Shakti's Tantra Events

Sexuality and Consciousness Educators Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:39:00 +0000

Second Annual African
Sexuality and Consciousness Educators Conference
3 - 5 December 2010
Kalk Bay, Cape Town

Conference aim

This conference is an opportunity for networking, sharing and support amongst African and international participants who are either working in, or interested to work in the fields of sexuality and consciousness. Last year's conference produced some cutting edge, rare presentations and invaluable networking and exchange between professionals and students directly involved with sexuality as a vehicle for consciousness. This year, we are hoping to include a broader range of participants from fields including large group consciousness training programmes, sexual psychology, sexual health counciling, meditation and yoga teaching, African traditional healing and the arts in all their expressions.

The conference is arranged by South African delegates in collaboration with BabaDez from Sedona Temple in Arizona. For details please visit http://sedonatemple.com/2010-africa-conference.php All information on costs and booking procedures can be found on this link.

Call for papers

We are calling for presenters to send paper proposals to the conference organizer (see details below.) As proposals get accepted, they will be reflected on this page. So please visit regularly to get updates on conference news.

Venue: The Forge, 12 Windsor Rd Kalk Bay

This year's conference will be held in the historic and pictoresque fisherman's village of Kalk Bay. Kalk Bay and environs is home to many of Cape Town's bohemians, free intellectuals, dancers, meditators, yogis, etc. The streets are lined with fabulous coffee shops and eateries looking out over a splendid ocean.

Places to Stay

We have reserved the magnificent Ocean's Echo villa in nearby Fish Hoek for the dates of the conference and Dez's training afterward. Preference will be given to participants who also attend the training. Cost is R300 per day. Book early to avoid disappointment

Go have a look at http://kalkbay.org to see all the accommodation options that are within easy walking distance of the conference venue.

For lovely affordable accommodation in nearby Fish Hoek, see
The Berry Basket http://www.sleeping-out.co.za/member_details-MemberID-2383.html
Oornag: http://oornag.co.za

Kommetjie, a bit off the beaten track (and not on the railway line): http://www.safarinow.com/go/VillekullaEasyLiving/

Backpackers close to Muizenberg surfer's beach (and 5 minutes from the conference by train) http://www.backpackerinfo.co.za/travel/accommodation/cape-town/muizenberg/abreak-away.html

Last year's conference

Here are some you-tube clips of talks from last year's conference:

Shakti- Releasing Sexual Trauma
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3CABB9EB1AD099E9

Shakti- How Much Bliss Can You Stand
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=53F3F4EE51657A44

Rahasya- About Dakinis
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D92FB66CE7F31147

Shima: Tantra on the seat of your pants
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E30E38264D7C1DC3

Contact

Conference organizer: Dr Shakti Malan shakti.co.za, shakti@shakti.co.za 0833010399
Booking conference attendence: Samadhi one.2.one@mweb.co.za

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:31:00 +0000

The Inner Soulmate

Four sessions and two day/night outings
26 April - 31 May

Course objective

In our collective psyches the dream of finding the Soulmate moves strongly - that 'other' who will meet and fulfill me completely. And, as my teacher Rahasya says: “There is a real soulmate for each one of us. But that person is inside.” Inside ourselves we are both masculine and feminine. The lovers and loved ones that cross our paths are our mirrors for where we are in the inner relationship between male and female. They can also be a rich fulfillment - and embodiment - of our inner Soulmate.

The split between masculine and feminine in us is a primary polarity. A central aim of Tantra is the integration of this polarity. With that comes an experience of who you really are, in all your rich diversity. Paradoxically, as we embrace our inner Soulmate, a new fruitfulness becomes possible in our outer relationships.

Aims

Aim 1: Owning projections

The significant men or women in our lives are important mirrors for us of our other halves; our masculine side if we are feminine, and our feminine side if we are masculine. What we have not consciously come to accept in ourselves, we unconsciously project out on to others. Owning projections and accepting their gifts can be one of the most liberating, enlivening experiences of your life.

Aim 2: Meeting your Soulmate

It is possible to get intimately acquainted with your inner Soulmate. In this course we will do so through
• Shamanic journeywork and
• Gestalt role-play

Aim 3: Deepening the inner relationship

Once you have met your inner Soulmate, you can deepen this relationship. We will do so on this course through
• A live, experiential exploration of male/ female ways of being in the world
• Diarizing and sharing ongoing insights about the inner relationship as it unfolds during the course.

Course fee: R1 200

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:37:00 +0000

The Art
of Conscious Sexuality
Workshop for men and women
by Shakti and Stephen
Abundance Yoga Center, Claremont

Saturday 20 March 12noon - 4pm

Tantra is an ancient mystery tradition in which sexual energy is used as a force for spiritual awakening. This workshop is a theoretical and practical introduction to the art of conscious sexuality. What we teach, draws on ancient mystery traditions but finds its expression in accessible modern idiom.

Some topics we will introduce:

Understanding the power of sexual energy/kundalini
How our sexuality helps us integrate what is in the unconscious
How to build sexual energy
How to turn sexual energy into a force for the awakening of the undivided heart

Methods:
input and discussion
breath work
movement
demonstration

This workshop is accessible for all sincere seekers of truth. Single people and couples are welcome.

Cost: R450pp
Bookings: Please book with Ahrian, ahrian@shakti.co.za and send proof of payment to her address. Receipt of proof of payment secures your place. Please book by Thursday. Banking details:

Dr. S. Malan
Standard Bank current account
Merriman Square branch (02-11-09-00)
Account number: 073152811

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Tantric Orgasm: Building sexual energy

Shakti and Stephen
Thursday 11 March
7 - 10/11pm
Cost R350 pp
St James, Cape Town

This workshop is an introduction to the sexual meditation of Tantra. Tantric practitioners are interested in building sexual energy and supporting the flow of this energy through the whole body as a force for awakening and pure, blissful presence. The workshop will give you a taste of some of the basic techniques and approaches we use. Some themes to be covered:

Genital sex versus spiritual sex
Sex up the chakras
Techniques for raising sexual energy

Bookings: Respond to this email or sms me on 0833010399. These workshop is introductory, though I will be discussing and exploring new information that old-time students can benefit from.

For more on us, see shakti.co.za and stephentredrea.com

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:12:00 +0000

Tantric Practice for Men and Women
Saturday 20 February
3pm - 6/7pm
Noordhoek
Facilitated by Shakti and Stephen

This workshop provides you with a practical experience of Tantra, the art of sacred sexuality. Tantra sees sexual energy as vital life force, as an energy that can support your awakening into the truth of who you are, beyond personality and story. In this workshop, we will be a) activating vital life force or kundalini through breath work, movement and meditation and then b) guiding this raw energy up our bodies to enable its refinement through the chakras. This workshop is an introduction to a central theme in Tantra which I discuss in more details at http://totalitytherapy.com/blog/2009/10/inner-and-outer-heat-in-tantra-in.html

No partner needed, all welcome.
Cost: R350pp
Bookings: Shakti@shakti.co.za or call me on 0833010399
For more on the presenters see shakti.co.za and stephentredrea.com

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Tantric Practice for Men and Women
Saturday 20 February
3pm - 9/10pm
Noordhoek
Facilitated by Shakti and Stephen

No partner needed, all welcome.
Cost: R700pp
Bookings: Shakti@shakti.co.za or call me on 0833010399
For more on the presenters see shakti.co.za and stephentredrea.com

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:24:00 +0000

Tantra for lovers of life
14 February 2010
10 am - 5 pm
Good Vibrations Rivonia Johannesburg

TANTRA is a practice of awareness that uses sexual energy. Tantric practice can take you to an experience of ecstatic, unconditional love for yourself and all of existence. It can take relationships to another level. I invite you, on this year's Valentine's Day, to be a Lover of Life through the practice of Tantra. The workshop is suitable for both couples and single people who are on a path of consciousness. I will make sure that numbers are even so that single people can practice with each other.

Tantric meditations

The morning is an introduction and practice of Tantric meditation techniques. We use breath, movement and sound to circulate sexual energy and move it up the chakras. These meditations are done fully clothed, and with limited body contact. The focus is no experiencing the flow of energy through your own body, and between partners.

Tantric touch

The afternoon is an introduction to and practice of Tantric touch – how to use sensual, present touch to open up the energy flow of a partner. For this exercise, more skin exposure and contact will be helpful. Bring: Blanket and sheet.

