– Boonath
The Teacher of Wisdom series continues with Guru Purnima, ‘The Celebration of the Teacher’, as it is known to Tantrics and Yogins. It takes places yearly on the July Full Moon and it has been reserved since aeons to give honour not only to the personalities of one’s teachers, but also to the principle of devotion and effort that the teacher represents.
The Guru is the inner quality that we all possess. The quality of attention to detail and unwavering voyage into the depths of a single subject. This effort to surpass oneself and attain the hights of wisdoms is said to come from the Guru Tatva. Tatva can be translated as ‘element’.
The Guru Tatva implies ‘weight’ and ‘heaviness’. The word Guru is often defined in various ways according to modern custom, but the root of the Sanskrit word means ‘heavy’, whereas the word denoting the aspirant – means ‘light’. A great weight is required to ground wisdom.
To follow the austerity to accomplish any profound skill in a single subject takes weight, and so the Guru represents a weighted immovable force that stands above all for the subject that is represented. The element of devotion exists within all as the Guru Tatva. This is the element that drives us to achieve successes and overcome obstacles, but the Guru Tatva is more than just this.
The true essence of the Guru Tatva is a one pointed focus on a branch of wisdom. A wisdom that stands outside of rewards of personal satisfaction and a learning and devotion which differs from the drives of sentimental ambition. The Guru Tatva aligns the human instrument to very subtle layers of reality.
The art of the Guru is often learned and devoted to from early childhood, passed down the ages in unbroken lines. Our society may give credit to all manner of attainments and skills. The contemporary development of contest shows and a culture of awards to actors and musicians may make it seem like a common place thing to honour those within developed ranges of skill. The difference being that the Guru represents someone who passes on a line of teaching and has as their main interest the passing on of the wisdom and the development of his students. This is quite a difference of focus to taking credit for or indulging in praise at the accomplishment. In India it is said that a true Guru lives for their students, which defines their role as a teacher.
Upon the Full Moon of July we come to the time honoured tradition of Guru Purnima. Upon this day the astral forces are strong for setting the Guru Tatva within us into motion.
There are many types of teachings that we recieve in life, some are sweet and some are bitter. Sometimes the Guru is an elder or a person of wise council. Sometimes the teacher comes in the form of a fiend who strips us painfully to the bone.
Learning can be light and fun, but it can also be heavily tiresome, full with laborious interminable tedium. This is the type of learning that Saturn presents us. His is an aged and deeply applied form of learning. The results of his type of application, is a profound and penetrating insight into the depths.
We might not feel such an attraction to the old-school mode of meandering over manuscripts and stretching the attention span beyond the hops and jumps it might be used to. Saturn is the planet that takes one to the very depths. It is the planet of Yogin, who requires an attention span that traverses infinity, if (s)he is to touch the depth of the soul.
Saturn breaks through the superficial layers. As we approach him, we gather a deep love for the magical discipline he proposes. In his realm, discipline turns from laborious interminable tedium into an art of profound and timelessly magical devotion.
If we find ourselves rushing around, nervous, hungry, restless and tense, we will at the same time find ourselves empty and bereft of personal power.
The great Guru Saturn is Shuni, and this name of his that Tantrics know him by, means the one who crushes. Guru means the heavy one, possessed with the penetrating weight to go to the roots of things.
On this nights ritual, we shall be working with solidity, weight and value.
If something has weight, it has substance, depth and reality. The light and wispy life, dries up into an empty husk. The heavy Guru Saturn, brings the nourishing weight of the grain that we should be harvesting if we are to avoid spiritual malnourishment.
These words are hard, but Saturn is even harder. He is the weight that makes the Diamond.
In darkness and candle light we will come together in a healing circle of power and practice rituallistically methods of Tantric Asanas (postures), Pranayam (breathwork), Mudras (gestures), and Mantras (sacred emotional syllables & sounds) whic awaken trance like states & dream-like experiences in which deep healing and psychic unwinding occurs.
Part 1 | 11 February | MAUNI AMVASYA – The Wisdon of Silence & Sound
Part 2 | 11 March | MAHA SHIVARATRI – The Sacred Embrace
Part 4 | 18 December | DATTA JAYANTI – Moving beyond Duality
The rituals takes place ONLINE, from 8pm until ±11pm Central European Time (CET). *A recording will be made available, if you cannot make the exact date/time. Just specify by email when registering.
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Guru Purnima is a sacred night in the Tantric calendar
of giving honour to the teachers and the elders
who guide us on the path of wisdom.
The Guru is the inner quality that we all possess.
The quality of attention to detail and unwavering voyage
into the depths of a single subject.
On these healing circles you will practice a form of Yoga that is rarely available and accessible even in India today. You will take part in a sacred Yogic tradition that roots itself in India’s native shamanic wisdom & Tantric lineage handed down orally between generations of Yogis, Babas, Sadhus and Fakirs.
You will be exposed to the old tantric ways of seeking profound healing and spiritual awakening, including practicing in darkly-lit spaces to quieten the mind and awaken the senses to the body’s subtle energy currents, holding simple postures for long periods of time, and engaging in powerful breath-work to open-up the body and take the mind into altered states of consciousness.
The practice draws on postures seldom used in modern styles of yoga, ancient sequences that honour the mother and the divine feminine, gently opening-up the body to its highest levels of flexibility through minimal effort.
