Dear Friends,
I have not written on my blog for a while, as we have been very busy with moving and renovating our new yoga center. This has been an intensive and wonderful experience and as the final touches are being made I will share with you some of the experiences in the process and future plans.
The new center: Concordia ‘The Heart’ Three years ago some of our colleagues began the search for a new yoga center; as we were outgrowing our previous center and needed to find a larger place that would be better suited to the growing needs of our school.

For two years we viewed many buildings, searching the length and breadth of Copenhagen for the perfect place – not knowing then that we would follow a trail that would magically bring us back to where we started!

Many significant synchronicities occurred in the search for the new place. Thus our new center that we now call ‘Concordia’ was actually the first building we went to see, however when we arrived at the building in Nodre Fasanvej, the estate agent hadn’t brought the key and we were unable to enter. We took this as a sign that it was not the right moment to see the place and continued our search. There were a few places we were close to buying, but the contracts fell through in the last moments, we even considered building our own spiritual center on the site of Prema (one of our ashrams).All the roads we went down eventually led to seemingly dead ends, but in reality they brought us closer to the actual location. One year ago the building in Nodre Fasanvej again came to our attention; we went to view it, this time successfully entering the door!

Even in its unused state we realised within moments that it would be the perfect place for our expanding school. It fitted all our needs, the size, the potential for expansion, the location and the name!

 

 

(The top picture was taken when we first visited the building and the bottom picture is now)

 

 

Another synchronicity came immediately after signing the contract and was a further confirmation of the choice we had made, as three months before finding this location (in fact coming back to it without knowing) we had started to create a new internet forum with the name Concordia. After we signed the contract for the new center I went out of the building to look at it again from across the street and in that moment I noticed the name CONCORDIA on its façade – it had been written at the beginning of the 20^th century. For this reason we decided to name the new center ‘Concordia’ –  and this means ‘with heart’, harmony, union and peace. A perfect name for the building which was to become the new home of Natha, and a sign of things to come.

 

We signed the contract for the building and began the massive renovation work in January 2008.

 

When we first started the work on Concordia the building was grey and pink, and had an air of loneliness. Over the past year it has been radically transformed both physically and energetically, grey rooms have been converted into colourful yoga halls, “Shambala” ashram, a library, reception area and offices. Life has been breathed into the building which now radiates energy and colour.

 

(One of the rooms before the renovation……. and now as a yoga hall)

 

In keeping with the concept of our spiritual school, it is not only the building that has radically transformed; all those who have been involved in the remaking of the new center have been remodelled and transformed in one way or another.Many have participated in the construction of the center, meaning not only the physical framework of the building, each one of them have contributed with their hearts and souls to the life of the center, whatever their task may have been: erecting walls, raising the roof, pressing 20 litres of fresh natural juice for the team every day, cooking for the hungry workers, washing up, answering the phone.

This is something unique in this day and age where the majority of people only know how to take and have lost the ability to ‘give’, paying with the price of feeling lonely and weak. Re-learning the true joy and fulfilment of giving is a pathway to ‘opening the heart’, and gives the knowledge that “the more we give the more we receive in abundance”

 Concordia is much more than bricks and mortar, Concordia is more than the sum of each individual who has been involved here, as by giving their hearts to the work they have created a living entity, a HEART, the central point that will radiate for generations to come as the ‘spiritual home’ of Natha Yoga center.

 

Yoga center

 

The new center has five yoga halls, two large halls and three medium sized. The halls will be used for workshops, yoga classes, and many other activities such as retreats, camps, spirals, lectures, meditations. There is also a small cinema hall, library, offices, and reception area.

The garden is being renovated and will soon be a place for contemplation and silence.

(Hall before renovation…….. and now as Ananda yoga hall)

 

On the roof of the new building there will soon be a terrace where people will be able to practice yoga in the sun during the summer months.

 

The Teams – The backbone behind the renovation of the center

 

The construction team and the cooking team have worked side by side over the past year. The builders have worked hard in the remaking of the center – reconstructing an entire new storey, converting rooms, installing a staircase, converting the attic, building a new floor and a new roof.  Many of the team were novices at the beginning, but now they have learnt new skills that will last them a lifetime.

(Mihai and Arthur developing their carpentry skills)

 

As their female counterparts, the kitchen team – or the ‘angels of the kitchen’ have provided constant nourishment and support for the construction team, ceaselessly working with enthusiasm and devotion.

 

(Some of the angels from the kitchen)

 

The best part of this “adventure” was the spirit of KARMA YOGA that constantly impregnated all the activities of the team. The work in different areas of the construction was constantly a lesson of communion with the universe and with the Spirit of God, this also brought joy and happiness within the team, even in the most difficult moments. It proved that it is possible in a world in crisis and tormented with suffering and difficulties to gain serenity and peace within yourself, by acting in a detached way and by opening your Heart in the act of giving.

 

This the opinion of the team leader of the construction team – Florin

 

 I came from Romania to Denmark to teach Ayurveda (I’m an educated physician and Ayurveda lecturer). At least this is what I use to believe in the beginning. Since I mentioned my previous experience in construction (I had my own business in construction in Romania), Mihai, with his angelic smile, told me “well, if you really want to teach Ayurveda here, first you will have to build the halls you need for teaching”. And thus the most challenging and transformative experience of my life has started. I’ve always had to deal with big projects, but this one is really BIG. It has requested my entire presence almost day and night for many months. I felt my whole being reconstructed in the same rhythm with the New Center. I found the Spiritual Guide of my dreams. I made the best friends of my life, or I’d better say that God bestowed his Grace upon me bringing into my life a bunch of real spiritual brothers and sisters. I felt The Divine Absolute manifested in and through me every second. I felt the Divine Will and Power moving everything around in order to fulfil this necessity – The New Center. I’ve understood deeply a lot of spiritual aspects due to the explicit presentations of Mihai. And all these took place in less than one year. I keep thinking that most of the people nowadays hardly experience something like this during one life, so I’m grateful to God for this Divine Gift.

  

The Vira Camp – “Vira” – Spiritual man / hero / warrior

 

From boys to men.

In order to integrate all the activity of the team in a spiritual way, emphasizing on the specificity of a male team, we decided to organize the whole activity as a spiritual camp, having as the main objective the awakening and amplifying of the state of spiritual Hero – Vira.

The Vira camp has been ongoing for 31 weeks and is now the longest camp in the history of our yoga school. It still continues…

 

(The Vira Team performing)

 

It is a unique and powerful experience to have the teams (men and women) separated during the week days by the specifics of their activity and then for them to come together over the weekend in combined relaxing activities. The separation creates a bigger polarity between the men and women, and in this way the men become more masculine and the women more feminine.

Being part of the karma yoga construction team, even for one day, is a powerful experience that induces in any man the state of Vira. The combination of the physical work and being together as part of a group with a high common goal has had the effect of bonding the men, creating a ‘spiritual brotherhood’ which gives the feeling of unity and oneness, where the members support, care, encourage and protect one other. In the beginning there were some difficulties with the cultural and communication differences, however in time minor problems were overcome and the team began to function as a single entity. Working as ‘one being’ was a secret key to the construction work, as the harmony and discipline generated by this way of working led to efficient actions and integrated solutions as well to a spiritual view upon the daily activities.

Over the past few weeks we worked intensely to finish the center. Students and friends joined forces to help the teams here. It was a wonderful atmosphere and a lot of fun. I want to thank all who have offered a piece of their heart in the creation of this new center – Concordia, ‘The Heart’

I will come with more details and pictures about the Grand Opening in Natha…

More pictures will be available soon in the picture gallery….