies to attain peace and happiness.

In this weekend seminar, you will learn about these sacred inner energies as well as some ancient yogic practices to awaken them including pranayama techniques, mantras and mudras.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

This seminar can provide a breakthrough experience for your yoga practice! It is for advanced yoga students and those who want to make more rapid progress. There will be extended holding of the positions, combined with mindfulness and concentration. The yoga classes will have different priorities: Chakra Concentration, affirmations and mantra recitation.

Kriya Hatha Yoga includes 18 postures selected by Babaji (guru of Paramahansa Yogananda) to form an efficient system for rejuvenating the physical body and preparing it for the more subtle phases of Kriya Yoga. The immortal Himalayan master is living proof of their effectiveness. Each posture has several stages, making them suitable for both beginner and experienced students. There will be more practice and less theory. Chanting and meditation complete the seminar.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; tent/caravan €319

Deepen your yoga practice with the method of the Indian Siddhas. Activate your chakras and 12 main Nadis. Practice Siddha Pranayama combined with Mantra and Bija Mantra techniques to free you from physical and mental suffering. Learn the self massage technique of the Siddhas and harmonize and activate your energy centers.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; tent/caravan €153

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In this seminar you will learn the anatomy and energy movement of the major and minor chakras in your body and how they are connected to each other. In addition, you will learn how Nadis relate to the chakras and their sound vibrations. The technique of Vasi Yoga from the Siddha tradition awakens subtle energy. The framework of the seminar consists of meditation, satsang and yoga lessons.

Shared room €231; double room €280; single room €333; tent/caravan €192

Leading thinkers in several branches of science has identified the understanding of subjective consciousness as perhaps the most essential challenge of modern day. Ancient sages explored this very same consciousness and have some special insights. We should understand that consciousness today is no different than it was then but the sage’s test of validity was not third person experiment but a method that was verified through first person experience - experience is common in all but misconceived by all.

This seminar will present the scientific question in simple lay terms then systematically explore the classic Vedanta response based on Sankara Advaita’s interpretation of the Upanishads, Brahma Sutra and Bhagavad Gita.

This will not be a university seminar but an in depth self inquiry and exploration. It is intended to be of value to anyone who thoughtfully pursues concepts of self-understanding.

Seminar Topics:

• What is Consciousness – Scientific Perspectives?
• Consciousness in the First-Person Perspective
• The Method of Knowledge
• Considerations of Practice
• Wisdom from the Texts

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Ancient Indian astrology (Jyotish) is popularly referred to as Vedic astrology. This is not because it is there in the Vedas. However, it is one of the Vedangas, i.e. an associated limb or branch.

In Sanskrit, the word Jyotish, translated as “science of light,” refers to the profound and mathematically sophisticated form of astrology originating in the ancient Vedic traditions of India. Sometimes known as Vedic astrology, Jyotish describes the planetary patterns at the time of our birth and can give us valuable clues to understanding our mind and it’s capacity to make life decisions.

Through careful analysis of these cosmic influences, Jyotish can help us to realistically evaluate our strengths and challenges in order to understand different changes happening in the life as well as ways to deal with them with minimum conflicts. By forecasting the changing trends and periods of our lives, Jyotish can also enable us to make more evolutionary choices.

This talks will deal with the basics of Vedic Astrology, giving an insight in to the analytical and predictive uses of astrology in day to day life.

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

Panchakarma, the well known ayurvedic treatment, is one of the most effective methods of cleansing the entire body. It regenerates and revitalises you, starting from the cellular level. Deep-seated blockades are released; the total organism is detoxified and regenerated. The process of deep cleansing activates your power of self-healing. Under the competent management of Dr. Aruna Rajendran you can marvelously combine the cleaning and regeneration process with learning. A deep cleansing process that strongly activates the healing powers.

Shared room €638; double room €749; single room €860; dormitory/tent/caravan €552

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Tantric technique of purifying the pranic channels and depicting the 51 sanskrit letters in one’s body, which increase the capacity of annamaya kosha, pranamaya and manomaya koshas and brings clarity in vijnanamaya kosha and naturally leads to Ananda. This is the proper way to start the mantra sadhana then only it helps to absorb all the effects mantra properly.

Shared room €154; double room €188; single room €221; tent/caravan €128

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Ayurveda = Life Science (Ayur = Life; Veda = Knowledge)
Ayurveda, or “life science”, is a comprehensive concept dealing with human life and health. Since 1992 has been considered by the World Health Organization as an effective medical system.
Why allow the body to be sick when it can be healthy? How to avoid being sick? How is it possible for someone to sleep 6 hours and someone is tired even if they sleep 10 hours a day? And why can anyone eat a few desserts and does not gain even 100 grams and someone keeps gaining even after eating just vegetable? And how should one eat and live? Answers to all these questions Ayurveda knows.

At this seminar, we will discuss you how this system arose and why science was needed to live, create. We point out the differences and similarities between the Ayurvedic therapeutic system and the classical Western medicine system. Both have the same goal as human health. However, approach of doctors towards the patients is different. We will also discuss how Ayurveda looks at health and recommends preventive methods and lifestyle. We also need to know how cooking affects the food. Even the quality of individual items, for example, pre-cooked milk acts on the body other than uncooked milk. Ayurveda is a very interesting science involving countless pieces of information. This seminar will be a brief introduction.

1. Introduction and emergence of Ayurveda
2. Pradnaparadha – Diseases and their solutions by observing simple principles
3. The principle of micro and macrocosm
4. Recognition of body and mind by Ayurvedic structures – tridos and trigonus
5. Svastavṛtta / healthy lifestyle – actions during day, night and season, cooking for health
6. Introduction to various Ayurvedic methods of diagnosis and procedures
7. Simple home recipes to solve common health problems

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Tantra contains many practical exercises such as asanas, pranayamas and mantras, which are specifically used to get to know oneself more deeply and to find one's inner balance. Through the tantric view that the universe is a creation of the divine, you can find a deep inner balance and harmony of your personality.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; tent/caravan €153

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The eight-limbed path of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga Sutras aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. When a raja yogi starts his sādhanā (spiritual practice) with the mind, a certain minimum amount of āsanas and prānāyāma are included as a preparation for meditation and concentration.

The eight-limbed path of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga Sutras aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. When a raja yogi starts his sādhanā (spiritual practice) with the mind, a certain minimum amount of āsanas and prānāyāma are included as a preparation for meditation and concentration.

In this seminar, Swami Bodhichitananda takes you through the eight steps of Raja Yoga for gradually withdrawing the mind from worldly entanglements to pure Self-awareness and absorption. You will learn the yoga philosophy and psychology of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, as well as many concentration and meditation techniques, and obtains a more clear understanding of Raja Yoga and a daily practice of meditation. Main texts will be Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras”, the Kashmiri text “Vijnana Bhairava”, and Swami Sivananda’s “Mind: It’s Mysteries and Control.”

“Every thought, feeling, perception, or memory you may have causes a modification, or ripple, in the mind. It distorts and colours the mental mirror. If you can restrain the mind from forming into modifications, there will be no distortion, and you will experience your true Self.” — Swami Satchidananda

Shared room €192; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

This is an introduction to Kriya Yoga, the “meditation practice of a higher era”, revived by the deathless Himalayan Yogi Babaji. Experience for yourself the theory, tradition and practice of Kriya Yoga.

Swami Bodhichtitananda will teach the basic techniques:

• Meditation based on breathing and the practice of Hamsa
• Anahata Shabdha: the power of OM and sound in meditation
• Spinal Breathing meditation for purifying and releasing psychic blockages, gaining control over your life force, and developing deeper concentration.
• Complementary asana classes
• Kriya Yoga Initiation: this will be offered on the last day for those who have participated fully in the seminar, felt a real connection with the practice and are ready to continue with a daily practice of the techniques.

Swami Bodhichitananda will introduce you to the ancient and original Kriya Yoga tradition of Mahavatar Babaji, the deathless Yogi legend who has wandered the Himalayas for ages, and in modern times reintroduced the lost science Kriya Yoga for a new age of emerging higher consciousness.

Kriya Yoga is considered one of the easiest and fastest ways to gain control of the mind and prana, to develop strong concentration, peace of mind, and a great sense of “coming home” to one’s own self. Swamiji will give all the Yogic and Meditation practices necessary to begin a steady meditation practice, and preparation for initiation into Kriya Yoga as well as the Energization Exercises, a set of 39 Exercises developed by Paramahansa Yogananda for gaining control of the Prana(Life Energy), being able to direct it at will to various body parts for healing and revitalization, and gaining control of the restless mind.

