EVENT DESCRIPTIONS, PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK, BOOKING FORM

Russill Paul is available to present weekend workshops and retreats on The Yoga of Sound or related topics at your spiritual institution or educational center. Although single events, such as an isolated concert, workshop or retreat are possible, it is recommended that you choose a complete weekend that includes an assortment of events listed below. This will defray expenses significantly, help generate more income and publicity for your organization, and offer a variety of possibilities for your community to participate and share in an extended experience. 

Weekend programs with Russill Paul are designed to serve those who love to chant as well as those who would like to find, recover or empower their voice. They are of value to anyone wanting to discover their spiritual potential through the voice, gain knowledge of how to use sound to enhance their experience of meditation and to understand the spiritual technology of mantra, particularly its efficacy in releasing or transforming negative emotions that stand in the way of our inner growth.

EVENT FORMATS

SIMPLE WEEKEND: A simple weekend is a one day workshop or retreat with an evening presentation the very same day or the day before. For example: Saturday workshop: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with kirtan in the evening from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

TYPICAL WEEKEND: A typical weekend with Russill Paul typically involves an all day Saturday Workshop or Learning Intensive (11:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and an all day Sunday Meditation Retreat (11:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Optionally, you can have the entire weekend be a workshop or make the whole weekend a retreat. (See definitions below)

ENHANCED WEEKEND: An enhanced weekend allows you to add an evening presentation to a typical weekend. Evening presentations may include a Kirtan Concert, a Sacred Music Concert, a Lecture Demonstration or a Satsangh, which could be on the Friday evening preceding the Saturday workshop or on the Saturday evening preceding the Sunday retreat. (Again, see definitions below)

COMPLETE WEEKEND: A complete weekend allows for two evening presentations on the days prior to the Saturday and Sunday workshops or retreats. This is, by far, the most effective way to maximize your earnings as a hosting organization. Example: Friday evening presentation + Saturday workshop or retreat + Saturday evening presentation + Sunday workshop or retreat.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKSHOPS AND RETREATS

Although both, retreats as well as workshops, combine intellectual understanding and experiential learning with meditation practice, the difference lies in the emphasis of the day and how you want to market the event to your community to meet its specific needs. Generally speaking, workshops place an emphasis on learning while retreats are more focused on experience.

WORKSHOPS: Workshops are intense learning experiences that focus strongly on the practical and theoretical dimensions of sonic mysticism. Participants come prepared to understand the philosophy and cosmology behind sacred sound as a spiritual path, and they are taught how to effectively incorporate the five elements of The Yoga of Sound system - posture, breath, mantra, movement and meditation (consciousness) to enhance their health and empower their spiritual lives.

RETREATS: Meditation retreats are relaxed versions of workshops with the focus on experience and rejuvenation rather than on learning. This allows for greater depth and interiority as there longer periods of deep meditation and reflection. The sessions involve inspirational talks along with readings from Hindu scriptures and mystical poetry, all combined to enhance extended sessions of chanting, movement and meditation. The sessions may also include sonic rituals, trance dancing and kirtan.

TYPES OF EVENING PRESENTATIONS

LECTURE PERFORMANCES: The audience is offered a 60 - 90 minute lecture on The Yoga of Sound and its value in spiritual practice or any related topic. Short demonstrations of various applications and styles of mantra are presented through a combination of recorded music and live demonstration. PowerPoint visuals are incorporated when appropriate and when a projector can be supplied. A discussion period follows the presentation, opening up the topic to questions from the audience. Book and CD signings follow the presentation.

SATSANGHS: A satsangh can be either a formal or informal spiritual gathering. The objective of such a gathering is to experience as well as discuss the nature of spiritual experience and the possibilities of spiritual growth through a particular religious system or through a specific lineage, which in this case would be the tradition of sacred sound and its potential for healing and enlightenment. A combination of meditation practice, question and answer discussion periods, listening to specific renditions of mantra as well group chanting invite the audience to enter a deep level of consciousness through the use of sacred sound. This is the traditional form of the modern lecture demonstration.

KIRTAN CONCERTS: An understanding of the spiritual value of chanting orients and invites the audience to participate in call and response chanting (kirtan) and other types of mantric chanting in a sacred space. Special solo performances of instrumental meditation music and devotional singing sometimes accentuate the flow of the program. An accompanying percussionist is recommended to facilitate dancing and high energy dynamism in the chanting, if that is desired. PowerPoint visuals are incorporated when appropriate and when a projector can be supplied. CD signings follow the presentation.