Shambhavi is the spiritual director of Jaya Kula. Her principle training is in the direct realization traditions of Trika Shaivism (a.k.a. Kashmir Shaivism or Shaiva Tantra) and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibet. I first came across Shambhavi when I read her wonderful book, The Play of Awakening: Adventures in Direct Realization Tantra. I too follow …
How to Make Your Yoga Retreat a Huge Success, no Matter What
I’m going to share with you a story, of how I navigate the world of leading international retreats. You’re likely reading this article because you also lead retreats, and you want them to be a huge success. Here’s my inside secret on guaranteed success, no matter what. It’s my third year leading a retreat at …
Upāya • The Skillful Means to Liberation
Recently, I immersed myself in more of Christopher Wallis’ amazing book Tantra Illuminated. He was discussing Upāya, the three skilful means to liberation. The first is Śāmbhava-upāya, which is the Divine Means. It is the most subtle way to interact with reality on the road to liberation and is engaged through the spirit and intuition. …
When the Land Heals • Experiences at Haramara Retreat Centre
My first encounter with Haramara Retreat centre, nestled on a tiny peninsula of land beside the Pacific ocean tourist town of Sayulita in Mexico, was intensely challenging. I was there to lead retreat with a skilled facilitator, who also happened to be my now-ex partner. In between leading a retreat in New Zealand in May, …
When it turns out Exile was just a Sabbatical • My return to the Yoga World
Three weeks ago, after a three or four year sabbatical, I stepped back into a Yoga Studio to teach. I’d stopped teaching because my practice no longer resembled a studio yoga class, and it was impossible to teach something I wasn’t doing. It felt contrived, and wrong.
Cannabis, Psychosis, Journeying & Accessing Trance States
by Kara-Leah Grant, This article has been a long time coming. Given that Canada has just legalised cannabis, and New Zealand is finally having a referendum on legalising it in 2020, it feels like now is the time. The danger in writing about the gifts and risks of using plant medicines, whether recreationally, ceremonially, or …
