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Zoom Training (Central European Summer Time GMT+2) – ParaYoga Nidra: Enlightened Sleep – A ParaYoga Master Training with Yogarupa Rod Stryker

Rod Stryker | May 13, 2020 - May 17, 2020

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This event will now be conducted via Zoom, Central European Time:
AM Sessions will be Pre-Recorded, PM Sessions will be conducted live.

Early Bird Pricing Still On!
All recordings will be made available plus
when you sign up for this event,
you’ll 20% off your next ParaYoga Hosted Training with Yogarupa!
Please email kerry@parayoga.com for more details.
Prerequisites – suggested but not required:
Vinyasa Krama (either live or online) and The Four Desires

ParaYoga Nidra® is the sublime science of complete relaxation. But, it is more than that. Rooted in a vast body of knowledge, ParaYoga Nidra has five different aims or outcomes. Depending upon which one of these five you wish to achieve, the approach changes. On the most basic level, ParaYoga Nidra is a comprehensive method for maximizing health and well being. On a deeper level, it is a profoundly spiritual practice and somewhere in between, it is one of the most accessible ways to positively reshape the unconscious. In this master training, we outline several of the aims of nidra as well as the theory of sankalpa––how you bring thought into form. We then relate this to the concept of dharma and engage some specific exercises to help you achieve yours.

In addition, we delve into ParaYoga Nidra in light of the timeless teachings of the Mandukya Upanishad, which explains the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and sleeping. This scripture provides sublime insights into the practice of ParaYoga Nidra and the process of achieving the “fourth state”––transcending all the other states, and revealing the sublime experience of ParaYoga Nidra.

Throughout the course of this training, you can expect to be fully immersed in this profound tantric practice with 12-14 Nidra practices. We will draw on the wisdom of the koshas to inform both your teaching and practice as well as your life off the mat. Each day will include joint exercises and subtle movement practices to prepare you for ParaYoga Nidra. As this practice involves total relaxation on the floor, you will need to ensure that you are warm and comfortable lying down for extended periods. Along with your mat, consider bringing a thicker mat or extra padding to lie on, a small pillow for your head, etc.

Yogarupa recommends that for the month or two prior to the start of the training you begin or recommit to a meditation practice. It will be an invaluable aid to understanding the course curriculum as well as contributing to your overall experience of the training.

Yogarupa’s thoughts on COVID-19 and the need to offer this training via Zoom:

“Now more than ever” it remains critical we do all we can to (collectively and individually) to stay healthy, which necessarily includes minimizing stress levels, continuing to practice social distancing and, unfortunately, to minimize travel.

With that said, we have concluded that, to most elegantly serve the greater good, I will not be conducting this training live in Germany. This has been an very difficult decision to make. However, technology makes it possible for us to meet, conduct the training and still dive into the practices and teachings, digitally.

I have led trainings this way in the past, most recently in March. This gave me the opportunity to reaffirm the viability of presenting and interacting digitally. In many ways it was at least as effective as if I had taught it live. This was a full three-day workshop originally intended to be held in Minneapolis. The subject matter––the Brihadaranyaka Upanisha––is profound. The material is an opportunity to venture deep into the wisdom, as is the content for your scheduled Nidra training.

At the end of the workshop we received a lot of feedback from participants of the program, thanking us for conducting it. Zoom makes it possible to interface individually and collectively with the group. Along with Question and Answer sessions, it also allows us to do breakout sessions, in which participants have the opportunity to work closely with others, sharing their experiences and insights. This helps to deepen the overall experience, create intimacy and provide interactivity to ensure the content is relevant and practical as we explore the training’s content. Additionally, we are pleased with Zoom’s new security measures, and will be using those measures so that the sessions of the training are open only to participants.

Some of the most meaningful feedback of the weekend in March was gratitude, specifically the value of doing the program in lieu of the profound challenges of the global climate at present. People were relieved and reinvigorated by having the teachings––not the pandemic––take center stage in their life.
These days, I find myself thinking and saying again and again: “Now, more than ever.” Precisely because of the power of collective fear and the “catastrophizing” that is bound to happen. In times like it is possible that steeping yourself in these teachings could be more impactful, both in the short and long-term, then they might otherwise.
I will also mention that there are some additional benefits for taking these courses digitally: all sessions will be recorded and made available to you via Zoom: we will share them daily, as soon as Zoom processes them. You will have access to its content indefinitely––something that under normal circumstances we do not typically share. The time that you had set aside to benefit from these trainings is needed now more than ever. May you turn to these life-affirming (and immune-enhancing) techniques, move away from fear and toward strength.”

