Greetings Yogis,

In May I will be teaching a retreat in Tuscany, Italy from 11-18 May

The retreat is at Ebbio, an 800 year-old Tuscan farmhouse which has been converted into a yoga retreat, located in the Tuscan countryside and surrounded by an evergreen forest, in the heart of an old volcano approximately 26 miles from Florence and 6 miles from Siena.
Despite being converted in to a retreat for yoga, Ebbio is still a working farm, so you will be sharing your experience with the animals on the farm. An annual harvest of grapes are used to make authentic Chianti wine that Tuscany is so well known for.

Daily Dharma yoga Master practice, Maha Sadhana, Yoga Nidra, Self Realization, Breathing and Meditation and Psychic Development techniques.

The focus of this program is to develop your asana practice and explore pranayama and meditation techniques. A challenging and physically absorbing Shiva Vinyasa Namaskar series created by Sri Dharma Mittra for Dharma I, II, III and IV. It reintegrates the flow of prana through the spinal column and emanates deep into all areas of the physical, metabolic, intuitive, and bliss bodies. It promotes harmony within all these layers so a concentrated state of radiant health is achieved. The highest crowning meditative asanas, pranayama (breathing techniques), and yoga nidra (psychic sleep), which are embedded in the deep roots of Dharma Mittra’s teachings, are imparted to the student. Pranayama uses the breath and the entire respiratory system to purify and strengthen the nerves which leads to greater control of the senses and a subsequent calmer and clearer mind, not just when sitting but throughout the day, when practiced consistently for a long time. Here is the opportunity to be introduced and grow through these techniques in a supportive environment.

The daily schedule will consist of two asana classes, pranayama and meditation. One of the daily classes will focus specifically on different areas such as hip opening, backbends, balances and inversions.

The following prices includes:
7 nights private or shared accommodation,
3 vegetarian meals per day
All yoga classes.

Single room: £700 (excluding air fares and transfers)
2/3 people sharing: £525 (excluding air fares and transfers)

A deposit of £150 is required to secure your place, with the balance paid in full before the end of April 2013.

From the UK, Pisa is the nearest aiport to Ebbio. Currently some airlines are offering very reasonable prices on return flights.

For any further information, email markkanyoga@gmail.com or for more information about Ebbio, visit www.ebbio.com

Greetings Everyone,

We hope everyone who attended Andrei Ram's classes at Indaba last weekend had a great time. It was Andrei's first visit to London and he enjoyed the classes and workshops very much - so thank you for making him feel so welcome.

We are very pleased to announce that Mark kan will be teaching a new class starting at Alchemy in Camden from Friday 2nd November 10-11.30am in addition to his Wednesday morning class which is also 10-11.30am  Check out the website http://www.alchemythecentre.co.uk/yoga/ 

Alchemy is a great centre for yoga and meditation with a great variety of classes to suit all levels. There are two beautiful yoga studios and a cafe which serves delicious vegetarian and vegan food. Come and check it out.

Namaste

Sri Dharma Mittra

All suffering and pain experienced on the material plane is for the purpose of purification - the gradual cleaning of the mind, heart and intellect so that one day, in this incarnation or one of the next, we may at last have a complete vision of Supreme Reality.

All yoga teachers and students, prepare yourselves! The year ahead will be a year of challenge. It will be a year that will provide many opportunities to really be of service to others. It will also provide us with the chance to discover how strong and faithful we truly are.

According to present and past conditions including predictions and even some direct evidence, sometime during and especially in late 2012, the Earth may pass through some severe weather conditions and maybe even some unusual phenomena. Those with lots of attachment to things and comforts may endure lots of pain and suffering, and those without good health and spiritual knowledge and who are attached to comfort surely will suffer more.

