February 2010        

Loving Greetings for 2010

The beginning of a new decade brings much hope for a peaceful and prosperous future. May this decade be filled with determination to put the lessons of yesteryear into practice and to gain a fuller understanding of ourselves and the relationships we nurture. May we all grow in our capacity to give and receive love, as well as to to experience joy and peace.

One relationship in particular, the most significant one, is the one with ourselves.  With the ever-increasingly busy lifestyles we lead it is often easy to overlook making time for ourselves and tending to our own necessities such as health and well-being.

Contents:

1.     Specials

        - Two-day Wellness Retreat

        - Half-day Retreat

        - Back, neck and shoulder massage

        - Gift vouchers

2.     Art of Living 1 Course

3.     Ayurvedic Vegetarian Cooking

4.     Pancha Karma Detox Retreat

5.     Wellness Retreats

6.     Diary of Events

And it’s at stressful times like these when we really need to make even more of an effort to create quiet time to reflect and rejuvenate oneself in order to be able to continue on our journeys with vigour and determination.

The pursuit of happiness begins within ourselves. We would like to encourage you to be aware of what supports you to feel good. This can be achieved in many ways: through time spent in natural surroundings, conscious eating, Retreats and so forth. We have been busy, hence you have not heard from us for a long time. We had a very eventful season with our Ayurveda Wellness and Pancha Karma Detox Retreats being in great demand. We would like to thank everybody for their tremendous support over the past few months. What a great pleasure it was meeting you all!

In December we also hosted the first three-day Art of Living Part 1 course run over a weekend, here at Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre in Greyton. It was such a success that we will offer this course on a two-monthly basis going forward.

This course aims to heal and harmonise your body, mind and spirit by providing you with the skills to deal with negative emotions and situations.  This will in turn help with improving work and relationships and give a deeper insight into the laws that govern your body, mind and emotions.

The next two dates will be 19 - 21 Feb and 23 - 25 April. Book early to avoid disappointment.

We are happy to announce that our Pacha Karma Detox Retreat dates have been finalised for the first quarter of the year and we have already started with our Wellness Retreats which run on an ongoing basis.

May there be peace, love and happiness!

Warmest regards

Margit Gilliot on behalf of the entire Nalanda team

Specials

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Two-day Wellness Getaway

Included:

• Two night’s accommodation at the Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre or alternatively the Greyton Lodge

• Vegetarian Ayurvedic meals consisting of all breakfasts, lunches and dinners

• Healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks

• Yoga and breathing/relaxation sessions

• 2x Rejuvenating Ayurvedic head massage (30 min)

• 2x Deeply relaxing full body massages (45 min)

• 2x Foot massage (30 min)

• 1x pampering Ayurvedic hand massage (30min)

• 1x Shirodhara (30 min) which involves gently pouring oils over the forehead which decreases anxiety and promotes an altered state of consciousness

R3 000

Half-day Wellness Retreat

Included:

• Welcome refreshment and snacks

• Rejuvenating Ayurvedic head massage (30 min)

• Deeply relaxing full body oil massage (45 min)

• Relaxing foot massage (30 min)

• Pampering Ayurvedic hand massage (30 min)

R690

Stress relieving Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage (20 - 30 min)

It’s common knowledge that we literally carry the burden of our stress on our shoulders, take this opportunity to lighten the load and expel the toxic build-up by indulging in this therapeutic massage.  Start the New Year with a clean slate and improved positive outlook.

R180

Gift vouchers

Gift vouchers can be purchased for individual treatments or retreats.  These would be tailor-made to suit your needs. Please contact Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre on (028) 254 9027 to arrange.

Various

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Course Details

The three-day course has not replaced the regular six-day course. It was designed by Sri Sri Ravishankar to allow people with very busy lives to experience and practice the powerful Sudarshan Kriya â technique. As such we will only teach the three-day course occasionally. This shorter course is also an excellent opportunity to re-acquaint yourself with the practice. Participants will be allowed to repeat any six-day course for FREE.

You will learn

• Practices that heal and harmonise your body, mind and spirit

• Skills for handling negative emotions and situation

• Practical wisdom for improving work and relationships

• Deeper insight into the laws that govern your body, mind and emotions

Optional extras

• Meals at Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre

• Introduction to Ayurvedic cooking

• Ayurvedic Massage treatment

• Accommodation in Greyton
  
  
  

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Course details

Join us at Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre in picturesque Greyton for this two-day Ayurvedic conscious eating event that will change your relationship with food and inspire you with fun, simple and nutritious vegetarian fare.

Together, we will prepare and cook a variety of dishes from Ayurvedic to Raw Cuisine that will tantalise your taste buds and nourish your body and soul. The emphasis will be on food that is simple, healthy, quick and easy to prepare.

We will come together to cook, chop, talk, eat, laugh, be still and do yoga.
For those who choose to stay until Sunday afternoon, there is a beautiful nature reserve nearby where we can walk. 

