I began my meditation and yoga practice at roughly the same time about 10 years ago. As the fruits of the practice manifested in my life, I had a sense there was something deeper, something more than simply being more relaxed and flexible. Through my study and exploration of various yogic and buddhist traditions, concepts would come up like samadhi, the subtle body, bliss, chakras, meditative absorption, Insight, chitta vritti nirodhah, etc … These terms were thrown around, but as far as I could tell very few could speak of these things from direct experience. The practice more or less stopped with asana, with the occasional brief pranayama or simple meditation practice. Having experienced enormous benefit from that form of practice, something inside of me called out, wanting to know with my own experience. Is this real? Are these ancient texts and engaging mythologies from the east actually pointing to an experience that can be realized? Or are they just nice stories to believe and talk about.
When the time came for me to answer those questions for myself, I dropped everything to seek out and practice full time with those who could guide me from their own direct experience. For the last 4 years I have been blessed to find such beings and blessed with the conditions such that I could do intensive retreat and practice on a regular basis. I will make no claims that I have reached some high attainment or have come to fully realize what the traditions are pointing to. My experience continues to unfold and subtler and subtler aspects are revealed as the process of letting go occurs. Although I will say that things that were mere theory, I can no longer deny after experiencing them directly. Seeing that as the path deepens there is an awareness of the natural flow of energy in the body. Staying with this flow is such a consuming experience there is no more energy left in the mind to maintain narrow minded stories that perpetuate suffering. Resting in this experience for prolonged periods of time, the subtle body is purified as blockages are released. The mental patterns that we find ourselves stuck in, that we know are causing suffering for ourselves, others and the world, finally begin to break down. A new wisdom emerges, one that can be trusted, one that is based on the direct experience of life force energy flowing in a natural way.
This weekend is the result of a welling up from within. A calling to share this with others who are looking to take this practice to a deeper level. There are many paths and many methods, what I have to share is not some kind of ultimate truth. It is merely what I have the confidence to share based on how the process has unfolded for me. As my teachers have helped me see, this path is not magic it is technical. These practices are simple, yet subtle and require time to experience the ins and outs of them. No one can do this for us, we need to dedicate the time to practice and experience for ourselves. In this practice intensive I share essential practices in a step by step way that will guide an aspiring yogi to the freedom of true embodiment.