Cost: R1000pp, which includes a sensual Valentine's lunch

Facilitator

Dr Shakti Malan is an experienced Tantrika and group facilitator with a fulltime practice in Cape Town. She runs retreats across the country and is a member of the Advait Tantraschool (tantraschool.co.za). For more on Shakti, see shakti.co.za and totalitytherapy.com

Bookings and Inquiries:
Shakti@shakti.co.za
0833010399

Tantric Awareness and Practice Retreats March 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:58:00 +0000

Tantric Awareness Retreat (Level 2)

with Rahasya and Shakti
12 - 15 March 2010
Osho Oasis Knysna

You are invited to a deep immersion into the mysteries of Tantra under the guidance of two experienced Tantrikas. Profound shifts have happened for people on this retreat over the years. Come celebrate your devotion and surrender to the truth/ existence/ the Tao/ the divine in all of us. We will take you by the hand on a journey of uncovering and moving through projections, associations, fantasies and fears in order to access the spiritual power of your sexuality. Activities include movement and dancing, a deep exploration of your eroticism, Tantric touch and various forms of enactment. The aim of this retreat is to unlock unconscious material touched by your eroticism - a prerequisite for deeper Tantric work.

Cost R3 100 includes accommodation and all meals**. The retreat starts Friday 6pm and concludes Monday 11am.

Tantric Practice Retreat (Level 3)
with Rahasya and Shakti
19 - 22 March 2010
Osho Oasis Knysna

The Tantric Practice Retreat is a level 2 Tantra retreat of the Advait Tantra School for those who have already done the Tantric Awareness Retreat and on average only happens every third year. This retreat takes you deeper into the practice of what we explored during the Tantric Awareness Retreat. Our assumption is that we have all now stepped over the doorway of the unconscious in our eroticism, and we are ready to explore somewhat deeper – enact and live more strongly what is there, and get a bit more creative with it. This is a retreat for committed spiritual warriors.

Cost R3 100 includes accommodation and all meals**. The retreat starts Friday 6pm and concludes Monday 11am.
** discount applies for students who do both retreats this year

The Venue
The Osho Oasis is in the middle of the Knysna forest. Accommodation is provided in wooden A-frame retreat cottages. A beautiful, rustic venue as a counterpoint to our usual lives.

The facilitators
Rahasya is the director of the Advait Tantra Yoga School (see tantraschool.co.za). The school has teachers in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Shakti runs a Tantra practice in Cape Town and presents numerous retreats and workshops through the country (see totalitytherapy.com and shakti.co.za)

Bookings and enquiries
Shakti : shakti@shakti.co.za Cell: 0833010399

Participants' Reflections on a previous Tantric Awareness Retreat

“I'm battling to find words to describe (my experience of the retreat). It certainly was one of the most amazing experiences I've had in a long time. The main reason is I broke through so many of my limiting beliefs. I feel as a result so liberated… The tenderness, gentleness, acceptance, openness and purity of our sharing made it so exquisite and safe for me to explore territories I never knew existed. As a result I feel I have a more intimate connection to the Divine and my heart has opened to loving at greater depths.”

“My mind has been opened to new possibilities. I was so blissfully blessed, and wish to continue on this journey with Tantra.”

“It was a divine and blissful sharing of simple love energy and I’m hugely grateful for the journey of the weekend and for every individual who was there that contributed in many and varied ways to make it what it was. It was a deliciously blissful time and I hope to see you all again on the next one!”

“I can’t tell you how wonderful, blissful and full of energy I feel (after the retreat). I can’t remember when last I felt like this. I am so happy without blockages, I feel like a butterfly in the air. There is a sensation on my skin… it feels like I can move mountains.”

On making love after the retreat: “(I found myself) making love slowly and just ‘allowing’ sensation and sensuality to gradually saturate my body. Once saturated; waves and ripples of blissful lightness-energy moving throughout my entire body; Smaller ripples riding upon bigger waves; Bigger waves being interspersed with calm blissful silence, then resuming again and again; going on an on; never seems to exhaust itself or getting tired of blessing me; making me giggle like a little girl and laugh like a boy riding the rollercoaster for the first time.”

The year ahead: January - June 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Hello beloveds,

For those of you who are curious about what this year holds - Stephen and I are delighted present you with the Tantra schedule for January - June 2010.

The first six months of 2010 are packed with opportunities for Tantric practice. In the year that is past, Stephen joined me, and a range of courses and retreats have become established. More people are wanting to start Tantric practice, and a significant number of you are ready to go deeper. With the recent First African Conference for Sacred Sexual Educators, our engagement has also become more international. In order to accommodate the range of experience amongst students, we have more events at a range of levels. To help you choose what is appropriate for you, we have made the levels explicit:

How to choose

Level 1: Introductory. All seekers welcome and all will benefit.
Level 2: Entry - start of committed Tantric practice. Some introductory experience required
Level 3: Intermediate. Sufficient entry-level experience required.
Level 4: Advanced: Sufficient intermediate level experience required.

Events for the first half of next year include

• Retreats in the Cederberg, Drakensberg and Knysna forest
• Tantra foundation courses and and ongoing women’s course in Cape Town
• A day workshop on male sexuality
• Sexcon – A sexuality un-conference
• Regular Tantra evenings in Cape Town
• Day workshops in Johannesburg

The feedback of students so far is that the depth of transformation that occurs in their lives due to courses, workshops or retreats attended, seems to bear no correlation to the limited time and cost that was involved. Our touch is subtle, but it will take you to the edge of your possibility for expansion.

Retreats

The Tantric Shaman (Level 3)
with Shakti
29 - 31 January: Gecko Creek

This retreat is only for students who have spent significant time in Tantric practice. The aim of the weekend is to introduce you to the Tantric Shaman in yourself. We will explore various subtle to strong ways of opening to trance, using dancing, ritual, masks, breath work, elemental exploration, animal spirit embodiment and sounding.
R1000 facilitation fee plus Gecko Creek accommodation*

Introduction to Tantric Lovemaking (Level 1)
with Shakti and Stephen
19 - 21 February: Gecko Creek

This retreat will be an experiential introduction to the basic principles of Tantric lovemaking. Our focus will be on opening the body to greater presence and sensitivity through deepening the breath, raising sensory awareness and allowing movement. The art of Tantric lovemaking can turn your loving of yourself and your beloveds into an ecstatic meditation. This retreat is open to all sincere seekers of truth and is inviting rather than confronting in nature.
Cost R1 400 plus Gecko Creek accommodation

Tantric Awareness Retreat (Level 2)
with Shakti and Rahasya
12 - 15 March: Osho Oasis Knysna

You are invited to a deep immersion into the mysteries of Tantra under the guidance of two experienced Tantrikas. Profound shifts have happened for people on this retreat over the years. Come celebrate your devotion and surrender to the truth/ existence/ the Tao/ the divine in all of us. We will take you by the hand on a journey of uncovering and moving through the projections, associations, fantasies and fears in order to access the spiritual power of your sexuality. Activities include movement and dancing, a deep exploration of your eroticism, Tantric touch and various forms of enactment. The aim of this retreat is to unlock unconscious material touched by your eroticism - a prerequisite for deeper Tantric work.

Cost R3 100 includes accommodation and all meals**

Tantric Practice Retreat (Level 3)
with Shakti and Rahasya,
19 - 22 March 2010: Osho Oasis Knysna

The Tantric Practice Retreat is a level 2 Tantra retreat of the Advait Tantra School for those who have already done the Tantric Awareness Retreat. This retreat on average only happens every third year. This retreat takes you deeper into the practice of what we explored during the Tantric Awareness Retreat. Our assumption is that we have all now stepped over the doorway of the unconscious in our eroticism, and we are ready to explore somewhat deeper – enact and live more strongly what is there, and get a bit more creative with it. This is a retreat for committed spiritual warriors.
Cost R3 100 includes accommodation and all meals**
** discount applies for students who do both retreats this year

Introduction to Tantra Retreat (Level 1)
30 April – 2 May: Gecko Creek, Cederberg
with Shakti and Stephen

This retreat is an ideal opportunity to get introduced to the approach, method and practice of Tantra, the art of sacred sexuality. This retreat is accessible to all sincere seekers of truth. If you are already familiar with Tantra and want to come soak up more - or bring a friend along - you are most welcome. Imagine a weekend of sitting in a circle around a fire or in a cool lapa, of lazing in the sun around a pool overlooking the endless mountains of the Cederberg, of coming to touch the mysteries of your sacred sexuality through discussion and gentle practice while being held by two experienced practitioners and the fresh, welcoming breath of nature.

Tantric Love Retreat (Levels 2-4)
with Shakti and Stephen
8 - 11 April 2010: Drakensberg Retreat Center
20 - 23 May 2010: Gecko Creek, Cederberg

In Chinese medicine, the element of the heart is fire. When the fire of our sexual energy meets the fire of our hearts, love becomes infused with power. This retreat is for those of you who are ready to go deeper into the practice of Tantric Love. Introductory level experience is required. The challenge of Tantra is: How much bliss can you stand? This retreat is an opportunity for you to explore further - how much are you willing to let yourself feel? Are you willing to feel your raw instinctual power? Are you willing to feel all your emotions and sensations without judgment and suppression? Are you willing to increase your capacity to stand the bliss of subtlety? Are you ready to start feeling the blue flames of Tantric presence ripple over your skin? Are you ready to let every breath become an act of love? This retreat will teach you how.

Cost: Drakensberg R3 100 includes accommodation and all meals
Cost: Cederberg R2 100 excludes accommodation, meals prepared together

Gecko Creek accommodation fees
* Cabin R270 pppn
* Tent R180 pppn
* Camping R110 pppn (Own tent and bedding)

Courses

A general note on all courses: feel free to attend any of these for the second time. Students who have done so have been able to access greater depths of their own beings and have experienced the events as if for the first time.

1. Tantra foundation courses

The Tantra Foundation courses give you an opportunity to practice the fundamental principles of Tantra systematically over time with a group of people. This will considerably deepen your learning and the integration of the practice in your life. The three courses are based on the seven main objectives of my Tantra practice as outlined in http://totalitytherapy.com/about.html. The courses follow a logical progression: We start with processing and enactment of what is in the unconscious (level 1) and then continue to the integration of masculine and feminine in us (level 2). Only when this work is done, are students ready to approach the sexual meditation of Tantra (level 3).

Level 1: Erotic and Beyond

Five Mondays 1 February – 1 March 7 – 11pm
Southern Peninsula,
5 – 7 March Gecko Creek, Cederberg
Course fee (includes all facilitation, excludes weekend accommodation): R2 500

This course is a first and powerful step towards the freedom that Tantra offers as a practice. It requires of you to embrace both your fears and your desires in the realm of the erotic, and to feel the feelings that emerge from here. You will be taught techniques to process the emotional and mental patters that arise from the practice. The course can offer powerful release and healing from old experiences and expectations around sexuality. Expert facilitation will ensure that the course meets each individual where they are at.

Level 2: The Soulmate Within

Six Mondays May 3rd – June 7th, 7 – 11pm
Southern Peninsula
Course fee R2 000

In our collective psyches the dream of finding the Soulmate moves strongly - that 'other' who will meet and fulfill me completely. And, as my teacher Rahasya says: “There is a real soulmate for each one of us. But that person is inside.” Inside ourselves we are both masculine and feminine. The lovers and loved ones that cross our paths are our mirrors for where we are in the inner relationship between male and female. They can also be a rich fulfillment - and embodiment - of our inner Soulmate.

Level 3: Embodied Love
To be announced – second half of 2010

When you have immersed yourself in the practices addressed in course 1 and 2, you are ready to work with sexual energy as a force of presence. The objective of this course is to get you ready to experience the full potential of your sexuality. This involves developing increased awareness in the body, expanding your heart capacity and practicing presence in every moment, including your most intimate ones. Students who have completed both the Tantric Awareness and Tantric Practice Retreats will also be allowed on this course.

2. Tantric Practice for Women: An ongoing course

Tantra is a practice that cultivates awareness of our oneness with existence through sexual awakening. This happens through the opening of the chakras. Chakras are energy centers in the body where consciousness collects around particular patterns. Typically in sexual encounter, we send our sexual energy outwards. We may experience deep bliss for a while, but generally this does not last. With Tantric awareness, our sexual vitality starts to move up our bodies like a snake that uncoils, from the root or base of the body all the way up through the crown. Sexual energy moves from the first chakra up. This process is often known at the Uncoiling of the Snake (sexual energy or kundalini). For more on the unique qualities of each chakra, see http://shakti.co.za/blog/2008/04/tantra-and-chakras_14.html

The ongoing course on Tantra for women consists of regular mini workshops in which we will systematically work through the chakras. There will be four or five workshops per chakra. Each workshop will be an exploration of a specific element of women’s sexuality related to that chakra. You will benefit most from the mini workshops if you attend them from the beginning. However, the workshops will be structured in such a way that you can attend any workshop at any stage (that is, you can enter and exit the process as it suits you.) I will advertise each workshop in a separate mail as well.

First Chakra

Loving the body: Saturday 6 February 10 – 1pm
Our Cosmic Sexuality: Friday 27 February 10am – 1pm
Embracing Desire: Thursday 25 March 7 – 10pm
The Dance of Life and Death: Saturday 8 May 10am – 1pm

Second Chakra

Virgin, Whore and Women’s Union: Saturday 15 May 10am – 1pm
Sexuality and Belonging: Saturday 29 May 10am – 1pm
Listening to Yoni: Saturday 5 June 10am – 1pm
Taoist Tantric Practices: Saturday 12 June 10am – 1pm
Sexuality and Safety: Saturday19 June 10am – 1pm

Third chakra and beyond: Second half of the year

Conferences

Sexuality Dialogue Unconference
27 March 2010 Cape Town

An initiative of EroticSpirit, is The Sexuality Unconference. It is a meeting and dialogue space for individuals who find personal expression of their sexuality in different interest groups and communities. is an opportunity to come together, share experiences and practices, and manifest a future where sexuality is embraced, honoured and celebrated with the fullness of our potential as human beings.

It's valuable what can be learned and applied from geekdom in our expression of sexuality and in relating to others. It's the topic of an entire talk but here we borrow this loose-conference format for generating open dialogue around sexuality embraced, honoured, celebrated.

Sexuality and Consciousness Educators Conference
3 - 5 December, Cape Town

Workshops

Masculine Sexual Identity – Stephen, May 2010

Talks and workshops with Shakti at Zenatude, Rivonia 8 – 19 February 2010

Talk: Sexuality with Heart - An introduction to Tantra. Tuesday 9 February 7 - 9pm. Cost R50
Workshop: Releasing sexual trauma the Tantric way. Thursday 11 February 4 - 10pm Cost R800
Workshop: Tantra for Women - Celebrating Female Sensuality Saturday 13 February 10am - 4pm cost R800
Workshop: Tantra for Lovers - Exploring love, celebrating each other. Sunday 14 February 10am - 5pm

Sessions

From January 2010, we are changing our fee structures to make sessions more accessible and flexible. The fee for a session with Shakti or Stephen will be R450 - no price increase from this year. Here are your options:

One hour session: Introductory of follow-up consultation which takes the form of a discussion; practice is unlikely.
Two hours session: This has been the standard time of sessions for the last three years. The extra hour allows time to do practical/experiential sessions work.
Three hours and beyond: Couples’ sessions usually are three hours as we will be engaging the realities of the relationship as well as both individuals present. Individual sessions can go up to three hours or longer. This usually happens when deep transformation processes are catalyzed.

Sessions with Stephen: As Daka, Stephen works under my guidance. Sessions with Stephen are usually follow-ups on sessions with Shakti. I first assess what is required.
Sessions with Shakti and Stephen: If Stephen and Shakti are both required in a session, our joint fee is R600 an hour. Sessions with both of us can bring profound release, particularly for women and for couples.

Namaste
Shakti

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:03:00 +0000

The Erotic and Beyond
Tantra foundation course

Monday evenings 1 February - 1 March 2010 7 - 11pm
Noordhoek Cape Town
5 - 7 March Gecko Creek, Cederberg

Course objective

This course is a first and powerful step towards the freedom that Tantra offers as a practice. It requires of you to embrace both your fears and your desires in the realm of the erotic, and to feel the feelings that emerge from here. You will be taught techniques to process the emotional and mental patters that arise from the practice. The course can offer powerful release and healing from old experiences and expectations around sexuality. Expert facilitation will ensure that the course meets each individual where they are at.

Aims

Aim 1: Lifting taboos and suppressions

In the days when Tantra was only practiced as a secret mystery tradition, one of the first steps that a new initiate had to take was to break their cultural taboos. If you were raised a Jain Hindu, you would be asked to eat meat and drink alcohol – both of which are highly taboo in that culture. Breaking your personal or cultural taboos asks of you to face your biggest fears. In this course, we will engage our personal and collective taboos in a fun but challenging way.

Suppressions are all experiences that have become unconscious in you. Most often, these were experiences that were unpleasant or frightening to you in the past – emotionally, physically or spiritually. What we are not able or willing to feel completely in the moment, becomes trapped in the body as unconscious patterns that influence everything – especially our sexuality. We will work gently at touching these places and allowing full consciousness to return.

Aim 2: Embracing fantasies and desires

By paying attention to what you desires and fantasies are, you can integrate unconscious or hidden aspects of your being. Whereas lifting taboos and suppressions is about facing your fears, this aim is about saying yes to your desires. One of our dictums in Tantra is: How much bliss can you stand? Since many of us have been raised in traditions of religious austerity, it takes some individuation to embrace pleasure as a gateway to higher understanding.

We will encourage this individuation by exploring your fantasies and desires and giving space for them to be expressed in appropriate ways.

Aim 3: Integrating polarities

One main reason why we stay stuck in limited beliefs about ourselves is that our ego structures are bound up in polarity. Polarities split experience into opposites – what is desired and what is feared, what attracts us and what we are repulsed by, what we see as good and what as evil. These polarities are mostly unconscious in us, and as with fears and desires, they govern and direct our lives.

To go deeper in awareness of who we really are, it is important to find ways of processing these polarities. On this course, you will be taught tools to identify and integrate the polarities that limit your sense of yourself. In the process, you will develop a witness – the ability to observe the story of your life without taking it so seriously.

Who is the course for?

This course for people who are on a committed quest for greater awareness and presence in their lives, and who want to include their sexuality in this journey. This is a foundation course so no previous experience is needed. You are also welcome to do the course a second time as most certainly new material will be revealed to you. Please note that place is limited to ten participants, so book soon.

Feedback from participants on previous Erotic and Beyond course

"The Erotic and Beyond Workshop was maximum growth over a short period of time...Shakti is an incredible facilitator...I felt extremely held and supported...her insight is invaluable and so accurate...I would highly recommend trusting the process."

"I don't think anything in adult life has shaken me up more than this course. It forced me to look at stuff that had lived under the carpet for much of my post -pubescent life (and even some stuff from before, if the truth be told).The ongoing effects are still bubbling up in the form of realisations (both minor and major), that are changing and stabilising the way I act, think and feel.That's the serious bit: on the other hand it was more fun than is normally legal...

Be brave: do it!"

"I had an opportunity to recover and experience previously incompletely felt feelings at the core of my life. In the space Shakti creates, of loving awareness and acceptance, I felt it possible to embrace these feelings, feel them fully without shirking from them, and love them back into my whole life, warming them with the fire of my presence, and letting them melt away, leaving me stronger and open and clear. Before the course, difficult feelings would often block me and make me withdraw. Now I sense a greater capacity for feeling, for being with difficult feelings, of experiencing them fully and moving beyond them into new possibilities."

The facilitator: Shakti Malan is a full time practicing dakini who has significant experience as a group facilitator. For more on her work and life, see totalitytherapy.com and shakti.co.za. She will be assisted in this course by daka Stephen Tredrea; see stephentredrea.com.

Course fee: R2 500 includes all facilitation and excludes Gecko Creek weekend accommodation.
Bookings and inquiries: Shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399

The Tantric Shaman Retreat 29 - 31 January 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:49:00 +0000

This retreat is meant for those of you who have had some immersion in Tantric practice (at least one course or two retreats attended.) It is an exploration in practice of the link between Tantra and Shamanism. Tantra is a tool for awakening using all aspects of our life, including our sexuality. The purpose of Tantra is to take us through all illusions into a full realisation of who we really are. Shamanism has a similar aim but uses different language and methods.

The shaman, or spirit medium, uses rituals involving the elements (earth, water, fire, air) to guide members of the tribe through limited perceptions of themselves into a realization of their connection with Spirit/ all that is. These rituals often involve various forms of trance or the deliberate inducement of altered states of consciousness. The purpose of trance is to help us see through the dream of our 'reality' that we get so attached to. The shamanic path has been a key element in my journey as a Tantrika, and I would like to share this with those of you who are ready.

The aim of the weekend is to introduce you to the Tantric Shaman in yourself. We will explore various subtle to strong ways of opening to trance, using

dancing
ritual
masks
breathwork
elemental exploration
animal spirit embodiment and
sounding

Cost
R1000 facilitation fee
Accommodation costs per night according to your choice:

* Cabin R270 pppn
* Tent R180 pppn
* Camping R110 ppp (Own tent and bedding)

Meals shared amongst us

Bookings and enquiries to shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399. Once I have confirmed that you are eligible for this retreat and your accommodation has been defined, you can do payment into my account:

Dr. S. Malan
Standard Bank current account
Merriman Square branch (02-11-09-00)
Account number: 073152811

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Tantric New Year's Gathering
30 December 2009 - 3 January 2010
Gecko Creek, Cederberg

You are invited to join me for a long weekend Tantric new year retreat and celebration!

Come dance - contemplate - celebrate - enter the new year with an open heart, flowing life force and deep presence - come dance around fires and laugh under the stars - share around the pool and walk into the wild beauty of the Cederberg - journey into your desires for the new year - spend time with the beloved within - learn to love the manifest beloved with more presence - rest - open to receive what life has to offer you - breathe - move - dance - share - sleep - learn to listen to the subtle flow of energy in your body, and to honour this flow in the other - savor the moment, whatever it brings, the Tantric way.

tantric meditations
nature walks
resting time
dancing around the fire
blissdance into the new year
shamanic journey on the new year

All this you get guided by a Tantrika who is also an experienced retreat and dance facilitator. For more on me, see shakti.co.za and totalitytherapy.com. You are welcome to come on your own or with a partner.

The venue
Gecko Creek is an exquisite venue in the Cederberg, remarkably easy to access and only 2 - 3 hours' drive from Cape Town. See geckocreek.com

Cost
R1500 facilitation fee
Meals shared amongst us
Accommodation costs per night according to your choice:

* Cabin R270 pppn
* Cave R250 pppn
* Tent R180 pppn
*
* Camping R110 pppn
* (Own tent and bedding)

Bookings
For bookings or enquiries, respond to this email or call me on 0833010399. There are only three cabins and three tents, so book now to secure your place.

Blessings
Shakti

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:02:00 +0000

Introduction to Tantra Retreat

Friday 6 - Sunday 8 November
Gecko Creek, Cederberg
guided by Rahasya and Shakti

This retreat is an ideal opportunity to get introduced to the approach, method and practice of Tantra, the art of sacred sexuality. If you have been on this mailing list for a while, waiting for the right moment - then now is the time to take the plunge! We have done everything we can to make this experience as accessible as possible for you. If you are already familiar with Tantra and want to come soak up more - or bring a friend along - you are most welcome.

Imagine a weekend of sitting in a circle around a fire or in a cool lapa, of lazing in the sun around a pool overlooking the endless mountains of the Cederberg, of coming to touch the mysteries of your sacred sexuality through discussion and gentle practice while being held by two experienced practitioners and the fresh, welcoming breath of nature.

Themes

Themes that will be covered on this retreat are:

The history, purpose and intent of Tantra. Tantra is an ancient mystery practice involving the use of sexuality for awakening. It has taken many forms in different traditions, and today has become accessible to sincere seekers in a new way.
Sexuality, magic(k)al practice and spirituality. There is power in sexual energy that can greatly support us in our spiritual quest, if we know how to tap into it.
Understanding eroticism. We work with Plato's dictum that "Eros leads to Gnosis." Our eroticism can reveal deeper knowledge to us, in that it is an excellent guide to help uncover what is in the unconscious.
Advaita and the Yoga of mind-training. Advaita means non-duality. Tantra as taught in our school, is a practice that takes you beyond the dualistic thinking that keeps our existing ego identities in place.
The Heart meditation of Atisha. This meditation is a primary tool to assist us in moving into the practice of unconditional love.

Methods

Methods that will be used are:

Discourse and discussion
Active meditations
Breath work
Dancing and movement
Interaction with nature

Who is this retreat for?

Tantra is a path for seekers or truth who want to live their lives with totality, and who wish to include their sexuality in a journey of conscious exploration. Our sexuality is a phenomenally powerful vehicle for transformation and awakening. The retreat is open to all who share this intention. No previous experience is needed. Singles and couples are welcome. Our style as teachers is to be guided by where you are at.

The presenters

Rahasya is the founding director of the Advait Tantraschool; see tantraschool.co.za. To be introduced to Tantra by a master like him is a very rare priviledge. But beware, he does not act or present as you would expect. He has what Alan Watts calls an "irredeemable rascality" - which contributes to his rare gift of being able to translate the ancient mysteries of Tantra into modern life. Shakti is a Dakini or female Tantrika with an extensive and well established practice; see shakti.co.za and totalitytherapy.com

The venue

We are very excited to have found Gecko Creek (see geckocreek.com), a private nature reserve and resort ideally suited for our work. A mere 2 - 3 hours from Cape Town and easily accessible from the N7, this retreat space offers a blissful immersion in exquisite nature. Here the rocks speak of ancient history, and at night peaceful leopards leave paw prints in the sand.

Time

The retreat will start at 5pm on Friday and conclude on Sunday afternoon.

Bookings and cost

The facilitation fee for this retreat is R1000; an exceptional offer. Accommodation shared in a cabin is R440 for the weekend, and in a tent is R320. We will do meals amongst us. There are only ten places available on this retreat, so book now! You are welcome to call me on 0833010399 to discuss.

Banking details are:

Dr. S. Malan
Standard Bank current account
Merriman Square branch (02-11-09-00)
Account number: 073152811

With love
Shakti

Tantra foundation course starting end August

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:40:00 +0000

The Erotic and Beyond
Tantra foundation course

A course in six sessions
Monday evenings starting 31 August 2009
Noordhoek Cape Town

Be brave: do it!"

"I had an opportunity to recover and experience previously incompletely felt feelings at the core of my life. In the space Shakti creates, of loving awareness and acceptance, I felt it possible to embrace these feelings, feel them fully without shirking from them, and love them back into my whole life, warming them with the fire of my presence, and letting them melt away, leaving me stronger and open and clear. Before the course, difficult feelings would often block me and make me withdraw. Now I sense a greater capacity for feeling, for being with difficult feelings, of experiencing them fully and moving beyond them into new possibilities."

The facilitator: Shakti Malan is a full time practicing Tantrika who has significant experience as a group facilitator. For more on her work and life, see totalitytherapy.com and shakti.co.za. She will be assisted in this course by Stephen Tredrea; see stephentredrea.com.

Course fee: R1 800
Bookings and inquiries: Shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399

Deepening Presence: KZN retreat 4 - 6 September

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Deepening Presence

A Conscious Sexuality Retreat
4 - 6 September, Elysium, KZN South Coast

Tantra: deepening presence

Tantra is a practice of presence in every moment. We do what the ancient masters have discovered: that if you open up your sexual energy to awareness, if you include it in your meditation - then presence deepens tangibly. Your sexual energy or kundalini becomes a force moving you towards your awakening to who you really are. Taking time - even a weekend away - to practice techniques that deepens the quality of your presence - can make a significant difference to the quality of your daily life.

This retreat

You are invited for a weekend next to the sea immersed in Tantric practice. The weekend will be an intense immersion in Tantric meditation practice, which is also mountains of fun! These include:

active meditations from the Osho tradition

Tantric partner meditations
dancing
playing with sound, breath and movement to deepen presence
jumping in the ocean

Times: Friday 6pm - Sunday 4pm
Cost: R1 700 includes accommodation; each person will contribute towards a meal.
Venue: A large beach cottage in Elyseum, north of Scottbrough and 50 minutes' drive south of Durban http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionskzn/elysium.php
Who can come? The retreat is open to all; beginners are welcome, single people as well as couples. If this is your first retreat with me, we will have a conversation to make sure this event is right for you.
Bookings and enquiries: This retreat can take a maximum of ten participants. Write to me on shakti@shakti.co.za or call me on 0833010399 to book or enquire.

Wishing you ever deepening presence in love and bliss
Shakti

Beyond Romantic Love 9 August

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Beyond Romantic Love
Tantra workshop for men and women
Sunday 9 August
Shakti Malan and Stephen Tredrea

On romantic love

As small children we learn about princes and princesses in far off kingdoms -
and the tragic circumstances that keep the potential lovers apart. Any romantic story that doesn't end tragically ends with "and they lived happily, ever after". We grow up with some investment in making this romantic dream come true. But the "happily ever after" part seem always tragically absent. We yearn for what which seems to be just out of our reach, thus the allure of romantic love is kept strong in us.But life goes on and none of really want to be bitter and twisted about loosing out, repeatedly. So what to do?

Beyond romantic love

The Tantric response to our dream of romantic love is:
Yes, there is a soulmate for you.
Yes, the love you are looking for does exist.
Yes, life can happen beyond our wildest dreams.
The secret is to start looking for these things in the right place: Inside ourselves.

A Tantric workshop

Our aim with the "beyond romantic love" workshop is to

guide you in discerning between what is real and what is illusion in the realm of love
give you powerful tools to stengthen and clarify your heart, so that you can really give and receive love
facilitate an experience where you can touch and be touched with the presence of love

Place: Sundara Sanctuary, Claremont Cape Town
Time: 10am - 5pm
Cost: R800
Bookings: For inquiries, contact Stephen at info@stephentredrea.com or Shakti at shakti@shakti.co.za 0833010399. To reserve your place on this workshop, please deposit full payment into the following account:
Dr. S. Malan
Standard Bank current account
Merriman Square branch (02-11-09-00)
Account number: 073152811

Namaste
Shakti

Dragon's Nectar Tantra Intensive 20 - 25 November

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Dragon

The dragon represents our raw instinctual power, our primal connection to the elements, our uninhibited expression. It is the dragon in us that can roar in ecstasy when we make love. It is the dragon that can dance with abandon, in tenderness and in magnificence. In oriental mysticism our vital life force, our sexuality, is seen as dragon power or chi. Without access to the dragon power, to the raw potency of our eroticism, we lack the vitality to live our lives fully, and to endure the challenges that come on a path of awareness.

Nectar

Nectar is the pure juice of presence that flows when our dragon power gets filled with awareness. The raw energy of the dragon needs to be cultivated; the dragon needs to be tamed so that its power becomes useful rather than destructive to those with whom it shares company.

Dragon's Nectar Tantra Intensive

This intensive will be an opportunity to open up the flow of your dragon power, your raw sexual energy - and then to refine this dragon juice into the nectar that feeds the sweetest quality of presence and awakeness in your life. For this we will use a combination of Tantric methods:

active meditations
dance and movement
breath work
sound work
tantric meditations

Shakti, the presenter

Shakti is a member of the Advait Tantraschool (tantraschool.co.za). She has a full and lively practice based in Cape Town and has been running retreats across South Africa. She has extensive experience in retreat facilitation and a deeply lived understanding of Tantric work. She holds Ph.D. in Sosial Anthropology. For more on Shakti's work and approach, see shakti.co.za and totalitytherapy.com.

The venue: Drakensberg Mountain Retreat

The Drakensberg is the ideal setting for this retreat. This exquisite mountain range has been named "Dragon Mountain" because it evokes exactly the quality of a dragon for the onlooker. The Drakensberg Mountain Retreat has been home to some of the finest retreats in the country since its opening. Do yourself a favor and go have a look: www.drakensbergretreat.co.za. The center is situated a mere 3 hours from Johannesburg on the road to Durban.

Cost and bookings

The cost for the five days, all inclusive, is R3 500. A deposit of R2 000 is required to secure your place. Please contact Shakti at shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399 to book.

Early bird booking discount

A discount of R300 applies if full payment for the retreat (R3 200 for early birds) is received before the end of July.

“Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we will harness for God the energies of love; and then for the second time in the history of the world, men will have discovered fire!” – Theilard de Chardin

Conscious Sexuality Retreat Knysna September

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Conscious Sexuality
A retreat for singles and couples
By Shakti Malan
at the Osho Neo Zen Monastery, Knysna Forest
Level 1: 25 -27 September 2009
Level 2: 27 - 28 September 2009

On Conscious Sexuality

If we know how to use our sexual energy, it can take us into a beautiful flowering of the heart, into deep states of bliss and serenity. Sexual energy can also open up our authentic wildness! However, for many of us today, this potential of our sexuality is not being fully realized. Some of the common reasons are:

We have been conditioned to suppress our natural sexuality in some way.
Out of habit, sex has become a rushed explosion of pent-up energy, rather than an experience of loving, deepening, merging.
Experiences that we have had in the past (these can be sexual, emotional, physical, spiritual) got stuck in the body and are blocking our energy flow.
We are simply not in our bodies enough, loving being in our bodies enough!

The good news is that it is infinitely possible to open the flow of your natural sexuality into a conscious expression again, no matter what your age is, and whether you have a partner or not. What it takes is a willingness to shed some illusions, and to get conscious with your life!

The retreat

This retreat is an introduction into the art of sacred sexuality. My specific intent is to design it around the participants; where you are at and what you need. I hope to make some of the basic concepts of conscious sexuality clear to you, and to give you a deep (and blissful) experience of what is possible, in your body. Since this is an introductory workshop, you will not be required to expose yourself in any way that is not comfortable for you. The retreat will also introduce you to practices that you can take into your daily life and/or into your relationship.

For those of you who have already done some work with me and would like to deepen your understanding and for those who wish to go deeper after the weekend's retreat I offer an additional day (Sunday 4 pm to Monday 4 pm) in which we can explore some more. You are welcome to bring your questions and requests.

What you can expect

dialogue, discussions, roleplay
dancing and movement
meditations
breathwork
touch exercises
more delightful discussions around fires and food

The presenter

Shakti is a full time teacher of conscious sexuality. She has a passion for embodied awakening - using the body as an alive, responsive vehicle to help us discover the truth of who we really are. Shakti is based in Cape Town and runs workshops and retreats in Cape Town and elsewhere in South Africa. She also does private consultations. Shakti has a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. For more information on Shakti see shakti.co.za. For more on her approach, see totalitytherapy.com. She is a member of the Advait Tantra School (see tantraschool.co.za)

The venue

The Osho Neo Monastery is a unique forest venue constructed and managed by people who glow with the light of awareness. Accommodation is provided in A-frame wooden huts lovingly made by the owner. The gathering hall rises up out of the forest and opens up to it on all sides. This is a back-to-nature weekend, the best way to get back into our natural sexuality - with manually heated showers, candles and fires. Food is vegetarian and always exquisite.

What others say

To see how previous participants experienced this retreat, go to http://shakti.co.za/blog/2009/01/reflections-on-conscious-sexuality

Costs and bookings

Please note that the retreat can accommodate a maximum of 12 people, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Costs, including accommodation and all meals, are:
Level 1: R1 900 pp
Level 2: R600 pp

Contact Shakti on shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399 for enquiries and booking details.

With love

Shakti

Tantra events coming up June... to November

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Hello beloveds,

What a delicious full moon this is... she is beckoning me to rest into being rather than doing, and yet she is ripening the fruits of being. So here, I share with you news of Tantra fruits growing on my tree...for us all to enjoy.

Weekly BlissDance

BlissDance is an exporation of Tantra in movement; see shakti.co.za/blissdance. Those who have tasted this fruit, usually come back for more. I occasionally go away, but else Blissdance happens 7.15 - 9pm on a Wednesday at the Forge, Kalk Bay. For June and July, only one change: There will not be a class on Wednesday 8July with there will be one on 9 July in stead. Let me know if you want to be on the BlissDance mailing list.

Tantric Love Club

This evening event is an opportunity to experience and practice Tantric meditations. You can come with or without a partner. The next date for TLC is Thursday 25 June 7 - 11pm. Cost R300. Places are limited and I take bookings based on who books first, experience in Tantra and gender balance.

Tantra Course: The Inner Soulmate
Six evenings starting 20 June

In our collective psyches the dream of finding the Soulmate moves strongly - that 'other' who will meet and fulfill me completely. And, as my teacher Rahasya says: “There is a real soulmate for each one of us. But that person is inside.” Inside ourselves we are both masculine and feminine. The lovers and loved ones that cross our paths are our mirrors for where we are in the inner relationship between male and female. They can also be a rich fulfillment - and embodiment - of our inner Soulmate. Cost R1 800

Women's Tantra courses: Sacral chakra

Tantra women's workshops for June and July are focused on the second or sacral chakra, the root of our sexuality and our sense of belonging. Times: 1 - 4pm Saturdays. Venue: Greenpoint. Cost: R350 per workshop. Upcoming themes:

13 June: Virgin, whore and women's union - debunking the old archetypes
27 June: Sexuality and belonging
11 July: Yoni - gateway to nirvana
25 July: Taoist sexual practices for women

Introductory event

My colleague Stephen Tredrea and I will be presenting a talk on the practice of Tantra at the 8 o'clock club on Wednesday 8 July. Cost R40; we will forward the invitation.

Conscious Sexuality Retreat
25 - 28 September, Osho Oasis Knysna

If we know how to use our sexual energy, it can take us into a beautiful flowering of the heart, into deep states of bliss and serenity. Sexual energy can also open up our authentic wildness! The aim of this retreat is to encourage you into the full flowering of your sexuality - to the place of realizing your oneness with existence. This retreat is an intense, but blissful immersion in Tantric meditation using dance and movement, breathwork and sound. Cost: R2 500

Dragon's Nectar Tantra Intensive in the Drakensberg
Level 1: 20 - 23 November. Level 2: 23 - 25 November

In oriental mysticism our vital life force, our sexuality, is seen as dragon power or chi. Without access to the dragon power, to the raw potency of our eroticism, we lack the vitality to live our lives fully, and to endure the challenges that come on a path of awareness. And then the raw energy needs to be cultivated; the dragon needs to be tamed so that its power becomes useful rather than destructive to those with whom it shares company. This intensive will be a chance to open up the flow of our dragon power, your raw sexual energy - and then to refine this dragon juice into the nectar that feeds the sweetest quality of presence and awakeness in your life.
It was such a delight to spend a luxurious 5 days with fellow Tantra students on our recent Wild Coast Tantra retreat. Cost: Level 1 R2 300 Level 2 R1 200

Dreams in the pipeline

I am dreaming into the following events, of which I will send you details as things become clearer:

A Tantra Women's Retreat in the Little Karoo; a long weekend in October
A Tantric Dance Festival over Beltaine; end of October
Weekly Tantra meditations at my home; this will be by donations and will probably happen on a weekday morning. Let me know if you are interested.
A Touch of Woman workshop: The previous Touch of Woman workshop was exquisite; I am dreaming into the next one.
A 5 day non-residential winter Tantra retreat based in Cape Town
Tantra and Sound workshop: Stephen and I plan to do a bumper day workshop on Tantra and Sound towards the end of July/early August.

Finally, Rumi says:

The way is full of genuine sacrifice.
The thickets blocking the path are anything
that keeps you from that, any fear
that you may be broken to bits by a glass bottle.
This road demands courage and stamina,
Yet is is full of footprints!
Who are these companions?
They are rungs in your ladder. Use them!
With company you quicken your ascent.

So, beloveds, I hope that these offerings from my tree provide you some opportunities to keep each other company on this wild, exciting journey of awareness.

PS A special thanks to Marcelle di Pasquale and Ghalib Galant for their beautiful photo's

Tantra Love Club Thursday 14 May

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Tantra Love Club is a guided evening of Tantric practice. The center of the evening is a Tantric meditation practice using breath, movement and sound to open our connection to love, source, intimacy and sexuality. I have seen these evenings be deeply transformational and blissful for participants.

You do not need to come with a partner, but partners are welcome. I aim to have equal men and women on the evening, and exercises are done with different people in the course of the evening. In this way, you get to discover that your experience rises from your own center, rather than being the result of what the other can evoke in you.

I will take a maximum of 12 participants, so apply soon if you would like to attend. I select on basis of gender and level of experience, but booking early helps.

Time: 7 - 11pm Thursday 14 May
Cost: R300

Tantra Training for Men and Women: Courses starting May

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Tantra Intensive Courses

April – September 2009, Cape Town
Facilitated by Shakti Malan
Advait Tantra School

Get total with your life
Get total with your sexuality

The concept

The conscious practice of sexuality is a powerful way to get to the essence of who you are. It requires your total presence and willingness, in body, mind and spirit. That is why I have nicknamed Tantra as practiced in our school “Totality Therapy.”

Why is a conscious engagement of our sexuality so powerful? The main reasons are:

Our erotic impulses take us to what is unconscious or suppressed in us. When these unconscious or suppressed patterns are felt and accepted, we become truly present in the moment.
Sexuality practiced consciously takes us into a great state of presence – a blissful experience of being one with existence.

The courses

The courses give you an opportunity to practice some of the fundamental principles of Tantra systematically over time with a group of people. This will considerably deepen your learning and the integration of the practice in your life.

The three courses are based on the seven main objectives of my Tantra practice as outlined in http://www.totalitytherapy.com. The courses follow and build on each other; iis thus highly recommendable that you start with Level 1. All courses will take place in Cape Town.

The method

Tantra is a method rather than a philosophy, so expect the courses to be very experiential. The experiences will challenge you to go as far as you can – and they will be mountains of fun. We will use the following methods:

Active meditations
Breath work
Dialogue and enactment
Conscious touch practice
Movement and dance
Processing
Writing
Sound work
Collage and other creative modalities

The outcomes

An ability to stay present in any sexual encounter, totally open and willing for any level of sensation that passes through – without throwing off your sexual energy and depleting it
An ability to stay present in every moment of the day without using self-imposed strategies to hide from yourself or your own experience in any way
A growing capacity to love
Integration between your masculine and feminine aspects
Significantly increased effectiveness in all areas of your life
A creative, responsive rather than a rigid, defended relationship to your sense of who you are.

The Facilitator

Shakti Malan runs a full time practice in Tantra, the art of conscious sexuality. She has been running retreats and workshops for more than a decade. Her Tantra practice consists of private and group sessions, workshops, retreats, seminars and courses presented across South Africa. She has a Ph.D. (UCT) in Social Anthropology and depth experience in a vast array of Tantra and related practices. She is a member of the Advait Tantraschool; see http://tantraschool.co.za. For more on Shakti’s life and work, see http://shakti.co.za and http://totalitytherapy.com

Bookings

Please direct bookings and inquiries to Shakti at Shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399. Places are limited and participants will be selected according to their readiness.

Structure and Times

Course contact sessions will be 3 – 4 hours each and will take place over weekends or on weekday evenings. Sessions will take place in weekly or bi-weekly intervals. Participants will be given tasks to complete at home.

The Three Courses

Course 1: The erotic and beyond

A course in six sessions
Tuesday evenings 7 April – 12 May
Fish Hoek Cape Town

Course 2: The Inner Soulmate

Four sessions and two day/night outings
June – July 2009

Course objective

In our collective psyches the dream of finding the Soulmate moves strongly - that 'other' who will meet and fulfill me completely. And, as my teacher Rahasya says: “There is a real soulmate for each one of us. But that person is inside.” Inside ourselves we are both masculine and feminine. The lovers and loved ones that cross our paths are our mirrors for where we are in the inner relationship between male and female. They can also be a rich fulfillment - and embodiment - of our inner Soulmate.

The split between masculine and feminine in us is a primary polarity. A central aim of Tantra is the integration of this polarity. With that comes an experience of who you really are, in all your rich diversity. Paradoxically, as we embrace our inner Soulmate, a new fruitfulness becomes possible in our outer relationships.

Aims

Aim 1: Owning projections

The significant men or women in our lives are important mirrors for us of our other halves; our masculine side if we are feminine, and our feminine side if we are masculine. What we have not consciously come to accept in ourselves, we unconsciously project out on to others. Owning projections and accepting their gifts can be one of the most liberating, enlivening experiences of your life.

Aim 2: Meeting your Soulmate

It is possible to get intimately acquainted with your inner Soulmate. In this course we will do so through
• Shamanic journeywork and
• Gestalt role-play

Aim 3: Deepening the inner relationship

Once you have met your inner Soulmate, you can deepen this relationship. We will do so on this course through
• A live, experiential exploration of male/ female ways of being in the world
• Diarizing and sharing ongoing insights about the inner relationship as it unfolds during the course.

Course fee: R1 200

Course 3: Embodied love

A course in six sessions
August – September 2009

Course objective

When you have immersed yourself in the practices addressed in course 1 and 2, you are ready to work with sexual energy as a force of presence. The objective of this course is to get you ready to experience the full potential of your sexuality. This involves developing increased awareness in the body, expanding your heart capacity and practicing presence in every moment, including your most intimate ones.

Aims

Aim 1: Expanding heart capacity

With Tantric practice, sexual energy moves right up into the heart. Not only does our sexuality get infused with love, but our ability to love unconditionally increases significantly. On this course, your heart capacity will expand through
• Being guided into the depths of your feeling capacity;
• Tantric meditation practice that connects the sex and heart and
• Experiencing unconditional love in touch and presence

Aim 2: Developing presence in the body

The body is a finely tuned receptacle for awareness. Mostly in our lives, we treat the body as a functional tool rather than as the mystery that it is. In this course, you will deepen your presence in the body through
• Tantric breath work that utilizes the flow of sexual energy
• Sensual awareness exercises and
• Nervous system repatterning through touch to enable you to stay present and relaxed while experiencing heightened sensation.

Aim 3: Presence in every moment

When you get immersed in the moment, time comes to a standstill. Everything becomes luminous. Your heart opens. You feel everything intensely. Your identity becomes infinitely pliable and responsive. You can live without limits. In Tantra, we practice presence through Tantric meditations directing sexual energy with breath, movement and sound. This prepares you for full sexual presence in your intimate relationships. As a result, sexual intercourse becomes a profound experience of oneness with existence.

Course fee: R1 800

Tantric Practice for Women: A continuous course

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:02:00 +0000

A great new journey for women… beginning April 2009

I have often been asked to provide more regular learning opportunities for women in Tantric practice. Here they come!

Tantric Practice for Women

Tantra, the art of conscious sexuality, is a practice that has since ancient times been led by women. What has been a secret and mystical practice has now become accessible to seekers who are on a committed path of awareness. It is a special calling in my life to support women into the full flowering of where our sexuality can take us. The main elements of this work are:
• Understanding the unique qualities of female sexuality
• Opening to the flow of sexual energy/ kundalini through meditation, dance and breath work
• Unleashing blocks or integrating what has prevented this full flow through the chakras.

Working with the chakras

Tantra is a practice that cultivates awareness of our oneness with existence through sexual awakening. This happens through the opening of the chakras. Chakras are energy centers in the body where consciousness collects around particular patterns. Typically in sexual encounter, we send our sexual energy outwards. We may experience deep bliss for a while, but generally this does not last. With Tantric awareness, our sexual vitality starts to move up our bodies like a snake that uncoils, from the root or base of the body all the way up through the crown. Sexual energy moves from the first chakra up. This process is often known at the Uncoiling of the Snake (sexual energy or kundalini). For more on the unique qualities of each chakra, see http://shakti.co.za/blog/2008/04/tantra-and-chakras_14.html

Many women have negative body memories from sexual experience. These can be from a range of sources, including direct invasion, inappropriate contact, painful or insensitive sex and judgments about the realm of the sexual. While engaging your personal healing journey in this realm will be intensified by private sessions with me, the continuous course will create a space for us to collectively and individually release and integrate past inhibiting memories. For more on my approach to this work, see http://totalitytherapy.com/blog/2009/02/sexual-healing-copyright-shakti-malan.html

A continuous course

From April this year, I will be running an ongoing course on Tantra for women. The course will consist of regular mini workshops in which we will systematically work through the chakras. There will be three or four workshops per chakra. Each workshop will be an exploration of a specific element of women’s sexuality related to that chakra.

You will benefit most from the mini workshops if you attend them from the beginning. However, the workshops will be structured in such a way that you can attend any workshop at any stage (that is, you can enter and exit the process as it suits you.) I will advertise each workshop in a separate mail as well.

Growing with other women

This continuous course will create a space for fluid community and support amongst women. We learn from each other and share in our experiences. The unfolding of our personal awareness can be deepened significantly through regular practice in a conscious group context.

Method

The kinds of methods I use are:

Breath work
Guided meditations
Group discussions and sharing
Shamanic journeywork
Body tracking
Collaging, journaling and other creative expressions
Movement and dance

The methods will be an encouragement of the subtlety in women’s sexuality. The focus is on the movement of sexual energy in your own body; on getting to know your own body, and becoming attuned to how energy moves through you.

April/May workshops

Dates: Saturday mornings
Times: 10 am – 1pm
Place: The Outer Robe Bree Street Cape Town Central
Cost: R300pp per workshop

Saying yes to the body
Saturday 4 April 10am

The first chakra will only open when we say yes to being embodied, to being on the planet in a body. We women often view our own bodies critically. In this workshop, you will learn ways of coming to love your body. We will also begin to experience how sexual energy moves in a woman’s body trough working with the perineum and movement in the

Embracing desire
Saturday 18April 10 am

The flow of our sexual energy starts at the root or first chakra, which is the seat of our desire. In its primal form, this energy is raw sexual desire, our primary eroticism. In order to practice Tantra, it is essential that we first embrace our dragon fire – our capacity for desire. In my experience, women often suppress or deny this quality of our sexuality. In this workshop I invite you to a fun exploration of your eroticism. With it with come a flourish of new life force available to you.

Cosmic sexuality: connecting to the earth
Saturday 2 May 10am

Women’s sexuality has a cosmic quality to it. It is elemental. It rises up in our bodies through the earth. Come discover and celebrate the flow of this energy with me in a morning of dancing and breath meditation.

Accepting your death Saturday 16 May 10am

One of the main factors that block our flow in the first chakra is our survival fear. If you are staying in a relationship because you are afraid of not being able to provide a livelihood for yourself outside of it, this factor will impact on your first chakra sexual energy. At the root of it, all our survival fears relate to the fear of death. There is a beautiful Tantric meditation that helps us to accept and embrace the inevitable passing of things. This will be the focus of our workshop. As you come to accept death, you are ready to be fully alive.

Bookings

To book your place on any/all of these workshops, contact Shakti at shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399

Conscious sexuality Intensive 22 - 27 May 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Conscious sexuality

Sexual energy can be powerful a vehicle for awareness. Sexual meditation practice can take you way beyond your identification with your personal story to lived awareness of being one with all that is. And working with sexuality consciously can also rapidly move you through the suppressions, projections and associations that keep you attached to your limited sense of self. Mostly, our experience of the sexual is not very conscious though. This retreat offers you five days to practice being conscious with the flow of your sexual energy.

The retreat

The Conscious Sexuality Intensive is an immersion in sexual awareness practice. The practice will have the following elements:

Active meditations
Dance and movement
Tantric partner meditations
Tantric touch practice
Story circles and teaching on conscious sexual practice.

The facilitator

Shakti Malan (Ph.D UCT) has facilitated group retreats and workshops for more than a decade. She is a highly experienced Tantrika with a private practice in Cape Town. She runs retreats across the country. For more on her practice, see http://shakti.co.za and http://tantraschool.co.za. She is a member of the Advait Tantraschool; see http://tantraschool.co.za

The venue: The Kraal, Mpande Transkei

The Kraal retreat center is locaded in Mpande, just south of Port St Johns on the Transkei coast. The Kraal is a slice of paradise - green rolling hills right above an ocean that is so alive it makes your cells sing. Long, pristine beaches and rock pools stretch out on both sides. This venue offers a true immersion in soft wilderness - ideal for Tantric practice. We are also far away from our daily lives, and in a place where sun and salt water on our skins, as well as locally caught seafood, will open our senses wide to what the moment has to offer.

Accommodation and food

Accommodation options are beautiful rondavel style dormitories, a luxury hut for a couple, and several comfortable safari tents. Delicious locally prepared food is available, and self catering is also an option. The Kraal has no electricity, but all amenities are provided for in an eco-friendly manner.

Cost

Facilitation fee for the five days is R1 700; accommodation and food costs according to your choice.

Travel

Various travel options are available; ask me for details.

Bookings and inquiries

Contact Shakti at shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399. Book early as places are limited.

Feedback from participants

This is what participants on previous conscious sexuality retreats had to say:

"Thank you for a great and unforgettable week-end.It take courage to open oneself up,and initially I was a bit scared/curious .But the reward is great.It was a beautifull experience.It was also great to have met you."

"Shakti, how can words ever express what a gift You are to this planet!! The entire weekend was beyond anything I could ever have imagined! From the very beginning, I already felt incredibly blessed & safe to be working in your sacred space. Even the questions which were asked via email before our arrival were beautifully sensitive and deep, and I found myself falling into truth then already. The way in which you designed the workshop was simply profound...it felt like I was melting ever deeper with each day's meditation...melting and opening and soaring in a bliss that I have never previously experienced to this degree.

Your workshop is definitely for real lovers of Truth - and this I could tell from the moment we began. Some people are seeking, some are wanting more physical pleasures and tangible ways to enjoy 'sex'....to those I would say beware - your workshop is not about this. For me, it was about realizing the truth of my own inner beauty and divinity, opening into my goddess nature, surrending into the bliss that is always here.... and simply falling in love with myself! It was like a tender kiss from the Beloved Infinite! Delisciously indescribable!

Thank you for opening your heart so wide that you could hold the space for each participant to surrender as much as possible!

I truly honour the Light & the Life within you!"

" Why did I only discover you in my mid-forties? ... There is this report of some other man who attended a tantra workshop in his forties who immediately booked his twenty-something son for the next retreat, not wanting him to spend much of his adult life stumbling about and only using his sexual energy in shallow ways. This is EXACTLY how I feel: if only if I had known earlier... but I am still so very glad to have attended at all. The workshop opened up an entirely new, immensely deeper dimension to my (our:) sexual experiences.

I came to the workshop from a meditation background but wanting to experience my sexual activities at a deeper, more satisfying level. (I have never done anything related to tantra before in my life.) Well, I find what I was looking for and much, much more. The retreat combines meditations and sensual exercises - always at a gentle level without pushing participants into areas they don't want to go. Being a teacher myself, I was particularly impressed how you (Shakti) was constantly aware of every individual's particular state of readiness throughout the workshop. You ever so gently took each of us on our own path and gave individual guidance whenever we were ready to go on to the next level. Sometimes it was as little as a little touch or nudge, or a few words. Other times, it was taking some time to have a longer or deeper conversation. For me, the culmination and critical turn-around (catalyst?) in the weekend were the two evening talks. After being prepared throughout the day with the different exercises, my heart, mind and body were so open to your deep and caring wisdom. My lovemaking can never be the same again. And a lot of what happened that weekend has spilled over into the rest of my life: my interactions with others have got a much more sensual, caring undertone to them. THANK YOU!"

"The sensual beauty I experienced on this workshop opened my awareness to a world that I didn't know existed."

Tantra workshop 14 February

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Tantra for lovers of life

14 February 2009
Pakhalane Hout Bay Cape Town

TANTRA is a practice of awareness that uses sexual energy. Tantric practice can take you to an experience of ecstatic, unconditional love for yourself and all of existence. It can take relationhips to another level. I invite you, on this year's Valentine's Day, to be a Lover of Life through the practice of Tantra. Come to one or both workshops. The two workshops are suitable for both couples and single people who are on a path of consciousness. I will make sure that numbers are even so that single people can practice with each other.

Tantric meditations (10am - 1pm)

The morning workshop is an introduction and practice of Tantric meditation techniques. We use breath, movement and sound to circulate sexual energy and move it up the chakras. These meditations are done fully clothed, and with limited body contact. The focus is no experiencing the flow of energy through your own body, and between partners.

Tantric touch (2.30 - 5.30pm)

The afternoon workshop is an introduction to and practice of Tantric touch – how to use sensual, present touch to open up the energy flow of a partner. For this workshop, more skin exposure and contact will be helpful. Bring: Blanket and sheet.

Bring some sensual food to share for a lunch table (optional).

Cost: R350 pp per workshop

Bookings: Book with Shakti at shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399. The venue is intimate and space is limited.

Please tell friends who might be interested!

Introduction to Conscious Sexuality, Port Elizabeth

noreply@blogger.com (Shakti) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Introduction to Conscious Sexuality

A series of workshops By Shakti Malan
in Port Elizabeth

Thursday 5 - Sunday 8 February

You are invited to a series of workshops on conscious sexuality

Thursday 6 - 10pm: Introduction to female sexuality. Discussion on the unique qualities of women's sexuality. Some practice, and an opportunity to bring your questions. R250 including light meal.

Friday 6 - 10pm: Introduction to conscious sexuality. This evening will be a discussion on the subject with some practice and opportunities for you to bring your questions. Cost R250, including light meal

Saturday 10 am - 6pm: Practicing conscious sexuality. A day worskhop for men and women. Cost R500, including lunch and teas

Sunday 10am - 6pm: Going deeper with conscious sexuality. Another day of practice for men and women, following on from the Saturday. Cost R500, including lunch and teas.

On conscious sexuality

If we know how to use our sexual energy, it can take us into a beautiful flowering of the heart, into deep states of bliss and serenity. Sexual energy can also open up our authentic wildness! However, for many of us today, this potential of our sexuality is not being fully realized.

The good news is that it is infinitely possible to open the flow of your natural sexuality into a conscious expression again, no matter what your age is, and whether you have a partner or not. What it takes is a willingness to shed some illusions, and to get conscious with your life!

The workshops

This workshops are an introduction to conscious sexuality. My first intent is to deepen learning about intimacy. Whether we have been in long term or sporadic relationships, or on our own mostly, our approach to intimacy can always do with more refinement. Each workshop will be designed around the participants; where you are at and what you need (this is also why it is essential that you let me know what your motivation is for coming on the workshop).

I hope to make some of the basic concepts of conscious sexuality clear to you, and to give you a deep (and blissful) experience of what is possible, in your body. Since these are introductory workshops, you will not be required to expose yourself in any way that is not comfortable for you. The workshops will also introduce you to practices that you can take into your daily life and/or into your relationship.

What you can expect

dialogue, discussions, roleplay
dancing and movement
meditations
touch exercises

breathwork

Conscious Sexuality for Women

A workshop for women only
By Shakti Malan
at the Treetop restaurant at Bushbuck Ridge

Colleen Glen, Port Elizabeth
Thursday 5^th Feb

On female sexuality

In ancient wisdom traditions, the sexuality of women has been revered as a gateway to the sacred. The gift of the feminine has been much misunderstood in the last 2000 years and much understanding about how female sexuality works has been all but lost. No wonder so few women find deep fulfilment in sexuality, what to say an experience of ecstatic oneness with the universe - which is the potential of our sexuality. The time has come for us to remember how our sexuality naturally flows through our bodies and to embrace again the gifts that it brings to our lives. Female sexuality is about opening, receptivity, responsiveness, creativity, sensitivity. It is possible to reawaken these qualities in your own body through solo practice; the results of which will greatly enhance your experience with lovers. Many women in our day have had sexual experiences that have been invasive and so there is a resistance to opening. This workshop will also be an opportunity to be present with such memories left in the body, and to open to new pathways of feeling and expression in us.

Bookings

Please note that teach workshop can accommodate a maximum of 12 people, so book early to avoid disappointment. Banking details are:

Dr. S. Malan
Standard Bank current account
Merriman Square branch (02-11-09-00)
Account number: 073152811
For bookings and applications, contact Shakti on shakti@shakti.co.za or 0833010399 or Linda Jervis at ljervis@absamail.co.za