You will learn:

This weekend is about transforming and healing your relationship with food.

• Eat and prepare food with love and consciousness.

• Develop a healthy love relationship with your body and the food you eat.

• See food as medicine for the body and nourishment for the soul.

• Transition towards a more healthful, healing and nutritious vegetarian diet with an emphasis on organic and whole foods.

• Shift the emphasis from losing weight to eating natural, wholesome, radiant and alive foods.

• Gently incorporate more yummy and radiant raw foods into your diet.

• Receive notes and recipes to take home.

 Schedule

Friday:
3.00 pm - 5.30 pm	Arrival and welcome tea and snack
5.30 pm	Sharing circle and agni hotra
7.00 pm	Dinner followed by an introduction to Ayurvedic principles
8.30 pm	Quiet time - to connect, give thanks and prepare for dreamtime.
8.30 pm - 9.00 pm	Evening Relaxation
Saturday:
7.15 am - 8.15 am	Yoga
8.30 am - 9.30 am	Prepare a super, nourishing and energising breakfast
9.30 pm - 10.00 am	Breakfast
10.00 pm - 11.30 am	Time in nature, rest and relaxation
11.30 am - 1.00 pm	Prepare a delicious and nutritious lunch
1.00 pm - 1.30 pm	Lunch
1.30 pm - 4.30 pm	Time in nature, rest and relaxation.
4.30 pm	Afternoon snack.
5.00 pm - 7.00 pm	Prepare a special meal made with love and consciousness
7.00 pm	Supper
8.00 pm	Sharing circle or relaxation or guided meditation
Sunday:
7.15 pm - 8.15 am	Yoga
8.15 pm - 9.30 am	Time in nature, rest and relaxation
9.30 pm - 11.30 am	Prepare a super nourishing and energising brunch
11:30 am - 12.30 pm	Brunch - weather-permitting in the garden
12.30 - 1.30 pm	Sharing and closing circle.
Departure or stay the afternoon for a walk in the nearby nature reserve.

Facilitator:  Samantha Wittenberg worked full-time at Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre for 4 years running Ayurveda Wellness and Pancha Karma Retreats, facilitating workshops on Ayurvedic Diet, Doshas & Digestion, teaching Yoga, as well as giving Ayurvedic Diet & Lifestyle Counselling. Since then, she has qualified as an attorney and runs her own practise.  Samantha now returns to Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre as a facilitator of the Conscious Eating Retreat. On this retreat, she shares her knowledge of Ayurveda and healthy diet to inspire you  to enjoy food which is high in prana (life force energy).

Contact us for your booking!

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How you detoxify is very important. Harsh cleansing can aggravate the body and cause problems; Ayurvedic detoxification is gentle and balanced. Luxurious treatments are administered in a logical sequence. They are designed to flush out toxins from the body and nourish and balance the system, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and renewed.

These treatments have no side-effects. Retreat is designed for generally healthy individuals as a preventative therapy or as a cure for disease.

How does it work?

The body is oleated both internally and externally with warm oils or ghee, the oil penetrates into all tissues of the body and loosens the accumulated toxins from a cellular level. The loosened toxins pass into the gastro-intestinal tract and are eliminated from the body either upwards or downwards. Heating the body speeds up this process.

Treatments

The treatments will take half-days to give you enough time for rest; this will increase the benefit. You will receive two-and-a-half hours of treatment per day. Treatment time may include any of the following:

• Ayurvedic Massage is a truly nurturing experience. You will be able to prevent stress and disease or alleviate existing imbalances through keeping your physical, emotional and mental aspect balanced. Although our massages are for well-being only, our clients often report lasting therapeutic effects. You will receive luxurious treatments such as Shirodhara (warm oil flowing on the forehead), Pichauli (massage with lots of warm oil), Abhyanga (full body oil massage), Abhyanga (different parts of the body), Padabhyanga with bowl (ayurvedic foot massage) and many others.

Deeply relaxing in its nature, Ayurvedic Massage helps the body to efficiently circulate nutrients, eliminate toxins, cleanse and rejuvenate the body. It creates a connection between body, mind and spirit and can unlock the gates to the inner world of a joyful life. Massage was traditionally not considered a luxury but a necessary part of daily routine to stay well and grow old while enjoying good health.

• Yoga/Pranayama/Meditation/Relaxation: Use of dynamic movements, breath, mantras and meditation. It is the art of awareness and the science of strength. Amazingly healing for mental, emotional and psychological issues.
  

• Diet and Lifestyle counselling to address your imbalances. Self-care - we will help you with ongoing support to sustain your diet and lifestyle changes to extend the effect of the retreat into your everyday life. This may include informal cooking instruction.