What students are saying about ParaYoga Nidra:

“ParaYoga Nidra is deeply transformational.  When the constrictions of breath and body and the stains of the mind dissolve, we can see clearly. When the source of suffering is revealed by our Soul and higher mind, we can plant the seeds of new ideas in the fertile field of consciousness. At the most elemental, ParaYoga Nidra relaxes and heals. At its most profound, you will be awakened to the fourth dimension, Turiya. Between those two, ParaYoga Nidra, when administered skillfully, serves as a tool to change unhelpful mental patterns and wrong self-perception and even heal the effects of trauma. Transformation is gradual but sometimes there are sudden leaps…I felt myself bursting out of the golden egg as a new person.”  ––Inge

“This training has been profound for me on a healing level, I have had so many breakthroughs & deep insights. I’m very grateful that I came into this training with a background in yoga as that depth allowed me to access the layers I did. Recognizing, seeing and feeling “the stain” was revolutionary for me––I’m so excited to work with my new sankalpas, it’s going to transform everything! I could never have arrived there on my own! Also, the re-cap on how to teach yoga nidra on the last day was extremely valuable.”
––Lindsay

“This training was divine. Its impact will inform both my teaching and practice and most importantly my life off of the mat.”

“A wonderful training! Thank you for devising a way to study and experience the deeper impacts of ParaYoga Nidra. I found the discussions and practices relating to the koshas to be so helpful, especially the clear, practical emphasis on the Inner Teacher. I have studied other PYMTs over a period of years and I found this training to be very integrative and “juicy,” pulling from the foundations.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“I am extremely grateful that I was able to have this transcendent experience with Yogarupa. I am not a teacher, but the ParaYoga Nidra training gave me so many invaluable tools to use in my personal practice.”

“Any senior yoga teacher must graduate to the practice and understanding of ParaYoga Nidra. Rod teaches from the voices of the ancient teachers, bringing a rich tradition to life.”
––Jeanne

“This was an excellent training. Most helpful was repeating the simple basics over and over because that is what everyone needs, that and the emphasis on healing. Yogis are used to advanced, stimulating, transformative practices but most people are not ready for that, and simply need healing and self-acceptance.  Rod’s “Inner Teacher” meditations were great for developing self-acceptance. Most brilliant was when we followed one of these meditations with a silent walk in nature, what a gift…thank you!”

Note: ParaYoga Nidra is a ParaYoga Master Training and so it’s part of our advanced, 10-part, 300 hour teacher training program. It is open to everyone interested in learning about and experiencing ParaYoga Nidra. It is not a standalone certification program for ParaYoga Nidra. In order become certified to teach ParaYoga Nidra practices, one must complete the larger ParaYoga Nidra Certification program. This program includes the following ParaYoga Master Trainings: the 5-day ParaYoga Nidra, The Four Desires (offered throughout the year by certified Four Desires Trainers), Secrets of the Sutras (offered online through Glo) and Koshas (to be offered again in 2121), along with the 9-day ParaYoga Nidra Certification course (coming in fall 2020).

PLEASE DISREGARD LODGING INFORMATION AS THIS TRAINING WILL NOW BE HELD VIA ZOOM
Seminarhaus Shanti in Bad Meinberg is a hidden treasure with powerful spiritual vibrations, located on the Yoga Vidya Ashram campus in the Teutoburger Forest of northern Germany. It is Europe’s largest seminar house, perfect for learning and practicing yoga in a natural setting with like-minded people while enjoying 100% organic and almost completely vegan meals. Yogarupa is looking forward to leading this master training at Seminarhaus Shanti, a serene and sacred location for diving into one of the most profound practices in the yoga tradition, yoga nidra.

