ISTA Level 1 in Goa | Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Experience | 24 Feb – 1 March, 2020 – India

<<<The invitation>>>

This powerful training is being held for the third consecutive year in North Goa.  Spiritual, Sexual, & Shamanic  – Each of these three areas alone carry enormous charge for shadow and misuse of power as well as potential for liberation, freedom, love and joy. If you are ready to transform your life, this experiential 7-day event is for you.If you are ready to transform your life, this experiential 7- day training is for you. Thousands of people on 5 continents have attended the International School of Temple Arts (ISTA) training over the past 10 years and have been radically changed for the better by uncovering reactive patterns and transforming them into conscious ways of being.

<<<How do you know the event is transformational & universal? >>>

Thousands of people have gone through this event worldwide, the individuals cover a wide age range from 18 to 80, varied backgrounds, all sexual orientations, those who are gender fluid or trans, differing professions from students, artists, surgeons, people from many different religions, races and nationalities. As this week-long is a journey through life’s core experiences and wounds, it is universal. It touches and can affect individuals of any age, background, race etc, if you choose to allow and if you are open to receive the wisdom and gifts.

<<<What is the event about?>>>

This retreat focuses on clearing the physical and emotional body of shame, guilt and fear related to sexuality and authenticity. The deeper transformation comes from reconnecting to your personal power, exploring sexuality is a fast path to encountering our own power challenges and gifts.

This is done through multiple pathways using the best of the ancient temple arts including Tantra, Taoist and Shamanic traditions and adding to this more modern day NLP, bio-energetics, guided visualization, emotional release, Kundalini activation, energy tracking, conscious touch and consent skills. The list above are just a few of the practices we use to dive deep into the inner realms. The inner masculine and inner feminine archetypes are explored because when they are fully integrated a door opens to a deeper knowing of the Self as whole and complete.

A note on Masculine & Feminine

Please don’t perceive that our use of the terms masculine and feminine is an indicator that ISTA operates from place of duality and gender separation. We do not, far from it we realise that we are all masculine and feminine regardless of our physical form. We use this terminology as it is an effective model for understanding the different energies or qualities that each if us is made up of. They do not translate to men and women or male and female.

Unique to ISTA

Three skilled Temple Arts Faculty all international teachers in their own right will share, inspire, guide and support you to bring light to the shadows where our power awaits to be reclaimed. You will receive information, guidance and lots of experiential practice around self love, boundaries and consent, emotional release, voice dialogue, neurological reprogramming, Orgasmic Yoga, learning to work with shamanic energy, owning one’s desires and the ability to manifest, accessing and speaking from your contra-sexual self (i.e gender opposite), conscious communication, Transformational Shamanic Breathwork, ancient temple arts rituals of healing/initiation and a powerful sexual clearing and activation processes. The ISTA facilitators are looking forward to meeting you in Love, Power, and Freedom.

Supportive Group Process

This event unfolds within a powerful group process based on safety, trust, unconditional love, intimacy and acceptance of what is arising. By the end of this event, you will feel more in touch with your body, more aliveness and presence, more aware of your patterns and have some skills as to how to change them, more awareness of your emotions and how to hold them, lighter and perhaps more relaxed. You will be more in touch with effortless flow of life, no matter what it looks like.

A Note – Lead Faculty Elaine Young

“My personal journey is the reason I facilitate these trainings, for me they are by far the most effective weeklong personal transformational experience I have encountered. I want to share the possibility of living from a place of authenticity, sovereignty, soul purpose, freedom, love and power with as many people as I can. ‘ All our journeys are different … your life may not in any way resemble mine, that’s reality. We are all a unique product of our souls, family, genetics and environment but many of us are hurting, stuck, disconnected, in denial, lack satisfaction with life, feeling lost, trapped, confused or somehow knowing we are not fully honoring our true deeper being that wants to live fully with authenticity, presence and passion.’

<<<Who takes this event?>>>

Some people take this event for their own personal evolution, to gain a deeper self-connection and to enrich their relationships and empower their lives. Others are interested in exploring how it will add to their own professional life, whatever that may be, and some are interested in the professions of Sacred Sexual Practitioner or Sexuality Educator.

Attendees include those from the various spiritual paths and the sexual paths of celibacy, monogamy, and polyamory.

Couples, individuals and relationship groups of any formation are welcome, as are individuals of any sexual orientation and gender identity. The greater mix of prior experiences the richer the event! If it is your truth, it is possible to complete the entire event/experience without touching another person.

I ask you this question: Are you ready to jump off the edge?

