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Samani Parimal Pragya | Samani Vikas Pragya |
By Shashank Jain
Bellville: JVB Preksha Meditation Center, Houston conducted a 3-day and 2-night Family Retreat Camp at calm and scenic 66-acre facility Camp Woodmen, Bellville, TX from March 29nd through March 31st 2013. The camp was attended by nearly 70 people. Attendees included families from Mississippi & all over Texas - Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and the Houston metroplex.
This was the 13th Annual Family Camp conducted by JVB Preksha Meditation Center since the first one held in year 2001; the theme of this camp was inspired by Acharya Mahapragya’s recently released book - Understanding Joy & Sorrow. JVB President Vivek Jain initiated proceedings on Friday evening, and everybody welcomed each other with a series of one on one interviews that created new friends and relationships.
Acharya Mahashraman’s disciples currently stationed in Houston- Samanijis Parimal Pragya ji & Vikas Pragya ji lead an interactive program which included multiple lectures/presentations on how to deal with moments of joy & sorrow in life. Lively & fun filled discussions focused on why we feel joy & especially sorrow. One of the highlights was to apply the PCT principle to deal with sorrow where ‘P’ was for Patience, ‘C’ for Communication & ‘T’ for Time. Samanijis used everyday examples in their presentations & delivered tips that can be utilized to transform oneself via different discourses. The audience appreciated situational examples that they could relate to their familial and daily lives; which led to thought provoking discussions and fructified ideas to overcome them. Participants relaxed and meditated during various meditation sessions during the course of the day with focus on relaxation, and on contemplation of transitoriness. The retreat had concurrent special kids programs, where they focused on learning Yoga, Pranayam, and other creative activities. Some of the highlights of the children were interactive sessions on the topics of Joy & Sorrow conducted by Pramod Bengani.
All participants, especially kids participated in a cultural eve on Saturday night, which included knowledge snippets presented by the kids. For the adults, 8 different participant teams were challenged to make presentations on pre-assigned situational pictures for each team. Creativity peaked in each of the team skits, and the audience enjoyed the lively & fun presentations.
Daily early morning Yoga sessions by the lake were literally an icing on the cake. Both mornings featured special laughter yoga programs for adults & kids; everybody literally had laughter filled mornings. Families also enjoyed the excellent recreational facilities at Camp Woodmen in the beautiful spring weather. Unlimited paddle boating & canoeing had long wait times and kids & adults had a wholesome time.
Participants appreciated the great bouquet of programs, activities, and the way arrangements were handled professionally by the JVB team. Food arrangements were also highly talked of, and repeat attendees shared what makes them come back every year. The Annual camp concluded with a two hour interactive session with Samanijs’, where participants analyzed moralities of 4 different stories recounted by Samanijis. Finally, JVB Secretary Shashank Jain expressed his thanks to Samanijis, all attendees, JVB volunteers and also thanked the board for their continued guidance. Rajat Khater of San Antonio joined in and moderated a feedback session. In the end, Samaniji recitated the Mangal Paath & brought the event to a successful close with everybody taking the resolve to come back next year.
Upcoming Event:
- Preksha Meditation Workshop - Saturday April, 6th, 2013 (Register)
Regular Weekly Program Schedule:
Tuesday (Mangal Day - A great program for Adults/Seniors)9:00 am Jain Studies
10:00 am - 12:00 noon Geet, Relaxation & Meditation
12:00 noon - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Audio Spiritual Discourse & Discussions
Wednesday
8:00pm Spiritual Discourses Thursday
9:30am Yoga & Meditation (For Ladies only) Saturday
9:00am Yoga & Meditation for a Healthy Life
2nd Saturday
9:00am-1:00pm Preksha Meditation Workshop (Register)