WELCOME TO THE ACADEMY SATSANG!

How the Academy Satsang Began

The Academy of Natural Health Satsang began in February 2006. It was conceived in answer to the wishes of former students who desired to continue and deepen their connection within the Academy family community. An additional purpose of the Satsang has been for it to become a vehicle to raise funds for a scholarship designed to support future students to train in holistic massage with the Academy, who would not otherwise be in the financial position to be able to do so. Facilitating this group has been Katya Langmuur’s personal offering – a gift of service – and by making a small payment to the scholarship fund instead each week, the participants (former students, family and friends of the Academy) have been sowing the seeds for the generation of Academy students to come. This scholarship has since become known as the Open Circle Fund - and we are very proud to announce that the first recipient of it began his training with us in September 2006.

Our Purpose

For the first stage of the Satsang (known as Satsang 1), a company of nine meets once a month, in the spirit of growth and love, for a total of six months. The aim is for each of us to use this structured time to work on personal spiritual unfoldment, and to look at how to integrate that into our daily lives. Using traditional Indian spiritual practices - including written exercises, chanting, meditation, reading texts and seva or selfless service -, it offers a framework of support and encouragement for us each to grow and learn. At the culmination of this period, Satsang 2 begins which comprises of a meeting once every 2-3 months in order to touch base with our ongoing practices and to focus on certain universal and perennial spiritual themes. 

Experiencing Satsang

Satsang is a revealing, sometimes joyful, sometimes arduous, but ultimately nourishing experience; one that allows you to learn how to live with spirit for yourselves, enriched by sharing with and supporting each other. 

“Satsang for me was about finding my feet on my own spiritual path, about surrender, acceptance. I guess I entered into it with a notion of where I was in myself, to find that overturned, and to go much, much deeper. It wasn’t always comfortable. But it needed to be so. Satsang has opened me up to my truth. It has shown me how I might access my heart, how to grow a spiritual practice of my own, and given me a beautiful community of support. I feel like I’ve just woken up.” Rachel, Satsang 2006.

As part of the whole experience of developing the Satsang family, we have been on a number of special group outings and to events that have a spiritual flavour. These have included taking part in a traditional ‘Durga Puja’ celebration at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre in Buckinghamshire, attending an all-night ‘Devi Bhav’ extravaganza with Indian saint Amma, as well as hosting an Indian dinner party and an intimate kirtan night for US kirtan star Bhagavan Das whilst he was on tour in Europe this autumn. Three of us also created what we deemed a 6-handed ‘sacred massage’ for Bhagavan Das that combined massage with mantras, chanting, meditation, breath and voicework - and plenty of white rose petals too! Truly divine…

On a more regular basis, we have ourselves entered into the devotional practice of singing kirtan, traditional Indian call and response chanting. The Academy Kirtan Group meets every week to practice singing from the heart. We also hold a public kirtan night approximately once a  month at River House Trust in Hammersmith or at Moving Arts Base in Islington. Apart from being great fun, these events also serve to raise further money for the Open Circle Fund.

Interested in Joining Us?

We are excited to announce that there will be a new Satsang 1 Group starting this spring. The group will, once more, consist of 8 participants (plus Katya as facilitator) who will meet for a 3 hour session on one Tuesday evening each month in order to explore the spiritual path and what that means in terms of learning to live our lives to the very fullest and most authentic. This will be a closed group and a commitment to attend all 6 sessions is very important. In between sessions, each Satsang member needs also commit to engage in regular guided written, meditative and prayer-based practices as well as some kirtan and some seva. There is ongoing peer support throughout and the creation of community is viewed as being as significant as each individual’s solo journey throughout the 6 months.

Very universal in its approach and thus suitable for participants from all belief systems, the Satsang 1 process is nonetheless one best suited to people serious about their commitment to explore their spiritual path. At the end of Satsang 1, participants are free to join the existing Satsang 2 group.

The fee for the Satsang 1 is £15 per 3 hour session. The combined amount of this is £90, £60 of which needs to be paid prior to the first session. This goes straight into the Open Circle Fund account. Then at each of the 6 sessions, participants need only each bring £5, which covers the cost of expenses and materials. The venue is Katya’s private studio in Crouch End, London N8. The timings for each session are 6.30 – 9.30pm.

Dates for the 2007 Satsang 1 are as follows:
 Tuesday 13 March
 Tuesday 17 April
 Tuesday 15 May
 Tuesday 12 June
 Tuesday 10 July
 Tuesday 7 August

If you would like to join us or have further questions, please email Katya at touch@massage.org.uk.