A number of my colleagues and friends have asked me to tell them more about what Spiritfest was like, what exactly I did there…..so here is my little summary.

 Spiritfest is a Festival where people from many different spiritual paths (and some with no path and no affinity for things spiritual) gather to celebrate life, have “time out”, get uplifted and spend time in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of life, technology and many other stressors.  The topic for this year’s event was “Joy”.

The readings were on joy, there was lots of laughter, fun activities and concerts. The festival also has workshops run by some of the people who attend.

People attending the Festival are grouped into what is called “Affinity groups”.  This year all the groups had names describing different forms of joy and happiness. I didn’t realise that the English language was so rich in words describing “joy”.

The Affinity groups were named:  , Euphoria, Ecstasy, Bliss, Exultation, Radiance, Glee and Effulgence. It will take more blog posts to discuss the differences between all of these expressions of “Joy”. The Affinity Groups work together (like kitchen duties and clean up) and they have fun together. One activity was a sort of a treasure hunt – I never thought that a group of placid meditators would become so competitive….in case you were wondering what group I was in…it was “Ecstasy”!

After lots of chanting, meditation, laughter, yoga, relaxation, swimming in a rock pool, exploring caves and having beautiful vegetarian food it was time to go home….till next year.

 I leave you with the quote this year’s festival was built on:

“That which renews human existence and makes it full to the brim and overflowing with the joy of living is termed a festival. Let this festival inspire all people to live with a new spirit like true human beings. Let it inspire them with the fact that all humanity is an indivisible entity.” Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Till next time,

Connie Your Yoga Partner

from
http://www.yogainahurry.com

An interesting conference is happening in Sydney – it is called “Happiness and its Causes”, tools and techniques for a happier life.

It is going to happen from the 14-15 May 2009. Have a look at http://www.happinessanditscauses.com.au

Here is an extract from the flyer which I found interesting:

“How can happiness be increased? Can it be sustained?

Scientific studies have shown that our happiness is 50% genetically determined and 50% learned. Excitingly, a revolutionary new field of neuroscience, studying the plasticity of the human brain, has found that we can consciously raise our “happiness set point”. Positive psychology is now uncovering fascinating evidence that not only we can raise our happiness levels, we can do so on a lasting, sustainable basis.”

I will investigate this fascinating area of brain plasticity further and keep you “posted”. This is really fascinating because yoga works so much with our mind, emotions and thoughts patterns. Just to imagine that yoga might be able to actually change the physical structure and neurological wiring of our brains is just “mindboggling”.

Till next time

Connie

Your Yoga Partner

from

http://yogainahurry.com

When I attended Spiritfest recently (I will tell you more about that in a different post) 

I was asked to give a reading on the topic of “Joy”.  I searched the internet and my own literature and found some real gems. I then put together all the bits and pieces that appealed the most to me. Enjoy!

“Joy and happiness are part of the design of every life. You are the only one who can bring joy and happiness into your life. Joy is hard to come by if you are not aligned with the universe.”

…”The skills we need to bring joy and happiness” into our lives “are the tools of living passionately, the ability to commit to our soul’s purpose and to stay open to unimagined outcomes. These skills allow us to function with focus in chaos and in the Unknown.”

Christine Pratt from www.lastmaskcenter.org

“Joy is an essential spiritual practice growing out of faith, grace, gratitude, hope and love. It is the pure and simple delight in being alive. ” (more…)