H.E. Kalu Rinpoche - UK Niguma Yoga Retreat - November 2022

Dear Dharma Friends,

We are delighted and honoured that H.E. Kalu Rinpoche has decided to return to the UK in November to preside over another three-day Niguma Yoga Retreat.

Niguma was one of two great dakinis upon whose wisdom and teachings was founded the Shangpa Kagyu lineage school of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Today H.E. Kalu Rinpoche is the head of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage.

The yoga exercises that Niguma taught are extremely beneficial for both the physical body and the inner, subtle body, which is related to the energy channels and wind movement, and has many benefits for the mind as well as for general health and well-being.

It is very fortunate that the general public is now able to receive the transmission and teachings around this precious practice from an authentic and experienced master and teacher such as H.E. Kalu Rinpoche.

In order to attend this retreat, we ask that you comply with certain criteria set out as a prerequisite by Rinpoche. We therefore kindly request that you carefully read through the following information before registering for this event.

This year, Rinpoche has requested that there will a charge for the yoga instruction. All course materials supplied during the retreat will be provided as part of this cost. Looking at the cost of supplying these text and hiring the tatami mats for the event, we feel that a donation of £60.00 per person for the retreat will be enough to cover most of the costs. These donations will be offered to the Kalu Fountation until a charity is set up in the UK.

The retreat is open to everyone i.e. Buddhists and people who are not Buddhists, alike.

The venue where this retreat will be held is:

Castle Hotel Windsor, 18 High Street, Windsor. SL4 1LJ

The venue is about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Windsor & Eton Central train station. There is no parking on site, but there are car parks in and around the local vicinity that one can book in advance should one wish to bring a vehicle.

The event will be held in the Windsor Suite, which is located on the ground floor for the hotel.

The dates for the retreat are as follows:

25th November - 9:00am to 6:00pm

26th November - 9:00am to 5:00pm

27th November - 9:00am to 6:00pm

We recommend arriving about 30 minutes before the start of each day (8:30am) in order to settle in and be ready for Rinpoche's teaching.

Lunch will usually be between 12:30pm and 2:00pm each day.

Due to the nature of this practice, it is unsuitable for children under the age of 6 and/or anyone with any type of spinal injury (or underlying spinal issues) and/or those who are physically impared. If you have an concerns about whether this retreat is suitable for you, we ask you to contact us directly.

It is imperative that all retreatants participating remain for the entire duration i.e. one cannot miss a day or part of a day's teaching and instruction. If you cannot commit to the whole retreat, we must respectfully request that you don't register.

As mentioned earlier, in order to attend this retreat, Rinpoche has requested that everyone meets certain criteria for the duration of the retreat.

• Attendance: Registrants will need to attend the whole retreat i.e. one needs to be there from 9:00am on Friday, when the retreat commences, to Sunday 6:00pm, when it ends.

• Clothing: You will be required to wear loose fitting clothing. Tops are to have elbow length sleeves, while lower garments are to be either knee length shorts or jogging bottoms. No tight fitting lycra style clothing or low-cut tops are permitted.

• Cushion: You are required to bring your own cushion. These should mearure aproximately 100cm x 100cm, depending on your size. Examples of where to source these items can be found below.

• Diet: One must follow a vegetarian diet throughout the entire retreat. If one is not already a vegetarian, it is recommended that one begins this diet at least a couple of weeks before the retreat commences, so that one's body eases into this new pattern of being. One should try to avoid white bread and other heavily processed foods too about a month before the retreat. There is strictly no smoking or imbibing of alcohol permitted during the retreat.

• Age: All applicants should be over the age of 6.

• We regret to inform people that no pets are allowed to attend this retreat.

Rinpoche has recommended that all participants bring with them a meditation cushion for this retreat. In lieu of last years event, we will be supplying Tatami mats this time.

Thus, we strongly advise that participants acquire a suitable meditation cushion for this retreat. Each cushion should be about 1m by 1m (as seen in the photograph below), depending on how tall you are. If you’re tall, you might need a 120cm by 120cm cushion. The best way to measure the size of cushion that you will need is by sitting down with your legs outstretched in front of you, and then getting someone to measure the length running from your heal to the end of your ‘seat’ (or buttocks).

We have had participants buying meditation cushions from various stores online. Below are some of the links that people have used so far to purchase their meditation cushions and mats from:

https://bluebanyan.co.uk/meditation-mats/meditation-mats-extra-thick-flat-mat.html

https://www.samadhicushions.com/Zabuton-s/28.htm

https://www.lotuscrafts.eu/en/collections/meditationsmatten

Please note: these are only recommendations and, should you find a cushion that is more suitable for your size and build, but are unsure about whether it will be suitable for the yoga practices, please do get in contact with us.

If you are planning to attend as part of the Tibetan community, we kindly request that you contact Lama Chodrak directly before purchasing your tickets. His E-mail address is as follows:

[email protected]

Wishing everyone good health, happiness and a peaceful and clear frame of mind for the coming advent season ahead... And very much look forward to welcoming all who regsiter for this retreat this coming November in Windsor.

With all our very best wishes,

The Shangpa Kagyu UK Team

If you would like to find out more about the activities of H.E. Kalu Rinpoche, please visit the following link:

https://shangpakagyu.org

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