Inner Challenges: Life Coaching

ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP SERIES

TIMELESS WISDOM FOR MODERN LEADERSHIP FROM THE BHAGAVAD-GITA

Friday 11th November– Sunday 13th November 2005
SHREYAS, BANGALORE

Shreyas is a retreat for discerning guests to step away from the hectic demands of modern life and spend time in unwinding, reflection, rejuvenation and rediscovering the simple pleasures of life. It is an ideal setting for retreats and workshops dedicated to self discovery.
www.shreyasretreat.com

ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP SERIES
LIVING THE WISDOM OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA
Friday 11th November– Sunday 13th November 2005
Facilitators: Shankar Narayan (Visiting Faculty) & Pawan Malik

We continue with this popular series of workshops that draws upon the Indian Spiritual Tradition, especially the Bhagavad-Gita, Yoga Sutras and selected Spiritual processes, as an essential primer for Enlightened Leadership: at home and at work. Interactive lectures on the Gita will be combined with selected processes from the tradition of Yoga that enable us to live this philosophy in our daily lives.

Sri Shankar Narayan will be coming from Delhi and facilitates study of the Gita. He has spent over 25 years studying/living the principles of the Gita and for the past 4 years has been sharing his understanding of the Bhagavad-Gita to numerous committed aspirants weekly at a temple in New Delhi.

The yardstick of great leadership is the culture of enduring excellence. Excellence demands a quest for perfection – in all that we do and in all our relationships. We must be able to deal with conflicts, both internal and external. We must make right choices, even if they are difficult ones, unwaveringly. We must understand our various roles in life and play them well. The body has to be kept strong and the mind uncluttered. Apart from technical and functional dexterity in our roles, we need to develop and display self -discipline, self-control, humility and generosity.

Leadership also places upon us numerous duties we need to fulfil for the benefit of those we lead. Above all, we must ensure our own personal material needs are managed and satisfied, so we can direct our energies and time towards serving others. Nothing inspires more than a person who is willing to serve your interests and possesses a humble, generous and compassionate disposition. The less you need for yourself, the more you will find time to serve the needs of others. This is a quality that people are irresistibly drawn to. They listen to you, follow you, and work with you; out of their own free will. Only such follower-ship is sustainable. We must therefore learn to serve as leaders.

Unlike contemporary methods of leading, the emphasis is here is on Self understanding and Self discovery that allows us to respond to all situations with right knowledge, right emotions and right action. Above all, the emphasis is on self-mastery – which inspires others to follow us willingly & the emphasis in on serving others. To understand more about our Self, we are seeking guidance from the wisdom contained within the Indian Spiritual Tradition or Sanatana Dharma. In particular we are studying the Bhagavad Gita, the distilled essence of the wisdom contained within Sanatana Dharma. The Gita is a marvel, for it reaches out to all, irrespective of class, creed, religion or status. She teaches us how to deal with grief, how to deal with conflict, how to work, how to lead, how to transform our personality, how to worship, and above all, how to transcend all and embrace Reality for it is – Pure Consciousness. She reveals how we are to remain aware of the changeless and yet live in a world of constant change.

Thus far, we witnessed Arjuna’s inner conflicts at the beginning of the epic war on the battle fields of Kurukshetra. Arjuna is heart broken as he realises that those he has come to vanquish are his relatives and loved ones. This uncertainty pushes his already confused mind into a spiral of despair and despondency, to the extent he breaks down and wants to walk away from the war. Although on the face of it, Arjuna is advocating peace and Krishna is extolling him to violence, when we look closely we realise that Arjuna is already at war – with himself. He is confused because of his attachments and not because he considers war to be unjust or unnecessary. His problem is not about killing people to attain kingdoms but his problem is that he has to kill who he considers to be “his people”. This is the crux of the problem, and something that we can all relate to easily. Our doubts and insecurities about decisions normally arise when we have something we consider to be “ours” to be at risk. The Gita shows us how to transcend such conflict.

Krishna begins to speak in the second chapter chastising Arjuna for becoming weak at a moment when he should be strong, encouraging him to restore his true nature as a valiant and strong prince and extols him to fight the righteous war. He then proceeds to reveal the highest knowledge of the Self, that we are all manifestations of Pure Consciousness, and that it is only our name and form that changes with time and not our essence. Noticing that Arjuna, although a valiant and knowledgeable Prince; is unable to grasp the subtlety of the truths, he proceeds to tell him about Yoga, a science of self transformation that will allow Arjuna (and us) to be prepared to receive and understand the truth about life. This is the setting of the August retreat. The second chapter of the Gita contains the essence of the whole message of the Gita and we will delve deeper into the psychology of right action.

SUGGESTED AGENDA

During the workshop, you will also participate in twice daily Yoga Asanas and Pranayama classes that help restore and heal the physical body, and bring about strength, flexibility and balance in life. Yoga processes are a holistic exercise and positively affect the physical, physiological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual layers of our personality.

Friday 11th November
Till 8.00 pm                 Arrival & Registration
6.00 - 7.00 pm              Yoga Asanas Pranayama - Yoga Breathing processes
7.30 - 8.30 pm              Dinner
8.30 - 9:30 pm              Group Introductions

Saturday 12th November
7.00 - 8.00 am              Yoga Asanas & Pranayama
8.00 - 9.00 am              Breakfast
9.00 - 10.30 pm            Session I –Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita (Sri. Shankar Narayan)
10.30- 10.45 am           Break
10.45 - 12.00 pm          The Doctrine of Karma and how it works our lives – Pawan Malik
12.00 pm - 1.00 pm      Working with Nature – Farming at Shreyas
1.00 – 2.00 pm              Lunch
2.00 – 4.00 pm              Case Study / Q & A Session
4.00 – 6.00 pm              Free Time
6.00 – 7.30 pm              Yoga
7.30 – 8.00 pm              Free Time
8.00 – 9.30 pm              Dinner

Sunday 13th November
7.00 - 8.00 am             Yoga Asanas & Pranayama
8.00 - 9.00 am             Breakfast
9.00 - 10.30 am           Session II – Practical ways of living Yoga - Sri. Shankar Narayan
10.30- 10.45 am          Break
10.45 - 12.00 pm      Practical ways of living Yoga– Pawan Malik
12.00 pm- 1.00 pm     Pranayama
1.00 – 2.00 pm           Lunchs
2.00 – 4.00 pm           Concluding Session - Sharing of experiences and Take aways
4.00 – 5.00 pm           Deep Relaxation through Yoga Nidra
5.00 pm                      Billing and Departure

INVESTMENT

FOR INDIAN & SRI LANKAN RESIDENTS

Rs 10,000 per person on a twin sharing basis in the garden/pool cottages.

FOR NON-INDIAN TRAVELERS

US$ 350 per person on a twin sharing basis in the garden/pool cottages.

2 Night Stay (Arrival Friday - Departure Sunday Night)

Bookings will only be made on full payment of investment amount in advance

Investment includes:
Workshop fees, Yoga classes, Full board accommodation at Shreyas, all taxes and service charges
Airport Transfers are chargeable.

For registration, please contact krishna@innerchallenges.com
080 (2)773 7103 or 080 (2)773 7183 Extension 129