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CALENDAR  Life Skills / Personal Transformation Seminars BY SATVATOVE INSTITUTE  USA, Aug 12 (VNN) — Combined Course, Gainesville, Florida, August 12-21, 2004Satvatove Institute offers a variety of courses and workshops designed to enhance helping abilities, facilitate personal growth, and generate rewarding results in your life and relationships. The nature of Satvatove's courses is interactive. Students participate in processes that allow them to experience their own realizations of the skills and principles. The Combined Course is an intensive 85-hour seminar that integrates communication and relationship skills with potent principles of personal transformation. This seminar consists of the Foundational and Advanced Courses. Students can register for the 27-hour Foundational Course, or the full Combined Course. The 9-day format of the Combined Course provides an environment for participants to deeply examine all areas of their lives, and to profoundly connect with each part of themselves. For more information about the courses or to register please visit: http://www.satvatove.org or write to seminars@satvatove.org Limited space in the Advanced Course! The following are testimonials from devotees around the world who took the courses: About the Foundational course Tulasi dasi: I didn't realize the depth of realization and inspiration that I would get from this seminar. Astounding. I am feeling energized and empowered to actually transform my life, as the title of the course indicates. And for me, it is a quiet, calm transformation. That is not to say that it will not have a profound effect on me and my close relationships, especially if I consciously apply the tools in my daily life. I would like to keep this level of enthusiasm and inspiration to use these tools and remember the experiences and insights from the seminar. I am looking forward to taking the advanced seminar. I know that it is a very valuable course, beneficial for one's life in all aspects. Bhakti Lata dasi: This seminar has opened up a lot for me. It has taught me to enter another human being's world and communicate at a very deep level, and in this way create highly satisfying relationships. I have learned how to very effectively make myself understood, how to understand others, and how to make sure others feel without a doubt that I understand them. These skills give me the power to dissolve the walls that are between me and others. Radhe dasi: The first thing I want to say is thank you so much. I have discovered many beautiful things in this seminar about myself and how to become a nice person, the one I have always wanted to be without knowing it About the Advanced course Brhama Tirtha dasa: Dhira Govinda dasa is expert at this type of facilitation. I have never attended any seminar which was so remarkably well organized. The form is expertly done in all regards. The substance is important, relevant to me, and quite helpful for my Krishna Consciousness. The seminar involves a series of processes which facilitated me getting off the mental platform. Frankly, I was in a groove of a self-deprecation which was stifling my ability to spontaneously practice Krsna consciousness. Though the seminar was tough, it was worth every minute for me. Since the attendees were mostly devotees the language was that of Krsna consciousness, which was comfortable for me. I was concerned that I was entering a touchy-feely world of new age psycho-babble. This proved not to be the case. Rather I entered a safe environment where we could share ourselves in the mood of the Nectar of Instruction. I am not advocating that this is for everyone, nor it is necessary for advancement in Krsna consciousness. For me it removed significant obstacles preventing my enthusiastic participation in Krsna consciousness. I was able to recognize destructive patterns that I have played out for many years. Now my real work begins to revive my devotional practices and enthusiasm. Krsna Kumar dasa: The transformation course was simultaneously one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. In the course of 9 days, I have learned to deal with problematic patterns in my life that I have been struggling to overcome for years. Now I feel very much inspired and empowered. It is clear to me how I will apply what I have learned in my life in the years to come. I took the foundational course in the summer of 2003. I was so inspired that I organized to host both the foundational and advanced courses at Nrsimha Ksetra [Germany] so that I would have the opportunity to take the advanced course and also to give the facility to many of the devotees I am working with to participate. The entire management and many of the preachers of our temple attended the course. I can see what a profound impact it has had in our relationships and in our efficiency in our service. It became clear throughout the course of the seminar that there are many devotees who are struggling with problems that they don't feel comfortable to discuss with other devotees. I feel that this is an absolutely devastating factor in our communities. Devotees may have difficulties in following regulative principles or maintaining other standards, which are expected of someone who is closely involved with the temple program, but I do not believe that this is a serious problem. I feel the real problem is that it is very difficult to talk about these issues with others and that such issues are very rarely acknowledged or addressed. The result being that devotees find themselves in cycles of weakness, addiction, shame, guilt, fear of rejection, hypocrisy and disempowerment. All of this can be very easily overcome if there is an atmosphere of openness, honesty, real appreciation, acceptance and trust within our communities. Theoretically, I knew all this before I attended the seminar and put a lot of emphasis on these points throughout the development of our community so far. But Dhira Govinda was able in this seminar to create an atmosphere of openness and honesty amongst the participants to a depth that I never imagined possible. I am sure that every single person who has attended his seminars will confirm this. He has also provided tools for us to maintain and cultivate that depth of honesty in our relationships and in our community. I have never seen anyone deal so expertly with such sensitive personal issues. I feel that our community has greatly benefited from these courses and I highly recommend them to anyone who feels that there is room for improvement in his life. I especially recommend the courses to anyone who has a position of responsibility within ISKCON, who is concerned with the long-term development of stable communities or who is involved in the training and education of other devotees. Nikunjavasini dasi: The Advanced Transformational Course is not something one could just read about or hear about and understand. It is an EXPERIENCE! It's one of those things in life that you just have to try, having been advised to do so by someone whose judgment you trust. Likewise with this Transformational course. The real effects of the Seminar came afterwards. As I began to apply the realizations, principles I gained from it to my life. I became aware that I had been feeling hopeless about becoming the person/devotee I wanted to be. Now instead I realize that I am already that pure soul, spark of Krishna's pure light, I am just covered over by layers of poor conditioning. Many layers of unwanted mental and emotional garbage were removed in the six days I spent focused in this Transformational Experience. Feeling freed from so much unwanted baggage, I now have a daily experience of well-being, joy and trust in my inner guide, Supersoul. Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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