Lifecycles and Lifestyles: Kundalini Meditation & Yoga Retreat in Nepal

Exploring the defining cycles and stages of life, and the patterns and rhythms that help or hinder us to live happily, fearless, victorious.

This retreat covers the full content of the KRI Level 2 Teacher Training Module “Lifecycles and Lifestyles” of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan^®.

Life is a compound of multiple inner and outer rhythms and cycles. It stretches from the vibrations of the immediate moment into the long-term cycles of a lifetime. The yogic traditions teach us that from our conception until our passing, we go through significant cycles of change that define our physical condition, our intelligence and the state of our consciousness. 

When you were one year old to seven years old, you loved certain realms. Seven years to fourteen years, you didn’t. So your personality changes because the consciousness changes after every 7 years. That’s a set brain wave to which man has no control.

You can think. You can plan. You can strategize. After every 11 years, your intelligence will change. These are the things over which you have no control. After 18 years, your lifestyle will change. It will not be the same because your energy, your maturity, your experience will force you to change. ~ Yogi Bhajan, 3 March 1991

Context of the teachings

We came into this human existence to learn, develop, and grow beyond the emotions and commotions of day-to-day life into a state of balance and clarity. In the teachings about lifecycles, we talk about how a human being grows and matures through different stages of life defined by a dependable set of cycles.

Every 18 years, the physical body goes through a process of maturity and change. We call this the Cycle of Life Energy. Every 11 years, the way you apply what you know to solving problems changes. We call this the Cycle of Intelligence. And every 7 years, the fundamental sense of your identity evolves. It deepens, building on the wisdom of past experiences. We call this the Cycle of Consciousness.

These cycles are built into the structure of the human body and human mind, and over centuries have been investigated by the yogic practitioners. Understanding these cycles and how they impact your life is a powerful aspect of Kundalini Yoga. This retreat will help you to discover these cycles and their impact on you, and to redefine, transform and redirect the influence of negative experiences in preceding cycles.

Key topics in the retreat are:

• Discover your Purpose: Do you define it for yourself, or is it defined externally?
• Renew your self-concept by discovering your purpose and destiny for living an extraordinary, meaningful life.
• Examine and map out the stages and cycles of life – where you have come from, and where you are going
• Identify habits, patterns and practices that help or hinder your life in the past, present and future.
• Learn to deeply understand the cycle of birth, life and death. Confront and overcome the fear of death, and learn to live weightlessly, with little or no baggage.

Experiencing, exploring and reflecting on your lifecycles will have a clarifying and empowering impact, and will help to initiate lifestyle changes that enable you to:

• cultivate habits in balance with the natural stages and rhythms of your life and environments;
• invite success by having a clear purpose and sense of Self;
• accomplish your goals with progressive, proportionate actions;
• be mindful of your thoughts and alert to the working of your subconscious mind;
• elevate emotional disturbances so you can act intentionally with grace and purpose;
• be deeply part of the flow life, and know how to live and die consciously.

During our retreat we will undertake a meditative journey into the flow and rhythms of life. This journey is adapted to both beginners and more advanced practitioners.

Starting early morning as the first light of the day illuminates the sky, we will engage in deep meditation and mantra practice to open a deep still point within ourselves. As part of our sadhana we are invited to join the monks of the monastery during their morning prayers.

During the day, meditation will be complemented with asana and breathing practice, deep listening and sharing, mantra and healing sessions, and the powerful resonance of gong sound-current. We will observe periods of silent contemplation, and will mindfully hike into the hills surrounding the monastery, experiencing nature and meditating at the powerful enlightenment caves of Guru Rinpoche.

Together in community we’ll follow a yogic lifestyle, with delicious vegetarian foods and sharing in basic tasks. We will be supported by Tonie’s deeply experienced guidance and Dharma teachings from the Khenpo (the abbot of the monastery). 

The course was mind-transforming and the impact is vast. The knowledge transferred was deep, complex and was explained in the best way anyone could experience. Tonie set up a safe sanctuary where I could feel free to be who I am. What a bliss to be able to gain this experience!! Thank you for magical moments, a faster entry into stillness, much transferred knowledge, and once more the confirmation that infinity is inside us and within us. ~ Nadine Garner, May 2017

Why join this Kundalini yoga retreat in Nepal

Benefit from the chance to live in the comfortable and modern guesthouse of a beautiful working Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where the daily practices of the monks, the Dharma teachings and the energy of the Himalayas will inspire and nurture your practice.

