The Inner Tantric Yogic Experience
Ma Ganga Retreat, Rishikesh, India, 8-13 March, 2009

With Vamadeva (Dr. David Frawley) and Shambhavi

Spend six days deepening your experience of Yoga at a beautiful resort on the banks of the Ganga above the famous town of Rishikesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. The venue for the program will be the Glass House on the Ganga, a Neemrana Hotels property, one of the best facilities in the region. The Glass House is twenty five kilometers north of Rishikesh in a pristine natural setting, away from the noise and crowds of the city. It is set in a lychee orchard with a garden of tropical plants, rare birds and butterflies. It features a private sand beach of its own, where one can sit by the river and enter into her waters.

The Glass House contains specially designed cottages by the roaring Ganga with spectacular views that bring you into the presence of the river and its timeless currents. The resort is known for its excellent vegetarian food and natural therapies, including traditional Ayurvedic massage. River rafting on the Ganga is available nearby.

This magical region of the Ganga is especially sacred because it is the main place apart from Varanasi (Benares) where the river flows north back towards its source, taking a northern loop before turning south to reach Rishikesh and the plains of India. The area contains the famous Vasishta Guha, a cave sacred to the ancient rishis and modern yogis, which participants will visit during their stay.

The Inner Tantric Yoga program will focus on the deeper teachings of Yoga and meditation in the presence of Ma Ganga, the most holy river of India. It is designed to bring the participant into the living energy of Shiva and Shakti, the two great cosmic powers, the Divine Father and Mother of the universe, in their Himalayan homeland where their presence is easy to contact. It aims to meet the needs of sadhaks (spiritual seekers) who want to have a real experience of the soul of India and its great traditions.

The program will feature special pujas (rituals), havans (fire offerings), meditations, Yoga, pranayama and mantra taught in a personal and practical manner. The participants will learn how Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedic astrology, Veda and Tantra come together to unfold the deepest aspects of our being for optimal well-being and the highest awareness in tune with all existence. The program is not just a set of classes but a series of experiences and, above all, a celebration of the Divine within and around us.

The retreat will allow one to benefit from the healing presence of the Ganga, both as a physical and spiritual reality, and all the yogic energies that the river carries – a veritable return to the source of life. You can share in creating an inner experience of the Himalayas, the Ganga and their ancient deities, yogis and sages that will inspire you for a life time.

Photos of the 2008 Retreat which was also held at the Glass House, taken by some of our guests: Album 1, Album 2, Album 3 Album 4, Album 5 and Album 6.

The program is designed so that students can also attend the International Yoga Festival at Paramarth Niketan in Rishikesh proper (1 to 7 March, 2009). The Yoga Festival brings together many important Yoga teachers and Swamis East and West, in the largest ashram in Rishikesh, where one has easy access to all the great ashrams in the city. However, the Yoga Festival is a separate event that you must sign up for on your own. Putting these two events together in your travel (the Ganga Retreat and the Yoga Festival) provides you two wonderful weeks in the Rishikesh area, the very homeland of Yoga.

Registration is very limited due to accommodation availability. Accommodation in the Glass House is nearly sold out. Once full, we will be staying at the Himalayan Hideaway, an equally gorgeous resort hotel a few km away. Both these properties were built as a summer homes for rajas (kings), but now converted to hotels, of varying type, quality, size and view (some overlooking the river) rooms. These will be allocated on a “first-deposit-best-room” basis, so if you are planning to attend, we encourage you to send us your non-refundable deposit ($ 300.00), receipt of which will qualify you for best room available. But remember, these are non-refundable deposits.

Experience the Ganga, the Goddess and Shiva
in a program designed to take you into the deeper realms of the Inner Yoga

Teachers:
Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva) and Shambhavi Chopra will share their experience of the Ganga, Shiva and Shakti, and the Yoga and Ayurveda teachings.

Dr. Frawley is a world renowned author and teacher on Yoga, Ayurveda, and Vedic Astrology. The program will reflect his recent books Inner Tantric Yoga (Lotus Press, summer 2008) and Yoga, the Greater Tradition (Mandala Press, May 2008). Vamadeva is currently director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies and conducts courses worldwide. He will also speak at the International Yoga Conference (1-7 March) at Paramarth Niketan in Rishikesh. Read recent articles by Vamadeva on Karma, DNA of the Soul in Tathaastu and Yoga and Ayurveda: A Call for a Complete Yogic System of Medicine from the International Yoga Therapy Journal. The Sacred Fire and Agni...Spiritual Link to the Past, Present &Future.

Read Dr. David Frawley's (Vamadeva Shastri) presence on the Graham Hancock site as author of the month. Vamadeva will also post articles and discussions. Hancock's books have sold millions of copies and he has done several programs for British television. This is an important forum in which we can show the greater antiquity of Vedic culture.

Shambhavi Chopra is the author of Yogini: Unfolding the Goddess Within, a best selling book in India on Tantra and the worship of the Goddess. She has visited the great Himalayan holy places and knows how to contact their energies and bring them to life for others to experience. Her new book on her personal experiences with the great Goddess Kali: Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess: Lightning Dance of Supreme Shakti, will also figure into the program. Read Shambhavi's Yogini, the Enlightened Woman in American Institue of Vedic Studies, and Yogini: Unfolding the Goddess Within inTathaastu Magazine. Invoking the Divine Within.
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Mas Vidal is the Spiritual Director of Dancing Shiva Yoga and Ayurveda dedicated to the practice, education and lifestyle of the great Vedic sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda. He teaches group classes and conducts workshops and retreats internationally and as an Ayurvedic Practitioner maintains an active clinical practice. He teaches dynamic and integral classes that integrate the therapeutic wisdom of Ayurveda with the Raja yoga system.

Mas will handle the morning Yoga classes at the retreat.

 

Travel to and from the Retreat: Spiritual Journeys has packaged some Travel Packages specifically for this Retreat.

REGISTRATION: Save $ 150 by registering early! Please complete the registration form and return to us.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: E-mail: Deepak Singh, Spiritual Journeys, Inc., 25 Hazelbrook Lane, Wayland, MA 01778, USA. Ph: 508-358-4267, or fax: 508-358-8148.