• Table of Contents
  • Raising a Spiritual Child by Swami Veda Bharati
  • The Future Force Yoga Youth Conference 2013
  • In the Gurukulam by Maurizio Teodoro
  • Yoga for the Little Ones by Noida Sadhakas
  • Ferry Meditation by Sarah
  • Something Swamiji Said by Roxanne Currie
  • Spring 2012 Korean Tour by Stoma
  • Lithuania 2012 by Stoma
  • One Year Anniversary in Pune by Dr. Shirin Venkat
  • Silent Retreat on the Shore with Ma Radha by Lauren Forney
  • God Speaking, Humans Hearing, and a Nice Jewish Boy Meets Rabbi Jesus
  • Poem for Swamiji by Elizabeth Proctor
  • The Art of Joyful Living
  • Tattva Samasa by Swami Nityamuktananda
  • 2012 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

The Future Force Yoga Youth Conference 2013

20th – 25th February 2013 Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama

by Lela Pierce

Dear Ahymsin Community,

As many of you know. Swami Veda recently formed a "Future Leaders" youth committee this past December - toward the end of the International Yoga Youth and Children's Retreat. At that time, approximately 30 or so youths, ages 11-33 ish from all over the world, came together to discuss the future of AHYMSIN and how we can start preparing ourselves to serve the Tradition better in the future.

Since then, approximately 10 of us have been meeting somewhat regularly (once a month) via Skype to discuss various topics. Active meeting attendees so far have included: Vikash Ramjanam (Netherlands) – recently elected to the AHYMSIN executive Committee, Apoorva Pal (India), Surya and Astra Khudan (Trinidad and Tobago), Nalini Behari (Netherlands), Tarik Hindi, and Surya Pierce (USA), Sakhi Kulkarni (India), and Isaac Sullivan (USA).

There are countless others connected to our youth group from around the world in other ways though they are not actively participating with us at this time. We would like to encourage all young people in the Himalayan Tradition to please step up and join us in our conversations in the future (whether they were present during the recent children’s retreat or not, we would like to welcome you all and make our committee as inclusive of a group as possible).

Some main points that SVB has pointed us toward as a committee include:

1. Encouraging young adults from the tradition to participate in the TTP program
2. Encouraging silence and other sadhana retreats for youth (possibly on a global and local scale)
3. Understanding how the Ahymsin executive committee is structured and discussing things that we may want to change in the future
4. Organizing future events... i.e., another international yoga youth and children's retreat (date to be decided), and a yoga YOUTH (future leaders) Conference for 2013 (we are proposing February 20-25,2013)
5. Informing non-initiate children/youth about the process of initiation.
6. Maintaining relationships across global communities
7. Sharing in the study of Swami Rama and Swami Veda books and recordings

In one of our initial meetings at SRSG several people on the committee expressed a shared experience of being "born into the tradition" and/or connected to Swami Veda and The Himalayan Yoga Tradition via our parents. However, despite this, there was a general feeling that perhaps many people assume that we know more about the practices than we feel that we actually know. Therefore we share a collective goal of learning and sharing in basic practices and supporting each other more as a global community of youths.

Last month we talked about the possibility of holding online satsangs (via Skype) with some of our senior teachers (perhaps monthly or bimonthly) so that we can learn together in a shared global space and not feel so isolated in our local communities.

We are also organizing a “Future Force” Youth Retreat at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama February 20-25, 2013, in collaboration with the Nurturing Spirituality in the Family Conference that will be happening at the same time. This event will be focused primarily on youths 12-30 ish, but we will work to accommodate all ages present. We hope that you can all make it to this special event prior to the larger 2013 silence retreat in March. Please email us ASAP to reserve your place or to recommend a young person in your local community who might be interested in participating in future events and discussions via Skype, etc.

Write to ChildrensRetreat@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

-Lela Pierce and the Future Force Youth Committee

Find us on Facebook (International Yoga Youth and Children’s Organisation).