We are so often at the precipice of something we have wanted to do, embody or achieve….and we remain at the proverbial cafe, sipping tea, peering over the edge looking at the unknown water below, searching with our mind for the answers. Of course, the mind has no real answers. And so we are afraid. We may let our feet leave the ground, but more often than not we return to our comfort zone…because we are too afraid to feel the pain…really feel it all the way…and enter the gateway of new possibilities. What if you could jump when your being, your heart, your spirit knew it was time to change? In this event you will come to a point where you can choose, completely and resolutely, without reservation, to fling yourself off the rock…..and transform your life. What’s your edge? Are you ready to jump? What’s getting in your way? To find out….come and do this event. It will take you to your edge, expand you and change your life forever.

<<<Any pre-requisites?>>>

No prior knowledge of shamanism or sacred sexuality is necessary to attend this retreat. Those with previous experience are warmly welcomed, as they add to the power of the field.

Note: This is an individual process that happens in a group environment and a level of ability to be self responsible is needed to navigate the spiritual sexual shamanic space. ISTA is a mystery school and approaches trauma from the shamanic perspective of connecting with the body and soul. We recommend that if there is known deep-seated trauma, individuals seek one on one sessions and get the ok from their therapist before entering the group process.

<<<What will I have to do?>>>

You are always at choice and the facilitators will help you navigate what is authentic for you. Nudity and intimate touch are optional parts of this event. The cornerstone of this work is about consent, developing healthy boundaries and communication.

<<<What happens during the event?>>>

ISTA Level 1 is a container that will allow, invite and offer you:

To stop, feel and take a look at yourself in a whole new way, irrespective of your life situation. This is an opportunity to wake up to your life

To take risks, meet and explore your edges in a safe container

Essential life skills we all should have received as teenagers

A space for you to see, show and live from the you that lies beneath the mask. You will see more clearly where you are operating from ego, belief patterns of others and society

A reflection of where your inner masculine and inner feminine are immature, unhealthy or where they are at war and it will guide you to bring them back towards union, love and integration. This is huge! See “A note on Masculine & Feminine” above on how we use the terms Masculine and Feminine.

A space to reconnect to, master and to learn to love your emotional body and heart power, as well as your physical self

A reference point of your glorious energy being and share skills as to how to dance with this energy body alongside your physical body

The opportunity to to seek wisdom from your body and heart, instead of your mind

Powerful opportunities for healing core wounds

To remember how to love yourself, to feel the healing power of pleasure and it will offer you ways to expand your sexuality and orgasmic potential

To see and deeply understand that sexuality and spirituality are one

Opportunities for deep healing around lost love, sexuality, grief, self love and mother and father wounds

To shine a light on places where culture, religion and society has kept us from expressing who we really are

To take part in powerful rituals that can bring deep healing and power reclamation

To consider what your life might look like, if it was not controlled by societies expectations, ego, family, fear, shame and guilt

To plead with you to know what it truly is to be a sovereign being

<<<Investment & Registration>>>

<<<Venue & Accommodation?>>

Set amidst tropical Goan forest orchard, our venue for the training is a luxurious, boutique, private eco-retreat with a swimming pool, a 15 minute walk away from near by Mandrem beach. It is a quiet oasis in Goa. By global standards, this is a high-end venue. 

Details of the venue are sent to you in the Welcome Letter that is sent to you on paying the deposit.

<<<Start and End Times of the Training>>>

The training begins at 2:30 pm on Feb 24, 2019. Check-in to the venue begins at 11 am.

The training ends at 1 pm on March 1,  2019.  Please do not plan to leave the venue before 3 pm on March 1st to leave enough time to say your good byes.

<<<Nutrition >>

We have a trained, experienced chef on site cooking healthy, nutritious vegeterian food with lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegan options. Wherever possible, we strive to use the most natural ingredients available, with an emphasis on sustainability, organic produce, and local sourcing. 

A commitment to the Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Experience is a deep commitment to yourself. It is assumed that, if you feel drawn to this event, it is no accident. By paying the deposit for the training you indicate your agreement to these cancellation terms. If for some reason you become unable to attend:

For cancellations before Dec 15, 150 Euros is due as an admin fee and you will be refunded the rest of your deposit within 15 working days. For cancellations after Dec 15, the deposit will be retained.

If you have paid the full fee for the training, the amount paid minus the deposit may be transferred to another ISTA training in the future anywhere in the world. In extenuating circumstances we may be able to offer a transfer of the amount paid minus the admin fee of £150 to another ISTA training of your choice in the next 12 months.