Swami Bodhichitananda Saraswati is authorized as a Kriya Yoga Acharya in the lineage of Paramahamsa Yogananda by H.H. Swami Jnanananda Giri, a great Kriya Yoga Master of the Himalayas, and with blessings of H.H. Swami Chidananda, successor to Swami Sivananda.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; tent/caravan €342

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Traditional Indian definitions and meanings of mantras, mantra species and their respective application. You learn the differences between mantras, stotras, shlokas, bhajans, kirtans and you learn a lot about the history of mantras, linguistic aspects and sound, notation and vedic sound theory. With typical audio and video recordings from India. Then together we try to chant the mantras as in India.Sri Veda Chaitanya, has lived with Hindu priests and studied Sanskrit, philosophy and traditional recitation of Vedic mantras, including Dayananda Ashram in Coimbatore, South India, and brings to you with his authentic in-depth knowledge of the different traditions of mantras and chanting.Seminar content:

• Vedic Chanting
• Gayatri Mantra, Medha Suktam
  
• Introduction to phonetics and chants
• Chants - Shanti Mantras,
• Differences between Mantras Stotras, Shlokas, Bhajans, Kirtans
• Meaning of mantras, types of mantras and their application
• Notation (notation)
• Mala for Japa
• Traditional audio and video recordings from India
• Traditional Kirtan from Maharashtra (Varakari Sampradaya)
  

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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Asanas and pranayama can bring about deep, rapid spiritual development. You practice asanas and integrate different breathing techniques to expand awareness and purify the subtle nadis (energy channels). This asana-intensive seminar is designed to make your physical body supple and strong. The exercises have a cleansing, healing, vitalising and awakening effect on your entire system. Sudarsh teaches traditional and unique asanas and pranayama as part of the entire sadhana system. Open yourself to the deepest wisdom and learn the secrets of your body, mind and life. The taught knowledge is based on the classical hatha yoga scriptures and the Upanishads.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; tent/caravan: €319

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This systematic two-part training offers you the unique opportunity to study the 5,000 year old time-honoured medical system of India – Ayurveda. You will be introduced to the theory and practice under the expert guidance of a traditional Ayurveda doctor.

Curriculum:

• History of Ayurvedic medicine and its basic principles
• Anatomy, physiology, pathology, preventive medicine
• Nutrition
• Practical training in treatment

This course is suitable for homeopaths, doctors, therapeutic practitioners, nutritional counselors, physiotherapists, masseurs and yoga teachers who would like to extend their range of knowledge. It is also for interested lay-people.

Those who want to continue their study may participate in the advanced course, which will take place 25 Oct – 3 Nov, 2020.

Pre-requisite: basic knowledge of Ayurveda and yoga (for example: an Ayurveda weekend or yoga and meditation introductory weekend)

Shared room €720; double room €837; single room €958; dormitory/tent/caravan €627

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This is continuation and deepening of Swamiji’s beginning Kriya Yoga seminar, with more practice and support of the first Kriya Yoga Initiation. All who are initiated within the lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya’s Kriya Yoga are welcome. Also, those who have been regularly practicing the preliminary practices of Hamsa and Om Technique, from first seminar, can take Initiation into First Kriya Proper at the beginning of this seminar, or on last afternoon of the first Kriya seminar, during the regular Initiation Ceremony. Those who have regularly, i.e. daily, practiced the First Kriya for a minimum or one year can request second Kriya Practices.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

According to the Vedic tradition there are 5 important duties in life which we have to perform, they called PANCHA MAHA YAJNAS ( 5 GREAT ACTS or RITUALS). In all these 5 rituals PITRU YAJAM (rituals to the ancestors) is considered to be the most important one and it must be practiced.
Indian tradition contends that 21 past generations of ancestral genes are present in our bodies, and the last 3 generation of genes are still active in our system. Therefore remembrance of that lineage is very important for our worldly as well as our spiritual development.
In this course you learn about the science of SHRADDHAM and how to practice it in your life.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; tent/caravan €153

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"Nature’s rhythm pulses through every cell of our being. When you are in harmony with this rhythm the universe becomes a symphony..."-Chitra Sukhu

When you are in alignment with your higher purpose you'll find that your life is effortless, playful and contains moments of extreme joy. In this course you will uncover your unique gift. We will explore the universal laws of attraction, destiny and karma.

This will help you to shift perspective and renovate your life. We are all creators; the question is how many of us are creating consciously? Stop being a victim of circumstance and take charge of your life. It's time to reclaim your authentic self... By uncovering your gift and energizing your natural motivation you'll be in the flow of life, in this space you'll be clear and purposeful. In this workshop you'll learn to uncover your unique gift and better manage your energy.

Shared room €411; double room €494; single room €580; dormitory/tent/caravan €344

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This intensive 4-week training introduces all aspects of Yoga theory and practice. You will learn systematic methodology of teaching and will receive an accepted diploma. This training will be held in English without German translation. The seminar can only be booked as a package. read more / details

Shared room €2.421; double room €2.889; single room €3.373; dormitory/tent/caravan €2.051

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Awakening the power of kundalini is the secret to the higher experiences of yoga; it brings increased energy, greater fulfillment in life and spiritual enlightenment. This seminar focuses on both the theoretical and practical aspects of kundalini: the pranic channels (nadis), how to awaken and stabilize higher centers of thought and feeling, the chakras and yantras, and how to visualize and meditate upon them to remove karma and emotional blocks.

Understanding and meditating upon Sri Yantra, the highest of all yantras is the secret to awakening Shakti. By raising Kundalini Shakti (Devi) at the base of the spine through the chakras to join Shiva at the crown of the head, Sahasrara Chakra, you will balance the masculine and feminine aspects of being, bring greater energy and balance to your Yoga practice and to your life.

Shared room €334; double room €407; single room €479; dormitory/tent/caravan €279

Jnana Yoga or Yoga of Knowledge is a singular path based on the great Acharya, Shankara’s self-exploration of classic texts. Shankara espoused the understanding of self as one-consciousness-in-all. He detailed the method that could rectify phenomenological suffering and bestow complete personal fulfillment. It is because we misunderstand ourself that we misconceive the world. The remedy for misconception is knowledge. Step by step Jnana Yoga first prepares us and shows us our common existential errors, corrects them and leads us to self-evident insight.

This will be a fun class – Self-ignorance can actually be amusing. Come join us and hear some of the great reasoning and wisdom of this ancient teaching.

Seminar Topics:

• Tat Twam Asi – the great equation
• Superimposition – Subject/object confusion
• The guru and attitude attitude
• Listening – Reflecting – Meditating
• Self Knowledge and Ego

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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This week, you can experience the profound effect of Indian rituals every day, with Vedic recitations. These rituals allow inner collection, heart-opening and much inspiration for the spiritual path.

In addition, you can participate in daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 57; double room €78; single room €99; dormitory/tent €40

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €128; double room €172; single room €214 dormitory/tent €96.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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We will discuss various concepts of touch, their functions, but also answer questions such as: How does our body and mind react to the touch? How do I massage? Do I do it right? And what oil should I use? We will look at the touch and from the medical point of view and get to know the ‘Marma’ points. And of course, we will study massage. To cover the vast information related to the touch we’ve divided the seminar into 4 modules. Without interfering with each other these modules cover different unique aspects of touch related to Ayurveda.

These 4 complimentary modules are:

• Touch in everyday life
• Using touch as for diagnosis – Nadi Pariksha (pulse diagnostics)
• Touch as a therapeutic tool – Marma therapy, Massage, Abhyanga, Snehana
• Materials used in various procedures and treatments

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

Each chakra is represented by a lotus and signifies your spiritual growth from the lower to higher states of consciousness. Simple step-by-step techniques can enable you to understand and develop deeper awareness of the chakras. They involve pranayamas, bandhas, mudras and meditation. As you connect more fully with the chakras, they will help you maintain your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well-being.

Dr. Nalini Sahay is a student of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. She directs TORCH, an organisation that works with street children and AIDS-infected people in New Delhi. She also teaches therapeutic yoga in schools and hospitals.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; tent/caravan €165

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Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old system of natural healing that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India. In this workshop for beginners, we will look at: Your “dosha” or specific mind-body type that will allow you to access more energy, sleep better, improve digestion and allow for better overall health. You will get tips for the specific food for your Dosha and daily exercises for more energy.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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The Kathopanishad is one of the most famous classical Upanishads. It contains the dialogue of Naciketas with Yama, the god of death, regarding the highest meaning of life and the overcoming of mortality. The Upanishad also beautifully explains basic principles of the spiritual path. It discusses the ‘Sreya and Preya Marga’ the way of the good and the way of the pleasant. We will read passages from the Upanishad, discuss and meditate on them. You will gain access to a mystical language that can resonate deeply beyond the intellect and touch a deep intuitive knowledge in you.

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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“To control the restless mind and still all thoughts and cravings is the greatest problem of a human being. If he has subjugated the mind, he is the Emperor of emperors. For gaining mastery over the mind, you have to know what it is, how it works, how it deceives you at every turn and by what methods it can be subdued.” - Swami Sivananda

In this seminar, Swami Bodhichitananda, will lead you in an exploration of Swami Sivananda’s writings, teachings of other yogis, and developments in psychology and neuroscience to explore the nature of the mind. We will also look at how the ego manipulates thought and time to hijack us from our highest ideals. You will learn how to use yoga, pranayama and meditation to gain greater self control, inner freedom, and direction in your life.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

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Prana, often referred to as life energy or vital force, is the key to gaining control of the mind, bringing health and vitality to the body. There are two types of pranayama, the practice of controlling the prana, Hatha Yoga Pranayama and Raja Yoga Pranayama. The Hatha Yoga technique is to physically manipulate the breath to bring the prana into the central channel of the spine. Raja Yoga uses awareness, directing consciousness along the psychic channels in the body. In other words, we use awareness to direct our prana at will. This brings greater prana into the system, energizing us with greater life force. It greatly calms the mind for concentration and meditation, and can also be used for directing self-healing to various parts of the body.

