Kamala Yoga and Meditation Centre organize: Hridaya Retreat - A Silent Meditation Retreat for the Revelation of the Spiritual Heart, Sanpetru, (near Brasov), Romania

The opening meeting of the retreat will be held in the day that precedes the silent retreat, at 16:00.
During this meeting will be explained guidelines for participants, some general principles of the retreat and will be a first meditation. All administrative details will be resolved in the evening, so that when the camp will begin the next day in the morning.

The following 7days will be devoted exclusively for meditation and interiorization. The end of the retreat will be after the afternoon meditation of the 7th day, when they will share experiences lived in this period. Next morning, will be the last meeting for questions and answers.

The retreat is held in Sanpentru, a town about 2km from Brasov. The trip from the airport in Bucharest to Brasov takes about three hours, either by train or bus.

Participation in this retreat is free. However, accommodation and meals for eight days per person depends on different options you may choose. Room accommodation is double occupancy. Payment must be made in advance. Please make payments to the following bank account:
IBAN: RO77 RNCB 0053 0485 7262 0002
SWIFT: RNCBROBU
BCR Bank
Bd. 15 Noiembrie nr. 90A
500102 Brasov Romania
Account holder is:
SC Kamala SRL Str. Lunga nr. 79 500035 Brasov Romania

Registration is being coordinated by Kamala Yoga and Meditation Centre. Contact contact@kamala.ro
or phone + 40 731 324 241 or + 40 268 360 424 to make your reservation; registration is made in order of request.

Affordable air travel for foreigners wishing to attend includes:

• Flights on www.cheapflights.co.uk London-Bucharest return: £117 (Czech Airlines: opodo.co.uk)
• Flights on www.malev.com Amsterdam-Bucharest return: €46
• Flights on www.tarom.ro/en Istanbul-Bucharest return: €187
• Flights on www.blueair.com Paris-Bucharest return (with similar prices for other origination cities): €75
• Flights on www.wizzair.com Madrid-Bucharest return (with similar prices for other origination cities): €150

Public transportation within Romania includes:
Train from Bucharest to Brasov station

There are a number of small administrative necessities which must be observed for the successful running of this retreat. Your cooperation is deeply appreciated.

1. Retreat Coordinator
 The Retreat Coordinator is the Kamala Centre staff person who is designated to watch over all the administrative retreat details and to solve any problems that arise during the retreat. This person is an assistant to the Retreat Leader and may at times receive whispered instructions from the Retreat Leader.

The Retreat Coordinator introduces himself or herself during the retreat registration session, and will be the one who announces the rules and guidelines during this session.

Please do not approach the Retreat Leader with any issues other than those involving a spiritual crisis or emergency for you; he must use his time and energy to remain focused on the spiritual leadership of the retreat for the sake of the retreat itself and all participants. If you have unresolvable administrative or other problems during the retreat, please detail your issues in writing and alert the Coordinator, who will do his or her best to assist you in a timely and appropriate manner.

2. Registration
Registration is held on the day prior to each retreat, at Kamala Centre in Sanpetru, Romania. During this session, the retreat rules and any special guidelines will be explained to participants and a forum will be provided for any questions. Participants will need to register themselves with their name and contact data, sign a medical release / liability waiver, and provide their emergency contact information.

For Hridaya Retreat registration, participants will need to sign a form that affirms their agreement to abide by the rules of the retreat. In addition, a lecture will be given exploring some of the definitions and esoteric aspects of the retreat methods, and participants must join a meditation session following the attention to administrative details. This session is an opportunity for the Retreat Leader to evaluate the potential attendees and to ensure that each person present is fit, both mentally and emotionally, to attend. In rare cases, the Retreat Leader may recommend based on this evaluation and his observations that a hopeful participant not join the retreat or postpone participation. In total, this retreat session may last three and a half hours; please plan accordingly.

Attending this registration session is mandatory for all participants, including those who attended the same retreat previously. Registration is held on the day prior to the retreat’s commencement so that the retreat itself may begin in silence. Mauna will start from the first consecration to the Absolute Reality of the Heart on the morning of the retreat’s first day.

