Where the Healing Happens
The Healing Happens here in the Blue Ridge Mountains where we will focus on Transforming Symptoms in the Lower 4 Chakras during this experiential retreat. At the mind-body-spirit conferences I attend everyone is usually most interested in exploring the spiritual qualities associated with the energy centers of the upper 3 chakras. However, most of the healing action happens in the lower 4 which store childhood traumas that we need to release in order to transform and make progress.
My first trip to the largest retreat center in the Southeast was in 2013 shortly after it was resurrected under the management of Venkat Srinivasan who also taught the Happiness Retreat that my wife and I attended. A few years earlier he had been tasked by international peacemaker Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with bidding at a foreclosure auction for the property which had fallen into a state of disrepair with frozen pipes, vandalization, and its temple turned into a skateboarding venue.
The Heavenly Mountain site was originally constructed in 1999 by Transcendental Meditation devotees of Maharishi who was the mentor of Ravi Shankar. Venkat was instructed by Sri Sri not to bid more than $6 million at the auction of the mountaintop complex which had a tax value of $18 million. He reported back that he had been outbid by another group, but surprisingly was told just to wait a month. Sure enough, the other deal fell through, and they obtained it for the original bid.
Subsequently, they spent that much and more on renovations to the 37 buildings which include 37,000 square feet of meeting space and sleeping quarters for 1000. It is located on 381 acres 15 minutes from Boone, NC, at 3400 feet of elevation. You can eat delicious Ayurvedic meals on the dining hall deck with mountain views. The Art of Living Retreat Center’s physical healing story above makes it the perfect place to hold a workshop devoted to personal physical healing and transformation.
Adverse experiences in childhood may result in chronic illnesses later in life due to emotional imbalances in the lower chakras. Fear in the 1st chakra may result in autoimmune and neurological diseases. Anger in the 2nd chakra may result in pain syndromes and bladder problems. Shame in the 3rd chakra may result in eating disorders and Type 2 diabetes. Grief in the 4th chakra may result in lung and sinus conditions. Dreams and nightmares may occur that are specific to each of the chakras.
The themes of dream content may reflect the underlying shadow emotions in these chakras including self-defense in the first, violent anger in the second, sugary sweetness in the third, and after-death communication in the fourth. Corresponding affirmations such as “I am safe,” “I am free,” “I am enough,” and “I am grateful” may trigger what are referred to as “tailenders” in the form of dreams. You can use dreamwork to help guide your healing when you understand the symbolism of the chakras.
Dreams often have multiple layers of meaning resulting in different interpretations, all of which may be true depending on our projections. Even participants who claim to not remember their dreams often start to recall dream fragments of words or symbols at the beginning of the retreat and progress to receiving meaningful messages by the end. My book Dreams that Can Save Your Life: Early Warning Signs of Cancer and Other Diseases has more information about health-related dreams.
I have taught the Where the Healing Happens: Transforming Symptoms in the Lower 4 Chakras workshop on Zoom to hundreds of participants around the world, but this retreat will be just the 2nd one offered only in-person. We will use meditation, expressive writing, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping, self-hypnosis, and dreamwork for each chakra beginning with the 1st chakra on Friday night after dinner and ending with the 4th chakra on Sunday before lunch.
You will meet other workshop participants from all around the country and get to know them better while sharing 6 meals in the dining hall during the weekend. There will be a break on Saturday afternoon when you will have the option of a massage, class, or other spa treatment at Shankara Ayurveda Wellness. It is indeed a family affair, as Venkat leads the kirtan chanting on Saturday nights, and his wife Nalini Mehta teaches the Ayurvedic cooking classes. Many people return for additional future retreats.