Topics Covered

In this training, Yoga Nidra will be approached as a modality for:
  • Healing
  • Transformation
  • Sankalpa
  • Transcendence
  • Accessing the timeless wisdom of the sages––the most subtle application of yoga nidra

Recommended Reading

Required ReadingEnlightenment Without God: Mandukya Upanishad by Swami Rama

Note: In order to receive credit toward ParaYoga certification and Yoga Alliance RYT programs, as well as your certificate of completion for this training, you must complete a short google form quiz for this book, submitting it to us within six weeks following the completion of the training. You will not receive credit for submissions after the deadline; there are no make-up assignments. The google form will be sent out by the ParaYoga office the month the training takes place and you can also find it right here: https://forms.gle/ef9tAHJEyoi4CQvEA

German-speaking participants, this book is also available in a brand-new German edition: “Die Essenz des Seins: Mandukya-Upanishad: Das Leben meistern mit den vier Zuständen in OM und Yoga Nidra (mit Audio-Download)” von Swami Rama

Note: even though the German titles differs, it is the same book by Swami Rama.

Cost

Program Cost: $800 for the 5-day training ($750 if you register AND pay in full by February 12th, 2020). This price covers the cost of tuition and the manual you will receive when you check in on the first day. It does not cover your room and board at Seminarhaus Shanti.

PLEASE DISREGARD LODGING INFORMATION AS THIS TRAINING WILL NOW BE HELD VIA ZOOM

Important: ParaYoga books your room directly through Seminarhaus Shanti, independent of the tuition for the course. You can then pay for your room/board when they email you a confirmation.
Here’s how it works, PLEASE READ: When you register and pay the tuition, please let us know in the “Notes” section of your order which room category you prefer, the name of your roommate if you have one, and your arrival and departure dates. Room category details are on this event page. If you would like us to pair you with a roommate, please let us know that as well. We will communicate this information to Seminarhaus Shanti and they will send you a booking confirmation email with details about your stay and payment options (wire transfer in advance or cash upon arrival, they do not accept credit cards).

The $100 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is due at time of registration. When you register, you may pay in full or only pay the deposit; the option to pay only the deposit appears at the final payment screen.  Any remaining balance is due by March 12th, 2020.

Cancellation Policy: PLEASE READ!

Early bird rate requires all tuition costs to be paid in full no later than 90 days prior to the event. If total costs are not paid in full 90 days prior to this event, participant is no longer eligible for the early bird discount, and course fees will revert to the regular (higher) cost.

Any cancellations done 61 days or more prior to event start: The deposit of $100.00 is non-refundable and non-transferable. The balance (total cost minus the deposit) is not refundable, but it is transferable to future ParaYoga sponsored events.

Any cancellations done 60 days or less prior to event start: All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Venue

Lodging

PLEASE DISREGARD LODGING INFORMATION AS THIS TRAINING WILL NOW BE HELD VIA ZOOM

Important: ParaYoga books your room directly through Seminarhaus Shanti, independent of the tuition for the course. You can then pay for your room/board when they email you a confirmation.
Here’s how it works, PLEASE READ: When you register and pay the tuition, please let us know in the “Notes” section of your order which room category you prefer, the name of your roommate if you have one, and your arrival and departure dates. If you would like us to pair you with a roommate, please let us know that as well. We will communicate this information to Seminarhaus Shanti and they will send you a booking confirmation email with details about your stay and payment options (wire transfer in advance or cash upon arrival, they do not accept credit cards).

This page on their website has a video in English which shows the room categories:
https://www.yoga-vidya.de/seminarhaus-shanti/english/

Rates for May 12-17, includes dinner on May 12th, lunch on May 17th and all meals in between:

Single Room (with private bathroom) 312.50 euros

Double Occupancy Twin Beds (with private bathroom 232.50 euros per person

Dorm (4 person dorm with private bathroom) 188.75 euros per person

Camper/Tent 162.50 euros per person

*There is a 5 euro surcharge during weekend nights, added to your bill.
*Bed linens and towels can be rented for a small fee or you can bring your own.