In addition to energizing our bodies with greater amounts of life energy, we can also direct prana to others for their healing of body and mind. This is the key to psychic healing of oneself and others. Swamiji will guide course participants in both theory and practice of the subtle and direct forms of Raja Yoga pranayama, as well as the basics of Hatha Yoga pranayama.

By control of prana, the mind can be easily controlled, because the mind is fastened to the prana, like the bird to the string. Just as the bird that is tied to a post by a string, after flying here and there, finds its resting place in the post, so also this mind-bird after running hither and thither, in various sensual objects, finds its resting place during deep sleep in the prana.- Swami Sivananda -

Shared room €254; double room €304; single room €355; dormitory/tent/caravan €213

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Leading thinkers in several branches of science has identified the understanding of subjective consciousness as perhaps the most essential challenge of modern day. Ancient sages explored this very same consciousness and have some special insights. We should understand that consciousness today is no different than it was then but the sage’s test of validity was not third person experiment but a method that was verified through first person experience - experience is common in all but misconceived by all.

This seminar will present the scientific question in simple lay terms then systematically explore the classic Vedanta response based on Sankara Advaita’s interpretation of the Upanishads, Brahma Sutra and Bhagavad Gita.

This will not be a university seminar but an in depth self inquiry and exploration. It is intended to be of value to anyone who thoughtfully pursues concepts of self-understanding.

Seminar Topics:

• What is Consciousness – Scientific Perspectives?
• Consciousness in the First-Person Perspective
• The Method of Knowledge
• Considerations of Practice
• Wisdom from the Texts

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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The Pranic Wellbeing yoga programme uses two simple practices: ujjayi pranayama and khechari mudra. You will learn to restore balance in your life by clearing the ida, pingala and sushumna nadis, awakening your chakras, practicing ujjayi pranayama using the mantra “soham”, and by having a psychic symbol.

Dr. Sahay has been teaching this programme for eight years and has found it to be very effective in assisting people in connecting with their inner selves and with others. It empowers people who are seriously ill. It helps to centre practitioners and restores balance and calmness to their daily lives.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; tent/caravan €342

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This week, you can experience the profound effect of Indian rituals every day, with Vedic recitations. These rituals allow inner collection, heart-opening and much inspiration for the spiritual path.

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room €52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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This course is for anybody who wants to understand in brief what the Vedas cover and in somewhat greater detail what the Vedanta covers. The course will help learners to be introduced to the basics of Vedic literature, Upaniṣhads and Advaita Vedānta. In Addition, the course is complemented by an everyday practice of Vedic Meditation. Vedic Meditation is an effortless mental process that awakens the full potential of the mind and triggers deep rest and recovery from stress. It’s easy to learn, simple to practice, and, in only a short period of time, you will experience a remarkable transformation in how you experience the life.

The benefits of Vedic Meditation are
• Reduced stress, anxiety and fatigue
• Improved concentration, focus and memory
• Increased energy levels, creativity and self confidence
• Improved sleep patterns and relief from insomnia
• Ability to make high-speed accurate decisions under pressure
• Less reactive and greater emotional stability
• A greater sense of happiness and wellbeing

The course is entirely based on Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s classes on Introduction to Vedānta, founded on the authentic teachings of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya including the Prasthānatraya Bhāṣyas, and other prakaraṇa granthas like Tattvabodha.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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How can we bring our lives back into harmony with nature and our own true Self? In this seminar, we will explore our relationship with outer nature and our own inner nature. We will spend as much time as possible outdoors, practicing yoga and meditation. Our practice will include various meditations on nature as discovered by forest yogis.

We will also explore the newly emerging field of religious and spiritual naturalism and evolutionary cosmology of such modern spiritual pioneers as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, Michael Dowd and the Integral Movement. Updating our views to fit into the new comprehensive worldview of Reality, we will attempt to gain a greater understanding of our place within the Universe. Only by doing this can we truly find Peace, not only for ourselves, but also for humanity and all of Earth’s inhabitants.

Shared room €152; double room €185; single room €220; tent/caravan €125

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Based on the teachings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, this seminar includes ajapa japa, antar mouna, and chidakasha charan sadhanas. These practices enable you to re-programme your mind to lead a healthier and more spiritual life. You are bound to feel rejuvenated as your prana is balanced.

Krishna says, "Meditation is better than intellectual knowledge." Tantra meditations are ancient tantra techniques that have been nearly forgotten. Swami Satyananda Saraswati, founder of the Bihar School of Yoga, rediscovered them and put them in a form that everyone can understand and practice. Dr. Nalini Sahay passes them on as a direct disciple of Swami Satyananda.

During the seminar you will learn the following meditation techniques:

1. Ajapa Japa: spontaneous recitation of mantras without conscious effort from the heart.
2. Antar Mouna: Concentration on the inner silence.
3. Chidakasha Dharana: Meditation on the psychic space of consciousness behind the forehead. Through these exercises you will learn to relax on the physical, emotional and mental levels; to reprogram your mind to lead a healthy and spiritual life; to concentrate and center yourself better; to strengthen your mind; to better understand the deeper functions of your mind. You will be quiet.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; tent/caravan €165

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Systematic practice of breathing, including selected asanas, mudras and suryanamaskar, through which one can purify the Nadis completely within 3 months of regular practice. Brings vigour and vitality, stability to the body, clarity in thoughts increase the mindfulness. And can see the positive results in all walks of life. Practice is based on the traditional yoga texts, such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Siva Samhitha , Jabala Darshana Upanishad.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Most of us are sleeping but we don't know that until we wake up"-Chitra Sukhu

In the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Shiva expounds on 112 techniques to go beyond ordinary consciousness. In this course we will explore a few of these techniques that will leave you with a feeling of expansion and presence. If these methods are done regularly you can transform your life; that's how powerful these techniques are. You will find yourself more aware and awake.

If you can experience life as it is, without elaboration, then you are there... in the gap, in the moment, in eternity. These techniques will take you there, refining your personality and transforming your life. This experience... this gift... I would like to share with everyone; this is my gift to you....

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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This course will give you tools and techniques to move through life with ease and grace. I know many of you would've loved a guidebook to this journey called life... Well this is the next best thing!

When you live from the state of higher intelligence “Buddhi” you are able to see and feel things as they are, you have access to the whole picture (macro perspective) and in this way you come to know everything is perfect as it is. This will not just be a concept but an actual knowing.
This is the level I live from and I would be happy to share with you how you can get there.

In this course you will:

Learn how to purify the Koshas so that “Buddhi” is expressed in our thoughts, words, and actions. “Buddhi” is our true guide. “Buddhi” is our inner Guru.

• Practice techniques to bring us into the present moment so that you can see and feel how “Buddhi” expresses itself in the world.
• Go over practices that you can use in your everyday life that will strengthen your connection to “Buddhi”
• Learn how to communicate with “Buddhi” consciously. Ask questions and receive answers from your inner Guru.
• Understand and see that we are never alone.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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In some speeches, films and slideshows, Swami Bodhichitananda shares his personal experiences, how he came to spiritual life, how he moved to India, became a Swami and his encounters with saints and the yogis of India. With photos and video recordings of Swami Sivananda that are not publicly available. So you can enrich your holiday/ individual guest stay, even without booking a special seminar.Of course, during this theme week, the other yoga and meditation offerings are also available for holiday guests: daily yoga classes, meditations, guided walks, recitations, sound yoga classes, mandala painting and much more.No previous knowledge in yoga and meditation necessary. If you are registering online for the theme week, please indicate in the field 'What else do I want to say' under 'Other details' how many days you would like to stay. After that, the price is calculated. Accommodation incl. Full board, yoga classes etc .:

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room €57; double room €78; single room €99; dormitory/tent €40

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €128; double room €172; single room €214; dormitory/tent €96.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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According to Tantra Shasta, yantra is the manifestation of the Universe itself. Yantra, Mantra and the deity are the same. The creation of the yantra, or the chanting of the mantra is creating the particular vibration of the deity and invoking it’s energy with in and around us, also elevating ourselves into the higher level of consciousness.
Yantra is the geometrical form of the particular deity, each yantra is different and it holds higher potential and possibility.
In the two day Yantra meditation program you will be part of making the yantra with herbal powder and get all the details of the yantra, dot, circles, squares, triangle and its effects on one’s system Ultimately yantra meditation is the process of going back to the source of creation. The initiation to the guided yantra meditation with visualization techniques and the chanting of the mantra complete this very particular weekend.

