Radha Iveta is a Bulgarian born certified yoga and meditation teacher. She has practiced yoga for over 15 years and came to deepen her experience while living in a large yoga community in Mexico immersed in the teachings and “living” her practice. In 2014 she completed her 500h teacher training course and ever since has been teaching classes, courses, workshops, silent meditation retreats and yoga teacher trainings globally, yet mostly in her country of residence, New Zealand.
Radha’s biggest passion are the silent meditation retreats which are the main format of teaching in the Hridaya Yoga tradition. In the community where she lived, 10 days out of each month were spent in mauna, noble silence. After participating in numerous retreats, Radha started coordinating them for the school and later on, also on her own. She’s facilitated retreats in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Norway and New Zealand, with duration from 1 to 10 days.
Te Moata is very pleased to offer Heart Awakening Silent Meditation Retreat with Radha. The 7 day includes retreat program offers meditation, deep relaxation and self-exploration while observing noble silence (mauna)
Dates: 12-18 February 2021
~ 6 nights and 5 full days with 3 vegan meals/day – $950
~ Single room option – $60 surcharge
~ Deposit of $150 required to complete your booking
~ Discounts – if you find yourself unable to pay the full price, please get in touch to discuss possible discounts
For more info see https://www.heartawakening.org
If you are new to Te Moata – please read our FAQ page.
*WHAT IS A SILENT RETREAT? A silent retreat means that everyone participating observes mauna, noble silence. No conversations, but also no use of phone or any devices, not even reading. This external vow of silence may seem harsh or difficult, yet it is actually very natural and normal once begun and inevitably brings an experience of deep peace. In an environment with less information intake, the mind gets the chance to quiet down and meditation is natural and easy. Being in silence is a very unique, deeply purifying and enlightening experience. It creates space for a deep insight and a proper reset for the mind and the emotions.
*WHY MEDITATION? Meditation is known for thousands of years as one of the most powerful practices, within and outside of spiritual context. It is good not only for creating a state of calm or relaxation, but also is the best known path to self-knowledge and self-love. When we retreat into silence beyond mind, there is an unmistakable feeling of being back home, in the heart of being, a sense of connection and purpose.
*WHY “HEART AWAKENING”? The retreat is held in the tradition of Hridaya Yoga. Hridaya (meaning the Spiritual Heart) is a spiritual path based on the philosophy of non-duality, advaita, and the teachings of the great Indian sage Ramana Maharishi. Nevertheless, it combines techniques from all authentic spiritual traditions (Buddhism, Sufism, Yoga, Christian mysticism) and sacred poetry reading in order to provide a broad and comprehensive view in the search for the Self. A search that starts and ends in the Heart. “An awakened heart leads to an entirely new way of looking at life, yourself, others, society and ultimately at the whole created order. What that means in practical and everyday terms will differ for each of us.”- Peter Spink
Awakening of the Heart and through the Heart – a path of revealing love as the very essence of our being. Just as Rumi said, “Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there”
*WHY DO A RETREAT? Creating a quiet and supportive environment, a group retreat is the best way to immerse yourself into Self Enquiry and silence and reap the benefits of it. How often do we take time for ourselves? With no devices on, and no agenda, with no scattered information for our mind to process? A silent retreat is possibly the only way to truly experience deepening in our meditation practice, purification on all levels and the chance for insight and actual inner transformation. In the space of a retreat where all is provided and catered for you, pure food and no intoxicants, you can allow yourself the treat to just Be, rejoice in the wisdom of the Heart, heal and restore.
*WHAT CAN I EXPECT? The sessions of the retreat include presentation of techniques from different meditation and mystical traditions and the time to practice them, inspirational talks sharing the vision of Non-duality (Advaita Vedanta) and a daily Hridaya hatha yoga practice to relax the body and harmonise the energies. A retreat suitable both for beginners and for people with an established practice, looking for expanding their practice . It opens the doors to the practice of Hridaya meditation and provides you with the tools to establish your own meditation practice. Hridaya meditation has proven benefits on all levels of our being – physical health, mental clarity, emotional release, deeper self-knowledge, loss of anxiety and rekindle spark for Life, lived in alignment with our innermost truth and with an open heart. There might be some challenge faced in the process, yet a retreat is always a very rewarding experience with something to offer for everyone’s specific needs. It can be a great way to reset, to restart, and it can provide time for contemplation and a quality decision making.
12th February, Friday, is the arrival day, with time for registration, accommodation, dinner and an intro session
On 17th February, Wednesday evening the silence ends with a sharing session
18th February – morning practice, tidy-up, departure
Daily Schedule:
7.00 – 9.00 – Meditation sessions
9.00 – 10.00 – Breakfast
10.00 – 11.00 – Teachings
11.15 – 12.30 – Hatha yoga and meditation
13.15 – 16.00 – Lunch and rest, time for walks or journalling
16.00 – 16.50 – Yoga practice (relaxation/pranayama)
17.00 – 19.00 – Meditation sessions
19.00 – 20.00 – Dinner
20.00 – 21.30 – Questions and answers / Technique presentation/ Practice
TESTIMONIALS:
“The retreat was a wonderful experience. Even though I have been doing yoga for a while, it felt like the beginning of a whole other journey. The silence felt very natural.
Radha has wisdom beyond her years and obviously lives the life that she teaches. “
- M.B.
“I felt safe and included in a silent community, aware of others in different ways. I managed to slow down in all areas and experience times of inner peace. I felt blessed to be in a spacious environment.
The silence is golden! I learned some ways of stopping mind chatter that work for me and I learned that I am more than just my body.
Radha’s poise and serenity show that she walks her talk. Her knowledge and ability to talk on so many different topics is outstanding.”
- T. K.
“A sense of inner peace and stillness which allows space to simply be with myself. In the business of life I have been yearning for this space. Gentle space of silence to listen to the breath of nature within me. To sit long enough to be able to hear the quickening of the seed of the spiritual heart. Thank you for creating the space for me to simply be.
Radha is an inspirational human being. Her heart radiance emanates from her teachings. I could listen to her every day.” ~ F.G.
“Loved the retreat. It was fantastic. A beautiful experience of coming home again to the spiritual heart – these retreats fill me with love, joy and awe.
I love Radha’s kind, compassionate and gentle way of teaching. It provides an amazing environment for learning but also for nurturing body, heart and soul.”
~ S. C.
“The retreat was a much needed opportunity for me to step out of my “roles” and come to “me”. I loved the balance of hatha yoga practice, meditation sessions, teachings, karma yoga and silence throughout.I learned that I need more opportunities for silence.
Radha has an immense depth of knowledge and a willingness to share this freely. She creates a sacred and safe space for all who participate. She leads yoga classes and meditation sessions quietly and gently, always attentive to everyone’s needs. I cannot recommend her enough as a yoga and meditation teacher to the beginner , the more experienced and for people in all life stages.”
~M. N.
“I enjoyed every moment of the retreat and learned so much about myself in the process. Radha’s heart is felt so deeply in everything she does. As always, I felt completely safe and supported to go places I’ve never been before. I feel so balanced and present and free from the critical thoughts that have held me hostage for so long” – S.J.
“Every session and every day built up on the previous one, a gentle coaxing of the body, mind and spirit to come into a place of stillness. I am inspired to continue this practice. I learned that I have been living in my story for a very long time . I learned that I have not been open to receiving love, nor to giving love fully. I learned to love me. Thank you for a transformational retreat!” – D.T
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For more information about Hridaya Yoga and the Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreats held worldwide, visit http://hridaya-yoga.com