Dive Deeper With Your Mantra and Heart
This past summer, eight highly motivated participants came to MA Center Switzerland, Flaach on June 22, 2025 for the first online-based retreat with Swami Atmananda Puri, one of Amma’s senior disciples. This was a special collaboration with Amrita Virtual Academy, where their popular “Mantra Japa: Level 1” retreat was streamed in English at the Center and translated live into Swiss-German.
Welcome to the participants
If you’re already familiar with MA Center in Switzerland, then you know: A day of focused practice can initiate profound inner transformation. This new retreat format was for anyone who wanted to not only repeat their personal mantra, but truly experience it–mindfully, powerfully, and in connection with the body, breath, and inner stillness.
Meet Swami Atmananda Puri
In the online videos, Swami Atmananda Puri guided participants—in recorded video lessons—through a holistic process of practice, theory, and reflection.
Swami Atmananda Puri is a monastic disciple of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, the “hugging saint” affectionately known as Amma. He first met Amma in 1989 and has been living at Amma’s ashram in Kerala, India since 1993.
Under Amma’s guidance, he has been conducting meditation retreats and spiritual discourses in Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, Mauritius, Australia and New Zealand, to guide individuals toward finding greater peace in their everyday lives. He is a Global Teacher of the IAM® Technique and deeply involved in both Amrita Virtual Academy and Amrita Silent Retreats in Amritapuri where he leads popular and inspiring retreats.
Swami Atmananda Puri gives retreats and spiritual talks worldwide.
Local Host
On-site in Switzerland, participants were accompanied by Beat Prashant Baumann, a long-time spiritual guide at the MA Center, as the moderator for this special, nurturing program.
“We felt it was important that we had an experienced moderator who had practiced the retreat online several times and was therefore able to guide the participants through the video sequences in a relaxed manner,” explained Vijayan Iser, one of the event organizers.
Beat Prashant Baumann moderated the sessions.
Contents of the Retreat
Whether participants wanted to have their first intensive experience with mantra japa or deepen their existing practice, this retreat gave sacred space to recharge and consciously renew their sadhana (spiritual practices).
The contents of the retreat included:
- Guided mantra cleansing visualization
- Mantra japa meditation with a japa mala
- Walking meditation with mantra
- Satsang lecture: The Power and Meaning of Mantra Meditation
- Q&A Sessions with Swami Atmananda (Pre-recorded)
- Self-practice & delicious, contemplative lunch
Each session was complemented by a thematic introduction, thus creating a harmonious flow between knowledge, experience and silence.
“A mantra will carry you to the threshold of God-realization. From there you can easily reach the ultimate goal.” – Amma
Participants meditate in peace, tranquility and concentration together.
Retreat Promises
Before taking the retreat, participants were suggested that these are some of the outcomes to look forward to in taking the retreat:
- To deepen your mantra practice, guided by an experienced Swami
- To spend a day in focused mindfulness
- To realign yourself internally and strengthen your sadhana
- To recharge in a familiar atmosphere
And the Results?
After taking the retreat, the feedback from participants was very promising. Many now want to participate in the video-based Mantra Japa: Level 2 retreat later.
Here is some feedback from participants:
- “A wonderful new offer, pleasant, supportive atmosphere, lovely hospitality.” Marianne B.
- “Very sensitive and competent course guidance from Prashant. His instructions were very clear and I felt very comfortable.” Sandra L.
- “I would like to attend Mantra Japa Level 2. I thought the swami was great.” Heidi E.
- “I felt very comfortable from A-Z.” Anna H.
Host or Take Your Own Retreat
If you have a local satsang group which would like to host a similar experience, please contact support@amritavirtualacademy.com in order to make arrangements.
Or, treat yourself now, at home, to Mantra Japa: Level 1 today by joining the fabulous Amrita Virtual Academy Membership. With over 20 on-demand retreats and over 100 offerings total, including courses and Amma movies, there really is something for everyone.
Footnotes:
This blog article was inspired by the following news article, originally written in Swiss German for MA Center, Switzerland: https://www.macenter.ch/news/2025/6/30/rueckblick-sadhana-retreat-mantra-japa-level-1