This residency happens at a location outside of Haridwar.
Suggested contribution USD 4350 per participant
“On meditation’s mounting edge of trance
Great stairs of thought climbed up to unborn heights
Where Time’s last ridges touch eternity’s skies
And Nature speaks to the spirit’s absolute.”
Meditation, or Dhyana in Sanskrit, is the process of quieting the mind in order to unlock energies for creative pursuits. Conducted in a group the pooled synergies of participants are even more dynamic and productive.
The relationship between art and meditation is intimate and can be expressed in many ways. Meditation helps in creativity. Art is a form of meditation.
“All forms of meditation are windows on the same view, doors to the same house. To be still and to have quietude is of immeasurable importance, especially for those of us who are creative.” – Miya Ando
“Art is a guarantee to sanity. This is the most important thing I have said.” – Louise Bourgeois
“With meditation you find your inner peace, your inner truth, your centered truth, and then you find the world, and the world finds its center. That’s a noble pursuit for art these days.” – Slater Bradley
For whom?
Meditations and Arts is an inclusive season for those artists, writers, and creatives who are now ready to take their creativity to the next level and consider spirituality to be a driving force in their work and life.
This includes, but not limited to – painting, drawing, mixed media, digital media, writing, textile arts, interiors, fashion, sculpture, design, photography, video, music, dance etc.
Not for whom?
During the residency period, participants are expected to abstain from –
- Recreational drugs, smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Non-vegetarian foods
Intended outcomes
The following could be some of the intended outcomes of participation with Meditations 2019.
- Newer insights to own creativities
- Portfolio with a difference
- Exposure to new knowledge and skills
- Enhanced meanings and directions to own art-life
- On-going support system after departures
Benefits
Meditations and Arts residency includes the following –
- Pick up from airport
- 28 nights – single occupancy in rooms at green leafy place near water-bodies
- 3 meals – cooked Indian meals (vegetarian) a day, 2 spicy chai-tea, and round the clock self-made herbal tea
- Yoga – daily Yoga training and practice
- Studio – shared studio spaces
- Crafts – experiencing and learning local crafts – hand block printing and Jokhandei clay sculptures
- Meditari – introspective memoir writings
- True company – general discussions
- Benign critiques
- Local celebrations
- Overnight visits to neighbouring places
- Open house at the end of the residency
Schedule of residency-month
Inner Studio
“What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you.” Corinthians 6:19
At Meditations 2019, a day is broadly organised in two halves – before lunch for Inner Studio and after lunch for Outer Studio.
God is the Creator of all things and for an artist this temple of human body is the ‘Inner Studio’.
Participants explore their inner energies in the Inner Studio. Depending upon the profiles of the selected artists, many esoteric techniques are learned and practiced.
Outer Studio
During the second half of each day, participants work more directly with fine arts in the Outer Studio.
Specific opportunities are created to expose the participants to some unique Indian art forms.
Kathak is one of the main classical Indian dance form. A renowned Kathak artist and instructor will give sessions during Meditations 2019.
Wood block printing is an old craft. Patterns are manually etched by master artisans in wood blocks. And these are dipped in colours and pressed on fabrics in a repetitive way.
Jo Khandai is a rural craft form. Small clay sculptures, after processing through a make-shift kiln, are painted with lacquer.
Daily schedule
Descriptions
Sun Salutationes (Sanskrit: Surya Namaskar) Yoga
Sun Salutationes is a form of Vinyasa Hatha Yoga. It comprises of 12 sequential steps. One goes from one step to the next in a fluid way with coordinated breathing. This combination of physical exercise and breathing acquires a form of meditation that is helpful in creative pursuit. Medically, all life form on Earth is sustainable only due to Sun.
Chanting
A common chant (from Latin cantare: “to sing”) is repetitive intonations of small phrases in simple singing. Chanting has a history in most cultures, including those in the West (Eg. Gregorian chanting). Every artist who has stayed in art residency at 365 Haridwar / AZIMVTH Ashram has successfully learnt, with daily practice, accurate pronunciations of simple chants.
Breath Yoga (Sanskrit: Pranayam)
There are about 2 dozen kinds of breath Yoga. At AZIMVTH residencies, only a few curated ones that are more relevant to arts / creativity are practiced. These are – Bumble Bee (Sanskrit: Bhramari), Alternate Nostrils (Sanskrit: Anulom-Vilom or Nadi-Shuddhi). It is good for everybody, especially performing artists.
Mind Imagery
Multistep guided imagery that leads to repeating a resolve expressed in few words in mother-tongue has been found to be very useful for mitigating shortcomings that are holding a person back in realising fuller potential.
Topical / Contextual Discussion (Satsang)
Satsang literally means true company. During this session a short talk is followed by longer discussions. During the residency various curated and participant preferred topics are discussed.
Slumber Session
Shavasan, the literal translation of which is Corpse Pose, is used more in the form of a relaxation process than just a posture.
MEDITARI
The term meditation (Latin: meditari, meaning “to contemplate) also refers to written work intended to express its author’s reflections. At the residency, participants approach it in more liberal and primarily 2 ways – a reflective memoir and writing a new kind of C.V. Participants will have opportunities to be involved with a collaborative fictional novel writing project titled ‘Pilgrims of the Inner Worlds’
Lecture
(Sanskrit: Pravachan) is like the Topical / Contextual Discussion with less emphasis on discussion. The curated list of the topics is modified as per the profile of the participants.
Language
A basic introduction to the Sanskrit alphabets is given and writing them calligraphically is practised.
Peer Art Discussion
(Sanskrit: Shastra Artha) Participants sit in a circle, with all being equals, and share ideas on their practice and art projects. It is more like a benign critique.
Cooling Breaths
Three kinds of Yoga breaths (Sheetali, Sheetkari, and Sadanta) combining movements of tongue, lips, and teeth help cool down body, and calm the mind.
Tratak AZIMVTH
Tratak (Sanskrit: to look with focus) is an esoteric multi-step technique of meditation that involves progressive staring at a candle flame in a dark room. The control of the blink reflex stimulates the pineal gland. Tratak AZIMVTH extends this Yogic meditation to creative visualisations.
EXPRESS INTEREST
To express interest, please write to –
AZIMVTH (at) gmail (dot) com
AZIMVTH Ashram 