Meditation Retreat 6:00 P.M. Thursday, March 19 – Noon Sunday, March 22
(See information on pricing and registration below.)
One of the most important self-care activities I engage in is meditation. I have had a rich meditation practice for many years…it kicked into high gear with my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis 25 years ago. One of the patterns I am seeing in my patient population right now is people leaning into the many available electronic apps for meditation. I applaud this and am so glad there are so many apps that are so easy to access. However, guided meditation with an app-only gets you so far. In fact, specifically, it only gets you to relaxation.
This is a fantastic destination when you are keyed up and unable to relax. But there is much much more after relaxation and the engagement of the vagal nerve. Getting under the root of your triggers is next. Exploring the expansive map of consciousness is next. Gaining mastery over your long held patterns of emotional and nervous system reactivity is next. This benefits your relationships with others, with yourself, and with all experiences the world offers. The tools I use are literally self-healing tools. They also allow me to track my patient’s fields of consciousness so I can see where change needs to occur for healing to be achieved.
If you would like to learn these tools and want the ability to track yourself and others, join my husband and me in March for an advanced meditation class. The tools we are teaching are the exact tools that helped me reverse my autoimmune disease 25 years ago. They have also influenced my relationships and my manifesting ability. My marriage was saved by them because both Ajayan and I are ardent meditators.
If you are ready to break free from the constant repetition of old patterns of mind, emotions, and bodily symptoms please join me and Ajayan Borys March 19 – 22 for the Effortless Mind® Siddhi Meditation Retreat and benefit from our combined 100-year practice of mysticism and meditation. This retreat is open to everyone; however, it is designed for practicing meditators. If you do not have previous meditation experience, you will receive bonus materials prior to the retreat that you can practice before arriving.
Western culture tends to reinforce an incorrect idea that we are just passive observers of our nervous system’s activities. This is not true and it’s actually fairly easy to interfere with old patterns of emotional reactivity, nervous system activity and the bodily byproducts of both. How is this done? By training the mind. Meditation is simply that…mind training. Just stimulating the vagus nerve is not enough. Getting to the root of WHY your nervous system gets triggered AND entraining the vagal nerve is how true healing occurs.
In this retreat, we will explore the least understood portion of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Patanjali is one of the most important ancient authorities on Yoga Philosophy. The 3rd chapter of his Yoga Sutras is entirely dedicated to the siddhis (supernormal yogic abilities, such as levitation, invisibility, etc.). Yet, few outside of a handful of advanced yogis scattered around India fully understand this most esoteric of Patanjali’s teachings.
Although rarely understood or experienced today, Patanjali focused fully one-fourth of his Yoga Sutras on the siddhis. Why? Because the technique that unlocks the siddhis, samyama, offers a breakthrough in human potential, growth, and healing. Although you won’t soon find yourself flying through the skies like an ancient adept, samyama will systematically suffuse your mind and body with blissful prana (life-force), awaken refined perception and enhanced intuition, and bring your life into a Flow of grace such that Nature will spontaneously support your ability to manifest your desires and heal your body, mind, heart and spirit.
You can expect this meditation retreat to help you develop:
- Heightened intuition and access to powerful creative levels of mind.
- Loving kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy, for yourself and others.
- Easy-to-access tools that you can integrate into your busy life for self-healing.
- A map of consciousness that you will be able to explore at home.
- A relationship with the energy of all 5 elements that will benefit every arena of life.
- A profound understanding of the more esoteric principles of the Yoga Sutras.
Transform the quality of your life by attending Effortless Mind Siddhi Meditation Retreat on beautiful San Juan Island, WA or by participating online from the convenience of your own home.
Either way, the depth of experience and knowledge you will gain from this retreat will benefit you for years to come.
The cost for the retreat is as follows (you have options):
- $795 for the retreat plus room and all meals (organic whole foods, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, soy free)
- $645 for the retreat only (you can choose from the wide variety of lodging options on San Juan Island and arrange your stay)
- $495 for joining us via Zoom (internet streaming from the comfort of your own home)
Facilities – on-site
- A beautiful remote retreat on San Juan Island with gorgeous views of Haro Straight. Consistently gets 5-star reviews.