<<<Location>>>
Goa has been the mythical, magical Bohemia since the hippy flower children landed on the shores of Goa is the late 1960s. Our location for the training is close to Arambol beach, in the far north of Goa. In essence, Arambol is still a small village with it’s own charm. Since the 60s, Arambol has evolved into a welcoming community of locals, tourists and long-term visitors, where peace and love prevail. It attracts creators in different forms – artists, musicians, dancers, movers, thinkers, bodyworkers, painters co-creating vibrantly to support the emergence of a more evolved paradigm of consciousness.

You can fly into any of the the major metro cities of India (for example – Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi), and then fly onwards to Goa. Alternatively, you can fly direct to Goa (Dabolim airport) with charter flights companies from different parts of Europe and the Middle East during the tourist season in Goa (Nov – March). For example, Monarch Airlines offers direct flights from London Gatwick and Manchester, and Thomsonfly offers direct flights from East Midlands, Gatwick and Manchester from November to March. Get a pre-paid taxi from the airport to North Goa (Arambol).

Details of the venue in are sent to you in the Welcome Letter that you can download after paying the deposit. The training begins at 2 pm on Feb 18, 2018.

<<<Who are the facilitators?>>>

Elaine Young (Lead Facilitator)

Elaine is a Sexuality, Tantra, Shamanic Breathwork & Bodywork Facilitator and Guide. She facilitates events for ISTA and her own offerings in London and overseas. Elaine has a busy private client practice in London.

Elaine utilises skills from more traditional Tantra, Shamanism, Transformational Somatic Sexological Bodywork and Breathwork. She loves to work with the integration of sexuality & spirituality , the body, the mind and the soul energies. Elaine’s work with clients often begins with reonnecting them to their body and their sexual energy. She longs to support clients to live life as emotionally and sexually expressive beings.

Her work includes sexuality issues, lack of libido, orgasm & self pleasuring, understanding and changing unhealthly sexual /relationship patterning, genital somatic clearing of pain or disconnection, freeing oneself from shame and guilt around sexuality, consent and boundaires, working with the emotional body including childhood wounding, cultural and religious conditioning, grief healing and transformation through shamanic breathwork journeying.

Longer bio & website – www.thetantricshaman.com

Bynoi Desouza (Co-Facilitator)

Some of these specifiers point to my work in the world – somatic sexual educator, esoteric embodiment guide – Tantrik & Sexual Shamanic modalities, Taoist internal arts practitioner, creator & producer of temple arts journeys globally, & ongoing student of play & embodied enquiry (internal sexual alchemy & self-cultivation).

Growing up in the 80s in Bombay, India, I learned to speak four languages – English, Hindi, Konkani & Marathi. I was fascinated by the places of synergy and separation between the mystical and the rational. It was the beginning of my embodied enquiry into Tantra & the liminal aspects of the human condition. Alongside, I was also drawn to studying science, completing a degree in Electronics & Telecommunications engineering, specializing in Technical Communication, Usability & Human Centered Design.

I became increasingly fascinated by similarities underlying foundational practice of different wisdom traditions originating in the Himalayas – Tantric Buddhism/Tibetan Tantra, Shaiva Tantra especially Kashmiri Shaivism, Bon Shamanism, Trans-Himalayan Shamanism, and also Taoist Internal Arts practiced on the opposite side of the mountains in India in China. Many of these wisdom traditions have cross fertilized each other to create potent individual embodied practices to experience reality skillfully and totally.

I was invited to Belgium in my early 20s, where I first stumbled upon Argentinian Tango, the language of embodied poetry. For the next decade, learning, practicing, teaching dance & creating community around dance practice shaped the process of my embodied enquiry. This was the beginning of my fascination with embodying polarities or sometimes, seeming contradictions or paradoxes. I lived Belgium, Sweden, and Argentina, learning 3 more languages – Dutch, Swedish & Spanish.

I’m passionate about learning & un-learning in the body & the embodied enquiry of seeming opposites of liminal aspects of the human condition; east & west, mind & animal; sexuality & spirituality; masculine & feminine; logical & mystical, spirit & matter; personality & soul. I am lovingly committed to support human beings to experience their embodied essence, while exploring the depths and the heights of the journey of being human.

I look forward to walking the path with you.

