During this 7 Day Retreat, you will get to focus on creating beautiful yantras and mandalas connected to the energy of the planets. Did you know that each planet is connected to a number?
Sun = 1
Moon = 2
Jupiter = 3
Rahu = 4
Mercury = 5
Venus = 6
Ketu = 7
Saturn = 8
Mars = 9

In this workshop and many of my others, you will learn how to make a yantra that is connected to your own personal numerology as well as the most beneficial planet yantra to use based on your vedic astrology chart. In Vedic Numerology, we work with 2 numbers, Psychic and Destiny. Here is a quick method for figuring out your Psychic Number.

What is your date of birth?
Ex: October 3, 1956, which becomes 10/3/1956
The psychic number is the day, so in this case the 3rd, so that would be a 3. In this system we work with 9 numbers, so if your number is a double digit, ex: 12, 21, 30, you would reduce it to a single digit, which would be a 3. Then you would see which planet is connected to your number, in this case it's Jupiter.

After learning how to make a basic yantra, with the correct colors, you can take it one step further and create a beautiful mandala, using the Vedic Square an ancient number grid. In this mandala, the pattern is created by using the #3 on the grid and repeated to make a new pattern. The colors in the mandala are within the range of Jupiter colors, yellows, yellow oranges, etc.

I am so excited about my upcoming workshop in Tampa, teaming up with the Johari Family. For those of you who don't know, my teacher was Harish Johari, author of many books on tantra, yantras, numerology, gems, chakras and many other subjects. I have been working with his daughter, Seema Johari Agarwal and grandaughter, Anushree Agarwal, in Haridwar and last year in London. This Tampa workshop is so special as we will focus on the 9 planets, their yantras, mantras and vedic astrology. We are very fortunate to have Sangeeta Johari, daughter-in-law of my teacher, teaching us astrology. For those of you who have been to the Haridwar house, you have experienced first hand the amazing food and we will have that prepared for us during this spiritual immersion. I am also excited that Astrud Castillo will be joining us from San Francisco, starting our day off with an amazing yoga class and will lead us in some uplifting chanting. You can join us for the whole 5 days or less if that's all your schedule allows. 
For registration and more info, contact Anushree.

This past weekend I was invited back for the 3rd time to teach a Goddess Yantra Workshop at Love Yoga in Naples, Florida. The studio owner, Carla Olla, transplanted from the Hudson Valley, has created a very beautiful space filled with shakti, a perfect spot to get in touch with Goddess energy. Students had a choice of working with 1 of 5 aspects of the Divine Mother; Kali, Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Gayatri. Once they pick their Goddess, we start by constructing the yantra, finding the center of the  paper and then creating a large circle. From that point, the square bhupur is found and everything goes from the outside in, back to the center, the bindu, the point of creation and dissolution. While constructing and painting, students are chanting the mantra associated with that goddess. By chanting, the energy of the Goddess is infused in the yantra. The whole process is a deep, profound meditation, one spends hours absorbed in Ma's energy, eventually merging and becoming one. 

So what are the different energies? Kali is the Goddess of Transformation and removes fears, especially fear of death and attachments. She helps you get rid of what is no longer necessary in your life, so be ready for it if you work with her.

Saraswati is the Goddess of Wisdom, Learning, Creativity and the Arts. She is good to work with when you want to start a serious study or you are a musician or artist, we ask for her blessing on our creative path. Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth, Prosperity, Abundance and Love, to name a few. Who can't use more Lakshmi energy in their life?

Durga, also called the Invincible, is a Goddess who removes fear and sorrows and gives strength and courage to those who invoke her. Gayatri, the Mother of the Vedas is connected to the Sun and to light and reminds us that we are healers, full of light.

I have been very fortunate to be able to come down to the Bahamas and teach Sacred Painting for the past 9 years. The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat is one of those magical places, nestled between the bay and the ocean on Paradise Island. I arrived here on Dec 1st and taught 3 days of Yantra Painting, with the focus on making a Ganesh Yantra. Ganesh is the elephant god, the remover of obstacles and it's recommended to start with his yantra first. By constructing, painting and chanting his mantra, one will get his grace and hopefully will experience an easier time in spiritual pursuits.

Here's what a typical day looks like at the ashram: 5:30 wake up bell, then satsang at 6, yoga at 8, brunch at 10, workshops between 12 & 4 or free time to enjoy the beach, 4, yoga, 6 dinner and 8 satsang. It's a very long day which helps to keep you mind focused on spiritual thoughts.  The food has been exceptionally good this year, lots of fresh veggies, dal, freshly baked bread and lots of gluten free choices. 

One of the highlights of my day is attending the Vana Durga Puja, a magical shrine in the middle of native foliage, feels like being in the jungle. Everyday at 11:30, the priest Krishnan Namboordri, worships her by removing her clothes, washing her and dressing her in the color of the day. When I attended on Friday, she got an oil massage and no clothes. After the puja, the priest puts ashes and kumkum on our forehead and gave us prasad, usually dried fruit and nuts. 

Saturn has just changed signs and is now in Scorpio. I have just experienced 7 years of Sade Sati and now that's over! My life seems to be filled with Saturn energy, I am running Saturn Maha Dasha and just started my 2nd Saturn Return. I am looking forward to the next 2.5 years as I reflect back on my life and think about what happened during the 1st one 29 years ago. That was a very happy time in my life, my first child was born, I embarked on my journey as a mother. Saturn is the great teacher and gives you many lessons, so lets see what he has to teach me this time. In preparation for this event, I made a Saturn Yantra Mandala and will probably make a few more. I love the colors in the Saturn Yantra, it's quite beautiful, considering it can be such a harsh planet.

This past Saturday, I taught a Chakra Mandala Workshop in Brooklyn at a very beautiful space called The Ark. The workshop was part of a series hosted by AJ Block and The Sacred Research Foundation in Greenpoint. Students got to pick a chakra that they wanted to work on. Sometimes hard to pick, but a good choice is an area that might be giving you some trouble or you feel blocked. I was happy to see 3 of the 9 people work on the 1st Chakra. The 1st Chakra has to do with issues of security and stability, it's the beginning and without a solid foundation, it can be challenging to progress in life. Students created mandalas that included the petals and the symbolism for the element. For example in the 1st Chakra there are 4 bright red petals and the earth element is represented by a yellow square. Mandalas were created by using the Vedic Square, an ancient number grid. According to the Chakra Book by my teacher, Harish Johari, chakras have ruling planets. The first chakra is ruled by the planet Mars, which is connected to the #9. Here's a brief overview: 2nd chakra= Mercury, #5, 3rd chakra=Sun, #1, 4th chakra=Venus, #6, 5th chakra=Jupiter, #3, 6th chakra=Saturn, #8 and 7th chakra=Ketu, #7. 

I love to see all the work emerging and I find it so interesting to see the same chakra come out in so many different ways. The patterns never come out the same way twice.
Here are some examples from the workshop:

I just came back from an amazing workshop in S. Florida, Highland Beach. This was the first time many of my students made a yantra, and they chose to create a mandala around it. The mandala is made from an ancient number grid called the Vedic Square. There is not that much known about it, only that it has been used to created intricate designs and patterns and when you look at it, it's some kind of multiplication table.

Students picked their yantra based on their personal numerology, ascendent lord of their vedic astrology chart or dasha lord. Some people combined a few of these elements. Here are some examples of their work: