Summer Solstice Camp 2000

[Guest guest]

ISIS <wdrichey

 

> thanks , i needed/wanted to hear someone else's more positive viewpoint to

> clarify

> & would like to hear more of your experience &, what you get out of it

> cumulatively, & other wise & why it is worth the supreme effort ,

> financially, stresswise of travel , camping & contending with hot weather

> without a nearby body of water

 

Dear Isis & All

 

What you ask can't be answered in a few lines.

 

To get to Solstice Camp from Scotland I had to travel for 22 hours,

including 3 flights and a 2 hour car ride from Albuquerque. Arriving at

around 1am, I unpacked my sleeping bag and curled up on the floor of the

tantric shelter, a large roofed structure, open 3 sides. The gale force

wind, blowing sand around for extra effect, was quite successful in its

attempts to deprive me of any chance of meaningful sleep, and then, at 4am,

sadhana started - the beginning of a new day at camp, so all attempts at

sleep had to be abandoned.

 

The coming of dawn around 5.45 revealed the full spectacular beauty of the

camp setting. Ram Das Puri Camp is situated on a plateau in the Jemez

mountains, north of the town of Espanola in New Mexico, at an elevation of

over 6000 feet. The land, sacred Indian land, was bought from the Hopi

Indians by Yogi Bhajan. The views from the camp to the east and south are

truly incredible.

 

I met Gururattan in person for the first time before breakfast - it was

quite amazing meeting someone in person with whom I had been working so

closely online for the last 15 months or so, but she was just as I had

imagined her to be. Our rapport readily translated to real life.

 

My tent had been pitched on a great site down in the woods behind the

shelter, and only 2 minutes walk from the showers.

 

Saturday was designated World Peace Prayer Day, and a lot of visitors were

expected at the camp. It was indeed a full program, starting after sadhana

with a spectacular Aztec Sun Ceremony. After breakfast, first Kundalini Yoga

class of the week was taken by Gururattan herself, and all of us who

attended were given a very thorough workout indeed. After the break the next

class was from Nirvair Singh, the Alaskan Yogi. I was reveling in the chance

of taking so many classes - normally I am lucky if I can attend one class in

12 months as there are none within 300 miles of my home.

 

After lunch I had to go and register. Part of the registration process

involved the allocation of tasks to everyone for the week - we all had a

duty to do, in service to others and to assist in the running of the camp -

everything from vegetable chopping to security, and preparing food to

clearing garbage. I was allocated breakfast serving, which turned out to be

a good choice - it left me free for the rest of the day. As an aside, it

took me 5 minutes to clear US Immigration at Newark, and around 1 hour to

clear Ram Das Puri Immigration at the camp gates! ;-)

 

There was a huge and varied program of speakers and music arranged for

Saturday afternoon and evening as part of the Peace Day Celebrations, and I

alternated my time between the events and helping to man our book stall in

the bazaar, situated in one of the large tents.

 

Sunday morning we had an induction meeting for all those new to Solstice,

where we were given pointers on how to live in the high desert - about the

necessity of drinking plenty of water and keeping up our intake of salt,

about wearing sun block constantly, about precautions to take with food, and

with cuts and grazes, about bugs and bug bites, and general camping craft.

 

Sunday and Monday were both full days, with KY classes from some of the

leading teachers, including Guru Prem, who spent his time showing us how to

do Sun Salutations properly - and he really showed most of us just how

little we knew on the subject. There were also lessons on healing,

numerology, and Guru Nam gave a fascinating talk on the Kabbalah, Astrology

and Kundalini Yoga. Many of the events took place simultaneously, and it was

often a difficult decision to work out which ones to attend.

 

Tuesday was the first day of White Tantric Yoga - I had heard all about it

from others, and approached the day with a feeling of trepidation. It is

done with a partner, and the couples are in long rows stretching the full

length of the shelter - there were over 1000 folk participating.

 

Normally Yogi Bhajan would be there in person, but because of his recent

health problems he had been advised by his doctors to stay away, so it was

all done through a facilitator in the shelter, who could pass on his energy

to the rest of us. He had recorded videos to introduce each exercise.

Because of the large contingent of folk there from South America, every

instruction was also translated into Spanish.

 

As it turned out, I need not have worried too much. My first day's partner,

Hilary, was a newly qualified KY teacher from Portland OR. We started off on

a fairly low key with a 31 minute meditation, followed by a second one and

then one of 62 minutes. In the afternoon we went through 3 62 minute Sat

Kriya type meditations. All involved navel pumping and there was a variation

in mudras between each. I had never done Sat Kriya for more than 12 minutes

before, and was quite amazed that the energy all around me kept me going for

the full time. The worst part was sitting on my heels for so long - my

ankles were really starting to scream by the time it was all over.

