Q: What inspired you to create this retreat?
A: I have been travelling to India for the past 20+ years and am deeply attracted to the spiritual heritage and traditions of this beautiful country. It is very exciting to offer this retreat to share with others this fascination with India. All of the practices I’ve been training in over the last 20 years have their roots in the age old vedic and Buddhist culture and traditions. When practiced in their homeland there is some magic or some connection that happens. I very much look forward to sharing this experience with my New Zealand students and others.
Q: What makes this retreat different from others?
A: The location for this retreat is Rishikesh and Varanasi. These are two ancient pilgrimage sites in India that, quite truthfully, are like nowhere else on this planet. Rishikesh is known as the home of yoga, traditional authentic yoga as opposed to the westernised Lululemon version. Yoga centers dotted all throughout the Himalayan valley on the banks of the holy Ganga River. Those that have been interested in Yoga for some time will really get a sense of the mystical culture out of which the modern Yoga practice grew.
Varanasi is a holy pilgrimage site, the holiest city to the Hindus. It is said to be one of the oldest cities in the world that is still inhabited. Small little laneways, shrines and temples, priests and pilgrims from all over India – colours, smells, sounds making this one of the most unique and wild places I’ve ever travelled in the world.
Q: Can you give us a glimpse of the daily schedule?
A: The retreat part of the tour is the seven days we will spend in the Himalayas in Rishikesh. The days will be a mixture of yoga practice, meditation learning and practice, time off to relax and enjoy the mountains, and a few outings to visit some of the local sites. Some mornings we will begin with a meditation sitting down on the bank of the Ganga river, followed by a yoga asana practice before sitting down for a meal together with the majestic views out to the valley and mountains. The daily schedule will be a nice balance between learning, practicing and soaking up the magical atmosphere of the Himalaya.
In the afternoons there will be some time off to enjoy your own practice, resting, journaling or reading. We will then have an afternoon session again with a combination of yoga asana and learning and discussion around meditation. Evenings will be an opportunity to explore around Rishikesh town or see some of the local pilgrimage sites or hiking.
Q: Is this retreat suitable for all levels?
A: This retreat is suitable for all levels from beginners to those with more advanced practice. I have been teaching yoga and meditation for over 20 years and have plenty of experience making the practice accessible and interesting for all levels. From a physical perspective, if you don’t have any health implications that prevent you from going about your routine daily life you will be totally fine in the yoga practices. Yoga is for all.
Q: What transformations do you hope participants will experience?
A: Traditional yoga from its source has a magic about it that is somehow missed when yoga is taught in the west. I’m hoping on this retreat that western students will get a taste of this lineage, this heritage that can make the practice so rich, so supported and give it so much depth. Having a taste of where yoga comes from, I am hoping it will inspire students to look beyond just the physical component of the practice and connect with the rich spiritual history of this ancient wisdom, we call this entering the stream.
Q: How should participants prepare?
A: The only preparation that is required is to come with an open mind and an expectation of exciting adventures to come!
Q: What do you love most about leading retreats?
A: For over 15 years I mostly taught 75-minute classes in a yoga studio setting. Retreats instead enables me to work with students over a multi-day experience where it is possible to move beyond the beginner and basic level of the practices. It is very satisfying to share an in-depth practice so that students can leave with a comprehensive practice that I know has such a capacity for transformation.
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ginger- garlic paste (grind equal amounts of ginger and garlic/ or storebought)
1 tablespoon Shan brand Chappali kebab masala
100 ml canola oil
1 kg lamb racks cut into individual chops
