spiritual journey April -

omonk

Hi everybody I'm new to the forum :

Does anybody know where I can learn Dream Yoga practices (subtle body/sukshma sharira/just plain Astral Projection)? Or where I can find genuine tantric gurus ,for that matter?

I plan to travel up Rishikesh (stay in an ashram to study meditation, tantra for a while) and then Dharamsala maybe .

I'm going by myself this time but I'd love to share the experience with somebody; I will be in the country from mid- April 2007 to January 2008 on a spiritual prowl; If there's anybody traveling in the area on a similar trip, interested in meeting / joining in, do PM me .(I speak a little bit of the language & make a great travel buddy

...If you have a different route / experience ,I have no problem in changing plans; This will be my first trip & Hrisihikesh was just somewhere i thought i should look first

Thanks!

Namaste!

johnyoga2

Which ashram will you be at? We stayed very comfortably at the Parmarth Niketam Ashram for the Yoga Festival three weeks ago. The grounds are very nice, and it is well located for exploring the city.

omonk

I was hoping someone on this board would reccomend that.

rajagursahani

and interested in hooking up with you as i head back to india. i am also a spiritual prowler as you call yourself. well lets get in touch and see what happens down the line.

Kain

Hello omonk!

Interesting, I am thinking of going to Rishikesh myself perhaps. I also happen to be looking for an ashram in which to study Tantra in (as I am mostly self-taught so far, and even though I certainly cannot complain about the substantiality of my results so far as my profile suggests, I would like some learned guidance). Have you found such an ashram (or such a guru)? I am having the most difficult time so far finding a place to study traditional Tantric material...

Thanks in advance,

Kain

omonk

Sorry bout the delay...
i rarely check this account.
Send me a message when ur here
my number is 9971537953
You could try calling
but it's switched off when im doin a retreat
I'm currently in Igatpuri (3 hrs from Mumbai)
doing a Vipassana course
making plans to head N.E
Cya soon

omonk

so far I've had no luck with that
I've heard of a Tantra Vidya Peedhom down south - somewhere in Kerala. google it!
Tantric material is pretty easy to come across here
but a genuine guru... hmm
There happens to be a bunch of Kundalini Yoga ashrams
but from what I've heard ,they charge a lot!
Buddhist Tantra seems to be easier to look for
They happen to be more organised with the lineage
so its definitely more trustworthy
no leftists there though...
I suggest u look into Dzogchen & Mahamudra

I'm going to be spending a month looking for somebody in the Hindu tradition either way
( not really familiar with any of the Buddhist deities)
Will let u know if i get lucky

Do sms when u get here.
All the best!

Sama

as they say, when the student is ready the teacher appears.

__________________
My India, 2005-2008
BE THE REVOLUTION

Kain

Hmm...everyone seems to be talking about this place it seems, although it is hard to find much on it. I've been told about it before. My main question on them is whether they teach the actual practical aspect of it all (Kundalini related bandhas, pranayama etc), since South Indian Tantra has a tendency to focus more on the ritualistic and mantra-recitational aspect of Tantra, thus most Kerala Tantra schools aiming at training Tantric priests. Will look into it further though, thanks omonk.

So I've heard...and their quality of teachings is also usually questionable, thus requiring your actual presence to find out personally for yourself (which, ultimately, is the only way to know anything in this department, of course).
Good to know, I wasn't sure about their condition of organization even though I was aware that they can be more easily found.
That sounds great, I thank you for it. I will let you know too if something suitable appears, and also get in touch when there. All the best to you as well omonk,

Kain

singinglaura

This is my first post/question to the forum - hope I'm doing it right!
Read that John had been to the yoga festival at Parmarth and I just registered for it last week. Can you tell me more about your experience there and did you stay there longer after the festival? I was thinking about spending 4-6 weeks in Rishikesh, going to the festival first and then continuing w/yoga studies after that - either at Parmarth or another ashram. Any other suggestions?
thanks so much!

anandi

The Yoga Festival is a yoga-filled week which offers nice classes and some international teachers. I was there with Gurmukh twice.
It's a great place to meet people, have fun and eat great food.
If it's your first intro to Rishikesh its a great place to get settled, the ashram will help you with lots of great info.

singinglaura

Thanks anandi - that's just what I was hoping to hear! - Laura

johnyoga2

The International Yoga Festival is great fun! Not only will you have a comfortable and secure base (The Ashram) from which to explore the area, anything you want/need is available nearby. When I was there, our group also had the opportunity to work with the orphanage located at the Ashram, and at an orphanage located nearby. It was a wonderful experience. Our group leader is taking another group there again this year. If you think that's something you might be interested in doing, aside from the yoga, PM me and I will give you her contact info. While you can spend everyday doing yoga between 4:00 AM and 7:00 PM, there are also a few other places in the area you might be interested in. The Nil Kantha Temple is about an hour away and it is very interesting. Also the cave wherein (it is said) Vasistha wrote his Supreme Yoga. Very peaceful site. I can give you the name of a shopkeeper who will be able to arrange transport to either of these locations. Our group found him to be extremely trustworthy. He is also valuable for his knowledge of the area. One of our group wanted to purschase a set of drums for her son. He sent us to the shop of a man who hand made them for her in two days for about $60 and that included the carrying case. The shopkeepers uncle runs a clothing store that hand tailored a Jacket for me. $10. Beautiful scarves.
We left the day after the festival was over, but I assume you will be able to stay on longer provided they don't have something else going on. There is an Ayuvedic Medicine Conference there the week before the Festival. The festval is a pretty big deal. The Governor of the providence will attend the opening ceremonies. Great Photo op with all his military/police honor guards. You will have the time of your life...

singinglaura

John, thanks so much for the information - that is all very helpful to know and I'd love to PM you and find out about the person taking a group over, but I am a newbie and can't do the PM thing - or at least figure out your email address! Can you PM me? Thanks! Laura

johnyoga2

I attemted to PM you this morning but when I submitted the message I got the reply that "Singinglaura has elected not to receive private messages or that you do not have permission to receive them." Maybe one of the moderators can help. They are generally very knowledgable about how stuff like this works.