Pilgrimage to the Heart of Yoga

Pilgrimage to the Heart of Yoga

A Yoga Gives Back Retreat
February 22nd - March 1st, 2015
  



It's no secret that Yoga puts you in touch with your core essence. Have you ever felt a deep longing channel that essence into a life-transforming experience?
Here is an amazing opportunity to dive deeper into your practice through an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime!
Harnessing the incredible energy that Yoga generates, we can literally be the agents of transformation for the children and mothers in India, who are struggling to survive every day.
The Pilgrimage to the Heart of Yoga Retreat was designed to awaken every aspect of your being through exposure to the core spiritual disciplines of India - authentic Ayurveda, Yoga, Meditation, and Classical Indian Music.
Most transformational of all, you will get to spend time with the delightful children at Deenabandhu Trust Home, a spiritual haven for 100 orphaned children.
Many of them have been funded by Yoga Gives Back, which this Retreat supports.
Yoga Gives Back is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds in order to alleviate poverty in India to help women and children in need in the country that gave birth to yoga.
Inspired by the revolutionary micro financing breakthrough originated by Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Yoga Gives Back offers micro credit programs to women in India who are otherwise excluded from the conventional banking and financial systems. Funding more than 500 mothers and children this year, YGB also provides funds for orphans and education funds for disadvantaged girls and high school students for them to reach to their dreams.

In this one-of-a-kind retreat, you will truly be guided into the root culture of Yoga in India with the best of the best!
The venue of the retreat is Shreyas Retreat, rated one of the top Yoga retreat centers in the world by Gayot and the Huffington Post.
It is a magical sanctuary nestled within 25 lush green acres of whispering palms.
With only 12 luxurious and individual cottages attended by servers who are themselves immersed in yogic practices, a stay at Shreyas is an unparalleled blend of understated luxury steeped in spiritual culture.
The retreat will be guided by Mariko Hirakawa, an experienced Yoga Instructor who is also an Ayurvedic physician.
A former professional ballet dancer with extensive training with Yoga Masters and Vaidyas (Ayurvedic doctors) of India, she is one of the very few in the West to have completed the rigorous 5 ½ year B.A.M.S degree from one of the top Ayurvedic universities in India.
Proficient in Sanskrit and Hindi, she brings a contemporary global perspective to the traditional wisdom contained in the classical texts of Yoga and Ayurveda.
Her primary teaching style is Vinyasa, which balances the lyrical and vigorous flow of the Ashtanga style with the precise anatomical awareness influenced by Iyengar and Anusara styles. Drawing on her background as a dancer as well as her medical and spiritual studies, she places Yoga in its original context, linking the intricacies of physical alignment with Yoga's spiritual purpose: the attainment of inner freedom.
The retreat will also feature a sitar concert by one of India's leading Sitar Maestros, Krishna Mohan Bhatt.
A life-long disciple of the late Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee, his music has been hailed by the New York Times as one of "great melodic beauty", and the San Francisco Chronicle as one of "exceptional craftsmanship and artistry".
This is an event not to be missed!
Because Indian classical music has its roots in the wisdom of the same ancient Sages who gave us Yoga, it brings great emotional healing, and catalyzes our spiritual growth. In addition to the daily Yoga sessions and the sitar concert, your retreat package includes:

  • Accommodations for 6 nights at the luxurious Shreyas Retreat.
  • THREE 60 minute Rejuvenating Ayurvedic Massages delived with love by Shreyas' highly rated therapists. (Yes, you read right - you get THREE massages in a week!)
  • THREE Gourmet vegetarian meals a day, plus fresh coconut water throughout the day.
  • An overnight trip to Deenabandhu Trust, where you meet the beautiful children supported by Yoga Gives Back.
  • THREE Group Cooking Sessions on Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine. You will learn the secret of Shreyas' world-famous gourmet vegetarian recipes!
  • TWO fun sessions in which you will learn cultural activities such as making and applying henna, how to drape a sari, etc.
  • Trips to nearby temples and local villages
  • Roundtrip airport transfers between Bangalore airport and Shreyas Retreat Center, so all you have to do is arrive at the airport.
  • Wellness consultation upon arrival.
  • Once Daily Group chanting/Sound meditation session
  • Use of all recreational facilities including:
    • Outdoor swimming pool
    • Sauna and steam rooms
    • Outdoor Jacuzzi
    • Movie theater with hundreds of DVDs to watch
  • Daily nature based activities in Shreyas' extensive organic vegetable garden.
Rest assured that you will truly be taken care of in every respect. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take make an exponential leap in your spiritual path!
Kayoko Mitsumatsu, Founder/President will be present at this retreat to share YGB's programs with a special trip to Deenabandhu Trust Home outside of Mysore as well as sharing short YGB Films she has been creating using her expertise as a documentary filmmaker.
This retreat is for you if you have been searching for a Yoga experience in India with depth, authenticity and first-rate program and facilities.
This retreat is also for you if you've dreamed of exploring India, but didn't want to do it on your own. We've taken care of all the groundwork for you, and have hand-picked the best!
If you are on a journey of self-healing, physically, mentally, or spiritually this retreat provides the perfect setting for you to tap into a deeper dimension, and make a quantum leap!

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