Atlantis Gong Meditation Challenge
&
New Moon Celebration
Friday April 17th 7-9PM
Bindi Community Yoga
This workshop/ceremony/ritual practice pits the mind against the gong. Specifically the tones, vibrations and frequencies of the incorruptible Atlantis Gong, a mighty 48 inch, 100 pound mass of bronze and steel. Forged in fire and extreme heat, cooled in seawater and scarred by the passage of time, the Atlantis gong whispers secrets of the deep in its otherworldly growls and grumbles that melt brains and bodies into puddles of pure consciousness.
New Moons mark the start of a new lunar cycle and are associated with new beginnings, new intentions, new focus and new—perhaps even deeper—introspection. They are also an excellent time to explore our spiritual nature and instinctual yearning for ritual and ceremony. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in all of us.
In this 2-hour workshop, we will use the spiritual bump of the New Moon to seek both connection to our energetic body and the deeper experience of moving into and with flow states. For those who arrive in an elevated state, we offer support and guidance to take yourself and your meditation practice to new and deeper levels.
In this liminal space, these deeper meditations and conversations with the energetic body are not only more accessible, they’re more spirited and vibrant. Atlantis will also use its powerful vibrations, rumblings and frequencies to facilitate theta wave production in the brain. This means a cool state of calm relaxation, a quieting of the mind.
To be clear, achieving connection to the energetic body as well as the deeper experience of being in flow states are both attainable without mind-altering substances. In the early stages of this type of practice, however, cannabis is a good assistant, lighting the way and offering contact with that which is already there, just below the surface of perceptibility much like the unseen currents that exist under the surface of water.
Some believe this combination of cannabis, yoga and meditation to be a bit like magic and that may be true. Even so, the cannabis is merely illuminating a shortcut to something that already exists within each of us. Our friend Mary Jane just lights the path and points the way. Once connection is made and etched into the muscle memory of the mind and body, doing so again in the future becomes easier and more repeatable.
Remember, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. If any of this resonates or sounds familiar, that’s a good indication this workshop is right for you. (It’s also your birthright.)
We invite you to turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. At the same time, please remember, enlightenment is optional
Meet Your Guides
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Shawnte
Originally from Kentucky but raised in Idaho, Shawnte brings the diversity of his background in theater, movement and voice to his yoga practice. This means focusing on long, slow and deep movement practices with flare, extension and ease for every body, every day without risk of injury or overextension.
In 2015, Shawnte traveled to Bali to complete his first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Meghan Currie and Nico Luce. From there, he taught privately to supplement his artistic endeavors. Then in 2023, he took a second 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with world-renowned Rasa Yogi Greta Hill and has since leaned into teaching yoga full-time.
In 2024, Shawnte completed Innertrek’s Psychedelic Facilitator Training Program and began including psychedelics in his offerings.
Shawnte’s 20+ years practicing yoga has taken him down many yogic paths including Ashtanga, Bhakti, Bikram, Forrest, Hatha, Iyengar, Power, Rasa, Restorative, Vinyasa and Yin. What has emerged is his own style of yoga that includes long, slow and deep stretches with new and inventive sequencing. Some have described it as similar to Qigong and Tai Chi, while those with acting backgrounds may find elements of the Suzuki Method as well as Alexander and Linklater techniques.
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Atlantis
Weighing in at approximately 100lbs., the Atlantis gong is a giant 48” piece of bronze, hand-forged in extreme heat and cured with seawater, its unique patina gives the illusion of an ancient relic, a fragment of some long forgotten civilization disappeared by time and space and buried by the Ice Age at the bottom of the ocean. From there, Atlantis was plucked, saved from the wreckage of antiquity and brought before audiences anew. The deep, mysterious—cavernous—tones of this magnificent and majestic gong are ominous and otherworldly, some say “supernatural,” others say “superhuman.”
Either way, Atlantis—it should be known—does not speak the language of the mind, no. Atlantis speaks to the soul. Now, this sounds intense, and it is. But it’s also accessible and rare. With warmth and wisdom, Atlantis will transport attendees on magic carpets of sound into new, ethereal planes of contemplation, new depths of understanding and new dimensions of knowing and existing.
Even so, do not be scared, be prepared. These giant, trembling vibrations will likely be the most powerful and moving sounds one has ever heard. Ergo, for that reason alone, come with an open mind. And bring an airbag for your soul. You’re about to meet the gatekeeper to a long, forgotten world.
After a brief introduction, attendees will sit or lay comfortably while being bathed by waves of sound from the Atlantis gong. During this time, it’s important to clear the mind and like in Dharana—meditation on a single point of focus—concentrate solely on the sounds of the gong as well as steadily breathing long, slow and deep throughout the duration of the practice.
One may find that the droning tones of the gong have the effect of quieting and stilling the mind, leading to theta wave production in the brain. These promote deep relaxation, reducing anxiety and worry while preparing the body and mind for rest and rejuvenation.
Some practitioners may achieve trance or trance-like states of calm lucidity, similar to a dream-state or a flow-state. Others may drift into liminal spaces between consciousness and unconsciousness. In either case, it’s not uncommon for one to experience enhanced intuition, creativity and cognitive function, as well as emotional healing. Not everyone walks away with an “ah-ha” moment, but many do.
At the least, one should be prepared for a very deep state of calm, relaxation. Similar to the twilight state of mind between alert and active consciousness and the deep stillness of sleep and the unconscious.