Shared room €154; double room €188; single room €221; dormitory/tent/caravan €128

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Aradhana Sadhana, based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda Saraswati, aims to bridge the gap that exists between your spiritual practice and daily life. Its objective is to awaken intuition and develop your ability to see your own reflection in others.

The practice of Aradhana Sadhana includes:

• Becoming steady and equipoised
• Enhancing the benefit of asanas with the chanting of mantras
• Pranayamas to balance your nadis
• Pratyahara practices
• Meditation practices
• Having a sense of dedication while doing daily tasks
• Developing awareness and experience of the divine in your daily life
• Being aware of the presence of the divine in all beings

Aradhana Sadhana brings peace and strength. It improves your quality of life, behaviour and thinking patterns, and it enhances your sattvic and creative abilities. This seminar is for all seekers who wish to become intuitive and connected.

Dr. Nalini Sahay is a direct disciple of Swami Satyananda Saraswati; she is guided by the motto “serve, love, give, meditate and realize”.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

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Use rituals to power our ancestors so that they can ascend to the next higher light worlds. We ourselves experience comfort and acceptance. Also, we can thereby build a new relationship with our deceased or deepen it in a more subtle way. In India, rituals for the deceased are called "Shraddham". These rituals are considered as one of the most important exercises that should be performed regularly by spiritual practitioners. You will learn to do classical Indian Shraddham ceremonies for your ancestors and learn theoretical background.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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This is a rare opportunity to make a breakthrough with your yoga practice! Work intensively on asanas in a relaxed atmosphere. Swami Saradananda's approach is concentrated and systematic. She makes even the most difficult and asanas seem possible to do. Learn special techniques to improve your flexibility, coordination, endurance and strength. The seminar includes 5 hours of asanas daily, as well as sessions of meditation and Sanskrit chanting.

Shared room €336; double room €420; single room €507; dormitory/tent/caravan €271

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This week is Ram Vakkalanka, Indian Sanskrit expert, talented sitar player and experienced meditation leader will be a guest at Yoga Vidya. Ram passes every morning with a Nada Yoga meditation on his sitar. Every day, even without booking a seminar, you can participate to open workshops on Sanskrit, mantras, chakras and mudras. Ram will also give a kirtan concert. You can experience the heart-opening and healing power of sound!

In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an ‘individual guest’, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Learn techniques to develop Clairvoyance. Everyone has the ability to be psychic. In this course you will learn techniques to develop your psychic senses. You can use this ability for your own personal development and also to help your students and clients.

Topics:

• Using the platform of the Yamas and Niyamas of Raja Yoga as the foundation for psychic development.
• Learning and practicing exercises to strengthen the aura, essential for all psychic work
• Clairvoyance: internal visualization exercises to develop the psychic sight.
• Chakras: what are they, how to see, feel and balance them.
• Automatic writing: how to open this channel so that the inner voice may be heard and understood (to enhance and support clairvoyant information)
• Auras: developing clairvoyance to see, interpret and balance them.
• Psychic drawing: using pictures, symbols and colors to get information about a person.
• Pendulum: learn to use the pendulum for easy answers to practical questions about life, health, partnership, jobs and decisions.

What to bring:

• journal
• colored pencils for drawing
• picture of someone you would like to send love and healing to
• pendulum
• open-mindedness towards yoga and spirituality along with a desire to explore new areas of yourself

Shared room €483; double room €568; single room €654; dormitory/tent/caravan €417

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In this seminar, you will learn to bring yourself to a deep state of relaxation and meditation – and how to bring your mind out of this state gradually and effectively. You will practice Nyasa, Pratyahara and Chidakasha Dharana, which facilitate an internalization of the mind. The end result is a highly developed state of awareness and relaxation.

Yoga Nidra is one of Swami Satyananda Saraswati’s major contributions to modern-day spiritual life. He derived the practice from the Tantras, where it is defined as psychic and dynamic sleep. It is a method of relaxing by creating one-pointedness of mind. The seminar leader, Dr. Nalini Sahay, trained with Swamiji at the Bihar School of yoga

Yoga teachers will learn to give detailed explanations of Yoga Nidra, ensuring that they are clear in their comprehension of the subject. With practice, participants will learn to be completely aware and effortlessly relaxed.

Course content

• How Yoga Nidra works at the yogic and scientific levels
• How to remain aware
• What is Nyasa? How is it applied in Yoga Nidra?
• How pratyahara is practiced in Yoga Nidra. Antar Mouna will be taught
• How to become focused and concentrated
• How to remain energized
• How to experience complete relaxation
• Detailed practices of visualization include
• Psychic centre visualization
• Psychic symbol visualization
• Eyebrow centre/Om visualization
• Asana Visualization
• Movement in time
• Rapid image visualization
• Aura visualization
• Golden egg visualization

You will learn detailed practices of visualization which cover:

• Story visualization
• Practices of chidakasha dharana

Prerequisite: Yoga Teachers’ Training + 7-day Yoga Nidra 1 course

Shared room €566; double room €681; single room €802; dormitory/tent/caravan €473

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Sudarsh Namboothiri will be our guest this week. Singing mantras and performing rituals like Arati, Homa and Puja is especially powerful. These help to open in the heart, and the stories of Hindu mythology contain great truths and are a great source of inspiration. A week for your spiritual heart to gain access to inner strength, peace and joy. Gladly instruments can be brought.

Shared room €469; double room €586; single room €707; dormitory/tent/caravan €376

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During this special week you will be taken on a mystical musical journey to India with dynamic Kirtan: spirited chanting accompanied by harmonium and tablas. Swamiji, with his warm and humorous style, will share episodes from the life of the great saint Ananda Mayi Ma. He will unlock the connection to the female aspect of the divine within each of us. In his Svakriya yoga classes you will experience an energy-intensive dynamic practice, accompanied by mantras. Swamiji manages the Omkareshvar Ma Ashram in central India; he also runs a school for underprivileged children.

Shared room €622; double room €767; single room €922; dormitory/tent €519

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Study classic Advaita Vedanta in the tradition of Swami Dayananda Saraswati with the well-known Vedanta teachers Neema and Surya in depth and with some humor.

Course Content:

• Taittriya Upanishad (Excerpts - Ananda Valli),
• Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7,
• Selected Verses of the 2nd Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita on "The Person Who is knowing",
• The Value of Values
• Selected verses from the 13th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
• Classical Vedic chanting,
• Analysis and practical practice of contemplation and meditative Vedantic meditation techniques using selected verses from Chapter 6

Topics:

Taittriya Upanishad - Selected verses (Ananda valli)
This section (valli) begins with a famous sentence, ‘Brahmavid Apnoti Param’ which means ‘the knower of Brahman (the absolute reality) gains the highest’. The rest of the text unfolds that Brahman, which is limitless, is to be understood as true nature of oneself. It goes on to explain how the entire universe has come, is sustained and resolves in Brahman. Finally, the Upanishad shows that the fulfilment gained by the knower of Brahman as self is unparalleled to any other living being on earth and beyond. The teaching is based on commentaries of Adi Shankaracharya which is known for its brilliant analysis and clarity of thought.

Please note: All of the Weekend Seminars with Neema and Surya are part of the 4 Weeks Vedanta Course. The whole course is in English without translation into German.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Well ascertained knowledge

Through the teaching of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reveals to Arjuna and us the ultimate reality as well as the means to prepare oneself for the knowledge.While chapter 1 to 6 unfold the nature of the self, in chapter 7, the nature of the cause of the universe (Isvara) is discussed in length. The chapter reveals different ways to relate to Isvara and results derived thereof. Finally, it shows how this relationship can culminate into discovering our identity with Isvara.

Weekend 1 (July 31 – August 2):The wise person – Selected verses from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2
Weekend 2 (August  7-9): Value of Values - Selected verses from Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13
Weekend 3 (August 14-16) : Vedic Chanting, prayers with their meaning
Weekend 4 (August 21-23): Meditation and Contemplation based on teaching of Bhagavad Gita

THIS COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR NEWCOMERS.
WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION!

This seminar is excluded from discounts. All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared.

Shared room €1.300; double room €1.800; single room €2.500; tent/caravan €1.000

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Study with the well-known Vedanta teachers Neema and Surya in depth and with humor classical Advaita Vedanta in the tradition of Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

Course content:

• Taittriya Upanishad (excerpts - Ananda Valli),
• Bhagavad Gita chapter 7,
• selected verses of chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita about "the person who is knowing",
• The value of values.
• Selected verses from the 13th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
• Learning classical Vedic chanting,
• analysis and practical practice of contemplation and Vedantic meditation techniques using selected verses from Chapter 6.

THE COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS. WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION!

All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared. This seminar is excluded from discounts.

Shared room €806; double room €1.040; single room €1.282; tent/caravan €620

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In Chapter 2 Arjuna asks Lord Krishna - Is there a person who can totally understand oneself as the whole, and if so, how does this wise person conduct oneself in the world?
In answer to Arjuna’s question, Lord Krishna describes the qualities that a wise person is endowed with and the realities to which he/she is alive. This description gives us an insight into wisdom, attitude and qualities we need to cultivate to grow as a human being and discover our essential nature.

