Dive Deeper With Your Mantra and Heart

Dive Deeper With Your Mantra and Heart

by , | Feb 21, 2026 | Retreats, Satsang, Spiritual Practice

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

When the Moon Reflects the Guru’s Grace

When the Moon Reflects the Guru’s Grace

by | Jul 4, 2025 | Cooking, Satsang, Scripture, Spiritual Practice, Swami Talks

Guru Purnima is a sacred occasion of deep reverence, a day to honor and express gratitude to the Guru—the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and leads us toward the light of truth. Derived from Sanskrit, gu means “darkness”, and ru means “remover”; thus, the Guru is the remover of darkness.

Celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June–July), Guru Purnima holds special significance for spiritual seekers. While we may have many teachers throughout life—who guide us in music, science, or language—it is the spiritual Guru, the Satguru, who liberates us from the deep-rooted ignorance of the material world (samsara) and bestows the wisdom of the Self.

Ganesha writing the Mahabharata for Ved Vyasa

This auspicious day also commemorates the birth of Ved Vyasa, the great sage who compiled the Vedas and authored the epic Mahabharata. Hence, it is also known as Vyasa Purnima. The Guru-shishya (teacher-disciple) tradition, deeply embedded in scriptures like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, is based on this transformative relationship between seeker and guide.

From the nurturing love of our mother, the disciplined teachings of our father, to the intellectual guidance of school teachers—each play a role in our growth. Yet, it is the Satguru alone who purifies the heart and mind, making us ready to receive self-knowledge (Atma Sakshatkaram).

Payasam (sweet pudding) as prasadam (sacred food offering) from Vaju’s course Amrita Prasadam

On Guru Purnima, many observe fasting, offer naivedyam (sacred food offerings), and perform Guru Puja. Dishes like vermicelli payasam, fruits, and sweet curd are shared as prasadam, symbolizing purity and gratitude.

Vaju in the Amrita Prasadam Kitchen at Amritapuri

For us, this day is made even more sacred because of Amma, our beloved Guru. She is the embodiment of unconditional love and wisdom, tirelessly uplifting countless lives. In her presence, we feel profound peace, and in her teachings, we find clarity, courage, and compassion. She has comforted, guided, and transformed lives across the world, a true beacon of divine grace.

As we bow down in reverence, we recall the lines from the Guru Stotram:

“There is no truth beyond the Guru,
No penance greater than the Guru,
No wisdom higher than the Guru.”

To such a divine being, what can we offer but our tears of gratitude, and our prayer to merge with her holy feet?

Om Namah Shivaya.
May this Guru Purnima be a time of reflection, devotion, and the reaffirmation of our path—walking in the light of the Guru’s wisdom.

Thanks to Vaju for her inspiring satsangs for Amrita Prasadam, the Indian cooking classes in the AVA Membership. 

𝗔𝗺𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗿𝘂 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

🧘🏼‍♂️ Newly Released Talks by Swami Paramatmananda Puri: “On Guru”
Enjoy this series of digitally remastered talks from Swamiji. These timeless satsangs, lovingly preserved from our archives, continue to inspire and uplift listeners decades after the original cassettes were made. Get access here.

🙏🏼 On-Demand Retreat: “Obeying the Guru”
Join Vivek for a powerful retreat exploring the deep significance of surrender and obedience to the Guru. Find out more here.

🍨 Amrita Prasadam Special
This Guru Purnima edition of Amrita Prasadam—The Art of Indian Cooking—brings delight with enriching satsangs and festive recipes from Br. Rishi Chaitanya and Vaju. Find out more here. 

As an Amrita Virtual Academy member, you have access to more than 80 different courses and retreats in different fields. Discover more about the AVA Membership here.
Or sign-up here.