Trance Dance & Tantric Shamanism Intensive And Facilitator Training

November 8th to November 16th, 2008
Villa Sumaya in Guatemala

An exploration of the Self through Dance and the Celebration of Discovery through Shamanic Ritual

Personal transformation begins during a nine day long Intensive with Journey to the Heart in one of the most exotic locations in the world, culminating in a lasting commitment to a better life and world.

This is a personal journey with the goal of facilitating this material; it is a 9 - day Intensive and Facilitator program created to explore Trance Dance and Tantric Shamanism.

It is a modern day approach to ancient practices that will allow you the student to enter into deep dimensions of the self to heal from within Trance spaces. We utilize techniques that will move you to understand Altered States of Consciousness (ASC), how to create Sacred space, how to create ritual and put magic to your sessions, how to facilitate and hold the energy for Trance Dance and how to listen and program music for the TD sessions, how to use your body as a true expression of the Divine.

Who Should Attend:

This program is designed for Individuals that are in the Healing field or people that simply want to grow and experience change utilizing Shamanic practices, if you love music and dance if you love to integrate your spiritual experiences in the physical world. If you love to share and facilitate for others, if you are a therapist, healer, facilitator, professional or not, if you simply want to work on yourself and heal deeper inner aspects then, this Trance Dance and Tantric Shamanism Intensive and Facilitator Program is for you.

This is a highly experiential workshop that will open the doors to new possibilities as you connect with your Shamanic Self and Trance Dance to integrate all of your experiences.

In this class we will explore the magical self, the mystical self, the wild self, the sensual self. We will use highly evocative music, sounds and drumming to induce trance like states and explore the inner potential of Trance.

One more thing if you love to enjoy life if you like to celebrate freedom, if you are passionate about the world we live in and want or does contribute to a better world. This Intensive is for you!!

The Breakdown of the Intensive:

• Trance Dance – Enter the inner aspects of the self and explore the body, mind spirit connection.
• Soul Retrieval – Journey to find and bring back lost pieces of the soul.
• The Tao of Music – understand the healing power of sound, vocal awareness, Toning, how music affects our energy, how to program music utilizing the Chakra system.
• How to Create Sacred Space – How to facilitate Trance Dance and how to work with people in an Altered State of Consciousness.
• Mask Making – Discover an inner mask, give it life and then dance your expression.
• Power Animal Retrieval – Connect with the spirits of the forest and journey for your power animal.
• Tantric Shamanism – Powerful exercises that will help you deeply connect with the self and others. Breath, sound, movement, mantras, safe touch and more.
• Mud/Clay/Chocolate Rituals in the Forest – From dust to dust we integrate back into the earth and play in ritual and ceremony.
• Shamanic Drumming and more much more…..

In this nine day long experiential Intensive we are going to explore the Body, Mind, Spirit connection using various Psychospiritual integration tools.

At the core of the Intensive are Trance Dance sessions, which enable direct access to the unconscious: “Dreamtime”, by working in non~ordinary states (ASC). Trance Dance is an evolutionary outgrowth of ancient Shamanic practices merged with modern consciousness research. Utilizing the breath and movement as activators, we can explore non~ordinary states of reality, and the psyche’s poetic soul centered language of images and symbols. Combining conscious breathing and evocative music, you will embark upon a journey, during which you may experience a release of blocked emotions, healing of unfinished business, transpersonal connections and new insights.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEARN:

TRANCE DANCE

Trance Dance is a unique blend of healing sounds, dynamic percussive rhythms, transformational breathing techniques and the innovative use of a blindfold or bandana - together stimulating a trance state that promotes spiritual awakenings, mental clarity, physical stamina and emotional well-being. Driven by unique musical soundtracks recorded specifically for this method of healing, Trance Dance takes participants on an inner journey not limited to our normal perceptions of space/time. Ritual trance journeys have been a vital part of shamanic and eastern dance cultures for thousands of years. Our contemporary approach to Trance Dance brings together the richness of these ancient rituals with some startlingly effective modern techniques.

Trance Dancing is an ancient spiritual ritual, which invites Spirit to embody the participants and to give the visions or to heal them through spiritual ecstasy. For over 40,000 years indigenous people worldwide use this practices to return home lost "soul parts", bring about the ecstasy of spiritual wholeness.

Anyone can trance dance because there are no steps, no external expectations. The Inner Self knows the steps and once awakened, Spirit takes over. It is a journey out of your head and into your heart and body.

TANTRIC SHAMANISM

The fabric of life is woven between ordinary and non ordinary realities, our awareness for the must part is on the external, ordinary reality, magic and discovery, the potential for deep personal healing is when we enter the non ordinary reality, this is an altered state of consciousness (ASC) that has the ability to transport us into a world of the Shaman.