3. Refunds
If a person makes the decision to leave a retreat, he or she does so with the foreknowledge that the fees are forfeited.

The only exception to this scenario is for cases of medical emergency, in which case – following substantiation of a refund request – kamala Center will return fees for the unattended portion of the retreat (on a per diem basis, according to the rate of fees paid).

Due to this policy, we encourage participants to consider carefully their retreat participation prior to registration if they are suffering from acute or chronic conditions, diseases, or pain, if they are in recovery from a serious injury or have unhealed wounds, etc. Hopeful participants should, by their intent to register, have evaluated their physical fitness to participate in the retreat fully.

 4. Attendance
Hridaya Yoga does not offer its retreats on a “drop-in” basis, therefore attendance of all meditation sessions is compulsory. The only exceptions will be made for people who are sick and cannot attend sessions.

During this retreat, a number marks the place of each participant; when a number marks an empty place, that participant’s absence is noted by Retreat Monitors.

 5. Partial Attendance of Retreats
Partial attendance of retreats is generally not allowed and is not encouraged by Hridaya Yoga. We intend these retreats to be a complete experience of 7 days, with the energy built and sustained over this period of time for each participant. We feel that the effects of the retreat cannot be evaluated properly by only a few days’ participation.

6. Disturbances
Kamala Centre does everything within its power to provide retreat attendees with a peaceful and undisturbed meditation environment during events. We appreciate your help and cooperation to achieve an ideally supportive atmosphere.

Participants are asked not to disturb in any way the peace of mind of their colleagues during the retreat. We ask that participants not make sudden movements, produce sharp noises, hyperventilate, or perform other disturbing bodily actions. Participants are asked not to stand up, move about, or conduct any other activities during meditation sessions with the exception of the discreet rearrangement of the position of one’s limbs. Stretching, using the toilet, etc. should be reserved for break times.

Please be considerate about the use of products with strong odors (perfumes, tiger balm, etc.). A retreat atmosphere is one in which people are in close proximity for long periods. Some people have sensitivities to fragrances or find strong odors intolerable and very distracting.

Please make fair use of the mats, pillows, and benches during the retreat. If you feel like creating special conditions of comfort for yourself, use your own resources (for example, by bringing extra pillows from home) and do not disfavor the others.

7. Questions
This retreat experience aims to create an atmosphere resembling solitude as much as possible – a cave retreat of your own – where there is no one but yourself to answer your questions. Try to persevere through the process of the retreat, quieting the mind and allowing the meditations themselves to give you answers.
 However, you may ask questions related directly to the practice at any time by sending your written questions to the seat of the Retreat Leader, Claudiu Trandafir.

The answers will be given at the beginning of lectures. Apart from this, a formal Q&A session will be held on the last day of the retreat, at which time participants are also invited to share their experiences.

 8. Food Generally and Meal Catering
Food may not be eaten in the hall or around it (within visible range) and no food items should be brought with participants to the meditation hall. However, sealed receptacles for water, tea, etc. (bottles, thermoses) are permitted, but they may be used strictly and only during break times.

Meal catering is arranged by Kamala Centre to support the retreat experience, rest periods, and mauna of participants. The meal catering cannot accommodate remarkable food allergy and other special requests.

 9. Supply Runs
 We promote the retreat guidelines well in advance of the retreat in order to give you ample opportunity to prepare for your needs, do preparatory shopping, etc.

If you realize during the retreat that you did not prepare adequately and need something essential urgently, the Hridaya Retreat Coordinator can arrange to buy something for you. You should give the Coordinator an envelope containing more than enough money for the item you need, plus a written description of it. The envelope will be sealed with your change and a receipt and returned with the item at the next opportunity.
No extensive searches will be done for rare items, etc.

This service is meant to be a support for the retreat experience and mauna of participants.

However, we reiterate, please make every effort to predict your needs prior to the start of the Retreat

May the Sacred Tremor of the Heart enlighten our lives!