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VEDANTA and YOGA HOLIDAY
WITH
JAMES SWARTZ & FIONA AGOMBAR
25 OCT-1 NOV 2010
James Swartz is leading a Vedanta course in Turkey at the Atami Hotel from 25th October - 1st November with Fiona Agombar, who will be teaching gentle hatha yoga.
James Swartz was born in Butte, Montana in 1941. He grew up in Lewiston, Idaho and had a very happy childhood. However, the small world of Lewiston could not contain him and at seventeen he left for a military prep school in Minnesota. He spent two years in a liberal arts college in Wisconscin, was expelled for disciplinary reasons, and enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley in 1963. Six months short of graduation he ran off to Hawaii where he started a successful small business. But something was terribly wrong; at twenty six he had become an alcoholic, chain smoking glutonous adulterer and life in every respect was not worth living. One day in the Post Office in Waikiki he had a life changing epiphany that put me on the path to freedom. You can download the story of his spiritual quest to find out what happened.
If you are interested in taking your spiritual questions further and are curious to know why are we really here, who are we and what truly makes us happy and free, this enjoyable course will be of great interest to you. There are very few authentic Vedanta teachers in the world today and James, a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, one of India 's most respected sages, is exceptional, so this is a great opportunity to study with a teacher in a fantastic location and enjoy some gentle yoga with Fiona in the Krishnamacharya tradition as well. (See www.fionaagombar.co.uk for more details of her yoga style).
This course introduces the fundamental principles of traditional Vedanta, a time tested means of Self Inquiry. The purpose of Self Inquiry is for happiness. Happiness is equated with freedom from dependence on anything other than one's own self.
The course is suitable for meditators from any tradition, practitioners of yoga who wish to explore the spiritual dimensions of yoga or those who have realized the limitations of New Age paths. It is also suitable for mature individuals interested in a serious spiritual path who are disaffected with the material approach to happiness that is the hallmark of modern culture.
A morning yoga session is followed by mid-morning talk and a discussion designed to address doubts raised by the talk. The late afternoon talk is followed by dinner and an informal satsang with James in the early evening. He will also be available for private consultations.
The Course
Day 1
Morning - Motivations
Why do I seek? The limitations of worldly pursuits and the desire for inner freedom or enlightenment.
Afternoon - Knowledge and Experience.
Explains the two basic theories of enlightenment and debunks ten enlightenment myths.
Day 2
Morning - The Means of self Knowledge
Addresses the limitations of perception in the quest for self knowledge. It explains how spiritual knowledge works and how Vedanta evolved to fill the gap between how we perceive the world and true happiness, or self realization.
Afternoon – Qualifications
How Vedanta works to bring about self realization. It also discusses the qualifications of the seeker, the qualifications of the teacher and Grace.
Day 3
Morning - Who am I?
The nature of the self and the nature of the ego.
Afternoon - Obstructions
How experience produces tendencies contrary to self realization
Day 4
Morning - The Value of Spiritual Practice
Karma Yoga. This powerful teaching unfolds the most important spiritual practice. It reveals how to approach daily life in such a way that negative conditioning is neutralized and the mind is prepared the mind for Self Inquiry.
Afternoon - Love
The importance of devotion in the quest for freedom. Passionate love, spiritual relationships, marriage and devotional (bhakti) yoga. Worship of forms, God and non-dual love.
Day 5
Morning and Afternoon – Knowledge Yoga/Self Inquiry
The cognitive techniques that are necessary to develop the discrimination that culminates in enlightenment, the realization of the non-dual self. The discrimination between the seer and the seen, the analysis of the three states of consciousness, the location of objects and other sophisticated methods.
Day 6
Morning and Afternoon - Additional Practices
Meditation and the Yoga of the three gunas. This talk explains the science of energy work, how to shape the quality and texture of the mind to achieve a perfect vehicle for self inquiry. It discusses the importance of a pure mind for the assimilation of experience and addresses lifestyle issues: food, money, associations, and sex.
Day 7
A tour through a traditional text, Atma Bodh. Looks at a famous scripture in light of the basic principles of Self Inquiry.
In addition to the talks and satsangs, Fiona Agombar, teaching in the style and practice developed by TKV Desikachar, will offer a morning yoga class. Fiona is also the author of Beat Fatigue with Yoga .
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 in most individuals.