In the serene and nurturing venue of the monastery – a unique collaboration cultivated over several years by Mahalaya Nepal – you can truly retreat into peace and stillness. Under expert and supportive guidance, learn how to adapt your lifestyle to support lasting physical and spiritual transformation. Become prepared for what lies ahead and feel able to bless that which has passed, so that you can live more fulfillingly, truthfully and gracefully.

This has truly been a transformational course. I have learned so much and experienced much of it personally, so it has become part of me. Tonie is clear and steady in imparting knowledge and encouraging self-enquiry. He holds the space in a very loving and kind way, making us feel safe and confident to go deeper within ourselves. The depth of experiences and resulting shifts/elevation has made me feel lighter, clearer and more committed to my practice. ~ Manjeet Kaur, May 2017

To lead this course, we are privileged to welcome back to Nepal Tonie Nooyens to share his acclaimed, inclusive and transformative teaching of Kundalini meditation and yoga based on the teachings of Yogi Bhajan®.

Uniquely, this course is offered over 9 days (it is more commonly condensed into 6 days), allowing time and space for discussion, enquiry and contemplation which has been deeply appreciated by students of Tonie’s other Yoga and Meditation Retreats.

For those pursuing accreditation

This retreat is an ideal opportunity for all those who are looking to develop the meditative, intuitive and lifestyle tools critical to understand the journey of life and how to live in awareness of who you are and how to be your best Self in each stage.

The retreat is open to all sincere practitioners and learners who feel attracted to it, and have embarked on a path towards clarity and inner peace.

For those pursuing accreditation (not a condition of participation), this retreat covers the full content of the Lifecycles and Lifestyles course which is part of the Kundalini Teacher Certification Program, The Aquarian Teacher^tm, of the Kundalini Yoga Research Institute (KRI) based in the USA. This is one of the five courses needed to qualify for the Level 2 Kundalini Yoga Certificate.

All five modules together also fulfill the Yoga Alliance 500-hour requirement for advanced teacher training. This is currently the only Kundalini Yoga Level 2 teacher training course in Nepal.

Develop the inner growth and personal discipline of a truly excellent teacher. Level Two Training is about personal transformation and deepening the core capacities, character and consciousness of a Kundalini Yoga teacher, including the capacities of intuition, neutrality and self-assessment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lead teacher: Tonie Nooyens

Tonie Nooyens is a highly experienced practitioner in different traditions of meditation, meditational yoga and healing. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher and one of the lead trainers on the KY Asia Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Program. He travels widely, facilitating teacher training and teaching workshops and retreats throughout Asia.

Originally from The Netherlands, Tonie has lived and worked in Asia and Africa for more than 30 years. His service includes an initiative in Cambodia, where he conducts a Yoga and Meditation training program for Cambodians to support stress and trauma-relief activities, as well as communication and personal capacity training for vulnerable groups.

Tonie is such an authentic teacher. He is a walking testament of the teachings, while remaining so practical and grounded. Tonie was the perfect person to facilitate this module. He demonstrates the teachings in his daily actions. Tonie was the main reason I signed up for this workshop as I resonate with his teachings. Thank you for an amazing retreat. So grateful. ~ Fiona Koh, May 2017

 

The venue for our Kundalini course in Nepal

For Tibetan Buddhists, the hills of Pharping where we immerse for our retreat are considered as sacred as Bodhgaya in India, as it is where the second buddha Guru Padmasambhava (“Guru Rinpoche”) attained the state of enlightenment, before going on to establish Buddhism in Tibet.

The monastery which is our home during the retreat makes important contributions to the preservation and sharing of the Buddhist teachings, and our stay there helps to fund education for the many young monks from remote areas of Nepal. In return, we are blessed with the opportunity to practice in the temple itself, in a beautiful room above the main hall where the glass walls look out across the valley and mountains.

The lovely guest house often surprises our guests for its wonderful spacious and light rooms, comfortable beds for deep and refreshing sleeps, all with modern attached bathrooms, and built in Tibetan style. It is the perfect place to relax, restore and revive.

 

 

Booking details

Request an application form through this link. 

The cost of the course is US$ 1,650 per person (including all your delicious and nourishing meals, accommodation (8 nights on twin share basis), transport between Kathmandu and the monastery, and all teaching and course materials).

This retreat is eligible for the 5% discount to Mahalaya alumni. Students who have previously taken a training or retreat with Mahalaya will receive an $83 discount (reduced course fee: $1,567).

For those preferring their own room, the single supplement is US$ 280 (depending on availability). 

On offering you a place, we will send you the payment information. We will send you a retreat welcome pack with all you need to know to prepare for your visit on receipt of your $250 deposit.

Please feel most welcome to get in touch if you have any questions for now however.

Book this course