Allow deeply relaxing days, enjoy the gentle, loving touch and warm oils and the Ayurvedic meals as an integral part of your Pancha Karma Detox Retreat and with profound effect on your body, mind and emotions.

How will I benefit from the Pancha Karma Detox Retreat?

You will feel more in harmony with yourself and your environment, experience contentment, feel more present and positive, and have more patience, love, respect and appreciation for yourself and others. Physically, the systems of the body feel stronger and more stable, especially your digestive system. Natural sleep patterns are restored and deep-seated tiredness is released, making space for a new zest for life. This is a really good investment in yourself.

The Retreat can give you relief from:

Anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, stress, depression, excess weight, digestive complaints, menstrual disorders, menopausal imbalances, backache, headaches, tiredness, general low moods and constipation.

Other Benefits

• Activates metabolism

• Enlivens sense organs

• Relieves strain on the heart and circulatory system

• Strengthens muscles

• Improves resistance to stress

• Increases memory power and intellectual ability

• Glowing skin

• Increased body vitality and energy levels

• Slows the aging process

• Enlivens the self-healing abilities of the body

When practiced on a regular basis, together with home self-care and positive lifestyle changes, further accumulation of toxins and tensions is prevented, thus reducing the likelihood of future imbalances or diseases developing.

This deep inner cleansing and calming process has an effect long after you have left Nalanda and will last even longer if you take an active part in staying in balance.

Minimum number of days - 7.

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Why retreat?

In the busy-ness of our lives, so many things seem urgent that we neglect important aspects of ourselves. Balance is a creative and dynamic juggling of work/contemplation/reflection and recreation/play.

A retreat is an opportunity to regain that balance and remember how good it feels and how necessary it is for your health and well-being. Taking time out of your usual routine and environment, while receiving nurturing touch, gives you the chance to experience deep rest and healing, to gain a new perspective.

On retreat, you consciously remove yourself from your everyday life - people, activities, noise, superfluous talking and work-related activities - in order to give time and space to the non-physical, non-material neglected aspects of your life. This physical withdrawal helps you to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions, and thus more able to release old patterns of thinking which no longer serve you.

By the end of the retreat you can expect to feel more alive in your body, have a quieter and clearer mind, and an increased sense of emotional balance. You will leave renewed, refreshed and revitalised.

Where can I retreat?

The charming and peaceful village of Greyton, surrounded by mountains with lots of fresh air and a clear sky will be where your retreat will take place.

Treatments are in walking distance from your accommodation.

We invite you to just be with yourself and nature around you, without expectations, without judgments, without any specific goal. The mind can relax, allowing you to settle down into your true Nature which is harmony, peace and joy.

Treatment time may include any of the following:

• You will receive lots of different, deeply relaxing Ayurvedic Massages, a truly nurturing experience! You will be able to prevent stress and disease or alleviate existing imbalances through keeping your physical, emotional and mental aspect balanced. Although our massages are for well-being only, our clients often report lasting therapeutic effects.

Deeply balancing in its nature, Ayurvedic Massage helps the body to efficiently circulate nutrients, eliminate toxins, cleanse and rejuvenate the body. It creates a connection between body, mind and spirit and can unlock the gates to the inner world of a joyful life. Massage was traditionally not considered a luxury but a necessary part of daily routine to stay well and grow old while enjoying good health.

• Yoga/Pranayama/Meditation/Relaxation: Use of dynamic movements, breath, mantras and meditation. It is the art of awareness and the science of strength, amazingly healing for mental, emotional and psychological issues.
  

• Diet and Lifestyle counselling to address your imbalances. Self-care - we will help you with ongoing support to sustain your diet and lifestyle changes to extend the effect of the retreat into your everyday life. This may include informal cooking instruction.

Half-day Retreats with two-and-a-half hours of treatment time per person per day, full-day Retreats with five hours of treatment time per person per day, Budget Retreats. We also offer Yoga and Silent Retreats.

Your retreat will also include:

• Herbal teas and hot water therapy as well as healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks are provided.

• Lots of personal care and attention.

• Replacing stress with silence, meditation, contemplation and relaxation.

• Contact with nature and calm, restful environment. Enjoy your tranquil garden where you can walk comfortably and relax. Be uplifted with magnificent views of the mountains and greenery surrounding Greyton.

• You will be in close proximity to several beautiful mountain walks.

On a Retreat of four days or longer the “Breath - Water - Sound” course of the
Art of Living Foundation can be included at no extra charge.
Breathing techniques leading to increased well-being, clarity and joy.

At extra cost we can arrange for you:

• Transfers from Cape Town or the airport can be arranged.

• Professional life coaching can be arranged.

• Gentle excursions to local natural locations are offered to bring you into nature in a way which is compatible with the retreat experience.

• Bicycle-hire

• Horse-riding

• Transport within and around the village by horse cart.

Booking in advance of all available extras is necessary.

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Welcome to Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre