Information about the Kirtan Gathering
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July 17-19, 2009, Harbin Hot Springs, Middletown, CA
You are invited to join us for an ecstatic weekend of chanting, dance and healing hot spring waters. The theme of this Kirtan weekend is “Surrendering to Ecstasy”. We’ll be creating a sacred space on the Harbin Hot Springs land, that will support manifesting a deep connection to the Divine. The 3-day program includes focused spiritual activities for deep relaxation, meditation and transformation--yoga, chanting, pranayama, water purification & nature--all which assist in deep letting go, allowing our natural ecstatic state to emerge. The cumulative effect keeps building! The tentative line-up of chant groups includes: Suzanne Sterling, Shantala (Benjy & Heather Wertheimer), Fanna Fi Allah Qawwali, Prema Mayi, Kathy Zavada, Arpita, Peter and The Harbin Kirtan Band, Uma Reed with Geoffrey Gordon, and more are being added! Late night chanting, and several daily yoga classes will be offered including flows with Harmony Ananda that include live music. All are welcome.
Cost: $295 before June 10, $345 after. Price includes simple vegetarian meals, camping, yoga classes and use of all Harbin Hot Springs amenities. Click here to register or call (707) 987-8341
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Harbin Hot Springs, Middletown, CA
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Harbin Hot Springs is simply a beautiful place to relax... over 1600 acres of privacy, surrounded by many more acres of undeveloped woodland. The location in Lake County features the cleanest air in California.
Large soaking pools let you enjoy spring waters as they come from Mother Earth... very hot, soothingly warm, or breathtakingly cold. Thanks to a state-of-the-art filtration system, even the large swimming pool contains absolutely no chlorine. Sprawling sun decks -- like the entire pool area -- welcome sunning, soaking and swimming with or without swimsuits. And on cooler days, enjoy the warmth of our steam room or dry sauna.
During your visit, you may want to schedule a massage or other treatment from professionally trained and certified practitioners. Choose from a wide range of approaches including bodywork, energy work and pampering packages. And, of course, there's also Watsu®, and Healing Dance, powerful forms of warm water massage developed and taught at Harbin.
As twilight approaches, one sundeck becomes an outdoor sleeping area for those who love dreaming under the stars. Creekside camping is available as well. Charming Victorian-style buildings on mainside feature dormitories and beautifully renovated private rooms of various styles. For special occasions, consider one of our luxurious cottages. Or ask about room availability in the Domes center on the side of Harbin Mountain.
Harbin's center is maintained and operated by more than 100 residents who share the duties of preserving this land as a healing retreat for these stressful times. Although we strive to provide basic comfort and conveniences during your retreat, we have no desire to compete with elegant spas or fancy resorts.
Retreat. Relax. Renew. Click here to learn more about Harbin Hot Springs or call (707) 987-2477 to reserve your room or health treatments in advance.
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Ecstatic Kirtan Accommodation Options
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 Outdoor Camping-included
Your Ecstatic Kirtan Registration fee ($295 before June 10, $345 after) will include outdoor camping accommodations for Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday (July 19th) until 10 pm. You may bring your own tent, or use the Harbin sleeping decks and sleep under the stars. Bathrooms and showers are located near the tenting areas. Be sure to bring your own bedding, mats, towels & flashlight.
Indoor Camping
You will bring your own mats and bedding and sleep in the Meadow Building on carpeted floors. $30 extra, limited number of spaces.
Harbin Hotel or Dome Room - private rooms for 1 or 2 people, fees vary
Harbin Dorm - Separate men & women's dorms, reserve early, $50 extra per night
Harbin Cottage - Private dwellings with bathrooms, $230-$260 extra per night
To reserve a Harbin Room, call 707-987-2477.
Your $295 Registration Fee will include the following:
* Entry to Harbin Hot Springs from Friday, July 17, noon to Sunday, July 19, 10 pm
* Constant Kirtan including late night chanting and all night chanting on Saturday. There will be several venues including the Harbin Temple & Meadow Building
* Up to three yoga classes offered daily of different levels, some with live music.
* Quantum Light Breath with Richard Bock & the Quantum Light Breath Orchestra
* 7 Simple Vegetarian Meals included
+ Organic Food Restaurants, Health Food Market & Community Kitchen for those with special dietary needs ($extra)
* 9 Hiking Trails and several clothing optional sun decks
*Unlimited use of the Hot Springs, Pools, Steam & Dry Saunas, Hot & Cold Plunge, Showers and facilities
* Harbin outdoor camping at no charge
or Indoor private or semi-private rooms & dormitory rooms ($extra)
* Vendors offering God/Goddess clothing, silks, jewelry. Internet access is limited but available. Cell phones not allowed.