In our study of yoga, we learn about the Kleshas, the mental impurities, the root causes of all pain and suffering. All five are rooted in the first, Avidya or ignorance of your own True Self, but attachment or Raga, another one of the Kleshas, will cause many great problems during this period of transition and change. We can combat this as Yogis by re-dedicating ourselves to Sadhana (spiritual practice), and, the more we learn, the more we'll have to then share with others to help them through the dark days potentially ahead. Commit every bit of knowledge you can to memory and strengthen the physical body so you can help others who are weaker. Many Yogis become flexible and strong through their dedication to the Asana or posture practice, but you mustn't sacrifice cardiovascular fitness, since the ability to run if there is danger is of great value both to save yourself and to then help save others. Do something for at least five minutes every day to strengthen and tone the cardiovascular system, even Jumping Jacks. Pursue Self-knowledge every day with great intensity.

To fully arm yourself, spend more time in contemplation and realize what you really are today! We are all a portion of the Almighty One; immortal, omniscient and formless. It is only by this knowledge that you will truly remain unaffected by the possible external state of turmoil. Stay healthy and share as much as possible spiritual knowledge with others so that their pain can be reduced. Acting in this way is the highest type of charity. Remember, belief is not enough!

How unwise it is to sleep! (To float through life unaware of anything and without learning anything.) How foolish it is to remain unguarded and full of doubts! Constantly breaking the law and taking chances and stupid risks that will always result in disappointment, embarrassment, pain and suffering. The wise man is always awake and fully prepared. He follows the rules and guards his knowledge. Compassionate to all, he lives happily and is immune to delusion. The wise man is ever ready to face any amount of pain that may be inflicted upon him at any time.

But even the holy man's body and mind are still subject to extremes of discomfort, since no one is immune to the forces of nature. Those who are still without Self-knowledge and who abide in a state of ignorance as regards Supreme Reality doubtless will suffer more in the year to come. Due to the present condition of everything, including the mental and spiritual, everything is moving, acting and changing perfectly according to and is affected by these constantly shifting patterns, resulting in a specific new condition. Everything is controlled by the Divine Laws of Nature, and everything is connected to everything else. Whatever happens to anything in any distinct area has an effect on everything else to some degree. Einstein saw this through the lens of Physics: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." In Karmic terms, perhaps this is better expressed as: "For every action, there is an equal required action." Or, "Everything we are passing through at present is a result of our deeds from the past." If we were able to look back at every action taken in previous lifetimes, we would come to understand with clarity everything we are now experiencing from moment to moment.

Those devoid of Self-knowledge are fully under the sway of their external environment and its given state from moment to moment. But the wise men and women, endowed with right knowledge, can control the effect these external changes have to affect the internal environment and, most crucially, the mind. Of course, no one can escape their fate entirely, but, since the enlightened one is not identified with the body and mind anymore, he or she is truly untouched by the effect of the outside world upon them.

Only a lit candle can light the unlit wick of another. Some who lose everything will feel that the world really has ended. If you have a little knowledge and a little self-control, you will be able to serve and help anyone and everyone you come into contact with both now and after everything begins to possibly shift and change.

May Brahman bestow upon you the treasure of understanding this Divine knowledge! Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

Lots of Love,
Dharma Mittra
Remember! The goal is Self-realization!

http://www.alchemythecentre.co.uk/2011/11/08/dharma-mittra-at-alchemy-with-mark-kan-qa/

An asana must be righteous and virtuous. By righteous I mean that it must be true. You must not cheat or pretend. You must fill very inch of your body with the asana from your chest and arms and legs, to the tips of your fingers and toes, so that the asana radiates from the core of your body and fills the entire diameter and circumference of your limbs. You must feel your intelligence, your awareness and your consciousness in every inch of your body,

By virtuous I mean that it must be done with the right intention, not for ego or to impress, but for the self and to move closer to God. In this way the asana is a sacred offering. We are surrendering our egos. This is supreme devotion to God. (Isvara pranidhana).

It must not be just your mind or even your body that is doing the asana. You must be in it. You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do asanas with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done fromt the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion.

BKS Iyengar, Light on Life