Whether watching film or television, listening to music, or seeing a beautiful picture, we are constantly consuming art. What is it that we are trying to experience inside ourselves through these artistic or aesthetic experiences? What do we hunger for exactly, and how is that craving satisfied? How does a meaningful experience of art impact our experience of life?

Thousands of years ago, the ancient wisdom traditions explored these questions in depth in a body of teachings referred to as Rasa Siddhānta: the principles of rasa.

The theory of rasa identifies nine aesthetic "flavors" or "nectars" that can be expressed or experienced through art. Each rasa is connected to different states of emotion (bhāva). Together, bhāva and rasa come together to satisfy our internal longing for deep and varied inner experiences. This is not a passive act: the artist and the viewer both engage skillfully and with a refined awareness so that the most satisfying and profound inner experience can occur.

In this very unique upcoming retreat, we will develop awareness of how emotions and their subtler states express themselves in both life and art, beginning by exploring our own life experiences.

Our world-renowned teachers will also help us understand how rasa and bhāva appear in traditional sacred arts such as dance, music, or deity art, as well as in the art of meditation and yogic practice. Together, we will transform how we understand and engage with art and with life, resulting in a richer and more fulfilling experience.

This event is being offered both as an in-person event at our center in Freestone, California, as well as online globally via livestream. Please note that this is the enrollment page for the live retreat; you can access the enrollment page for the online only retreat HERE.