In the spring of this year, an initiative was proposed to Merigar West by Yoga teacher Silvia Mai, Professor Cinzia Pieraccini (later elected Mayor of Castel del Piano) and Agriturismo Roccone that was to take place towards the end of September. It consisted of three days of Yoga activities divided among three different places in the Amiata area: the Villa Sforzesca in Castell’Azzara, the Prato delle Macinaie on Mount Amiata, and the other could have been Merigar.
The idea seemed interesting to us, because it was carried out by qualified teachers, and because it was aimed at practitioners of various forms of yoga to whom we could introduce Merigar and Yantra Yoga in order to start a possible stable collaboration with them.
The event, called ‘Body – Breath – Nature,’ received the patronage of the municipalities of Arcidosso, Castel del Piano and Castell’Azzara, and the proloco of Piancastagnaio.
So on Saturday, September 21, Merigar opened its doors to this group of practitioners.
About 20 people, as well as their teachers, arrived at Merigar in the morning and were guided through the Temple of Great Contemplation. The morning, as scheduled, was devoted to discovering Merigar and Yantra Yoga; then, seated in a circle in the Gönpa, they listened with interest to the story of Master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu and the Community. Then, guided through the various spaces, they were able to admire the various decorations in the Temple, discover their symbolic meaning, and also identify some of the Masters depicted.
Taking advantage of the beautiful day, the visit continued along the path of awareness, passing near the cinerary and the Great Stupa of Enlightenment, and then arriving at the library to discover the Tibetan language and texts in traditional format.
After this introduction to the Merigar Community and its facilities, it was back to the Temple to begin with yoga practice. There, Natasha Priymak, Yantra Yoga instructor, was waiting for us, and she guided participants through the experience of the nine purification breaths, and some of the eight movements. After lunch, participants continued in the Gönpa with other yoga activities from their respective schools.
All showed sincere appreciation for the place, the welcome they received and the Yantra practice shared with them. Merigar is definitely a special place and its energy is clearly felt.
Based on this first experience, the organizers will evaluate whether to make this Amiata Yoga Festival a recurring and more structured initiative. Merigar will be happy to contribute in future years.