THE COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS. WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION!

All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared. This seminar is excluded from discounts.

Shared room €128; double room €160; single room €194; tent/caravan €102

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Bhagavad Gita highlights in the chapter 13 the qualities of the seeker. Replying to Arjuna’s question about what is jneyam (to be known) and Jnanam (means of knowing it), Lord Krishna reveals to Arjuna, very profound and intricate personal qualities that one has to acquire to become eligible for spiritual knowledge. Understanding the assimilating these qualities does not only help a spiritual seeker but anyone who wants to live ones life responsibly.

THE COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS. WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION!

All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared. This seminar is excluded from discounts.

Shared room €128; double room €160; single room €194; tent/caravan €102

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Experience that meditation is your own nature, totally independent of your actions. You will learn practices from the treasure of experiences of Swami Yatidharmananda to stabilize your own praxis and bring it to a deeper level, to extend your intuitive skills, to be here and now, to handle stress, anger and fear in daily life and to find clarity what you expect from your life, a personal transformation.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Ancient Yogis prescribed some simple yet very effective practices to sustain high levels of positive energy throughout the day. These practices begin from the moment you wake up from sleep and extend to when you sleep. They enhance your awareness of how the day is flowing, promote mindful living and make every moment a joyful experience. Join us to learn these practices and enrich your experience of life!

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Gerandha Samhita is an ancient hatha yoga scripture postulating seven stages to perfection. It views your body and mind as the vessels of your soul.
This seminar is practical as well as theoretical in its approach to hatha yoga. Through the regular practice of kriyas, asanas, mudras, bandhas, pranayama, pratyahara and dhyana, you are led to access your intuition and gain higher experiences. The training includes chakra meditations, breathing techniques and advanced energy-focusing practices.

Swami Saradananda is the perfect teacher with whom to study these techniques, as many of them are reflected in her recent books "The Power of Breath", "Chakra Meditation" and "The Essential Guide to Chakras".

Shared room €714; double room €865 single room €1.020; dormitory/tent/caravan €594

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In this seminar on Yogic practices for the management of Depression you will learn how to externalize your mind and energise the systems of your body.

Yogic Practices specifically related to issues of depression will be taught. Cleansing exercise such as kunjal kriya, dynamic asanas, stimulating pranayamas, bandhas and mudras will be explained in this context. Meditative practices, which enable proactive behaviour, will be explained and practiced. All these techniques will encourage the participants to include them in their daily practice, in order to handle symptoms like loneliness, anxiety, agitation, insomnia, loss of appetite, memory loss, inertia and excessive worrying.

Depression is one of the most common illnesses, although it remains undiagnosed for years. It is equally common in men and women. It presents itself in diverse ways. It can remain hidden to both patient and doctor. Many people are in denial that they are depressed as they do not feel sad. Depression has numerous symptoms. It can present itself as a physical illness, which is vague and difficult to explain on a purely physical basis. Modern treatment is usually based on anti-depressant drugs and psychotherapy.

A combination of drug management and yoga therapy can help the mind to remain consistent and uplifted. By doing the Yogic practices continuous inner healing will take place restoring balance and harmony.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; dormitory/tent/caravan €342

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Swami Yatidharmananda will be our guest this week. You will have the opportunity to experience an authentic Swami and master. You can personally experience how inspiring the presence of an Indian master can be! All this in conjunction with a variety of yoga classes, lectures and relaxation exercises.

Shared room €324; double room €409; single room €496; dormitory/tent/caravan €259.

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A magnificent course to learn more about Yantras, the holy geometries of healing energies and to come to know better the different manifestations of the cosmic energies and how to connect with the geometric structures and colors. Visual techniques will be added with Mudras and chanting of Mantras, to make this course to a powerful, healing experience. Knowledge about visual meditation is advantageous, but not necessary.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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Swami Nivedanananda will be our guest this week. Every day he will perform Indian rituals and recite powerful Vedic mantras. You get a deep insight into lived Indian Bhakti Yoga and in the diversity of Indian rituals. You will have the opportunity to experience these events with an authentic Swami and master. You can personally experience how inspiring the presence of an Indian master can be! All this in conjunction with a variety of yoga classes, lectures and relaxation exercises.

Shared room €324; double room €409; single room €496; tent/caravan €259

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Tantric technique of purifying the pranic channels and depicting the 51 sanskrit letters in one’s body, which increase the capacity of annamaya kosha, pranamaya and manomaya koshas and brings clarity in vijnanamaya kosha and naturally leads to Ananda. This is the proper way to start the mantra sadhana then only it helps to absorb all the effects mantra properly.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319.

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This advanced course is designed for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of yoga and yoga therapy. Students will learn the basic concepts of Panchakosha Tattwa (the five sheaths of life), aadhi (stress), vyadhi (disease), and aadhija vyadhi (psychosomatic ailment).

They will be introduced to the techniques used in Yoga Therapy and Yogic Physiotherapy: breathing movements, asanas, pranayamas, shat kriyas (cleansing exercises), cyclic relaxation, prana channeling, and various meditation techniques. Yoga therapy works on many levels to erase psychosomatic ailments and alleviate such diseases as asthma and allergy, back pain, knee pain, headache and migraine, arthritis, anxiety and depression, and muscular dystrophy.

After consultation with the patient, the therapist recommends and teaches various techniques. The patient then practices on his/her own until the illness is controlled or cured. Yoga Vasishta, Taitariya Upanishad, Prasna Upanishad, Yoga Sutra, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, and Bhagavad Gita are among the traditional texts that provide the theory, as well as the practices, used in Yoga Therapy.
This course places emphasis on experiencing the wisdom of yoga, rather than merely acquiring information.
Shared room €2.421; double room €2.889; single room €3.373; dormitory/tent/caravan €2.051

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Pawanmuktasana are special and effective series of exercises that relax your mind and make your body supple. They can be practiced at any age and bring you both mental and emotional and physical support. They are good for all joints and give you balance and well-being. Your body becomes more flexible, your energy flows and your mind becomes clear.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

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Ramayana, written by Valmiki, invites us to expand our understanding of Yoga beyond the mat. Ramayana shows us how life is Yoga and Yoga is life! Ramayana teaches us how to be perfectly human in the face of the challenges of life. It teaches us the essence of Yoga in the form of a story…the story of our lives, with its characters representing various aspects of our life and being. Ramayana throws light on the purpose of life as well as the life of purpose. We can find strands of Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga as well as Karma Yoga in Ramayana. Join us to explore this wonderful ancient Yogic text.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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"The universe is constantly listening to your thoughts and answers… every moment of every day you are in a dialogue with life... Look at your life and you will know your thoughts… life is your thoughts solidified..." - Chitra Sukhu

You are conditioned to see with your physical senses, but the subtle senses are needed for the inner journey. Using the outer world as our laboratory, we will experiment with awareness.

In this seminar we'll explore the Law of Attraction and the link between the inner reality and the outer manifestation. There will be practical exercises to effect change. Learn how to manipulate energy through meditation and mantras, and how to speak the language of the universe.

Set your intention for this workshop and come join us as we make your dream the reality.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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This introductory course will provide a basic understanding of the practices applied in Kundalini Yoga in the tradition of Swami Sivananda. These practices comprise: Asanas, Pranayama (breathing exercises) using simple variations of Bandhas and Mudras as well as Energy Meditations. All these techniques are intended to raise the energetic level and to extend the awareness. In English without translation.

Shared room €145; double room €177; single room €212; dormitory/tent/caravan €117

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Do you recall your dreams? Are you aware when you’re dreaming?
The dream state of consciousness is rarely explored yet contains many secrets to and for your waking life.
In this course we will:

• Explore the 4 states of consciousness (waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and Turiya)
• Discuss the history and benefits of dream yoga.
• Understand what lucid dreaming is, and how to lucid dream (lucid dream techniques).
• Practice techniques to move through the different states of consciousness consciously. 
• Discover how to tap into inspiration, creativity and higher intelligence through this practice.
• Learn how to purify the koshas (illusory sheaths) so that you may gain access to higher states of consciousness.

In general, If your mind is scattered, unfocused and unstable during the day, then you’ll experience scattered unfocused and distorted dreams at night. Or no dream recall. If your mind is clear, focused and stable during the day then your dreams will reflect that; you’ll be able to penetrate to deeper layers of mind and have better recall... your dreams will have more meaning and impact when you awaken.

When aware and awake in the dream state, You’ll be able to manipulate your dreams and understand how energy flows and works, this is majorly useful in the physical world when wanting to manifest consciously.

Another MAJOR benefit of Having control and awareness in the dream state, is it allows for You to meet with other beings of light and allows communication/access to your higher self.

I’ve been able to cycle through these different states of consciousness consciously for as long as I can remember, I can show you how.

Next level is Yoga Nidra, access to the deep sleep state while conscious. We will also explore Yoga Nidra and the deep sleep state. This will give you a deep understanding of the 4 states of consciousness.

