I want to wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

For us here it has been a great year – the centres ran well, we had a good amount of students during the 5 day courses, also for the intensives and gained many committed stusents thereby. The highlight this year is that we made a video for students who wish to carry on their practice when they leave here. Keren, a film director, kindly offered her services and has done an amazing job. It is now being reviewed and edited and should be out this summer, watch out for it on our website!

Another good news is that the Retreat Centre is nearing completion - all roofs are ready with insulation – 18 student’s double rooms which now only need plumbing and finishing. The Yoga hall / Dining room Building also has its roof and we hope to complete it in the monsoon - July August. We are making 3 self-contained, miniature and circular cottages for teachers and long-term community members which we hope to complete soon. All in all, we are going about the whole thing slowly and hope to have the first course there in Summer 2011 or even earlier !!

It is great weather now calm sea, no wind magnificient ! The New Year was very powerful with it being FULL MOON as well. I hope the year is spent in awakening to our Self.

Be Happy

Sharat

A Word to the Teacher Trainees of Our Centre

For Teacher Trainees who want to gain experience and confidence in instruction, and who wish to acquire particular skills, it is recommended that they come at specific times during the year when Sharat is available to give adequate attention.

From mid-May to mid-June 2010, there are new opportunities for Trainees to gain practical experience and to instruct classes. Those Teacher Trainees available to come to the Centre during these months, are requested to send an email directly to Sharat.

Archived News

News from Sharat, Dharamsala

It is Divali the festival of light, when we pray for posperity and new beginnings. The Hindu New Year starts today. It is the day when Rama after successfully destroying evil forces ( Ravana and his followers) returned home with Sita who had been kidnapped.

Weatherwise it is truly the best Dharamkot can offer, bright sunshine, cloudless blue sky and completely dry !! This lovely weather was delayed due to prolonged monsoon. This is another spring with flowers of all kind in bloom. It is however getting cold and although I would have loved to stay here a few weeks more, it is time to move to Goa.

The Retreat centre is progressing nicely. The roof for the Yoga Hall is up !! It looks great, like a temple. Some 400 more trees were planted in my absence in the monsoon all along the borders, about 500 shrubs and about 400 bamboo !!! I am so happy that a lot of them survived. The student houses are nearing completion – floors, outside plaster, and windows. The teachers cottages, round in shape are the next thing we are on.

My trip to Israel was fantastic, what a welcome ! Had 6 days to look around – the best was the dead sea !! A connection with the Light community in Ber Sheva was really enjoyable and I felt people all over the world are living in truth. I hope to complete my visit of the north soon.

Have a good autmn and winter.

Be Happy

Inauguration Ceremony of the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Hall - May 2002

The celebrations started with days-long prayers for purification and for the installation of Patanjali and Ganesh, followed by one week of free courses and special classes with Freny Motivala and Arti H. Mehta from Mumbai. It was a very inspiring experience for all 120 students who participated.

His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinle Dorje, one of the spiritual leaders of Tibet, inaugurated the Centre on Buddha Purnima, the day of his enlightenment - May 26th 2002. In his speech, he pointed out the importance of physical practice as the base for spiritual development and blessed the Centre's aspirations:

I am very happy to be here and thank all of you - teachers, staff, and students, who have extended this invitation. I am also glad to see that you are practicing a Dharma that has such positive qualities. Working with the body as you do is very important, for the body is the home and the support for the winds and channels (prana and nadi). The mind, which is the source of our peace and happiness, depends upon these winds that flow within the channels. All these three levels are related: the mind depends upon the winds which depend on the channels which depend on the body.

The study of the winds and channels that has spread throughout India is well-preserved and complete, one that can bring many benefits. There are numerous types of study, including diverse kinds of Dharma practices and other sciences; however, the most important study one can do, the head or the mother of all study, is the study of Dharma. The Buddhist Dharma found in Tibet has its origin in India, and not only did the Buddhist teachings come to Tibet from India, but also many other sciences. In this way, India has shown great kindness to Tibet.

You are practicing a Dharma that was formed by authentic teachers in India and it brings benefits to body, speech, and mind. In today's world there are many disturbances and little peace and happiness. The Yoga is a branch of practice that can lead people to the peace and happiness they seek. As you have explained, it was in going through many difficulties for the sake of genuine Dharma that you were able to build this Centre for practice. I was also very interested to hear that its shape also reflects the eight-fold path of graduated practice. It moves through to the final stage where you have placed pictures of your teachers, indicating that this ultimate attainment is the union of one's body, speech, and mind with that of the teacher's. This is an excellent path.

I rejoice to see that you are practicing an authentic way and make the aspiration prayer that your practice will be without obstacles and find ultimate success. I also sincerely hope that your practice of Dharma will benefit many people so that they will not see each other with hatred, but give rise to deep affection and compassion for each other.

Thank you.

The festivities continued with a demonstration of Asana, video presentations of Guruji, and amazing classical Indian music.

The event became an outstanding and overwhelming experience for all those present and provided the perfect atmosphere for commencing work in the Yoga Hall.