PROGRAM
Our daily Mela schedule is quite full, including morning and afternoon meditations and yoga classes, delicious vegetarian meals, affinity group meetings, workshops and community creations, sports in the late afternoons and evening programs. The middle day of the Mela is a "Kiirtan Day" which is a full twelve-hours of continuous chanting. Childcare and Youth programs are held each day during workshop times.
Meditation time includes 15 minutes of collective spiritual singing, followed by a half an hour of kiirtan (chanting) and a half an hour of silent meditation. After meditation, various speakers including the monks and nuns of Ananda Marga will give short talks on spiritual topics.
For those who wish to learn a personalised meditation during the Mela, individual lessons in Ananda Marga meditation with trained nuns or monks can be arranged at no charge.
Yoga classes are offered twice a day, and taught by experienced teachers (usually a nun or monk.) They include a variety of yoga "asanas," as well as some some unique yoga dances, self-massage and deep relaxation. Very refreshing!
This Mela offers participants a variety of workshops, each lasting one and a half hours, and continuing for one, two or three days. You can choose one workshop out of each of the three workshop "streams" offered.
Click here for the full list of workshops and Community Creations with times and descriptions.
Community Creations
There will be one and a half hours each afternoon for Community Creations, which are relaxed artistic get-togethers. This year we will be including Aboriginal Danace, Wu Tao Dance, Candle Making, Mela Choir, Alternative Building, Quick Crochet and Knitting, plus others. Another option at this time will be Organic Gardening in the Ananda Pali fields (this is really a bit of karma yoga helping to weeds or pick veggies, but is greatly appreciated by the community members.)
The middle day of the Mela is a "Kiirtan Day" which is a full 24-hours of continuous chanting. Individuals can come and go during that time, and meditate in the room, though the kiirtan continues. Many people find this day a highlight of the Mela as they can dedicate more time to meditation and the energy becomes very good for deepening spiritual practise as there are no workshops on this day. At the end of the kiirtan everyone joins in, creating a very blissful atmosphere.
Kiirtan is a spiritual dance that accompanies a simple singing chant, and is a great help in meditation. It will be taught at the beginning of the Mela. We use the Sanskrit mantra "Baba Nam Kevalam" which means "Love is All There Is."
There are childcare/youth programs during all the workshop times. These programs are divided into four age groups:
Children 2/3 to 5
Kids 7 to 5 and 9-12
Teens 13 to 18
Each program has experienced coordinators and has its own meeting place. Normally there is an outing to the National Park on the middle day, and other outings may be planned. (These require permission slips from parents, so if a parent is not attending with a teen, please contact us in advance to get this.)
Young children are given a healthy morning and afternoon snack during their session.
Children between 7 and 12 will have workshop choices on three of the afternoons, including choices such as sports, crafts and song-writing.
During meditation times, older children usually feel happy to play around the community grounds. There is "Meditation Time Childcare" run by one of the Affinity groups for younger children, with art supplies and toys. Parents of very young children sometimes exchange childcare, so everyone can get a chance to meditate.
Teen Camping Trip: This year the teens will be camping out for the first two days of the Mela at Giraween National Park (leaving on Monday around lunchtime.) They will be with several experienced coordinators and parents. Boys and girls will have separate camping areas, but many activities will be combined. For a few more details, click here.
Each participant is assigned to an Affinity Group consisting of around 8 to 10 people.
Affinity Groups at the Ananda Mela several several important purposes
•They are a venue to get to share and reflect on experieces with a small group in the Mela.Each group meets for a half hour to talk and share. Many people form close friendships within their groups.
• They provide feedback to the Mela organisers. Each day after the Affinity Group meeting, a representative from each group comes to the meeting with the Mela in-charges (childcare, cooking, cleaning, program, etc.) and gives any feedback from the group about things that could improve. This helps keep everything moving smoothly.
• They help with important cleaning and cooking jobs. Each day every group is assigned a duty such as lunch preparation or cleaning the common areas, which they do together. The duties rotate through a posted schedule each day.
• They make us laugh! On the last evening, each group prepares a skit or performance for the Grand Performance Night. These always make for a fantastic evening!
Each evening everyone gathers in the main hall for collective and enjoyable entertainment. This year our programs include:
• Evening of Music and Dance
• Talent Sharing Evening (please bring your uplifting skits, poetry, prose, songs, music and other performances.)
• Childrens' Performance Evenings
• Our Grand Performance Night which will include children's performances, Community Creations and Affinity Group performances.
All meals are included in the registration price, beginning with dinner on the 6th and ending with lunch on the 12th. Meals are strictly lacto-vegetarian (no eggs) and are plentiful, varied and delicious. Vegan (no milk) option andgluton-free options are generally offered at all meals. Along with breakfast, lunch and dinner, a healthy afternoon snack is offered mid-afternoon, and hot drinks are also available. (No coffee, however.) Children's dinner is served a bit earlier, so children can eat while parents are still meditating.
Please indicate any special dietary needs at the time of registration and we will try to cater for them. (It is helpful for us to know how many people are vegan and gluten-free especially.)
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 We always have a large and enthusiastic teen group. |
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Mela
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Yoga
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