 

Day 2 was easier, except for one killer of 62 minutes which involved

constantly opening and closing the arms while keeping them parallel to the

floor. I have to admit to taking several rests during that one. My partner,

Siri, was a teacher from Johannesburg, South Africa.

 

Day 3 promised to be a long one. We had a large number of 31 minute

meditations to do, followed by the blind walk. My partner was Ananda Kaur

from Dallas. She was 63, and a fantastic character. We had a whole heap of

fun together. For one of the meditations we had to lie on our backs side by

side on a yoga mat, with our heads turned to face each other, and then tell

each other details of our lives. She looked at me and with a twinkle in her

eye told me that she wouldn't normally get this close to her cat, never mind

a complete stranger. ;-)

 

At the end of the last meditations there was much euphoria. The walk was

done in groups of 12, led by someone who had experienced it before. Apart

from the leader, we all had to keep our eyes closed, and facing alternate

ways, held hands and walked along in a line, relying on the person in front

for direction, and all the time chanting "Wahe Guru". After around 30

minutes we all ended up back at the shelter, and once we had done our Sat

Nam's and blessing, a huge party burst into life. Everyone was so happy that

it was all over, and that they survived.

 

I had to leave on the Friday morning, so missed the last full day of camp.

 

During the week the weather had been varied, from gale force winds and dust

storms on the first night, to hot but not too hot during the day, cool but

not cold at night, and a couple of spectacular electrical storms, with heavy

rain. The ground was so dry that the water simply vanished, and next day it

was as dry as every. There were hardly any bugs around, which was an

additional bonus - I had read in the Lonely Planet guide to NM all about

scorpions, black widows, rattlesnakes, cone headed bugs and Gila monsters -

none of which put in an appearance. There has never been a serious case of

spider bite in the 29 years of the camp's existence.

 

Food at the camp consisted of a simple vegetarian cleansing diet. It tended

to be monotonous, but filling. Also, there was as much watermelon to eat as

anyone could ever want.

 

I have a lot of memories - simple things such as camping out in the woods

and watching the full moon rising above the trees, so clear and large it

almost seemed as if I could reach out and touch it. Of the crystal clear

night sky filled with a billion stars. Of getting up at 2am on Wednesday

morning, convinced I had overslept, and even after taking a cold shower all

by myself, still not realizing that I was mistaken. That was the result of

the energy from the Tantric Yoga. Of enjoying huge mugs of Yogi Tea twice

every day, before breakfast and after dinner. Of the fun in serving

breakfast, even driving the truck back to the kitchen one day. Of

spectacular electrical storms on a couple of days, when the sky was

literally filled with huge forks of lightening. Of how well the whole place

was run. Of the surprise at finding there were actually flushing toilets

available. Of the morning awakening - around 3.30 am - by a guy with a

guitar and a portable amplifier walking around the camp playing and singing

to us all to get us up and in the showers in time for sadhana. Of the taste

of the water from the 900 feet deep camp well. Of meeting rs to our

various mailing lists who up until then were only names on a computer

screen.

 

Above all, by the friendliness of everyone I came in contact with, from the

guy in charge of the camp, and his lieutenants, many of whom had been coming

to Ram Das Puri for over 25 years, to all of my fellow novices. We were so

far removed from the rat race of life that we normally encountered on a

daily basis. Here time seemed to almost stand still, so slow did it pass,

and everyone was there to help others rather than themselves - a real lesson

in applied humanity.

 

I left the camp rejuvenated, feeling somewhat spacey from all the extra

energy, totally relaxed and at peace with myself, and full of nothing but

happy memories. The effects of the White Tantric Yoga are still unfolding. I

hope to return next year, and to meet with many more of you then. It is a

truly wonderful experience not to be missed.

 

If anyone has any further questions about Solstice Camp, please post them to

the list.

 

Sat Nam!

Gordon

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to thank you Gordon for your long posting on the camp - I

wish I had been there !!! It sounds wonderful

 

Sat Nam,

Avtar Kaur

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[Guest guest]

Thank You Gordon for such a beautiful description of your stay. I will

definitely be there next year but had to miss it this year.

 

Dharam.