All classes are optional--you can create your own relaxing program which may be doing nothing!
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Chant Group Line-Up
SUZANNE STERLING - Electronic/Dance Kirtan, 5 Chant Group Musicians
Suzanne’s musical explorations in the realm of electronic dance music, devotional chanting and songs of the ecstatic soul have brought her to the forefront of the “kirtronica” sound (Conscious Dancer magazine named her a “kirtronica pioneer”).
FANNA-FI-ALLAH - Mystical Qqwwali Kirtan, 7 Chant Group Musicians
Fanna-Fi-Allah translates as: annihilation into Allah. Qawwali is an ancient practice wherein the fire of divine love (ishq) is ecstatically expressed through the mystical verses of Sufi poets, sung in Urdu, Farsi, Hindi and Punjabi. Tahir Qawwal and Amena Chisty Qawwal lead the Fanna-Fi-Allah Qawwali party consisting of five to ten rigorously trained musicians.
SHANTALA - Inspirational Kirtan Duo
As the duo Shantala, Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan worldwide, bringing audiences sacred lyrics, soul-stirring vocals, and exotic instrumentation. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally with such sacred music luminaries as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, and Jai Uttal.
KATHY ZAVADA - Solo Piano, Devotional Kirtan
Recording artist, devotional singer & pianist, Kathy Zavada, has released 8 CD's on her own independent label Precious Music. Her CD's have sold tens of thousands of copies, and her release Journey Home was voted by Amazon.com in the top ten best new age CD's of 2002. She is regularly invited to sing for Her Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi, the hugging saint, and to share her music at programs for Gangaji, a distinguished and well-respected American spiritual teacher.
PREMA MAYI - Bhakti mantra, 4 chant group musicians
Prema Mayi was born in Chile. At the age of twelve, she entered an ashram of Bhakti Yoga in Europe. Now, thirty years later, her natural, gentle zeal for bhakti is embellished with a warm-hearted maturity and an inspiration to share with others what she has imbibed, through the medium of sweet and melodic kirtan.
GEOFFREY GORDON-Kirtan drummer & Chant Leader
Geoffrey has played on over eighty published albums including Krishna Das 'One Track Heart'; Gabrielle Roth 'Trance'; Coleman Barks 'Rumi: Poet of the Heart'; Bhagavan Das 'Now'; Tulku 'Trancendance', Little Wolf 'Wolf Moon', MC Yogi 'Elephant Power', and Stephen Kent 'Family Tree'. He played on many of Jai Uttal's CDs including 'Monkey', 'Beggars and Saints', 'Shiva Station', 'Spirit Room', 'Nectar', and 'Mondo Rama'. Geoffrey played tabla, multiple hand drums, and sang with Jai Uttal on all tours and concerts from 1992 - 2003.
UMA REED - Northern California chant leader, 5 Chant Band Musicians
Uma has traveled the spiritual path for thirty years, studying with various teachers including Ram Das. She has sung and led kirtan since the 1970s in numerous ashrams and yoga studios.
PETER & The Harbin Kirtan Band - 10 person chant group
Peter has been leading chanting at Harbin since being mentored in the ways of Kirtan by Bhagavan Das. He is a philosopher, artist, musician, minister and a manager at Harbin since 1999. His early yoga practice was heavily influenced by Gurudev Swami Satchitananda and Ram Das.
ARPITA - Harbin Resident, 4 member Chant Group
Arpita is a Harbin resident and yoga teacher and has been an avid singer and musician all her life. She was initiated by Bhagavan Das as a Kirtan leader and blesses Harbin with her angelic voice and heartful prayers at a monthly Saturday night Kirtan. She plays harp, ektar, sitara, harmonium and tambora.
YOUR HOSTS
Harmony Ananda & Lyn Hunstad
Harmony Ananda and Lyn Hunstad will be your hosts for this first Ecstatic Kirtan Weekend at Harbin. Harmony will also be offering morning flow yoga classes with live music. She has been a yoga instructor for over 20 years and is a 500 hour certified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and also certifed in TriYoga, as taught by Kali Ray. Harmony is currently a Harbin Resident and the Events Coordinator at Harbin Hot Springs. Her 30 year devotion to yoga and the spiritual path has inspired her to organize this first Kirtan Gathering at Harbin and form Ecstatic Kirtan Productions with Lyn Hunstad another Middletown kirtan enthusiast. |
