Love and Ecstasy Training Cycle 3: Joy of the Spirit, Meditation and Ecstasy

Love and Ecstasy Training Cycle 3: Joy of the Spirit, Meditation and Ecstasy is a week-long tantra training at Four Springs Retreat Center in Middletown, California, north of Napa Valley. It is the third cycle of the Love and Ecstasy Training (LET)®, an intensive course in SkyDancing® Tantra, and it is meant for people who have already completed Cycles 1 and 2. The focus here is meditation and ecstasy, drawing on the Tibetan tantric tradition.

What to Expect

The cycle opens on the first Friday with registration from 5:00 to 6:00pm, dinner at 6:00pm and an evening session. It closes the following Friday at 12:30pm with a take-out style lunch. The days between follow a steady rhythm: a morning meditation, then two to three sessions each day. The breaks are long enough for an unhurried meal, a rest, a walk, or a swim in the pool, which is open from May to October.

Practices named for this cycle include:

- The Wave of Bliss practice in the yabyum position
- The Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra, used for healing and renewal
- The inner flute practice, which channels vital energy through the chakras
- Meditative fusion with a partner in stillness

Teaching and facilitation are led by the Love and Ecstasy Training, built on the methods of Margot Anand.

About the Love and Ecstasy Training

The Love and Ecstasy Training is an in-depth course in sacred sexuality and Tantra, based on the methods of Margot Anand, including material from her book The Art of Sexual Ecstasy. Tens of thousands of people worldwide have taken part. It runs as three cycles of one week each, held several months apart. The gaps are intentional: they give participants time to bring the practices into daily life and deepen them through repetition. Between cycles, participants are encouraged to meet their "family of SkyDancers" to practice together and share what they have learned. Taking all three cycles in the same year is recommended but not required.

The Setting

Four Springs is a retreat center surrounded by hundreds of acres of pristine nature, about ten minutes from Harbin Hot Springs, which has reopened. The organizers chose it partly to support the local economy and the rebirth of Harbin. The center offers camp-style amenities: private cabins, a lodge for socializing, a workshop venue and a swimming pool.

Lodging options, all double occupancy for the cabins:

- A private cabin with its own bathroom, reserved for two people registering together
- A duplex cabin with a shared bathroom, suitable for solos or couples
- A shared one-room cabin with access to a communal bathhouse, suitable for solos or couples
- Indoor camping in the auxiliary seminar building, available year round
- Outdoor camping, with tents from May to October and RVs only from November to April

In the cabins that have two twin beds, the beds can be kept separate or joined, and Four Springs will connect them into a king on request. Early registration is recommended to get the lodging you want.

Meals run from Sunday dinner through the Sunday take-out style lunch, with three meals a day and snacks during breaks. You can arrive as early as 4:30pm on the first day and stay until 1:00pm on departure day.

Before You Go

Completion of LET Cycles 1 and 2 is the prerequisite, and some exceptions may apply. After registering and paying, you complete an online application questionnaire to confirm the training is right for you. The training is taught in English.

Tuition covers all teaching and facilitation, group sessions and guided practices, program materials and support, and use of the retreat facilities. Meals and lodging in your chosen category are included as well. Travel is not, nor are personal comfort items. Campers bring their own gear: a tent, sleeping mat and bedding for outdoor camping, or a sleeping mat and gear for indoor camping.

The first hours matter most in a gathering like this, so plan to arrive in time for the opening session and avoid booking travel that would make you late.