Please join me for this course as we dive deep into our conscious, subconscious, unconscious and beyond mind to the 4th state, Turiya.

Shared room €231; double room €280; single room €333; dormitory/tent/caravan €192

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Yin Yoga is a yoga style which helps you to relax deeply. You will find your own way into the asana according to your own body. And in this comfortable relaxed posture of the muscles you let go, relax, in a way that very deep levels of your physical tissue can be reached, that are called fascias. As the postures are hold for a longer while, you can go very well into an inner calmness, witness your mental processes and let also go mentally. This will give you a special kind of relaxation.

In English without translation.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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If you have been practicing asanas, pranayamas, mudras and bandhas regularly for two years or more, you may be ready to learn Kriya Yoga. These twenty powerful practices constitute a conflict-free, non-confrontational set of exercises for awakening your inner power. Kriya Yoga techniques enable you to open the chakras, purify the nadis, and awaken Kundalini Shakti.

After completing this course, it is suggested that you continue with the practice for thirty minutes daily, in the manner specified. The various practices harmonize the pranic forces within your body. They help you to attain bliss, peace, and tranquillity. Vipareeta karani, mudra amrit pan, mudras and bandhas regulate your system. The degenerative process is reversed as the sahasrara chakra is stimulated. This improves the functioning of all bodily organs, systems, mind and emotions.

Traditionally, these techniques were never taught publicly, but were communicated verbally from guru to disciple. Paramahamsa Swami Satyanandaji first taught these kriyas in the early 1960s because he felt that Kriya Yoga fulfils the needs of spiritual enlightenment in this millennium. Dr. Sahay is a direct disciple of Swami Satyanandaji, carrying on his teachings.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; dormitory/tent/caravan €342

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Swami Yatidharmananda will be our guest this week. You will have the opportunity to experience an authentic Swami and master. You can personally experience how inspiring the presence of an Indian master can be! All this in conjunction with a variety of yoga classes, lectures and relaxation exercises.

Shared room €324; double room €409; single room €496; tent/caravan €259

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Awakening the power of kundalini is the secret to the higher experiences of yoga; it brings increased energy, greater fulfillment in life and spiritual enlightenment. This seminar focuses on both the theoretical and practical aspects of kundalini: the pranic channels (nadis), how to awaken and stabilize higher centers of thought and feeling, the chakras and yantras, and how to visualize and meditate upon them to remove karma and emotional blocks.

Understanding and meditating upon Sri Yantra, the highest of all yantras is the secret to awakening Shakti. By raising Kundalini Shakti (Devi) at the base of the spine through the chakras to join Shiva at the crown of the head, Sahasrara Chakra, you will balance the masculine and feminine aspects of being, bring greater energy and balance to your Yoga practice and to your life.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; tent/caravan €342

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Introduce your students to the concept of chakras and how they relate to yoga practice, as you deepen your own understanding. This seminar will look at the functions and reciprocal influences of the chakras on each other and on the unconscious and conscious minds. As an advanced training for yoga teachers, it is unique in its practical as well as its theoretical approach to this much talked about topic.

Adapt your yoga practice to move energy upward to higher consciousness. Access the equally important “step-down” work of these swirling vortexes of subtle energy. This seminar looks at ways that you and your students can use the chakras to manifest your ideas and dreams into a more creative embodiment. Swami Saradananda is recognized as an international authority on Chakras.

Her books include:

• “Chakra Meditation”
• “The Essential Guide to Chakras”
• “The Power of Breath”

Shared room €653; double room €770; single room €889; dormitory/tent/caravan €560

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The healing sounds of the sitar, played from Ram Vakkalanka, will bring your meditation praxis to a deeper level. You learn different meditation techniques together with Mantras and Mudras. Music will meet you as a source of healing, especially for the nerve system and the energetic levels and also as a way to progress spiritual life. Introduction into the differences of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas in the music and the force of Indian Ragas to body, mind and soul.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Vedic chants are amongst the most powerful prayers when chanted with precise intonations and pronunciation. When being chanted, they create amazing vibrations, purify the atmosphere and connect us to divine instantaneously. The entire vision of oneness of Vedanta, is recited in these chants in a poetic form asking the divine to enable us to see their presence everywhere and ultimately to know the essential non-difference between I and Isvara.

The course is not suitable for beginners.

THE COURSE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS. WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION!

All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared.  This seminar is excluded from discounts.

Shared room €128; double room €160; single room €194; tent/caravan €102

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How can we bring our lives back into harmony with nature and our own true Self? In this seminar, we will explore our relationship with outer nature and our own inner nature. We will spend as much time as possible outdoors, practicing yoga and meditation. Our practice will include various meditations on nature, these were discovered by forest yogis.

We will also explore the newly emerging field of religious and spiritual naturalism and evolutionary cosmology of such modern spiritual pioneers as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Thomas Berry, Michael Dowd and the Integral Movement. Updating our views to fit into the new comprehensive worldview of Reality, we will attempt to gain a greater understanding of our place within the Universe. Only by doing this can we truly find Peace, not only for ourselves, but also for humanity and all of Earth’s inhabitants.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; tent/caravan €165

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"Most of us are sleeping but we don't know that until we wake up"-Chitra Sukhu

In the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra Shiva expounds on 112 techniques to go beyond ordinary consciousness. In this course we will explore a few of these techniques that will leave you with a feeling of expansion and presence. If these methods are done regularly you can transform your life; that's how powerful these techniques are. You will find yourself more aware and awake.

If you can experience life as it is, without elaboration, then you are there... in the gap, in the moment, in eternity. These techniques will take you there, refining your personality and transforming your life. This experience... this gift... I would like to share with everyone; this is my gift to you....

Shared room €198; double room €241; single room €284; dormitory/tent €168

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Mindfulness and meditation are important components of felt satisfaction in life.

With his extensive spiritual and psychotherapeutic knowledge E. Shanmug shows you in his lively, brilliant lectures the effect of mindfulness on recognizing, so that you can change obsolete patterns. You get a deep understanding of mindfulness and meditation in theory and practice.
Mindfulness is the focus of consciousness on the present moment. Mindfulness enhances the confrontation with the present and leads to a better understanding of how thoughts and feelings affect our health and quality of life. Mindfulness can be cultivated through the practice of meditation. Mindful meditation is formalized in programs such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) as well as other programs. Mindfulness is an inherent human ability that has been experienced in meditation for millennia. What's new is the scientific interest in mindfulness and meditation in medicine, psychology, social work and economics.

You don’t meditate to “make a killing.” You do it so work doesn’t kill you. When I collapsed in April 2007, I was—by our society’s definition—very successful, but by any sane definition of success, I was not,” also says Arianna Huffington,founder of The Huffington Post . “As long as our culture defines success as money and power, we’re stuck on a treadmill of stress, sleep deprivation, and burnout.”

The statistics show that we do not know how to relax properly. And although meditation helps a lot,  42% of people listen to their mobile phone while on vacation. We take less vacation than we deserve. At the same time, according to a Gallup survey, 70% admit being overwhelmed at the workplace or having taken off the job. It's the hamster wheel of today: never checking out at the job, always just checking in.
Mindfulness can be a tool and meditation can be a way of teaching people to cope with their everyday routine, causing the problems that originally made them seek refuge in meditation. Real mindfulness needs to be connected with others, with the community and the wider environment. Meditation is not there to be successful. Meditation helps you to step out. Every time we break our habits through mindfulness and meditation-whether we're checking our smartphone during a conversation, defensively responding to a colleague's comment, or something else-we weaken our conditioning. Through mindfulness and meditation we create new furrows, new nerve connections in the brain. In the future, we will less often fall into the old trap of settling for inefficient survival strategies that are not efficient. Mindfulness gradually improves not only our own work habits, but also our work environment.

20 reasons to practice mindfulness and meditation:
1. Mindfulness improves your health.
2. Increases the immune function.
3. Meditation reduces pain, reduces inflammation at the cellular level.
4. Meditation increases your happiness.
5. Increases positive emotions.
6. Mindfulness reduces depression.
7. Mindfulness reduces anxiety.
8. Reduces stress. It improves your social life.
9. Increases social skills and emotional intelligence.
10. Meditation makes you more compassionate.
11. Lets you feel less lonely. It boosts your self-control.
12.Meditation and mindfulness improve your ability to regulate your emotions.
13. Improves your introspection ability and positively changes your brain.
14. Strenghens the brain cells.
15. Enlarges the brain areas associated with emotional regulation, positive emotions and self-control.
16. Increases the thickness of the cerebral cortex related to attentiveness and productivity.
17. Increases focus and mindfulness.
18. Increases the ability to multitask.
19. Improves memory.
20. Improves your creativity and unconventional thinking. It makes you wise.
Daily yoga, meditation and mantra singing.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; tent/caravan €342

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Exhausted from everyday life? This seminar will enable you to regenerate in no time: Enjoy your body in motion and in relaxation. After each asana class you will feel like a new person - full of power and energy, joy and ease that will linger for a long time. You will get new ideas for your own exercise practice and, if you are a yoga teacher, for your teaching as well. With true Spanish vibrancy and warmth, Gauri leads you to new experiences and complete relaxation in the asanas.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578 

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This week Swami Yatidharmananda isour guest at the Yoga Vidya Ashram North Sea. As a direct disciple of Swami Chidananda, he tells in a humorous way of experiences and anecdotes that he had with his master. The whole thing is supplemented with mantra singing and yogic deep relaxation (Yoga Nidra). So that you have the opportunity, even without a special seminar to book, to experience an authentic Indian Swami and master. Learn how inspiring the presence of Indian masters can be!

