NEWS FLASH: VISAS ARE BACK ON! WE’RE GOING TO INDIA! Are you coming with us?
Do you love yoga? Are you drawn to explore the origins of yoga in its birthplace… colourful India? Have you been secretly dreaming about having an adventure in India for years? Now’s your chance.
After many heart opening and inspiring trips to India, we are thrilled once again to bring a group to share in our favourite treasures; ashrams, villages, sacred sites, nature spots, temples and markets. We’ll be introducing you to the wonders we have discovered, while holding space for deep inner practices and lots of delectable yoga!
Our two week adventure begins in Tiruvannamalai, India in a beautiful village ashram near the holy mountain Arunachala. We will enjoy seven days of yoga & workshops, delicious vegetarian meals made with fresh and locally grown ingredients, colourful, eye and heart-opening excursions and inspirational activities balanced with plenty of free time to journal, rest and explore on your own.
We will have a group travel day with a domestic flight to north India, to the yoga capital of the world and the home of Yogrishi Vishvketu: Rishikesh! We’ll stay in lovely boutique hotel near his ashram, and then we’ll spend a few days experiencing the beauty and wonder of his new Jungle Ashram just north of Rishikesh.
In Rishikesh we will enjoy 3 days of powerful morning practices at Vishva’s ashram Anand Prakash, including meditation, Akhanda Yoga, fire pujas (a fire ritual honouring the earth and the elements) and more. We will have a ceremony at the Ganga river, evening kirtans (singing), satsang (gathering to explore the nature of truth), nature walks, and some extremely fun market shopping!
The jungle ashram is in a gorgeous nature setting at the confluence of two mountain rivers. Here in the foothills of the Himalayas we’ll have a taste of the ancient stream of yoga while exploring periods of silence and deep meditative practices. In the afternoons we’ll have time to visit village farms, swim in the river & explore the gorgeous surroundings!
International and domestic flights, travel insurance and travel visa to visit India and are not included in the retreat price. Departure taxi or flight to Dehli is not included but we will help you book. More info below under flight booking.
Optional add on: Professional photo shoot on the banks of the Ganga River + 1 more location
This is not a luxury tour. This is a group journey to ashrams, nature spots and holy sites that we love, in the context of yoga and inner inquiry. Accommodations in Tiru are basic Indian ashram style; hotel in Rishikesh will be a bit more luxurious.
Space is limited for this trip. Please book early to reserve your spot, and to get the best times and rates for the international flights. We will do our best to coordinate flight info, so where possible participants can fly together.
All accommodation is shared (double). Private accommodation is subject to availability and for an extra fee
Deposit: $800 – non-refundable
save my spot!
Next payment: $790 – Due by Dec. 10
Payment 1
Final Payment: $790 – Due by Jan. 5
Payment 2
For 200 hour trained teachers, this retreat counts as 40 hours of Yoga Alliance CEU’s OR 40 elective module hours for the Prana 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training.
Isabelle Addison (Sakshi) is an E-RYT500 Akhanda (holistic) Yoga Teacher. After living on both coasts of the US and NSW coast of Australia, she is grateful to call Alberta home. Isabelle has engaged in spiritual exploration, practice, and study across various traditions for almost 4 decades. Through classes and trainings she offers depth, warmth, insight and humour, balanced with precise attention to physical placement and understanding. She holds a BS in Languages and Linguistics summa cum laude from Georgetown University, and her love of sound, words, and their power to transmit meaning is evident in her teaching and singing. She is additionally trained in Classical Kundalini Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, the Work of Byron Katie (inquiry-based stress reduction – a form of Jnana Yoga), Hormone Yoga Therapy, Vedic Chanting, and the fascinating and illuminating theory and practice of Katonah Yoga®.
Leala Enfield is an E-RYT 500. Her yoga journey began over 30 years ago in NYC. Her first yoga class sparked a sense that there was much more to life than what the world had presented to her. Within a year, she had moved to the remote side of Maui where she met David Williams and began a three month intensive study of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. She went on to develop an steady home practice. In 2000, Leala attended an Ashtanga Yoga teachers training course with renowned instructor David Swenson and in 2003 completed her 200 hour training through Trinity Yoga. After moving to Alberta, Leala began seeking a more holistic approach to yoga, one that would synergize her love of meditation, mindfulness, breath and embodied movement. She had a dream where she met and merged with an Indian sage who fused yoga and meditation into heart centered awakening. A few weeks later she met Yogi Vishvketu and began her journey into Akhanda® Yoga. In 2006 Leala founded Prana Yoga Studio in Edmonton. Along with owning a busy urban yoga studio, Leala has raised a family, guided international yoga retreats, and taught numerous YTT programs in both Canada and India. Leala’s passions include practicing yoga outdoors, hiking, swimming and quality time with her family.
“It was the most amazing spiritual journey of my life! I became immersed in the vibrance and enchantment of the history and modern worlds of yoga as it lives today.”
“Journey of a lifetime.. out of this world experience.”
“I signed up to experience life in an ashram, to visit mystical places where Vedic sages lived and learned, and to experience food and shopping delights. It exceeded my expectations! I was incredibly surprised how much I enjoyed the back to basics of Tiruvanamali and the the magical Akhanda Ashram.”
“The retreat exceeded my expectations. Everything was so carefully planned, selected and executed; still in awe of it all.”
“This retreat opened my mind, body and spirit to knowing a clearer more connected union within myself and those around me.”
Before booking flights, please pay your retreat deposit to reserve your spot, and wait to hear from us directly with additional information.
For booking: Arrive in Chennai airport (or Bangalore airport) Feb 3, Depart Dehli airport late Sunday night Feb 18th (before midnight) or after midnight/Feb 19th (flights to Canada often leave around 3am). Fly from Dheradun airport (near Rishikesh) or taxi from Rishikesh to Dehli (or Chennai or Bangalore) on Sunday the 18th to arrive 4-5 hours before your flight.
We will organize arrival airport pick up in Chennai (or Bangalore for an extra fee). Departure airport drop off for Dehli can be organized through Anand Prakash yoga ashram in Rishikesh. We will help you with this!
For our group travel day between Chennai & Delhi on Feb. 11, you are responsible to book your own flight (approx $160 CAN). We will provide the flight number to book on when your deposit is received. We will take a bus together to the airport early that morning.
We encourage you to stay a few extra days in Rishikesh after the retreat, as you will know your way around and can continue to enjoy Vishvaji’s ashram classes while exploring Rishikesh and area on your own or with friends.