 

gordon <gordon

Kundaliniyoga <Kundaliniyoga >

Thursday, June 29, 2000 3:09 PM

Summer Solstice Camp 2000

 

 

>ISIS <wdrichey

>

>> thanks , i needed/wanted to hear someone else's more positive viewpoint

to

>> clarify

>> & would like to hear more of your experience &, what you get out of

it

>> cumulatively, & other wise & why it is worth the supreme effort ,

>> financially, stresswise of travel , camping & contending with hot weather

>> without a nearby body of water

>

>Dear Isis & All

>

>What you ask can't be answered in a few lines.

>

>To get to Solstice Camp from Scotland I had to travel for 22 hours,

>including 3 flights and a 2 hour car ride from Albuquerque. Arriving at

>around 1am, I unpacked my sleeping bag and curled up on the floor of the

>tantric shelter, a large roofed structure, open 3 sides. The gale force

>wind, blowing sand around for extra effect, was quite successful in its

>attempts to deprive me of any chance of meaningful sleep, and then, at 4am,

>sadhana started - the beginning of a new day at camp, so all attempts at

>sleep had to be abandoned.

>

>The coming of dawn around 5.45 revealed the full spectacular beauty of the

>camp setting. Ram Das Puri Camp is situated on a plateau in the Jemez

>mountains, north of the town of Espanola in New Mexico, at an elevation of

>over 6000 feet. The land, sacred Indian land, was bought from the Hopi

>Indians by Yogi Bhajan. The views from the camp to the east and south are

>truly incredible.

>

>I met Gururattan in person for the first time before breakfast - it was

>quite amazing meeting someone in person with whom I had been working so

>closely online for the last 15 months or so, but she was just as I had

>imagined her to be. Our rapport readily translated to real life.

>

>My tent had been pitched on a great site down in the woods behind the

>shelter, and only 2 minutes walk from the showers.

>

>Saturday was designated World Peace Prayer Day, and a lot of visitors were

>expected at the camp. It was indeed a full program, starting after sadhana

>with a spectacular Aztec Sun Ceremony. After breakfast, first Kundalini

Yoga

>class of the week was taken by Gururattan herself, and all of us who

>attended were given a very thorough workout indeed. After the break the

next

>class was from Nirvair Singh, the Alaskan Yogi. I was reveling in the

chance

>of taking so many classes - normally I am lucky if I can attend one class

in

>12 months as there are none within 300 miles of my home.

>

>After lunch I had to go and register. Part of the registration process

>involved the allocation of tasks to everyone for the week - we all had a

>duty to do, in service to others and to assist in the running of the camp -

>everything from vegetable chopping to security, and preparing food to

>clearing garbage. I was allocated breakfast serving, which turned out to be

>a good choice - it left me free for the rest of the day. As an aside, it

>took me 5 minutes to clear US Immigration at Newark, and around 1 hour to

>clear Ram Das Puri Immigration at the camp gates! ;-)

>

>There was a huge and varied program of speakers and music arranged for

>Saturday afternoon and evening as part of the Peace Day Celebrations, and I

>alternated my time between the events and helping to man our book stall in

>the bazaar, situated in one of the large tents.

>

>Sunday morning we had an induction meeting for all those new to Solstice,

>where we were given pointers on how to live in the high desert - about the

>necessity of drinking plenty of water and keeping up our intake of salt,

>about wearing sun block constantly, about precautions to take with food,

and

>with cuts and grazes, about bugs and bug bites, and general camping craft.

>

>Sunday and Monday were both full days, with KY classes from some of the

>leading teachers, including Guru Prem, who spent his time showing us how to

>do Sun Salutations properly - and he really showed most of us just how

>little we knew on the subject. There were also lessons on healing,

>numerology, and Guru Nam gave a fascinating talk on the Kabbalah, Astrology

>and Kundalini Yoga. Many of the events took place simultaneously, and it

was

>often a difficult decision to work out which ones to attend.

>

>Tuesday was the first day of White Tantric Yoga - I had heard all about it

>from others, and approached the day with a feeling of trepidation. It is

>done with a partner, and the couples are in long rows stretching the full

>length of the shelter - there were over 1000 folk participating.

>

>Normally Yogi Bhajan would be there in person, but because of his recent

>health problems he had been advised by his doctors to stay away, so it was

>all done through a facilitator in the shelter, who could pass on his energy

>to the rest of us. He had recorded videos to introduce each exercise.

>Because of the large contingent of folk there from South America, every

>instruction was also translated into Spanish.