Of course, the other individual guest options are also available to you: daily yoga classes, meditations, guided walks, recitations, Klangyogastunde, Mandala painting u.v.m. If you are registering online, please indicate in the field 'What else would I like to say' below 'Other details' how many days you would like to stay. After that, the price is calculated. Accommodation incl. Full board, yoga classes etc .:

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room €57; double room €78; single room €99; dormitory/tent €40.

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €128; double room €172; single room €214; dormitory/tent €96.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Holidays remind us of the deeper meaning of life. They cheer us up while providing mental and physical relaxation. They relieve the tedium of daily routine and give us something to look forward.

Join Swami Saradananda on a mystical journey to understand the timings, significance and philosophy of many of yoga’s observances and festivals. This retreat will inspire you and give you a greater sense of connection to the higher purpose or meaning in life. It will enable you to be doing the right thing, in the right place, at the right time – and can add untold depth to your yoga practice.

Shared room €397; double room €481; single room €566; dormitory/tent/caravan € 331

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This is an introduction to Kriya Yoga, the “meditation practice of a higher era”, revived by the deathless Himalayan Yogi Babaji. Experience for yourself the theory, tradition and practice of Kriya Yoga.

Swami Bodhichtitananda will teach the basic techniques:

• Meditation based on breathing and the practice of Hamsa
• Anahata Shabdha: the power of OM and sound in meditation
• Spinal Breathing meditation for purifying and releasing psychic blockages, gaining control over your life force, and developing deeper concentration.
• Complementary asana classes
• Kriya Yoga Initiation: this will be offered on the last day for those who have participated fully in the seminar, felt a real connection with the practice and are ready to continue with a daily practice of the techniques.

Swami Bodhichitananda will introduce you to the ancient and original Kriya Yoga tradition of Mahavatar Babaji, the deathless Yogi legend who has wandered the Himalayas for ages, and in modern times reintroduced the lost science Kriya Yoga for a new age of emerging higher consciousness.

Kriya Yoga is considered one of the easiest and fastest ways to gain control of the mind and prana, to develop strong concentration, peace of mind, and a great sense of “coming home” to one’s own self. Swamiji will give all the Yogic and Meditation practices necessary to begin a steady meditation practice, and preparation for initiation into Kriya Yoga as well as the Energization Exercises, a set of 39 Exercises developed by Paramahansa Yogananda for gaining control of the Prana(Life Energy), being able to direct it at will to various body parts for healing and revitalization, and gaining control of the restless mind.

Swami Bodhichitananda Saraswati is authorized as a Kriya Yoga Acharya in the lineage of Paramahamsa Yogananda by H.H. Swami Jnanananda Giri, a great Kriya Yoga Master of the Himalayas, and with blessings of H.H. Swami Chidananda, successor to Swami Sivananda.

Shared room €408; double room €492; single room €578; tent/caravan €342

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The sounds of the Sitar will accompany you during deep relaxation and meditation. Special Ragas (melodic frameworks in classical Indian music) address specific part of your body and mind and can unblock blockages, reduce stress and strengthen yourself. Apart from practicing, you will learn some background information about Ragas, Mantras and Mudras.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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"Nature’s rhythm pulses through every cell of our being. When you are in harmony with this rhythm the universe becomes a symphony..."-Chitra Sukhu

When you are in alignment with your higher purpose you'll find that your life is effortless, playful and contains moments of extreme joy. In this course you will uncover your unique gift. We will explore the universal laws of attraction, destiny and karma.

This will help you to shift perspective and renovate your life. We are all creators; the question is how many of us are creating consciously? Stop being a victim of circumstance and take charge of your life. It's time to reclaim your authentic self... By uncovering your gift and energizing your natural motivation you'll be in the flow of life, in this space you'll be clear and purposeful. In this workshop you'll learn to uncover your unique gift and better manage your energy.

Shared room €424; double room €516; single room €610; dormitory/tent €352

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Based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda, Dr. Nalini Sahay has developed a system of prana healing that helps release blocked energy; it opens the chakras and enables prana to flow smoothly. Like Reiki, these techniques have a profound impact on physical and mental health, both in self-healing and in the healing of others.

Dr. Sahay has been able to show the efficiency of these techniques in healing illnesses; she has used them in her work with AIDS victims and homeless people in the slums of Delhi. The techniques can also support drug addicts, alcoholics and others in overcoming their addictions.

You will learn to harmonize your energies to heal different levels of your being, as well as transmit prana healing energy to others. Dr. Sahay puts great emphasis on not accepting money for transmission of prana healing energy. The course includes valuable and easily applicable techniques for yoga teachers, health practitioners, social workers, psychotherapists, nurses and everybody who wants to help people who have problems. Dr. Sahay teaches in English with German translation.

Shared room €653; double room €770; single room €889; dormitory/tent/caravan €560

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Swami Nivedanananda will be our guest this week. Every day he will perform Indian rituals and recite powerful Vedic mantras. You will have the opportunity to experience these events with an authentic Swami and master.

You can also participate in daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, chanting, drawing of yantras and much more. You may choose to register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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In the chapter 6 of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna unfolds to Arjuna the importance of meditation in transforming our vision of life and recognizing our connection with the universe. The practice of meditation helps us to unleash our talents, skills and contribute to the well-being of ourselves and others; and in the process, free ourselves from our afflictions.

All rooms have a washbasin, the bathrooms are newly renovated and shared. This seminar is excluded from discounts.

WELL UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH WITHOUT TRANSLATION! The course is not suitable for beginners.

Shared room €128; double room €160; single room €194; tent/caravan €102

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Learn to use your hands to better direct your energy to enhance your meditation and self-healing. Mudras are hand positions that enable you to seal psychic energies into specific channels within your subtle body. They are potent spiritual tools that can enhance the purification and good health of your physical, mental and psychic being. With regular practice, mudras can sharpen and expand your spiritual wisdom. They help to restore balance within the microcosm and bring it into harmony with the macrocosm.

In this seminar, Swami Saradananda introduces you to the basic energetic concepts of working with mudras. The weekend promises to be unique in its practical as well as theoretical approach. You will learn about the subtle energies in the hands and each finger. They will also be encouraged to experience putting this information into practice, using your own hands.

The morning asana classes will focus on hand health and flexibility. This programme promises to be especially helpful for everyone who works at a computer.

Shared room €191; double room €225; single room €258; dormitory/tent/caravan €165

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Harmonising Asanas with the sounds of the Sitar, combined with powerful Mantras and Mudras. Cleansing, activating and opening your Chakras (energy centres) with an integral yoga practice can have transformational effects. Ram and Kaivalya will accompany you this weekend on your journey through the Chakras.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Swami Nivedanananda will be our guest this week. Every day he will perform Indian rituals and recite powerful Vedic mantras. You will have the opportunity to experience these events with an authentic Swami and master.

You can also participate in daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, chanting, drawing of yantras and much more. You may choose to register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 52; double room €69; single room €86

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Join Swami Saradananda for a retreat of introspection, story-telling and dream-manifestation. This is an opportunity to work with your body, mind and creativity to find innovative ways to unravel and recreate your personal myth. Write to access your unconscious; deepen your experiential understanding of the connections between yoga movements, breath and the written word. Use this retreat to create a safe space for yourself as you delve into and transform your own story. This is a time to find ways to turn your life-journey in a fresh direction. Bring a notebook and pen. We will use the techniques of daybook-writing, story-telling, dream-logging and myth-making.

Shared room €397; double room €481; single room €566; dormitory/tent/caravan €331

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Ram Vakkalanka, an indian Sanskrit expert, talented sitar player and experienced meditation leader will be a guest at Yoga Vidya.

Vedic astrology can help you fulfill your full potential in your life! In this seminar you will learn basic knowledge of Vedic astrology and look at birth charts that will give you insights into Karma and Dharma. With valuable tips for analyzing birth charts that can help you and others recognize and fulfill their own responsibilities in life.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248

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This is a unique opportunity to explore new spiritual depths and enjoy the satsang of an internationally renowned teacher of yoga and meditation. Remove yourself from your everyday life; immerse yourself in the spiritual energy of meditation. Dive deep into your practice; gain new inspiration and insights.

Swami Saradananda is an inspiring teacher who will help you to deepen and refine your practice. Her extended meditations, combined with daily periods of silence, will lead you to an integral experience and a heightened state of awareness.

Shared room €397; double room €481; single room €566

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Swami Nivedanananda will be our guest this week. Every day he will perform Indian rituals and recite powerful Vedic mantras. You will have the opportunity to experience these events with an authentic Swami and master.

