Having entered Spring 2025, we send you warm greetings from Kunsangar South, from its sunlit blue-sky valley framed by a patchwork of hills. The days are gradually lengthening, and preparations for the spring-summer season are in full swing.

But what happened during autumn and winter at Kunsangar South?

Autumn began with changes to our Gakyil when Elena Sautkina (Blue Gakyil) and Elena Sycheva (Yellow Gakyil) joined us. At the Gar, work was tirelessly carried out and the program of retreats and practices was carried out.

In November, we organized an online retreat with Fabio Andrico on the Pranayamas of Yantra Yoga, attended by participants from 27 different countries. And on December 8, in the warm company of our Vajra family, we celebrated the Birthday of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu.

From mid-December to early January, a series of offline retreats with Alexander Gomonov took place: on the first group of semdzins, the Green Tara practice, purification practices, the three principles of Khaita and the Dzamling Gar dance, as well as the Song of the Vajra semdzin practice.

In January, we held an online retreat with Alexander Pubants on Chöd, as well as a wonderful series of online lectures by Igor Berkhin: Nubchen Sangye Yeshe on the principle of Dzogchen, in which more than 300 people took part.

Mid-February brought us back together to the Kunsangar South Gönpa to attend the webcast of Namkhai Yeshi’s Dzogchen Teachings. We received precious instructions from the very Heart of our Teacher and are now eagerly awaiting the May retreat.

In the second half of February, we organized an online retreat on the preliminary practices of Yantra Yoga with Fazilya Nigmatullina, as well as a series of purification practices in anticipation of the Tibetan New Year. Losar itself and the beginning of the Tibetan year were marked by the Mandarava practice, watching teachings in webcast and the joy of connecting with friends.

Thanks to the efforts of the Blue Gakyil assistant Natalia Nemeny, we now have a new website: https://kunsangarsouth.ru/eng. Here you can learn about our Gar and keep up with the retreat program. This year, we will continue to develop our website. Watch this space!

During the teachings of Namkhai Yeshi at Dzamling Gar, a presentation of the international Gars was held. On this occasion, our Red Gakyil Alexander Popov created a short film: “Kunsangar South. Season 2025 (in color)”. Please enjoy watching it here.

In the Fall and Winter, various works were carried out at the Gar: we continued the construction of the shower complex, replaced the underfloor heating in the dormitory, and carried out many repairs. We looked after the trees at the Gar, ensuring their trunks have protective white paint and pruning them. We replaced the bed linen sets, bought a new stove for the summer kitchen and added new kitchen utensils, so that when our friends come to the Gar they always have everything they need at hand, and everyone feels cozy and comfortable.

We have many interesting projects ahead and are always looking for helping hands. We are currently looking for a third Yellow Gakyil, as well as a Blue Gakyil assistant. We ask those of you who wish to join our friendly team to fill out this form. We also invite karma yogis to our Gar.

Kunsangar South, according to many, is one of the best places for practice in our Community. Come here for a personal retreat (dark or regular – the choice is yours), join the in-person retreat program – we have so many wonderful events coming up this year. Come connect with friends and enjoy!

With love, 

Kunsangar South Gakyil

Our contacts:

Blue Gakyil (Alexander Gomonov, Alexander Prokofiev, Elena Sautkina): [email protected]

Yellow Gakyil (Oksana Ozornina, Elena Sycheva): [email protected]

Red Gakyil (Rinat Gabidullin, Sergei Kozhukharov, Alexander Popov): [email protected]

Geko Oksana Prokofieva: +7 978 829 2892