November 2010 - Tagaytay retreat center

L Monthly E-Newsletter of
B R A H M A K U M A R I S RETREAT C E N T E R F O R S P I R I T U A L L E A R N I N G
The Point
Volume 4 Issue 42 November 2010
Loving myself, loving my life
THE PARTICIPANTS GALLOPED AND BURST INTO
leaps, suddenly spiraling into the floor like pretzels. Their arms rose like spires while others in the
group moved in fluid patterns, occasionally broken
by spasms that were geometric and harsh. Yet,
they created an amazingly multitudinous image
like independent music parts sounding harmonious
together.
The scene was not a rehearsal for a dance concert but a group exercise on meditation and action. Douglas Nierras Powerdance Company, the
country’s premier modern dance company, held its
third retreat which had evolved into a more soul
conscious experience. The earlier retreats focused
more on the individual’s journeys and expression
of sentiments or issues in the company. With this
year’s theme of virtues and loving the self, the
dancers made a breakthrough in experiencing soul
consciousness and spoke only of positive things.
Unaccustomed to meditation, the dancers
were given creative exercises such as drawing
themselves as flowers or coloring their virtues.
The activity, done in silence, helped them to
look inward.
They also enjoyed the passing of the candle
exercise that involved three levels of awareness.
The first was passing the candle around the group
as a physical activity. The second was passing the
candle with great care and reverently giving it to
the next person. The third was passing the candle
while looking at the receiver with loving eyes. All
the dancers agreed that in the first passing was an
activity; the second passing was purposive and
ritualistic. In third passing, the object was no
longer important as the focus was on the exchange
of positive energy. The feelings went beyond human emotions to spiritual connection.
Nierras hams up the virtue of happiness.
At the end of the retreat, dancers
expressed their gratitude with a surprise performance, “Kapag Ako’y Nagmahal (When I Love)” by pop singer
Jolina Magdangal.
Froilan Dabalus shared, “ In the
past retreats, we dwelled on the past.
Now I feel we regenerated positive
vibes. This retreat was an outlet. I felt
release and it made me go back to my
purpose.”
Andrew Ondo admitted that he
was very shy but the sharing of insights and experiences helped him
learn to articulate his feelings. He
added, “It’s the first time I heard the
sound of the birds. When I looked out
into the window, I saw the greenery.”
Romel Balais felt the family feeling with the company members in a
non-working retreat. He woke up
feeling light and happy.
Gilbert Guzman enjoyed the
retreat center despite the fact that it
didn’t have the comforts of TV or
other forms of entertainment. “All
you see are the gardens, the activities
and the picture of the Point of Light
which you don’t see in Manila. The
energy is so positive. I feel the soul
and the peace of mind. The heavy
feeling is lifted.”
Julius Quitalig revealed that the
company was facing challenges and
disappointments and he was getting
weary. “We felt recharged. Our morale
was boosted. We lacked love for ourselves.
If we were overflowing with love, things
will happen.”
Cristaliza Sawada said she felt alive again.
It was refreshing for her to wake up and find
everybody greeting each other “good morning” in
a cheerful and sincere manner. She added that the
weekend gave her mental clarity and the
confidence to take the exams the next day.
Danny Marshall, the founding member, said
that he’s always been a happy person. However,
the pure atmosphere and the insights from the
workshop brought his happiness to bliss.
“I can bring this happiness with me and it will be
multiplied.”
Co-artistic director Danny
Marshall in an exercise
of happiness.
Douglas Nierras, the artistic director, realized
that he had worked very hard to fulfill professional
and personal responsibilities. He thought that
serving others would make him happy, but he
forgot that he had to look after his spiritual needs.
The workshop made him realize that he should
learn to love himself and not feel guilty about it. “I
will love myself and in the end, all of you are the
beneficiary.”
Lourdes Aseneta, the facilitator, summed up
the essence of the workshop. “Virtue is the beauty
of the soul. It is love in action, the purpose of love
for life. Through our virtues, we experience the
world. Loving my work is really loving life. Why do
we dance? It’s to touch people’s hearts.” (More
retreat photos on p. 2)
Visit the Brahma Kumaris Retreat Center for Spiritual Learning at 1020 Magallanes Drive, Silang Crossing West, Tagaytay City. Contact us at (046) 483 2128
See our local website www.bktagaytay.com, our national website www.bkwsu.org/philippines and our international website www.bkwsu.org.
© Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University 2010.
2
The Point
Volume 4 Issue 42 November 2010
In search of peace
The participants’ creative expression
“IT WAS SO STRESSFUL LAST WEEK… I WANT
and symbols of peace.
inner peace,” said Jho, an employee of a nongovernment organization helping families in
Payatas, an impoverished community in Quezon City. She was one of the dozen participants in the retreat, “Peace of Mind: A Meditation Experience.”
The general disposition was succinctly
phrased as “I am sure I need this“ and “I am
curious of the content and method. How will it
help me in my inner journey towards peace
amidst the toxic surrounding?”
During the workshop, visual prompts that
were flashed on the screen aided the participants to look at themselves in relation to the
world they lived in. Reflective questions such
as “What am I doing with my life? Do I become like the world around me?” led them to
examine their consciousness.
“Your thought is like a seed. As is our
thought, so is the fruit,” said Sr. Rajni, BK Area
Coordinator for Japan and Philippines. She
explained how the consciousness, this mental
“spark of energy,” must be managed to benefit the self. “Be aware of what’s in your mind,”
she stressed. “You can shift those thoughts,
enhance and beautify them. This is the practice of
Initially, many of the participants expressed that
meditation.“ The session ended with the group it wasn’t that easy to focus and had difficulty with
tasting their first meditation guided by a visually the open-eyed technique of Raja Yoga. The experiworded commentary on peace.
ence was eased with an interactive workshop that
enabled them to explore their good qualities.
They learned that thoughts were energies that
could be felt. Hence, they mentally focused on
their virtue and conveyed this positivity to
their partner.
Sr. Rajni explained how to focus and to shift
the mind from the ordinary and waste
thoughts to positive. She explained how the
mind works and how to be the master of the
three faculties of the self—the mind, intellect
and personality. A subtle shifting of feelings
took place as participants bantered lightly
among themselves during supper time. The
initial guardedness and formality gave way to
openness and camaraderie - basic ingredients
for peace of mind.
“Anytime of the day, pause and meditate,”
said facilitator Vicky Mandap. “You are responsible for your choice of action. But you can be
a master and change it “, said longtime meditation practitioner Lucy Perez.
Images of a flying bird, a bridge of relationships and a pebble in the ocean unperturbed
by the waves- were some of the hand-crafted
clay symbols of peace presented at the end of
the group’s journey. One wrote, “I thought the
seminar would teach me how to meditate.
But… it’s beyond. I learned how we can live
peacefully and how much it will affect my total life
and others.”
Scenes from the artists’ retreat
“The movement of our spirit in the world is
like a beautifully choreographed dance.
The possibilities for finding new steps to match
the changing tempo of the music are endless,
but our spirit, the core of the self - remains
changeless, whatever the mood or pace of the
music.”
-Mike George, Discover Inner Peace
Manage Your Anger , 9am-4pm Sun, Nov 14, 2010
Peace Fair, 9am-6pm Sat Nov 20 & 9am-6pm Sun Nov 21, 2010
Inner Power, Inner Peace, 4pm Fri - 4pm Sun, Nov 26 - 28, 2010
We’d like to hear from you. Write us at
[email protected].