The Sun Centre (TSC) Newsletter : Autumn 2002.

Namaste.

In this newsletter:

• Mantra with Muz Murray next week at TSC - only 3 places left!
• Winding down - The Sun Centre prepares for winter.
• Working retreats - February/March/April 2003 - FREE food & board.
• Retreat programs 2003
• Article: Simple ways to encourage good health this winter

NOTE—The centre closes for the winter. Last day: Sunday 13th October. We will re-open Feb/March 2003 (See Working Retreats below).

Last chance to book your holiday with mystic master Muz Murray (Ramana Baba) for a relaxing week of Mantra and Mysticism at the Sun Centre.

25 Sept - 2 Oct 2002.

€515 / £320

An opportunity to spend time with mystic master Muz Murray (Ramana Baba) for a relaxing week of Mantra and Mysticism at the Sun Centre, in a tiny hamlet set in the mountains of the Cévennes in southern France.

Group chanting Mantra sessions will be complimented by activities such as consciousness expansion exercises, yoga movements, guided visualisations and deep relaxation. Or perhaps meditative massage with a partner, using rhythmic breathing and a choreographed form of 'laying on of hands.' Muz also offers his wide-ranging wisdom and humour in evening Satsang ('Quest-sharing time') in which your long-standing spiritual and yoga questions may finally be answered.

After Muz's long summer teaching tour in the UK, this week will not be as intense as his usual workshops. In between the workshop sessions, you will have plenty of time to relax in the sun and explore the local area (walking, hiking, river bathing, horse riding, Cevennes National Park, etc).

This is a unique opportunity to spend time with one of the rare Awakened Masters of the west and to follow a path with Heart. Come and gently refresh your soul.

Travel

The best route is to fly with Ryanair to Montpellier from London Stansted. Flight number FR632 leaves Stansted at 13:45 and arrives in Montpellier at 16:45 (15:45 GMT). For this flight only, we provide a group taxi service between the airport and The Sun Centre, which takes approx 2 ½ hours, and costs between €20-30 each way, depending on numbers. You can book your flights online at www.ryanair.com. For more information see the travel details page. It is up to you to arrange your own travel insurance.

Booking

Numbers are limited so please book early to avoid disappointment. Call Alex on +44 (0) 7092 332 330 (world-mobile phone number) or email retreat@thesuncentre.net to check availability.

To confirm your place, Call Alex on +44 (0) 7092 332 330 - full payment of (€515 / £320) to be made on arrival. Cash or cheques accepted. Credit card payment not yet available.

Winding down - The Sun Centre prepares for winter.

As of our first summer in Prades winds to a close, we are delighted to report it has been a resounding success. We have worked hard, learned a great deal and enjoyed the company of everyone who has stayed at the centre - friends, family and newcomers.

Plans are afoot to develop the centre's infrastructure for the 2003 season - and we are excited about all this will entail. As well as building new toilet & shower blocks, we are constructing a 7-metre yurt (Mongolian lodging) and adjacent outdoor eating area, plus a separate kitchennete.

On the home front, we are preparing for a low-key autumn/early winter with the rapidly approaching arrival of our second daughter.

Wishing you all the best for the winter months,

Alex, Sharon (plus bump!) and Skye.

Open Retreats—2002/3

The Sun Centre is open almost year-round for those wishing to spend flexible time here, be it a weekend, week, or longer. Whether you wish a solitary retreat, or a family/group experience, we will be here to support you.

Cost - €50 (£32) per day. Price includes accommodation (twin room; camping optional for reduced rate) plus 3 full meals per day, all prepared with healthy Ayurvedic principles in mind. Additional activities (see below) are charged separately.

During your stay, you will be able to make use of the various workspaces and gardens & grounds - ideal for reading, studying, playing music, yoga, meditation etc.

Yoga & Ayurveda

Daily yoga classes, mantra chanting sessions, meditation, guided relaxation and Ayurvedic nutrition consultations available. Also available: massage, reflexology, Qi-gong classes and various other treatments & activities.

Fun activities

Regular 'extra-curricular' activities like swimming / picnics by the river, music-making sessions, story-telling, arts & crafts, visits to local markets, pony-club outings etc, are a regular part of our life here. You are welcome to join in.

Retreat Programs : 2003  

We are currently planning our 2003 retreat schedule which will be released later this autumn. As well as repeating some of this year's successful courses, we will be offering some new ones, including intensive week-long retreats in Yoga, Ayurvedic Nutrition, Louise Hay self-development, Inner Reiki & Panchakarma, as well as less intense holiday/retreats incorporating Yoga, Ayurveda, Mantra etc.

Working Retreats—February/March/April 2003—Exact dates to be confirmed
Cost: FREE!

We will be running working retreats in early 2003 to prepare the centre for its second year. Details are still to be confirmed. Full board in exchange for 4-6 hours work per day. There will be space during the day for free time, as well as regular yoga classes and Ayurveda lessons (also free of charge). Most of the work will be fairly physical, eg path making, fencing, digging, building walls, moving woods, tidying up. We will also need some skilled help for building/joinery/gardening/plumbing etc. Please email retreat@thesuncentre.net for more details. Note—the weather at this time of year can be quite pleasant!

According to Ayurveda, there are 3 fundamental bio-energetic principles (the 'tri-dosha') which govern all of life - namely, the ongoing, dynamic growth which exists within balance and change. Ayurveda also recognises that we each have a unique constitution that can be characterised in terms of these tri-dosha.

These doshas - named Vata, Pitta and Kapha - can be summarised as follows:

• Vata - the principle of movement or propulsion
• Pitta - the principle of transformation
• Kapha - the principle of cohesion or inertia

The doshas give rise to the following qualities in nature:

• Vata - cold, dry, rough, quick, hard, light, variable/erratic
• Pitta - hot, moist, slightly oily, smooth, quick, soft, light
• Kapha - cold, wet, smooth, slow, soft, heavy, consistent

Optimal health is enjoyed when the current state of our doshas is in line with our innate doshic 'landscape', that is, our birth constitution. Dis-ease begins when one or more of the doshas deviates significantly from this equilibrium.

In order to stay healthy and happy, we need to balance the doshas daily. How can we do this? By respecting the fundermental truth that opposites balance, and like increases like.

Now, if you are someone (like me) who has a lot of the principle of Vata in your make-up, then you will need to pay special attention at this time of year. This is because we are going into 'Vata season', when the weather is more cold, dry and variable/erratic than at other times of the year. And as the principle of Vata increases in the environment, so it tends to increase in us. Vata season begins around September and continues into December/January.

We all have a certain level of each of the doshas, but Vata types (people with proportionately more Vata in their make-up) will be particularly sensitive whenever there are Vata-like factors in our life, and that includes the climate. Whether or not you are a Vata-type, your health and well-being will benefit if you follow this simple advice for balancing Vata this autumn/early winter:

Ways to balance Vata

Vata is cold, dry, rough, quick, hard, light, variable/erratic. So to balance Vata, invite things into your life that have the opposite qualities. Favour things that are: warm, moist, smooth, slow, soft, heavy, steady/consistent.

In particular:

• Make it regular, whatever you do, as routine balances Vata. Therefore aim for regular meal-times, bed time etc.
• Get plenty of sleep (bed by 10pm) but get up no later than 7am and start the day gently. Ideally do a little meditation and yoga or similar practice followed by a warm shower/bath.
• Massage—massage some warm oil (sesame is best) into your skin 10-20 mins. before you bathe; share foot rubs; splash out on a weekly, full body massage, etc.
• Keep warm—take regular baths, warm massages, and wrap up well.
• Food—favour warm, cooked, unctuous, grounding foods. Dishes such as hearty vegetable stews, kichadi (see recipes online), stewed fruit, cooked-grain breakfasts, warm herb teas, root vegetables. Avoid cold/dry foods like crackers, salads and too much fresh fruit. Also, go easy on the stimulants (teas/coffees/alcohol etc).
• Excercise—make it regular but don't overdo it. Stop at half your capacity or as soon as you break a sweat.
• Slow down—try to pace yourself, not rush about all the time. Cut your to do list in half! (You can always make up for this in the wet, heavy months of late-winter when you need to keep active to balance Kapha).
• Finally—keep it simple and be gentle on yourself. Developing a soft mental attitude helps to balance the often hard nature of the Vata mind.

For more information on Ayurveda, see our website.

The Sun Centre is a vision in progress that we have been nurturing since summer 1998, when we decided to follow our hearts and develop a retreat to offer people the chance to learn and practise holistic self-development surrounded by nature. Our interest and integration of various holistic traditions and methods into our family life, is the basis of the experience we share with our visitors.
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