July 27 to 29, 2007
$230 / $200 Commuter

During this weekend retreat you will:

• Learn to practice the theophanic Prayer of the Heart
• Experience the power of the Divine Names
• Enter your heart to gain self-knowledge
• Explore connections between psyche and spirit
• Enjoy communion with the icon images
• Nourish your soul by the intimacy with God

Prayer of the Heart was transmitted from early Desert fathers and mothers, to Byzantine monks, to Eastern hermits and pilgrims. Different from the usual methods of prayer and meditation, Prayer of the Heart calls for the direct experience of communion, recognition of the living presence of “otherwise incomprehensible God” (St. Hesychious, 8th century). It heals and transforms the mind, and refines one’s soul. In the Eastern Christendom, Prayer of the Heart became the major practice of Hesychasm, the mystical tradition of inner stillness. It causes the opening and positive transformation of the spiritual heart, which, according to hesychasts, serves as a junction between the human soul and God.

During the retreat, we will learn how to pray in the heart, using the Name of God. We will also understand the effects of this prayer on psychological and spiritual life. Prayer of the Heart begins with cultivating wakefulness, i.e. mindful attention to the body, emotions, thoughts and energy. This is the foundation for the practice. Next comes work with the Divine Names, found inside one’s own spiritual heart. Spiritual Heart, the most important subtle energy center in the human body, will lead us to working with the psychological and emotional issues blocking it. We will develop personalized forms of practice by exploring individual relationships with the spiritual archetypes through sacred icon images and guided journey of the interiority of the heart. This is the most exciting part of the retreat, rendering deep self-knowledge, and leading to the secret chamber of the heart where one discovers the Living Presence. Heart contains many levels, and opens into the Infinite, to the universal dimensions of the self, common to all people. Thus, Prayer of the Heart transcends the frames of all religions, and can be used by spiritual seekers of any orientation.

This retreat will have periods of silent and guided meditation, group discussions, and experiential exercises with an emphasis on active participation. It will give one the possibility to explore one’s own heart in the company of careful and compassionate companions on the path. For preparation to retreat, reading list and texts of the articles by Dr. Louchakova are available at www.hridayamyoga.org, or via email hridayam@prodigy.net.

Olga Louchakova, M.D., PH.D., is a core faculty professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, an author and a researcher of consciousness. Qualified teacher of Prayer of the Heart, Kundalini Yoga, Vedanta and a recognized spiritual guide, she was instructed to teach Prayer of the Heart in the Russian spiritual underground. She explored Prayer of the Heart in different countries, and continues her work to disseminate this unique spiritual practice.

*Balance must be paid by July 17, 2007 to hold your reservation.
 

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