- On-site, we offer a mix of private rooms and dormitory accommodations. Private rooms are normally reserved for couples; if no couples, then private rooms are allocated to those who sign up first. All accommodations are very comfortable and newly remodeled and refurnished.
- Shared baths.
- Sleeps a maximum of 10 people. Register soon!
- Cost of staying onsite is $795. Includes retreat, room (single, double, or dormitory), and meals.
Click Here to Register to Stay On-site
Facilities – off-site
You may also attend the retreat and participate in meals but find your own accommodations, either in Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor (Samadhi House is almost equidistant between the two, about 15 to 20 minutes drive.) As San Juan Island is a hot tourist destination, and March is the off season, you can easily find accommodations on island. There is even camping just 7 minutes away. Cost of the retreat if you stay off-site is reduced to $645.00.
Click Here to Register to Stay Off Site
Attend the live meditation retreat online
You may also attend the live retreat online (audio and video) via Zoom. The online retreat will include the same instruction as if you were right here on the island with us. Sessions start Thursday evening, with sessions Friday and Saturday morning, afternoon, and evening. The final session will be Sunday morning. Cost of the online retreat is $495.00.
Click Here to Register for the Live Online Retreat
Meals
- Vegetarian/pescatarian meals are provided and included in the cost of the course.
Schedule
- Dinner will be available Thursday night until the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
- The retreat ends Sunday after brunch to allow you to play on the island or catch a mid-day ferry back to Anacortes. (See section below on travel.)
Travel to and from the course
- Access to San Juan Island from Washington State is via the Anacortes ferry. See the current ferry schedule. We strongly recommend you make reservations to ensure you get on the ferry. Contact us if you want to car pool. For more information, contact us.
Ajayan’s meditation journey
Ajayan has been exploring and teaching a variety of meditation practices since 1970 and is the founder of Effortless Mind® meditation.
In the early 70’s, he spent years studying in residence under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation Program®, and for nearly a decade, taught the TM Program®. Since then he has traveled the globe continuing an impassioned exploration of consciousness and developing human potential through various meditation and yogic practices, specializing in traditional Tantric meditation practices as well as Advaitic (non-dual) meditation.
From 1994 to 1998 Ajayan studied with India’s most widely revered living woman saint, Mata Amritanandamayi (Ammachi, the “hugging saint”), living at her main ashram in Kerala, India, and serving as the meditation teacher there. While in India, Ajayan also spent time with holy men and yogis in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand—a haven for saints throughout the ages—and researched the spiritual practices indigenous to that area. Later, he studied under the Tantric teacher, Swami Anandakapila.
Having made a study of meditation his life, and having instructed and guided thousands in meditation in North America, Australia, Europe, and India, Ajayan has gained a reputation as a consummate meditation teacher.
Dr. Keesha’s meditation journey
Dr. Keesha’s mystical experiences started when she was a young child.
Her first formal training in meditation was through Swami Rama’s Himalayan Institute in 1998. Since then she has been an avid and passionate meditator. She went on to become a yoga teacher and studied meditation and pranayama (as well as Ayurveda) with Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Vivek Shanbhag, and Dr. Light Miller.
In 2005 she was called to Arunachala in Tamil Nadu, India, by her deceased master, Ramana Maharishi, where she went into intensive retreat and downloaded much of what she teaches and writes about today. Later, she studied under the Tantric teacher, Swami Anandakapila.
Keesha’s interest in meditation and spirituality has crossed many cultural boundaries and taken her from Australia’s Outback to the Andes and jungles of Peru, to the Himalayas of Kashmir, to traditional Lakota vision quests in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. Her path has been primarily Nondual Tantric Trika Shaivism and more recently Tibetan Buddhism—her current practices are informed by Tara, Mother of Compassion.