Note: if you plan to arrive earlier than May 12th or stay on at the ashram after the training ends, they will provide you with separate pricing for those days (they will send you two different booking confirmations and therefore two invoices, one for the training dates and the other for the additional days). Here are the a la carte prices, per day:

Single room: €84

Double room: €67 per person

Dorm: €51

Camper/Tent: €38 per person

From Seminarhaus Shanti:
“We invite you to stay in a peaceful environment where you can gain new insights, access to your intuition, and rediscover your inner resources of happiness. Enjoy the rejuvenating tranquillity and closeness to Mother Nature as you replenish your energy and relax completely. In addition to lectures and workshops, there are two meditation sessions and two yoga exercise classes offered daily.

Seminarhaus Shanti also offers many leisure activities such as cycling (bicycles can be borrowed without charge), hiking in the adjoining forests and valleys, swimming, sauna, excursions that you can take to a variety of local points of interest. It is suitable for retreats, workshops and conferences with spiritual and/or alternative topics, idyllically located at the edge of a big forest to give you a break from everyday life. 

We offer a purely vegetarian diet and an alcohol-free and smoke-free environment. Enjoy the food at one of Germany’s biggest certified organic and vegetarian/vegan dining facility and treat your guests and yourself to delicious meals.

We aim to save resources. Our warm water and electricity for our entire campus is generated by the solar panels on the roofs and a nearby biogas plant.

You can make use of the professional services offered by Europe’s biggest yoga conference center, some of which are free and others can easily be booked for an additional fee.”

Link to learn more about Seminarhaus Shanti at Haus Yoga Vidya:
https://www.yoga-vidya.de/center/haus-bad-meinberg/start/

How to get to Seminar House Shanti, Haus Yoga Vidya: https://www.yoga-vidya.de/center/haus-bad-meinberg/start/wegbeschreibung/

Getting to “Horn-Bad Meinberg” by train:

https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml

then:

To go by train: comfortably travel by train and then take the bus line 782
www.stadtverkehrdetmold.de/images/pdf/Linie_782_Fahrplanbuch1.pdf.
The bus brings you from the station in Horn-Bad Meinberg almost to our entrance.

The access of the bus is at the bus station “Abzweig Bahnhof”. This you will find when you get out of the train, and the station and turn left. After approximately 100 meters it is on the opposite side of the next crossroad.

The station stop is “Kurzentrum”. From there it takes three minutes walk. Please follow the signs for directions to Yoga Vidya.

After the first right hand bend the Seminarhaus Shanti is the first building on the right side.

For detailed information about departure and arrival times please check www.bahn.de.

Taxi from the station in Horn-Bad Meinberg: Taxi Brandl: 05234-98805/0160-98101101, Taxi Wienke: 05234-

98147, Taxi Blomberger/Henke: 05234-9555, Taxi Prasse: 05234-89933. Please call in advance. They are not

waiting at the station because this is a small village.

Arriving by plane:

Paderborn is the nearest: here is the English link: https://www.airport-pad.com/en/

 

Looking for someone to share a ride to Bad Meinberg or a roommate during the training? Read on…
The best place to seek or offer ride or room share information for ParaYoga events is on the Facebook group page specially created for your training. This ParaYoga group page also serves as a forum for discussion and sangha (community) after the training.  ParaYoga room or ride share information will be available only on the Facebook group page, not on the website. Upon your registration, we will automatically add you to this FB group. It helps us to find you if you “like” the ParaYoga and Rod Stryker pages.
If you’re not using Facebook, we recommend that you sign up for this free service since this is the only place where ParaYoga room or ride share information will be available and because this private group is a great place to continue discussing what you’ve learned. Please note that the ParaYoga office is not responsible for connections made on these Facebook pages or for their content.

To join our pages on Facebook:
We have two main pages on FB.  To stay up do date with all Rod Stryker and ParaYoga events as well as to receive a steady stream of inspiration for your practice, be sure to search for and then like the following pages:
www.facebook.com/ParaYogaFB
www.facebook.com/RodStryker

Daily Schedule

Wednesday-Saturday: Central European Summer Time (GMT+2)
AM Sessions are pre-recorded and will be sent out in advance (3.5-4 hours each)
PM Live Sessions
Wednesday-Saturday 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Sunday Closing Session: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Please note: After the training and once the google form for the book has been passed, students are eligible to receive a certificate of completion. However, it is not rewarded on the basis of enrollment. Attendance at all sessions and completion of all contact hours is required. Certificates can only be issued on the basis of hours completed by the close of the training.