Longer bio & website – http://lovemovementevolution.com

Sujay Shemesh (Apprentice Facilitator)

Sujay is a spiritual teacher and  a therapist. He is following the way of Tantra,  Sacred Sexuality and Therapy for over 20 years.
Over the years he specialised in the Tantric philosophy and psychological work in different frameworks.
His journey has started in India where he studied Tantra in the traditional Indian way by different Tantra masters and Zen teachers.
Sujay has been qualified as a therapist in the OTT (Osho Therapist Training program) at the Osho Multiversity Pune.

He has an extensive experience working with people and believes healing is possible through the connection of sexuality, love, emotions and body. In his clinic at Pardes- Hanna, Israel, Sujay receives individuals and couples for consultation and therapy work.

In addition Sujay facilitates his own Tantra Therapy workshops and leads men’s empowerment groups. Sujay has developed a unique treatment method that combines traditional Tantra with Western therapeutic and therapy methods (M.A.R.G). The Maarag school offers training courses in this method for facilitators and therapists. Sujay was one of the founders of  the “Ashram Bamidbar” (a spiritual center which hosts  festivals and workshops in Israel). During the years he lived there he was responsible for the community therapy program (Womp) and played a large role in the management of the center.

These days Sujay leads a unique community that combines the work on Sacred Sexuality and Tantra with an emphasis on a safe space and enables growth and empowerment. Sujay has DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) degree. His medical, physiological and anatomy experience are combined in his work and help to bridge between physical body and spiritual body as well as deep understanding of the genital anatomy and behaviour. He is well known in Israel as a facilitator and therapist who connects the spiritual world to medical aspects of sexual therapy. He offers enrichment classes to sexual and sex therapists in sexual clinics and hospitals.

Sujay lives in Israel with his wife and kids.

More information – https://ista.life/profile/sujay-shemesh

<<<About the Organizer – Love Movement Evolution>>>

A global cultural movement integrating consciousness, love, & sexuality. Past events (trainings, sacred site journeys, retreats, festivals, experiential intensives, Practioner Trainings & immersions) have been facilitated or produced in Denmark, India (Goa & Khajuraho), Sweden (Stockholm & Gothenburg), UK (London & Leeds), Portugal, Czech Republic, Scotland, Finland, Guatemala, Bali, Brazil, Iceland, & Australia.

More info – www.facebook.com/lovemovementevolution

<<<Reflections about the ISTA Level 1 and of past trainings>>>

Interview about the life changing experiences that can happen on ISTA trainings – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYIkH1FjfRo

How the ISTA Level 1 impacted my life (by Binoy Milton D’souza) –https://www.facebook.com/lovemovementevolution/videos/1473815289334277/

What is the ISTA SSSEx Level One? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=357LWybyryo

Testimonials from past training – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJtMh5GVcAs

Frequently Asked Questions about the week

How challenging will it be?

The program is really well designed. Each step is a step up—and you feel ready for it. The week progresses from introductory-level work into some more expansive and challenging work (and fuuuuun).

We’re digging into some pretty massive cultural stories and personal issues here—it’s territory that’ll probably feel a bit new or edge-y for you at times. AND, this is where the healing, expansion, and release lives!  Maybe this is what you’re here for, right? We encourage you to be bold and honour your needs throughout the retreat so you always feel safe.

Do I have to do stuff? Or just listen to the facilitators talk?

You have free choice at all times. All exercises are 100% voluntary and you can choose to sit and watch if that is what feels best for you. The workshop will be a little bit of listening, mostly doing. It’s embodied & experiential—this allows you to learn things & make shifts with your mind, body, emotions and deeper parts of your being.

Is it for single people? Or people with partners?

Both: it’s suitable for everyone whether you’re single, celibate, monogamous, polyamorous, or if you do not identify with any labels surrounding relating, or if you are in the enquiry of what these relating labels mean. For people with partners, this week can transform your relationship.

All genders- and queer-friendly?

This workshop is for everyone of all genders and orientations.

Who attends the week?

A mix of people! CEOs, students, mums, dancers, programmers, entrepreneurs, sex workers, sacred sexuality practitioners… Some people take this training for their own personal evolution, to gain a deeper self-connection and to enrich their relationships and empower their lives. Others are interested in exploring how it will add to their own professional life, whatever that may be, and some are interested in the professions of Sacred Sexual Practitioner or Sexuality Educator.

Is it ok if I’m a newbie?

No prior knowledge of shamanism or sacred sexuality is necessary. People with previous experience are welcomed too.

How intimate is the training?

Nudity and intimate touch are optional parts of this training. The cornerstone of this work is about consent, developing healthy boundaries and communication. You don’t have to do anything, ever—you’re fully in your personal sovereignty 100% of the time.

If you have any niggling questions, please get in touch with me!