Esalen’s 7th Annual Yoga Festival
June 12-17, 2011
The Way of Love: Yoga and Gratitude
with Saul David Raye, Janet Stone, Sianna Sherman, and Bill Mahony
my beloved grows
right out of my own heart
how much more union can there be?
~Rumi
Click here to register online, or call 1-888-8ESALEN to book.
All roads eventually lead to the heart. The heart is the place in our being where we truly integrate and balance all areas of our life and nature. All paths of yoga, healing, and spirituality recognize the heart as the place that holds our deepest longing and fulfillment. But the heart remains a mystery, because we cannot enter it in our usual way, from the mind. We must enter through the doorway of the heart, which is feeling. The practice of bhakti (devotion) invites us to go beyond the intellectual ideas or concepts, to go beyond what normally passes for love...to dive in and experience the infinite depth and overflowing energy of our own hearts. When we live in and from the heart, we live as a sacred lover with the whole cosmos and stay connected to the very pulse of life itself — love.
Welcome to the seventh annual Esalen Yoga Festival. During this week, immersed in the natural splendor of Esalen, we will dive into the deep pool of devotion through practicing yoga asana, pranayama, kirtan, meditation, dance, and satsang. The festival begins on Sunday evening with an opening gathering for everyone to come together in community and set our collective intention for the week. Each morning is open to rest, take a walking meditation around the grounds, or spend time in the Esalen baths. After breakfast, there will be offerings of asana classes from Saul David Raye, Sianna Sherman, and Janet Stone, including one "workshop" each day, which will be a small group focused on one element of the practice. Live music will be offered each day in the Leonard Pavilion — each teacher will have an opportunity to lead morning sessions there at least once.
After a nourishing lunch, we'll be free to receive massages, soak in the baths overlooking the Pacific, rest, recharge, and connect with other yogis. Renowned tantric scholar Bill Mahoney will offer late afternoon meditation and satsang gatherings to discuss the Bhakti Narda Sutras, which details the process of bhakti. Other afternoon sessions will include partner Thai yoga, restorative practice, and a chanting circle. Evenings will include a kirtan mala, expanded time with Bill, and the final evening will be a celebration and a reflection on our week spent together.
This retreat will be full and spirited — expect to be in full classes with yoga mats close together. There will be some props on hand but please bring your own yoga mat. You will also need a towel, zafu or cushion for meditation, block, strap, and two blankets for restorative yoga.
Leader Biographies
William K. Mahony has been a professor at Davidson College in North Carolina since 1982. He teaches courses on Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and topics in the comparative study of religion, and has special research interest in the contemplative dimensions of religions originating in India. A renowned Tantric scholar, he is currently translating the Bhakti Narda Sutras and his publications include The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination and, as coauthor, Meditation Revolution: A History and Theology of the Siddha Yoga Lineage. He has won numerous awards for teaching in a style that can be described as exciting as well as accessible to the modern-day yogi. www.wkmahony.com
Saul David Raye is an internationally acclaimed teacher, healer, and mystic known for his empowering and transformational approach to yoga, healing, and spirituality. Saul's teaching draws on the depth of the yoga tradition and all forms of universal light, love, and wisdom. Since his teenage years he has traveled to Asia, India, and throughout the US studying yoga, Thai massage, pranic healing, and meditation with masters of various spiritual and healing traditions. Through the grace of his teachers and guides he is able to bring alive the essence of ancient wisdom teachings for modern seekers, in a way that allows students to connect deeply with their own authentic power and spirit. SaulDavidRaye.com.
Janet Stone traveled to India in 1996, to the birthplace of her grandfather, where she met a powerful yogi and became dedicated to a conscious evolution through yoga. As one of San Francisco's premiere yoga instructors, Janet blends a wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous-yet-sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga that effortlessly melds awareness with movement and breath. She currently follows the teachings of her two young daughters, India and Lilianna, who shed the light on all things profound and wondrous. www.janetstoneyoga.com.
Sianna Sherman, is an internationally recognized Anusara yoga teacher who delights in storytelling, poetry, spontaneous dance, and long walks in nature. She has a special appreciation for the mythological roots of yoga and often teaches workshops called Mythic Yoga Flow which are infused with Anusara yoga, stories, and music. She began her studies of yoga in 1989, lived in India where she met and studied with Gurumayi Chidvilasanda and subsequently had the great blessing of meeting her primary mentor John Friend in 1995. She studies closely with renowned Tantric scholars Douglas Brooks and Paul Muller Ortega. www.opentograce.com.
Click here to register online, or call 1-888-8ESALEN to book.