Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India
February 1st – 14th 2023
Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda Retreat
A spiritual retreat with daily yoga & meditation and classes in the ancient yoga philosophy and ayurvedic life understanding. Govind takes you by the hand all the way and he dedicates his full time to helping you and your group to get the most out of each day. The course takes place inside the resort Arunai Anantha and “out there” in the amazing Tiruvannamalai – in the middle of the ancient spiritual vibrations in ashrams, meditation caves, temples and on the pilgrim walk around the holy mountain Arunachala.
Visit as a guest, not as a tourist
Get inspired from the direct touch! Govind invites you to “his India” – in his home country and to the mountain Arunachala where Govind has been meditating since he was a teenager. This opens an opportunity for you to learn from the inside of an ancient, rich and unique culture. Together, we cross the usual tourist border lines and make you feel as a participant rather than a spectator. All guest teachers -including swamis and other radiating personalities – are people Govind is personally connected to. The places Govind takes you to are places that inspire him the most whether it’s an amazing temple or a poor farmer in his hut. They all have stories to tell. In each step, you are personally guided by Govind.
Daily programme
05.45 – 08.00: Yoga & Meditation
08.00 – 09.00: Breakfast
09.30 – 11.30: Spiritual Class/ satsang
12.30 – 13.30: Lunch
15.00 – 18.00: Guided tour, meditation or guest teachers
18.30 – 19.30: Dinner
19.45 – 20.15: Group reflection
Each afternoon you have some hours to “digest” on your own: visit your favorite ashram, drink a chai in the local tea stall, chill out with a fresh papaya juice or have a refreshing swim in the pool at the resort. But most of the time you are with the group and will be guided by Govind.
Location & food
The base for the course is the resort Arunai Anantha. Here, Govind gives all spiritual classes and we discuss and reflect upon our experiences by the holy mountain. We use the spiritual surroundings outside the resort daily and will spend much time in the peaceful vibration of the saint Ramana Maharshi in Ramana Ashram – just a five minutes’ drive away.
Arunai Anantha is located by the foot of the holy mountain Arunachala away from the traffic noise and crowds of the small roads in the ashram area in Tiruvannamalai. Besides having nice and comfortable rooms, Arunai Anantha serves nice Indian food in their garden restaurant and have a lovely outdoor yoga shala for our classes. In the afternoons, when the peak temperature will be around 27 – 30 degrees, you can enjoy the swimming pool or drink a cooling fresh juice on the terrace while digesting the inputs of the day.
3 daily meals are included in the retreat price. For breakfast, you have the option for continental breakfast or Indian breakfast and for lunch and dinner we make sure you get a good variation of freshly cooked, Indian vegetarian food. The meals are a journey in it self – be prepared to new tastes
PRICE
Total price: 23130 DKK / 34308 SEK
This price includes retreat package & estimated transportation and accommodation expenditures. Your final price depends on your selection of flight and accommodation. Read in details about prices below – and please do not hesitate to contact us with questions!
Retreat package:
Price: 14140 Dkk. /19950 SEK
This price includes: course fee for 14 days course; totally 100 hours course, including:
- Daily yoga & meditation classes by Govind Radhakrishnan
- Ayurveda classes: learn to apply ayurvedic life principles as a part of your personal practice
- 3 daily meals (Indian, vegetarian)
- Individual one-to-one session with Govind Radhakrishnan
- Course certificate
- “On location classes” during the course we move around in different locations in Tiruvannamalai;
- We meditate in the ancient meditation caves in the holy mountain Arunachala Meditation;
- We visit small and huge temples;
- We join chanting and vedic rituals in ashrams;
- We go for the pilgrimage walk around the mountain
Accommodation & transportation
Estimated price: from 8990 DKK /13347 SEK
Because this retreat (according to Rejsegarantifonden) is not defined as a so called “package tour”, you are responsible to book and pay your accommodation and transportation. But don’t worry, we make it easy for you: Kumar from the local travel agency in Tiruvannamalai will help you book accommodation and transportation. A price estimation for a double room in a good resort or hotel will be 2690 DKK/3990 SEK and a nice single room would be around 4860 DKK / 7215 SEK for 14 days.
The nearest airport is Chennai airport (also called Madras Airport) located 4 hours’ drive from Tiruvannamalai. You can book your flight online (look at momondo.com) for an overview on prices) or via a travel agency. Currently (end of October) you can get a return ticket starting at DKK 6300 from Copenhagen to Chennai. Further information about booking af taxi etc. will be send when you register.
Your safety is important!
Let’s face it. The world has been a bit more unstable in the past years. In Santhi Yoga, we have made group retreats in India since 2011. We know what it takes to make you feel save and we don’t compromise in this. Prior to the decision of having this retreat, Govind took a journey to the resort in India to make sure that the post-covid condition in the local area is ready for us. It is – and we are extremely happy to reopen our retreats
Good to know
Procedure: to register you need to fill out a registration form and pay a deposit.
Payment: Deposit of 3500 DKK/470 EURO to be paid when booking. The rest of the payment is to be paid 2 months before the retreat begins.
Cancellation procedure: In case of cancellation up till 2 months before the retreat: 100% of the deposit will be refunded. If you need to cancel after paying the full course fee, we can return 50% up till 2 months before retreat or the full fee, if we are able to sell your place.
Covid-19: the situation looks good and stable regarding Covid-19. But never travel without insurance: your cancellation insurance and travel insurance will help you and cover expenses if you get sick just before traveling or during your journey. Furthermore, in the unlikely situation if the Danish Ministry of Foreign affairs advice against travels to India, your full payment will be paid back to you by your insurance.
Participants: we can have up to 20 in a group. But usually we will be 12-15 persons.
What to bring? Vaccines? Visa? Get advice and more in the FAQ
Language: We speak and teach in English.