You can also participate in daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, chanting, drawing of yantras and much more. You may choose to register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room 57; double room €78; single room €99; dormitory/tent €40

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €128; double room €172; single room €214; dormitory/tent €96.

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer. Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Advaita Vedanta is a timeless living teaching tradition that explores the realities of oneself, the world, and the Sacred. In the hands of a proper teacher, ancient Sanskrit scripture becomes a powerful guided inquiry unfolding the non-dual reality underlying these three, and transforming the erroneous limiting notions I entertain about myself into a direct appreciation of my inherent non-separateness and wholeness. In these sessions we will also explore practices useful to prepare oneself in making this vision one’s living reality.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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With deep Vedanta knowledge and stories about the path to self-growth and self-discovery, you gain access to your own path. In doing so, you will learn how valuable even serious obstacles in your life can be for growth. With the recognition of behavioral patterns and the practice of self-observation, you will be able to take important steps.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Viveka Chudamani (The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination), Sankaracharya's masterpiece of Advaita Vedanta philosophy, provides the central theme of this course. Shankara composed many sub-texts from the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita, which are called Prakarana Granthas, with the objective of bringing the message of the Vedas and Upanishads to lay people. Viveka Chudamani, as the name implies, is the crowning achievement of these texts.

Narayani, one of our favourite and most experienced yoga instructors, enhances the course with intense and precise asana practice.

Shared room €714; double room €865; single room €1.020; dormitory/tent/caravan €594

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Advaita Makaranda is a profound work written by Sri Lakshmidhara Kavi which clearly and poetically unfolds the vision of Advaita Vedanta. These beautiful twenty-eight verses are a journey of discovery into the truth of oneself, leading to a discovery of one’s inherent non-separateness from the Sacred. This teaching is not abstract or theoretical, but is likened to an open-eyed meditation which leads to the direct recognition of this ever present fact - that I am even now what I seek to become. In this vision of the sages of ancient India struggle ceases, and one discovers one’s inherent fullness and natural source of joy.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room € 555; dormitory/tent/caravan €319

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Prayer - devotion and practice help you to free yourself from dependencies and external circumstances. In this week you will learn how prayer can lead you to inner freedom. Solving everything outside of prayer achieves the "Calm down of the movements in the mind" (Yoga Sutra I-2).In addition, you can participate in the open-class activities: daily yoga classes, meditation, guided walks, recitations, drawing of mandalas and much more. You can register for the entire week or only for a few days as an individual guest, booking your room only but having the option of attending talks and classes.

Monday-Friday (rate per day): Shared room €52; double room €69; single room €86; dormitory/tent/caravan €38

Weekend (Fri-Sun, 2 nights): Shared room €118; double room €151; single room €186; dormitory/tent/caravan €91

Please register as an individual guest, indicating the number of days you wish to stay and which type of room you prefer.Email for registration: rezeption(at)yoga-vidya.de

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Every human being is a restless seeker, constantly struggling to find wholeness, joy, freedom from insecurity and unhappiness. We can’t help but seek because we find ourselves to be wanting, incomplete, and ever tossed about by the world, relationships, and our own minds and hearts. Yet we yearn to be free, to be home with ourselves and the world.

Advaita Vedanta is a timeless living teaching tradition that explores the sources of these struggles and their resolution. This vision of the sages of ancient India resolves all searching into the fullness of one’s true self, awakening me to the fact that I am even now what I am fundamentally seeking through all endeavors. It is in this recognition that freedom, peace, and fullness are discovered, enabling me to meet life with joy, compassion, and purpose.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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With deep Vedanta knowledge and stories about the path to self-growth and self-discovery, you gain access to your own path. In doing so, you will learn how valuable even serious obstacles in your life can be for growth. With the recognition of behavioral patterns and the practice of self-observation, you will be able to take important steps.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; tent/caravan €153

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In these days there is no way of escaping stress while input becomes more and more. Vedanta helps you to solve the problem while shifting the focus of your attention from your own mental busy life to yourself. The way can be described as a way from mental life to independence of thinking. It brings a change in your life by changing your vision. Then there is oneness, joy and fulfilment.

Shared room €386; double room €469; single room €555; tent/caravan €319

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Ideal to relax and recharge with power and positivity. During these days you will have an introduction into the different aspects of yoga and meditation. Experience yoga and meditation through physical and breathing exercises, meditation, mantra-chanting and more. In English without translation.

Shared room €178; double room €213; single room €248; dormitory/tent/caravan €153

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Your body-mind system is a subtle powerful antenna that constantly receives and transmits energy. As an experienced yoga master, Swami Saradananda introduces you to the powerful techniques of mantras, mudras, yantras and mandalas that purify your physical, mental and psychic body. Through regular practice, the methods you learn here sharpen and expand your spiritual wisdom. They help you achieve balance within your microcosm and bring it into harmony with the macrocosm. They support your meditation practice and help you find inner peace.

Shared room €397; double room €481; single room €566; dormitory/tent/caravan €331

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Navaratri is a 9-night festival worshipping the Divine Mother. There is a daily puja, chanting, homa and karma yoga. The price is available on request or you may stay on a karma yoga basis.

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The Yoga Vasishta is one of the most important jnana yoga texts. As a guide to happiness in the midst of the vicissitudes of life, it is unbeatable! Look forward to a once in a lifetime seminar in which the highest philosophical wisdom is explained and interpreted with sensitivity and clarity.

Prince Rama is desperate to find a solution to end the suffering of the world; he seeks a deeper meaning in life. The sage Vasishta explains to him the highest wisdom of Vedanta, the philosophy of Oneness. The work is full of incredible stories - sometimes funny, often surreal, in parallel universes and worlds - to show the illusionary nature of this world and our usual notions of it.

Teaching techniques and hatha yoga

• Lesson design, didactics and individual corrections
• Beginners: corrections and assistance
• Intermediate: corrections and assistance
• Yoga Therapy. Yoga for special problems. Mutual exchange.
• Yoga for the Heart (Ornish Programme)
• Yoga for the back
• Yoga for joint problems
• Yoga for breathing problems (asthma and others)
• Yoga for psychosomatic complaints
• Yoga also in a wheelchair. Gentle variation of the Yoga Vidya series for people with physical limitations.
• Teaching relaxation workshops.
• Responding to individual questions from your teaching practice

Hatha Yoga

• advanced techniques
• Shank Prakshalama, the complete colon cleansing to purify the whole organism
• Hatha Yoga and Sports: Sports Medicine, Musculoskeletal System. Structure of the muscle. How are the muscles influenced by the practice of yoga?
• Yoga as a endurance, flexibility, strength and coordination training
• Relaxation and stress management. General adjustment principle.
• Scientific research on the effects of yoga
• Relaxation techniques
• Yoga and health
• Yoga in daily life
• Health insurance and yoga

Required texts:

"The Yoga Vidya Asana Book", "Yoga Vidya Yoga Teachers' Handbook", "Yoga Vasishta" (Eng. Edition, published by Yoga Vidya Verlag)
- Apart from the Yoga teachers' Handbook these books/texts are normally not available at the shop in Bad Meinberg.

Shared room €714; double room €865; single room €1.020; dormitory/tent/caravan €594

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Yoga Vashishta - an unbeatable guide to happiness in the midst of all the vicissitudes of life! Look forward to a very special, one of a time seminar: highest philosophical wisdom, sensitively, intuitively and wisely interpreted and explained.

The main topics of the seminar are the same as in the intensive A7 training, but there are additional lectures from 2-3:45pm. Also there will be other teaching techniques for those who have already attended an A-training.

The Yoga Vasishta is one of the most important Jnana Yoga writings. Prince Rama is desperate about the suffering of the world and seeks a deeper meaning in life. So the wise Vasishta explains him the highest wisdom of Vedanta, the philosophy of Oneness. The work is full of incredible stories - sometimes funny, often surreal stories, in parallel universes and worlds - to show us the illusionary nature of this world and our usual notions of "me" and "world". However, the Yoga Vasishta is not a work for scholars for the unworldly. Their basic message is: Realize that behind and in all whats relative there's one single absolute manifested Truth. Realize that you are in fact Brahman, pure consciousness and break free from all limiting identifications so that you can act imprisoned and free in this world. This is the way to overcome suffering and live happily.

Teaching techniques. Didactics. Individual corrections

• Teaching groups with mixed levels
• meditation with children - what is possible and how
• Yoga for teenagers
• General principles of didactics and methodology
• Fundamentals of motivation
• How can I motivate participants to practice and challenge themselves?
• Abstract meditation techniques in Hatha Yoga lessons for beginners
• Pre-exercises and variations of the Yoga Vidya series for beginners

Required texts:

The Yoga Vidya Asana Book", "Yoga Vidya Yoga Teachers’ Handbook", "Yoga Vasishta" (Eng. Edition, published by Yoga Vidya Verlag)

Shared room €714; double room €865; single room €1.020; dormitory/tent/caravan €594

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