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7-Day Meditation and Yoga Retreat in Rishikesh, India
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Daily yoga asanas classes
Daily shat-kriyas, breath, and pranayama practices
Visit nearby holy shrines and temples and tracking in the Himalayas
Daily mantra recitations
Daily guided instructions into relaxation and meditation practices
Healthy nutritious vegetarian meals
Instruction in English
Max. 15 participants
Join this meditation and yoga retreat in Rishikesh, India! Yoga and meditation restore balance into your lives, resolve your inner conflicts, enables total excellence, and allows you to fulfill your potential to become complete human beings. Often misunderstood to be simply a set of physical exercises, yoga philosophy transcends all ritualistic religion and can be practiced by anyone.
People
Program
Yoga posture classes at Yoga Vidya Mandiram yoga school are based on both classical Hatha yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. The teachers are unique, being steeped in ancient knowledge, and also trained in modern teaching methods. All classes are adapted for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.ย
Apart from the yoga asana classes, you can participate in sessions on pranayama (understanding and regulating your breath), Pratyahara (internalization of sensory inputs), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) processes drawn from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - the ancient yogic doctrine that aims to integrate your body, mind, heart, and souls for complete living.ย
Twice daily group yoga sessions and one daily meditation session are included in the stay for you. For you who would like to delve deeper into the ancient spiritual tradition of yoga, a yoga retreat is structured carefully to allow you to experience not just the physical aspects of yoga but also Karma yoga (selfless work), various yogic kriyas, and Nidra yoga (deep relaxation) besides some rejuvenating massages, community service, and more.
Retreat curriculum
Yoga Vidya Mandiram guides its students of yoga to a journey of self-discovery and inspires them to practice yoga holistically; yoga for you is a process of integrating the body, breath, and the mind, and focus is placed on other limbs of the practice beyond the physical yoga asanas.
Mantra chanting
- Intro to mantra science
- Morning prayers and evening prayers
- Suryanamaskara 12 mantras along with bija mantras
Hatha yoga asanas
- Meditative steps of performing the Hatha yoga: centering, entering, refining, holding, coming out, and reflection
- Suryanamaskar (sun salutations)
- Types of yoga asanas: standing, sitting, backward bending, forward bending, spinal twisting, fire series, inversion, shavasana, and others
- Yoga asanas benefits
Breathing and pranayama practices
- Establishment of diaphragmatic breath
- 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 breathing practices
- Different practices of pranayama: nadi shodhana, ujjayee, kapalabhati, bhastrika, shitali, shitkari, and brahmari
- Benefits of pranayama practices
Satkarma or cleansing exercises
- Jala-neti
- Sutra-neti
Practice relaxation and preparation for yogic sleep
- Introduction to the concept and practices of relaxation
- Relaxation in daily life
- The sequence of relaxation practices
- Tension and relaxation exercises
- Systematic relaxation exercises
Meditation
- What is meditation and what is not?
- Meditation in daily life
- Two to five minutes of meditations
- So-ham mediation
- Meditation with sushumna breath
Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and yoga ethics
- Introduction to Indian philosophy
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjaliย
- Astanga-yoga: yama, niyam, asana, pranayam, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi
- Yoga ethics: yamas and niyamas
Typical Daily Schedule
- 05:00 - 06:00 Wake Up
- 06:15 - 06:30 Mantra Chanting
- 06:30 - 07:30 Shat-kriyas and Pranayama practices
- 07:30 - 09:00 Hatha Yoga with Joints & Glands practices
- 09:00 - 10:00 Breakfast
- 10:00 - 12.00 Session I โ Meditation Theory & Practice
- 12:00 - 12:30 Karma Yoga (Seva)
- 12:30 - 13:30 Lunch
- 13.30 - 16.00 Free Time / Self-Study/ Self-Practice
- 16:00 - 16:15 Tea break
- 16:30 - 18:00 Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
- 18:00 - 19:00 Session II โ Relaxation & Meditation Practice
- 19.00 - 20.00 Dinner
- 20:00 - 21:00 Self-Study / Free Time
- 21:00 - 22.00 Go to sleep
Note: It is advised that you arrive at the yoga school one day before the course starts.
Excursions
One day of the 7 days retreat will be a rest day, on which the school arranges a half-day sightseeing trip for students. The destination will be selected by the school which would be a visit to one of the following locations:
- Vashishtha Cave
- Kunjapuri Temple
- Neer Gaddu Waterfall
Optional activities
- Community service
- Massages treatments
- Mountain hiking, walking, or trekking
- Riding boat in the Ganges
- Shopping
- Trekking in the Himalayas
- Visit nearby temples and shrines
Accommodation
Smoke-free property
Free Wi-Fi
Parking
Yoga studio
Library
Check-in
12:00
Check-out
12:00
The accommodation is facilitated with a Wi-Fi connection and with air-conditioning available (on request only). However, please note that Yoga Vidya Mandiram School provides accommodation for a student who joins yoga classes. Any friends or relatives will not be included in the accommodation.ย
There are two room options available for this course: a single private room and a double shared room. The rooms are equipped with double beds, air-conditioning, and a Wi-Fi connection. All rooms are shared with the same gender. Mother and daughter, wife and husband can share their rooms. The bathrooms are equipped with hot showers and towels.
Single Room
Private room | Private bathroom | $500
Twin Room
Shared room | Private bathroom | $450
Food
During this yoga training, you will be served daily three delicious and healthy vegetarian meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Filtered water, herbal tea, and snacks are also available. The menu is creative and balanced with proteins so you feel full and satisfied. If you are planning to have a fast on any day, please inform Yoga Vidya Mandiram for avoiding food waste.
