Niguma Yoga Retreat
His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche and Michele Loew | April 3-7, 2023
Tibet House US | Menla’s Vajrayoga School is honored to host His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche on his first American tour demonstrating and teaching Lady Niguma’s Trulkhor cycle of yoga. The yoga exercises of the Niguma tradition are extremely beneficial for both the physical body and the inner, subtle body, which is related to the cultivation and circulation of internal energy and vital essences (thigle). The practices have many benefits for your mind as well as for your general health and well-being. Kalu Rinpoche will demonstrate and teach the physical exercises connected with the Six Yogas of Niguma, who was a contemporary of the more well-known mahasiddha, Naropa.
Kalu Rinpoche explains that, unlike Tummo, the auxiliary practices of Niguma Yoga can be taught openly without prerequisite empowerments. This presentation thus represents a new era in the transmission of Vajrayana Buddhism in which a once ‘secret’ practice is made available to the general public by an experienced lineage holder as a support for advanced tantric disciplines, including Mahamudra and Dzogchen. As Kalu Rinpoche explains, this new openness surrounding the Tibetan Yoga tradition is, according to H.H. The Dalai Lama, for the mutual benefit of individuals and society at large.
Lady Niguma was one of the two fully realized dakini mahasiddhas whose wisdom and teachings led to the formation of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism that Kalu Rinpoche heads. Born into a Brahman family in Kashmir in the 11th century, Mahasiddha Niguma transmitted her teachings on yoga to a single disciple, Khyungpo Naljor, with the condition that they remain secret and only passed on to a single disciple for seven generations. In the 13th century, the Six Yogas of Niguma and associated physical practices were made more widely available to Sangye Tonpa, the seventh generation lineage holder, and were further codified in the 17th century by Taranatha, the foremost scholar and exponent of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Kalu Rinpoche will teach the series of Niguma Yogas, as well as give teachings on Buddha Dharma and meditation. Join us for this rare opportunity to study with a master high lama for the benefit of all.
Michele Loew will be supporting Rinpoche with morning Vajrayoga practice sessions reviewing the Niguma Trulkhor Cycles of Yoga we are learning, as well as sharing complimentary stretching and breathing practices to prepare us for the afternoon sessions with Rinpoche. At the end of the day, she will share Clearlight Yoga Nidra & sleep/dream guided practices.
Open to all levels of experience.
We have a limited number of spots for students needing scholarship assistance. These are need based and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, please email [email protected]g.
His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche
His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche is the lineage holder of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in 1990 and recognized by H.H. the Dalai Lama and H. H. the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa as the tulku, or rebirth, of Kalu Rinpoche (1905-1989), a renowned Buddhist meditation master and scholar who was one of the first Tibetan lamas to teach in the West. The current Kalu Rinpoche completed his traditional three-year retreat between 2004 and 2008, supported energetically by the practices of the Niguma Trulkhor cycle. Rinpoche now teaches Niguma Yoga around the world to cultivate awareness of the psychological basis of effective spiritual practice and to promote physical and mental well-being.
Michele Loew
Michele Loew is an international yoga teacher and the founder and director of The Yoga Space in Portland, Oregon. She is known as a teacher’s teacher and is respected for her 200 Hr. & 500 Hr. Yoga Schools and her ability to combine Western knowledge of the body (anatomy & physiology and modern kinesiology techniques) with the Eastern tradition of yoga. She has practiced and taught Hatha & Vinyasa yoga since 1998, having studied extensively in the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions as well as the Sri Vidya lineage & since 2014, the Kalachakra Yogas. She is known for her keen observation skills and her ability to guide students toward aligning the physical and energetic body through the use of expert hands-on assists and intelligent verbal cues. She brings to her teaching a warm and engaging style that reflects her own internal understanding of the practice. Michele is an avid student of Eastern & Western Philosophy and continues to study with her principal yoga teacher Richard Freeman with whom she has practiced with since 2000. She has been Richard’s assistant in his teacher trainings and workshops and has a close understanding of his brilliant middle path teaching. She practices Tibetan Buddhist yogas and has received initiation from a number of Tibetan teachers, including several Kalachakra initiations with HH The Dalai Lama. She practices Vajrayana as guided by her beloved teacher in Buddhist inner science, Dr. Robert Thurman. Michele teaches regular classes and trainings in Portland, as well as retreats and workshops internationally. For more information on Michele please also visit www.theyogaspace.com and follow her on instagram @micheleloew Please feel free to email Michele with any questions or to let her know about former injuries or modifications you might be working with in your practice. [email protected]