Tantric Shamanism (TS) embraces all of these aspects that must be explored from this beautiful inner space, the world of the Shaman; where you will be able to live in an extraordinary experience during the time of the training and own your experience as you will be able to anchor it in the physical world with dance, movement, touch, massage, experiential adventures, drumming, mask making and more.

All of these in a safe environment where the Self will be first and foremost honored, a space that is sacred and where we will practice ritual. Tantric Shamanism will give you the exercises and experience that you can bring home with you. TS is about sharing life in a deep and personal way, is about saying “yes” to life and embracing it from a healed inner space.

SOUL RETEIVAL

The Shamanic Soul Hunting or Soul Retrieval is an ancient but eternally relevant way to contact the timeless reality that exists parallel to and just out of sight of the world we so mistakenly call the “real world”. It is here in the everyday that we experience the reflections of who we are, of our actions, our deepest beliefs, our “dreams”’, but it is in the non-manifest world of the spirit that the hidden causal interactions take place. Hidden, that is, until we begin to open the doors and “see” with an expanded vision, with the eyes of a Shaman.

We are going to journey to bring back fragmented and lost pieces of the soul, only by bringing back these pieces we can become whole and child like again. We are going to integrate these pieces with dance, movement, adventure, fun and child like play.

POWER ANIMAL RETRIEVAL

Shamanism is a worldview based on the belief that everything in the universe is connected and
Interdependent. It therefore involves a deep respect for the natural world and its ecosystem. It is in this ecosystem that we will journey to find our Power Animal, we will learn how to identify, bring back and integrate him/her into our life, how to utilize the power and qualities of this animal in our every day life. We are going to dance this animal and become this animal run in the jungle with him and play in a way that we have never played before.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO INDUCE ALTERED STATES

The main objective of the breathing techniques is to activate the unconscious, to unblock the energy bound in emotional, somatic, and spiritual symptoms and to convert the energy into a stream of experiences.

Breathing techniques activate the unconscious in such a way that the results are a non-ordinary state of consciousness.

You will learn the Trance Dance breathing technique to enter and guide your participants into an ASC.

WACHUMA SACRED CEREMONY

During this Retreat you will have the opportunity to experience the magical properties of Wachuma or San Pedro (very much like Ayahuasca). Shamans in Peru and Bolivia have used Wachuma for thousands of years for consciousness expansion and healing. The Spirit of Wachuma is the Universal Goddess and she will guide you in a daylong experiential adventure of self-discovery.

FACILITATION

You will facilitate with Ernesto some of the trance Dance that will be open to the local community. This way you will gain hands on experience.

DANCE TO THE RHYTHM OF YOUR SEVEN CHAKRAS

We are going to dance and explore each day the qualities movement and rhythm of each of our Chakras. We will learn and explore the music that activates each of the Chakras we are going to give each and everyone expression and Tantric life. From the wild and connected to the earth first to the sublime seventh and how they all connect in the heart.

THE TAO OF MUSIC

You will understand the healing power of sound, and how sound translated into music can have a significant impact in your life. Even in silence there is sound. What we are going to do is to experiment with different forms of sound, we will have practical demonstrations as to how sound or music affects our energy.

Some of the areas that we will cover are: Toning, Chanting, Humming, Vocal Awareness, Music and Emotions, Music in ASC, Authentic Movement, Music and the Chakra System, How to program music using the chakra system, and how to program music for Trance dance.

MASK MAKING

An extraordinary way to have fun and give your experience life, it is a way of expressing our creative self after any of the processes. It’s about sharing time with the group and celebrating with others. It’s about becoming and dancing your mask. It’s something that you will take home to remember your experience and share it with others.

MUD/CLAY/CHOCOLATE RITUALS

Do we need to say anything more…we are going to do ritual and play in the mud
or with chocolate with a child like carefree attitude.

At the end of the training and upon successful completion of all exercise, participants will receive a “Certificate of Completion” acknowledging participation in the Trance dance and tantric Shamanism Intensive.

Note: Completing the program does not automatically guarantee the participant the right to a certificate of completion. Journey to the Heart reserves the right to withhold the certificate to anyone that is not capable of working with persons in Trance Dance or an ASC.

Some of the FUN extra curricular activities:
Included with the tour

Protection Ceremony with Mayan Shaman

A traditional Mayan Shaman will lead a ceremony offering a blessing for protection during your travels. You will be encouraged to participate in the ceremony which will include the building of a fire in the age old Mayan tradition using herbs, chocolate, colored candles, lemons, eggs and copal (tree resin).

Trip to the thermal hot springs outside of Santa Catarina, followed by a visit to the town of San Antonio and Santa Catarina

This tour begins early in the morning with a trip to the thermal hot springs located on the shoreline, of Santa Catarina. Following the hot baths and depending on the remaining time available, you will be taken for a visit to two native Mayan villages, San Antonio and then Santa Catarina. Both are traditional villages with classic churches and an indigenous population that still dresses in native styles. San Antonio is also known for a fashionable style of pottery introduced by an Italian designer, which has proven to be very popular in the western world.