Integral to this experience will be the exploration of sound-currents present in the body (Nada Yoga) – perhaps one of Yoga’s greatest secrets and one of the most powerful vehicles through which the karmic patterns stored in the chakras can be accessed and released in pursuit of profound healing.
Unique to this tradition is its simultaneous employment of Asanas (postures), aerobic & anaerobic Pranayam (breathwork), Mudras (gestures), and Mantras (sacred sounds).
The synergy created by the employment of these various yogic tools will lead you into altered states of consciousness and dream-like experiences aimed at facilitating a greater openness to inward journeying and an easier access to your subconscious.
Because we are going to play with shamanic yogic traditions, the practice will take place outside of clearly time constraints. Generally, the practice will last about 6 hours, but if the group is ready to practice longer we might carry well into the night.
The Circle is open to those interested in the healing path.
Tantra and Yoga practitioners, and those seeking healing, practitioners of the mystic arts. Both advanced and beginners will find a place in this circle.
If you have had or are having psychosis please get in touch directly with us as this is important to know about in this work. The same goes for those with strong mobility issues. Drug and alcohol users also need to inform us of their condition. Thank you.
The practie usually takes place in the dark or darkly-lit spaces.
The pictures below were taken in daylight to capture the flow of a practice.
BOONATH was born into a life of yoga. He grew up between Europe and India and was introduced as a child to yoga through his grandparents who were on both sides yoga practitioners.
His grandparents took him on his first Himalayan pilgrimage when he was just seven years old and he has been exposed to the world of yogis ever since.
Boonath has taken initiation into the left hand path (that’s the path of the heart) and specialises in the branch of Chandra Parampara, that is a secret style of Moon practice that works with the night forces. It is a style of tantra that goes very deep into the subconscious roots It is first and foremostly a Healing System. Most of his family still lives in India and he has been travelling there regularly throughout his life in pursuit of yoga. He has worked closely in apprenticeship with elders in the line of Siddha systems of healing and holds much knowledge in the use of rituals, mantras and body/spirit healing methods among other things.
Boonath has been working in this line and helping people with the implementation of these techniques for over 25 years to successfully overcome mental and physical problems, from chronic pain to addiction.
Boonath’s healing and yoga work sees him travelling across the whole of Europe to give workshops and healing sessions. His travels and yoga workshops continue to benefit people in deprived circumstances.
In recent years Boonath has been living and teaching yoga in Germany where he has a network of students. It was in Berlin that Boonath met Kim, with whom Boonath co-founded Working with the Shadow in 2014.
Formal studies and encounters have all left their impression on Boonath, but his teachings are deeply rooted in the Shamanic traditions of the mystical Babas and Fakirs of India, with whom Boonath has been studying closely since childhood to the present day.
KIM is an Eco-Activist turned Yogi and the founder of Healing in the Willows, the retreat company hosting Working with the Shadow, which he developed in 2014 in collaboration with Boonath, who he assists with the teaching. Kim discovered Yoga in 2005, following a burn-out at work that brought him onto the path of ‘Yog’. Kim had spent over 10 years coordinating international environmental campaigns in Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin for major environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, and many others.
Kim practiced Yoga with many teachers from several modern styles of Yoga (including Iyengar, Astanga, Vinasa, Bikram, Sivananda, Scaravelli, Kundalini) all over Europe, India and further afield. In 2011 Kim set up a first yoga collective in Berlin, which he then expanded to a new location in 2013, in one of the economically deprived areas of town that was undergoing gentrification. The collective brought together a variety of local teachers to promote yoga on a donation basis within the surrounding community unable to afford the increasing cost of living. It was there that Kim met Boonath and, through Boonath, that his understanding of what Yoga is and what Yoga can do shifted entirely. Boonath’s rare and ancient Tantric lineage revolutionised Kim’s understanding of Yoga and initiated him into a mystical healing journey that impacted strongly also on Kim’s activist work.
Since then Kim has been collaborating with Boonath on developing Working with the Shadow through the retreats, workshops and online classes.
A recording will be made available,
if you cannot make the exact date/time.
Just specify by email when registering.
STEP 1 | Make the payment
either via Paypal or bank transfer (see below).
STEP 2 | Send a proof of payment
(a screenshot will do) to info@healinginthewillows.com
We will then:
STEP 3 | Send you a confirmation email confirming your registration.
STEP 4 | The day of the event, we will send you an email containing:
– all the technical details to connect to the class online,
– suggestions on how best to prepare for the practice (foods and drinks to avoid),
– how to set-up your room for the practice,
– props you might need during the practice (blankets, cushions, etc).
FEES VARY ACCORDING TO INCOME
Please choose the amount matching your current economic situation,
whether you are unemployed, low income or high income.
Please remember that we depend entirely on peoples’ fees for the carrying out of this work:
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
1 ritual / all 4 rituals
kim.bizzarri@gmail.com
Account holder: Kim Bizzarri
Iban: IT91A0200870691000003926096
Bic/Swift: UNCRITM1CEC
Bank: Unicredit
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THE SESSION WILL HAPPEN ON ZOOM
We will send you the links and passwords necessary for joining the practice.
All your need your end is a computer / tablet with a camera (preferably, but not essential – it’s important that you can see us), a microphone (so that we can hear you, but it’s not essential) and good speakers / audio,
as it will be fundamental that you hear the instructions.
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We promise not to share your details with third parties & to write only a couple of times a year!