Experience the art of Tensegrity—the modern expression of the shamanistic movements called magical passes and the path of the warrior-traveler taught by Yaqui shaman don Juan Matus.

“If you enter a state of non-ordinary reality, it is only to draw from it what you need in order to see the miraculous character of ordinary reality. For me the way to live—the path with heart—is presence in the world.” — Carlos Castaneda

In this workshop, we will experience the art of Tensegrity—the modern expression of the shamanistic movements called magical passes and the path of the warrior-traveler that Yaqui shaman don Juan Matus taught his four students.

For the shamans of don Juan’s lineage, which originates in ancient Mexico, the mythical figure of the plumed serpent represents a state of full presence—earth and sky embodied joyfully together in the heart of man—the interplay of the self and its energetic twin, which they called the dreaming body.

Together we will practice the Plumed Serpent form and self-examination exercises, which invite the integration of the diverse community that we are—as individuals and as social beings. This collaborative program will also feature meditation instruction by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage.

For more information about Tensegrity, please click here. To listen to an excerpt of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's talk at the 2007 Tensegrity program at Shambhala Mountain, click here and scroll down to just above Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's bio on that page.

Miles Reid is a medical doctor from Argentina, National Diplomat of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology, and director of Tilo Medical and Acupuncture clinic in Los Angeles, California.

Aerin Alexander holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and is a Licensed Feldenkrais Practitioner. She has been teaching physical movements in Argentina and the United States since 1985.

Miles and Aerin have been training in the shamanistic traditions of ancient Mexico under the tutelage of the four students of don Juan—Carlos Castaneda, Carol Tiggs, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar—since 1995.

Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala lineage. An incarnation of Mipham the Great, he is also the dharma heir and son of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Shambhala Mountain’s founder. He is the spiritual director of Shambhala, a global network of meditation and retreat centers, and the author of the best-selling books Turning the Mind into an Ally and Ruling Your World. Rinpoche’s background embraces both Eastern and Western cultures. Born in Bodhgaya, India, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, he grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and received his spiritual training from his father and other distinguished lamas.

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PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 31

6:30pm – 7:30pm Dinner
8:00pm – 9:00pm Orientation and Introduction to Tensegrity


Friday, August 1

6:45am – 7:30am Morning Tibetan Meditation (guided by local instructor)
7:30am – 8:30am Breakfast
9:30am – 12:30pm Tensegrity Session
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch
2:00pm – 3:00pm Silent Walk to The Great Stupa
3:30pm – 6:30pm Tensegrity Session
6:30pm – 7:30pm Dinner
8:00pm – 9:30pm Evening Session Guided by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche


Saturday, August 2

6:45am – 7:30am Morning Tibetan Meditation (guided by local instructor)
7:30am – 8:30am Breakfast
Morning Schedule Open
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch
2:00pm – 6:00pm Tensegrity Session
6:30pm – 7:30pm Dinner
8:00pm – 9:30pm Evening Tensegrity Session


Sunday, August 3

6:45am – 7:30am Morning Tibetan Meditation (guided by local instructor)
7:30am – 8:30am Breakfast
9:30am – 12:30pm Tensegrity Session
12:30pm – 1:30pm Lunch

Note: Private indoor accommodations at Shambhala Mountain Center are full. Platform tent accommodations are still available. You may also stay in accommodations in the vicinity of the Center and commute to the program each day for program activities and meals. The cost to attend the program if you are staying offland is $495. If you would like to register as an offland participant or if you would like a list of indoor accommodations located near Shambhala Mountain please call us at 888-STUPA-21.

Extend Your Stay. We are offering a 25% housing discount for additional nights. Come early and relax before your program starts or stay an extra day or more after this program to savor your retreat experience.

Please arrive between 2 and 5pm on Thursday, July 31. Program ends with lunch at 12:30pm on Sunday, August 3. View Detailed Program Information.

More on Tensegrity

Tensegrity is the name now given to the magical passes: positions and movements of body and breath that were dreamt and stalked by men and women seers who lived in Mexico in ancient times, and passed on to Carlos Castaneda, Florinda Donner-Grau, Taisha Abelar and Carol Tiggs by their teacher, don Juan Matus. Don Juan was a Yaqui Indian from Yuma, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico, and the heir to a lineage of seers that originates in ancient Mexico.

The word "Tensegrity" is borrowed from an architect, engineer, scientist and dreamer whom Carlos Castaneda knew and admired: R. Buckminster (“Bucky”) Fuller. Fuller defined tensegrity as a combination of tensional integrity, the forces at work in architectural structures whose integrity and resilience are maintained by their flexible elements.

The students of don Juan found Tensegrity to be a perfect description of the warrior-traveler’s way expressed in contemporary life: for them Tensegrity refers to the interplay of tensing and relaxing the tendons and muscles, and the energy that surrounds them, when practicing the magical passes; Tensegrity also refers to the art of adapting to one's own energy, and to each other's energy in a way that contributes to the integrity of the community that we are, as individuals and as sentient beings.

Tensegrity is the subject of a book and four DVDs, as well as classes and workshops given in Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Russia by the students of Carlos Castaneda, Florinda Donner-Grau, Taisha Abelar and Carol Tiggs, and their teaching companions. There are more than 170 Tensegrity Practice Groups worldwide.


FAQ:

About the exercises involving Tensegrity—are they only physical exercises? Can you explain briefly how they act on people’s bodies and minds?

The magical passes of Tensegrity act on the body and mind as a physical and energetic unit. According to the seers who discovered them, their physical effects of strength, well-being, flexibility and endurance are a by-product of their energetic effect: the shift of perception brought about by a redeployment of energy.

When shamans see energy directly, they see human beings as spheres of luminosity. They see that the stress of daily living disperses energy away from the core of this luminous sphere to its edges, where it becomes unavailable. The magical passes redeploy or return energy to the core of the luminous sphere, where it can be used for any purpose we choose—including expanding the limits of our perception.

What are the benefits of Tensegrity to the practitioner?

The movements of Tensegrity create a wonderful mood of mental and physical alertness. Practiced consistently, they have the cumulative effect of shutting off the internal dialogue, leaving one refreshed, revitalized and new.

This quieting of the mind’s noise allows for another deeply-hidden aspect of ourselves to emerge, an aspect don Juan called the true mind, the mind intimately linked what he called the energy body—our energetic twin. Once we access the true mind, and the energy body, he said, new worlds of perception begin to unfold.