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Dates: 14 – 21 November 2019
South India is exotic, mysterious and exceedingly rich in culture. A place you must see and experience at least once in your lifetime.
Awakening, Healing and Personal Transformation - experience it on this unique yoga retreat combined with meditation and philosophy and held in a beautiful villa near the model community Auroville and Pondicherry, in tropical South India. Come away with a powerful practice routine which you can easily integrate once back home. While on the retreat you will gradually be guided to leave all anxieties, worries and neurosis behind and find balance, harmony and gratitude. Yoga vacations can be a special time to relax and recharge.
Ganga Devi - your teacher and guide on this retreat
Ganga Devi is a yoga instructor and spiritual teacher and has crafted an exceptional yoga retreat, where your daily practice, will go well beyond the regular asana and pranayama exercizes. With her nearly 3 decades of experience teaching yoga retreats, conferences and yoga teacher training courses, she is an expert in helping students experience a profoundly transformational inner journey, by accessing progressively deeper states of consciousness and the bliss which is inherent in the body. These yoga retreats are for those who would like to experience a blend of healing practices as taught in yoga.
Yoga Retreat Highlights
- Guided nature and beach walks
- Yoga asana and pranayama classes
- Food choices according to Ayurveda
- Visit to the Auroville community
- Guided meditation sessions in the morning/evening
- 3 Organic Vegetarian meals
- Two Excursions during the week
- 6 day(s) with instructions in English
Our Retreat Venue
Our yoga retreat venue is a beautiful villa near the model community Auroville in South India. A long private driveway leads you to the 4500sq ft villa set in grounds of 1.5 acres. The villa is built in the traditional kerala style using rammed earth. This eco-friendly method of construction results in a structure that is naturally cool throughout the year.
The house has 4 bedrooms with private bathrooms, a family room, a large kitchen and utility and an open terrace. The large central courtyard acts as a focal point of the villa allowing in natural light and ventilation. The villa is simply decorated yet has all the comforts of home.The house is sufficiently away from the main road to keep out the noise and ensure almost total silence.
Enjoy some of the organically grown fruits and vegetables from the garden with our compliments.
Wholesome Meals
As part of the yoga retreats package three buffet-style, organic vegetarian meals will be served daily. Some of the produce comes from the villa's own garden. The cuisine is a South-Indian ogic diet, flavourful but not too spicy .
Accommodation
- Shared accommodation (up to 4 people sharing a room)
- Triple accommodation (up to 3 people sharing a room)
- Double accommodation – (twin and double beds, 2 persons in one room)
Price of the complete package:
£860 - for shared accommodation
£910 - for triple accommmodation
£950 - for double shared accommodation (double bed)
£960 - for double shared accommodation (twin beds)
All prices given above are in GBP (British pounds) and per person
What’s included?
- 7 nights accommodation
- All meals organic, vegetarian, water
- 1-2 Yoga classes per day with Ganga Devi
- Morning and evening meditation
- Optional walks on the beach
- Morning Serenity walks
- Breathing Techniques
- Philosophy classes
- Sightseeing of Auroville
- Sightseeing of Pondicherry
Not included
- Flights and airport transfers
- Excursions
- Any meals other than those mentioned above
- Any portage at Airport and Hotels tips, Mineral water, Telephone charges and all items of personal nature and meals and drinks not specified in the inclusions.
- Any services not specifically mentioned in the inclusions
- Insurance
Insurance
- Please ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance before you come to India on yoga vacations. You can find some great deals on the Internet and sometimes they are can be bought as part of your flight ticket.
Daily Routine
6.30- 8.00 Yoga and Breathing
8.00 – 8.30 Breakfast
9.00 – 11.00 Meditation, Chanting, Ayurvedic councelling upon request
11.15 – 12.15 Theory class on Yoga or Meditation/Philosophy
12.30 Lunch
Afternoon - free time to go for walks, sightseeing and /or exploring Auroville
17.30 Optional Yoga class
18.30 Dinner
Auroville
Auroville is a model community in South India in the state of Tamil Nadu and partly in the state of Puducherry, a few kilometres inland from the Coromandel Coast, approx 160 kms south of Chennai (previously Madras) and 10 km north of the town of Puducherry (AKA Pondicherry). It’s the international “city for human unity”, founded in 1968, based on the principles of Mother and Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga.
Pondicherry (Puducherry)
The little town of Pondicherry (or Puducherry in Tamil) is different from any other town in India you may have seen. Its charm is bewitching and it provides a unique fusion of Indian and French architecture. The town was under French colonial rule and this has left an undeniable mark on the city’s architecture and lifestyle.
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)
We are about 90 km away from the UNESCO world heritage site, Mamallapuram (also called Mahabalipuram), displaying gorgeous stone carvings and temple structures of great beauty. I have included some picture of Mamallapuram and Pondicherry below.
Mahabalipuram is an ancient historic town and was a bustling seaport during the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE). Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South East Asia sailed from the seaport of Mahabalipuram.
By the 7th century it was a port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries: Rathas (temples in the form of chariots), Mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the Shore temple, with thousands of sculptures dedicated to Shiva.
Logistics
Arrival and departure
- You arrive on the day of the first retreat date (1st of Nov) by 12 noon at Chennai airport, and depart on the last retreat date in the morning by 10am.
When you arrive you will have the chance to relax, unwind and recuperate from your travel. In the evening you’ll have a chance to meet others on the retreat over dinner and your yoga retreats' programme will start the following morning.
- We will organize a group transfer from the airport in Chennai on the arrival day (the 1st of November for a small additional fee of £10 – one way). The taxi driver will be instructed to stop in Mahabalipuram, which is a UNESCO heritage site, where you will have a chance to view the ancient temples and stone carvings.
Please make sure to arrive at Chennai airport by 12 noon on the 1st. On special request we may be able to arrange individual pick up from the airport, which will cost about £25 one way
Climate
The temperature usually remains at around 20'c and 33’c in October/ November and tends to be sunny and dry, with occasional showers so you would want to bring summer clothing with you. Just be aware and respectful of the local culture and avoid shorts and tank tops.
Flights
We recommend http://www.skyscanner.net or www.ebookers.com
These are reliable ticket providers and offer a good variety of prices and flight options.
How to get there
Please book your flight to the city of Chennai, from where we will organize a pick up.
From Chennai airport
We will arrange pick up from the airport at around 12 noon of the retreat start date. If your plane arrival doesn’t coincide with our pick up time we may be able to arrange for an individual pick which will cost between £25 and £30. Please inform us well in advance so we can arrange for this option.
It is a 2 and a half hours drive to the venue and the driver will stop for about 1 hour in Mahabalipuram for sightseeing, so your arrival at the venue will be around 16.00 in the afternoon.
Visa
You will need a simple TOURIST VISA. Normally a tourist visa is given for 90 – 180 days, but please check the Visa regulations in the Indian Consulate of your country.
For those residing in the UK: Application for a Visa should be given minimum 2 weeks before planned flight. From the UK, enquire via The India Visa Application Centre, which is officially authorised by the High Commission of India, London to accept applications for tourist visas.
Check out their website:
http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/
There are a number of companies, on the internet, who organise visas directly with the Indian Visa Centre.
Remember that the visa is valid from the date of ISSUE, not the date of ARRIVAL!
Our privacy policy
We don’t share any information that you give us such as your name, email or contact details with anyone else.
Booking conditions
In order to book your place, you would pay a deposit 50% of the total price. The remaining 50% is due 10 weeks before the start of the retreat.
Terms and Conditions
If you cancel more than 30 days before your retreat start date, 100% of your payment may be applied to another retreat within 1 year from the retreats start date..
If you cancel 15-29 days before your retreat start date, 50% of your payment may be applied to another retreat.
If you cancel less than 15 days before your retreat start date, the fee is neither refundable nor transferable.
Accepted payment methods
Bank Transfer, Credit card via online booking or paybylink
Additional Information on yoga vacations
For further information please contact Ganga Devi by sending an email to info@himalayanyogainstitute.com or you may call on +44 (0)7969157994
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