>

>As it turned out, I need not have worried too much. My first day's partner,

>Hilary, was a newly qualified KY teacher from Portland OR. We started off

on

>a fairly low key with a 31 minute meditation, followed by a second one and

>then one of 62 minutes. In the afternoon we went through 3 62 minute Sat

>Kriya type meditations. All involved navel pumping and there was a

variation

>in mudras between each. I had never done Sat Kriya for more than 12 minutes

>before, and was quite amazed that the energy all around me kept me going

for

>the full time. The worst part was sitting on my heels for so long - my

>ankles were really starting to scream by the time it was all over.

>

>Day 2 was easier, except for one killer of 62 minutes which involved

>constantly opening and closing the arms while keeping them parallel to the

>floor. I have to admit to taking several rests during that one. My partner,

>Siri, was a teacher from Johannesburg, South Africa.

>

>Day 3 promised to be a long one. We had a large number of 31 minute

>meditations to do, followed by the blind walk. My partner was Ananda Kaur

>from Dallas. She was 63, and a fantastic character. We had a whole heap of

>fun together. For one of the meditations we had to lie on our backs side by

>side on a yoga mat, with our heads turned to face each other, and then tell

>each other details of our lives. She looked at me and with a twinkle in her

>eye told me that she wouldn't normally get this close to her cat, never

mind

>a complete stranger. ;-)

>

>At the end of the last meditations there was much euphoria. The walk was

>done in groups of 12, led by someone who had experienced it before. Apart

>from the leader, we all had to keep our eyes closed, and facing alternate

>ways, held hands and walked along in a line, relying on the person in front

>for direction, and all the time chanting "Wahe Guru". After around 30

>minutes we all ended up back at the shelter, and once we had done our Sat

>Nam's and blessing, a huge party burst into life. Everyone was so happy

that

>it was all over, and that they survived.

>

>I had to leave on the Friday morning, so missed the last full day of camp.

>

>During the week the weather had been varied, from gale force winds and dust

>storms on the first night, to hot but not too hot during the day, cool but

>not cold at night, and a couple of spectacular electrical storms, with

heavy

>rain. The ground was so dry that the water simply vanished, and next day it

>was as dry as every. There were hardly any bugs around, which was an

>additional bonus - I had read in the Lonely Planet guide to NM all about

>scorpions, black widows, rattlesnakes, cone headed bugs and Gila monsters -

>none of which put in an appearance. There has never been a serious case of

>spider bite in the 29 years of the camp's existence.

>

>Food at the camp consisted of a simple vegetarian cleansing diet. It tended

>to be monotonous, but filling. Also, there was as much watermelon to eat as

>anyone could ever want.

>

>I have a lot of memories - simple things such as camping out in the woods

>and watching the full moon rising above the trees, so clear and large it

>almost seemed as if I could reach out and touch it. Of the crystal clear

>night sky filled with a billion stars. Of getting up at 2am on Wednesday

>morning, convinced I had overslept, and even after taking a cold shower all

>by myself, still not realizing that I was mistaken. That was the result of

>the energy from the Tantric Yoga. Of enjoying huge mugs of Yogi Tea twice

>every day, before breakfast and after dinner. Of the fun in serving

>breakfast, even driving the truck back to the kitchen one day. Of

>spectacular electrical storms on a couple of days, when the sky was

>literally filled with huge forks of lightening. Of how well the whole place

>was run. Of the surprise at finding there were actually flushing toilets

>available. Of the morning awakening - around 3.30 am - by a guy with a

>guitar and a portable amplifier walking around the camp playing and singing

>to us all to get us up and in the showers in time for sadhana. Of the taste

>of the water from the 900 feet deep camp well. Of meeting rs to

our

>various mailing lists who up until then were only names on a computer

>screen.

>

>Above all, by the friendliness of everyone I came in contact with, from the

>guy in charge of the camp, and his lieutenants, many of whom had been

coming

>to Ram Das Puri for over 25 years, to all of my fellow novices. We were so

>far removed from the rat race of life that we normally encountered on a

>daily basis. Here time seemed to almost stand still, so slow did it pass,

>and everyone was there to help others rather than themselves - a real

lesson

>in applied humanity.

>

>I left the camp rejuvenated, feeling somewhat spacey from all the extra

>energy, totally relaxed and at peace with myself, and full of nothing but

>happy memories. The effects of the White Tantric Yoga are still unfolding.

I

>hope to return next year, and to meet with many more of you then. It is a

>truly wonderful experience not to be missed.

>

>If anyone has any further questions about Solstice Camp, please post them

to

>the list.

>

>Sat Nam!

>Gordon

>

>

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