Optional Activities (if time permits)

Boat trip and English speaking tour to Santiago
(the largest village on the lake)

You will be transported by boat to Santiago where an English speaking Mayan woman guide in full traditional dress will meet you. You will visit Maximon, the patron saint and the mysterious Mayan/Catholic spiritual figurehead of Santiago. You will see wide variety of primitive paintings, beadwork and hand crafted woodwork. You will learn the fascinating history of Santiago while visiting numerous historic sights. This tour concludes in the household of your guide where you will be able to see the inner workings of life in a Mayan household. This is our most popular guided tour, offering a rare and fascinating insight into this very proud and independent village and the life of the modern Maya who inhabit this region.

Weaving Demonstration with 2 weavers (women) at the Villa Sumaya

Two local women will demonstrate the ancient Mayan art of the weaving tradition. This demonstration provides an opportunity for first hand discovery and photo opportunities, which are often hard to find elsewhere, since the women tend to weave within the family compound. The ladies will weave while folks ask questions, take photos and try their hand at weaving. This is a perfect opportunity to experience the exquisite beauty of the Mayan women in motion. Woven crafts will be available at the gift store.

Personal readings by individual request – divinations

A Mayan Shaman the one that will do the protection and blessing ceremony for us will be available for individual divination readings and divinations using ancient Mayan traditions.

And YES, you will have time to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, walk, meditate, journal or simply hang in one of the hammocks.

Here is a little about Villa Sumaya

Villa Sumaya, in the heart of Guatemala’s highlands, offers opportunities to discover Lake Atitlan’s living and legendary landscape. Villa Sumaya hotel and retreat center is seductively situated on the picturesque shores of Lake Atitlan (at 1,500 ms/4500 ft above sea level). With an uninterrupted vista punctuated only by a skyline of three perfect volcanoes, Villa Sumaya is the ultimate high for adventurers in search of beauty, reflection and ageless natural magic. This unpretentious, thatch roofed complex, has magnificent gardens, hot tub, sauna all hidden in the natural surroundings of this beautiful setting.

The meditation, dance facility with thatched roof, simple lines and a unique Asian motif.
Boasting a lake front location, full panoramic view, hardwood floor, glass pyramid sky light
and cascading garden waterfalls, this space is ideal for yoga, meditation, dance or conferences.

Accommodations

Each room, appropriately named using Mayan glyphs, is carefully appointed, fully equipped with an in suite bathroom/shower with hot and cold running water, electricity, and a spacious veranda where the lake is a stage. The veranda showcases the best of Lake Atitlan and Guatemala´s timeless nature and history. In your room you'll be surrounded by flowing fabrics (the hallmark of Guatemalan artistry), hand-crafted ceramic tiles, wooden furnishings mixed and matched in a down-to-earth duo of adobe browns, indigo blues and stone-washed siennas.

Food Glorious Food

Villa Sumaya’s restaurant, with a stunning view of the lake, offers a culinary-conscious menu an eclectic blend of local and international cuisine, created from Guatemala's cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.
You will enjoy three vegetarian meals three times a day; fish and poultry are available for an additional charge.
Baked goods are produced daily. The scent of fresh bread and tortillas is utterly intoxicating!

Prices and Discounts

Prices include all classes, all meals, accommodations and some of the adventures. Departure tax, tips, optional activities and airfare from the US or other countries is not included in the price of the Intensive.

10% discount if you sign up with a bunkmate (only one 10% per room) or 5% discount to each traveler.

Deposit: A minimum of $300.00 deposit is required to reserve a space.

Note: Please view the Terms and Conditions for this trip. Click here to download

Other Expenses

Transportation from Guatemala City to Panajachel (Lake Atitlan) is US $20.00 p/p approximately, depending upon the number of people in the van and current gas prices.

Boat from Panajachel to Villa Sumaya $17.00 p/boat ride regardless of number of people traveling on the boat.

We will make every effort to have you all arrive at the same time to minimize these expenses.

Transportation to Guatemala

Airlines from USA
Mexicana, American Airlines, UAL (United Airlines), Continental

Airlines from Europe
K L M, Mexicana, Iberia, Air France

Please request a paper brochure or download it from the top of this page, it contains the official registration form.

To reserve a spot email Kiva101@aol.com with the following information, the group is limited to 28 participants.

•Name:
•Address:
•Phone:
•Email:
•Occupation:
•Please describe your reason for attending?

We welcome you to share any additional information about yourself that you feel would be good for us to know as we are looking to provide a retreat for like-minded people.

Hope to see you there!

Namaste

Ernesto

For more details, contact Ernesto Ortiz @
(305) 595-1668 or
(305) 632-5603