Fiona teaches classical hatha yoga which is inspired by the teachings of Desikachar and Krishnamacharya. Although known for teaching gentle yoga therapy for those with chronic illness such as ME and MS, Fiona also teaches general hatha yoga for those who enjoy a stronger practice - always adapting the yoga postures for the individual. Her teaching focuses on developing potential for full health. Energy Yoga uses awareness of breath and self-observation as a bridge to awaken subtle energies (prana), which balance and strengthen the whole body whilst yoga postures (asanas) and gentle moving sequences open, stretch and release tension.
Fiona has been studying yoga since 1993 and originally trained with the Yoga for Health Foundation . She is grateful for the inspiration of teachers such as Bill Feeney, Angela Stevens, Mukunda Stiles and Dr Nagarentha (Vyasa ashram Bangalore). In 1998 she wrote Beat Fatigue with Yoga (Cherry Red books). She is now studying for an advanced teaching diploma (BWY accredited) in the Krishnamacharya tradition (KHYF in Chennai) under Sarah Ryan and her mentor Gill Lloyd, who is a student of Desikachar. Fiona visits India regularly to deepen her knowledge of yogic philosophy.
Fiona believes that every yoga practice should be a healing session and that students should leave the class feeling better, with more energy and with a sense of peace and calmness. Energy Yoga focuses on yoga as a philosophy that is continued off the mat, helping the yoga student to connect to their true authentic being, thus leading to complete health of body mind and spirit. Fiona teaches retreats all over the world, teaches Energy Yoga for ME to other teachers and also teaches one-to one. Please contact her for further details.
Costs
£495 per person for seven nights to include bed, breakfast, dinner Vedanta study and yoga sessions, staying in a standard room with sea-facing balcony. De-luxe rooms are available at £50 supplement per person per night. There is no single supplement. Please note lunch, all teas and coffees, transfers and flights are extra. Transfers from the airport cost approximately 40 euros and take about forty-five minutes. Your transfer can be organised for you – and if more than one person is transferring at the same time, which is usually the case, the cost will be less. Please note, subject to availability, there is the option to book on the yoga retreat the week before if you would like to stay for two weeks. Please ask Free Spirit for details.
Complete the attached booking form and return it with a non-refundable deposit of £150 to: Free Spirit Travel, 153 Carden Avenue , Brighton , BN1 8LA . The balance is to be paid six weeks before departure ( 2 September 2009 ). A reminder will be given. If the balance is not received by this date, then it will be assumed you cannot attend and your place will be cancelled. If you are booking from outside the UK , please email Debbie Kennard (see below) for instructions on how to transfer the money to Free Spirit.
Yes, including cancellation insurance.
The local currency is Turkish lire but most places also accept euros. The Atami will change money but not travellers' cheques. They do accept credit card payments. There is an ATM machine nearby in Golkoy, about 15 minutes away by taxi.
Breakfast is buffet style and there is a wide selection including fruit and eggs. Supper will be served as a group and will be mainly vegetarian, with some fish. Other special dietary needs (such as dairy or wheat free) are possible and we will do our best to organise this. The food at the Atami is delicious, fresh and home-cooked.
Loose clothes for yoga, summer clothes, swimming costume, warmer clothes for the evening, yoga mat, sunscreen and insect repellent. Towels and hairdryers are supplied by the hotel.
Yes of course, but please note, as there is no single supplement, the cost is per person and not per room.
In Turkey you can't drink water from the tap. One bottle of water per guest is provided everyday; extra water will have to be paid for. Extra drinks and lunch also need to be paid for, and you will need to settle your bill personally with the hotel before you leave. You will need to pay £10 on arrival at the airport for your Turkish visa. Also, please be aware that this is a retreat and that there are no other hotels, shops or supermarkets nearby.
When your booking has been accepted you are advised to inform Free Spirit of your flight details to Bodrum as soon as you have them. Transport will be arranged to meet you. If there is more than one person on the same flight we will arrange for the taxi or minibus to be shared to save your costs. The cost is approximately 120 Turkish lira, or 40 Euros each way and is payable by you in local currency to the driver at the time. Free Spirit do try to co-ordinate arrival times so that transfer costs are shared and reduced. Please note that you are responsible for organising your own flights but Free Spirit can also help with this. Easy Jet are now flying to Bodrum and there are some cheap deals in October. Free Spirit advise that if you book your flights early then you will have a better choice of departure and arrival times.
For bookings, please contact:
Debbie Kennard,
Free Spirit Travel,
153 Carden Avenue,
Brighton,
BN1 8LA
01273 564230
E-mail:
debbie@freespirityoga.co.uk