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate them to the organiser when making a reservationย
What's included?
- Daily yoga asanas classes
- Karma-yoga and daily mantra recitations
- Daily shat-kriyas, breath, and pranayama practices
- Daily guided instructions into relaxation and meditation practices
- An introductory study of Indian philosophies including Sankhya and Vedanta
- Participation certification from Yoga Vidya Mandiram
- Free use of yoga tools during the course
- Neti pot and sutra neti
- Local sightseeing exploration
- Daily vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Filtered water, herbal tea, and snacks
- 6 nights' non-AC accommodation
- Wi-Fi connection
What's not included?
- Airport transfer (available at additional charges)
- Travel expenses (i.e. airfare, train, bus, taxi, etc.)
- Laundry services (available at additional charges)
- Extra nights beyond course dates (available at additional charges)
- Extra excursion not organized by the school
- Air conditioner / heater (available at additional charges)
- Travel & medical insurance
- Other personal expenses
Location
This yoga teacher training will be held at Yoga Vidya Mandiram Yoga School, Rishikesh, India. Nearby there is Dehradunโs Jolly Grant Airport (DED) which is 15 kilometres from the centre. The yoga school is located in the heart of the sacred township of Rishikesh on the bank of the holy river Ganges and at the foothills of the Himalayas, the abode of yogis.ย
The school is in a wonderful magical place only a short walk from the main town and the bank of the river, it is the perfect location for your activities.
Nearby Towns
Narendranagar
5 km
Rishikesh
7 km
Dehra Dun
35 km
How to get there
Arrival by airplane
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is the nearest international airport, where you would most likely enter India from if you are traveling from outside of India. Transfer from and to this airport takes 6-7 hours on average or longer with traffic and is available upon advance request.
From DEL airport, you can take a domestic 1-hr flight to Dehradun Airport (DED). Another option is to book your flight directly to arrive at Dehradun Airport (DED), if you are only traveling from within India.
Arrival by bus
Buses to Rishikesh leave New Delhi from the Kashmiri Gate national bus stand approximately every hour. The bus ride takes about eight hours and costs around 450 INR for air-conditioned buses and 250 INR for buses without air conditioning.
Arrival by train
The best option is to reach Haridwar Junction railway station, which is about 45 minutes away from Rishikesh, by road on a driven taxi or the so-called tuk-tuks. From Delhi, the train ride takes approximately 8 hours, depending on the train. Haridwar is serviced by many trains from and to Delhi, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Amritsar, and many others.
Arrival by taxi
Taxis are always available anywhere in India. The drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Rishikesh will take around 6-7 hours depending on the traffic conditions. The drive from Jolly Grant, Dehradun Airport (DED) to the school in Rishikesh takes around 35-35 minutes.
Nearest airports
DED Jolly Grant Airport
Transfer available for additional โฌ 14 per person
14 km
DEL Indira Gandhi International Airport
Transfer available for additional โฌ 71 per person
209 km
Nearest train stations
Rishikesh
4km
Yog Nagari Rishikesh
4km
Virbhadra
9km
Instructors
Sandeep
Yogacharya Sandeep Pandey was born in a traditional Brahamna family and was sent to Gurukul at the age of 8. At the Gurukul, he studied the Yajurveda and mastered all the 16 Samskaras along with Yogasana, pranayama, and Shat Kriyas. He participated in many national-level yoga championships in India and won prizes. However, his quest for knowing the inner self through yoga lead him to Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama where under the direct guidance of H.H. Swami Veda Bharati, he studied and practiced the deeper and subtler aspect of Raja yoga.
Archarya
Acharya Chandramani was born in a traditional spiritual family. When he was 8 years old, he became a serious practitioner of the yogic principles of Swetambara Jaina tradition. Later, he was initiated into the Vedic Sanskrit tradition by Swami Vivekananda at the age of 10 in Prabhat Ashram, UP, India. He was fully dedicated to the teachings and daily discipline of the traditional Sanskrit gurukulam from childhood to adulthood. He has been guiding worldwide yoga students into the Vedic Sanskrit literature and its philosophy and holding yoga retreats and teacher trainings for over 25 years.
Subhash
Subhash Petwal is an asana yoga instructor who is experienced teaching internationally and locally in the styles of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and Hatha yoga. He has undergone his training in Mysore and Kaivalyadhama Lonavala and has been undergoing continuous practices for several extended years at Kishore Yoga Kendra Bangalore. Subhash is passionate about sharing his knowledge of Hatha and Ashtanga yoga and takes great care in layout a strong foundation for his students to further their practices.
Sukhmit
adhak Sukhmit ji has been a disciple of His Holiness Swami Veda Bharati for since 2006 and have since practiced his sadhana on a daily basis until today. However, before he became Swami Veda jiโs disciple, he was already familiar with spiritual practices. He met Swami Veda Bharati ji and became initiated into the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga and Meditation. He spent years as a sadhaka studying the yoga practices, mainly meditation, and yoga texts including Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita and Vedant Darshan, and serving the ashram through teaching and ashram duties as his sadhana.
Cancellation policy
Cancellation
Cancel up to 90 days in advance for a 70% refund
Cancel up to 60 days in advance for a 50% refund
Changes
Change your dates up to 30 days in advance
Covid
Free reschedule to later retreat if you test positive for Covid
Full refund if you cannot travel due to Covid restrictions
Full refund if the retreat does not take place due to Covid restrictions
People
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