India Ashram Retreat

In the Footsteps of Rama:
Embracing the Path of Wisdom, Virtue and Inner Harmony.

Not your yoga usual retreat!
Join Bobby Bobby Bessey, B.Sc., E-RYT 500, RPYT, Yoga Teacher Trainer, for an immersive two weeks of awe and self-discovery. Dive deep into the heart of India’s ashram culture, savour its diverse cuisine, and lose yourself in a land of ancient wisdom and world heritage sites.

You will begin in the bustling city of Mumbai (Bombay), and travel onward with your group to an ashram nestled beneath the hilltop birth place of the Monkey God Hanuman. Spend 10 days immersed in traditional yoga lifestyle and wisdom, studying with Bobby, Guru-ji and other experienced spiritual guides. Ashram schedule is interspersed with day trips to ancient sites that will bring study topics to life.

Finish this life-changing experience with a guided tour of India’s most famous cultural sights and cuisine. This journey is designed to be much more than a tour. It is an opportunity for profound personal transformation, set against the backdrop of India’s rich spiritual, cultural, and culinary heritage.

ASHRAM RETREAT AND INDIA TOUR DATE:

March 3-17, 2025
LOCATION:

Mumbai (Bombay), Nashik, Jaipur, Agra (Taj Mahal), and Delhi.
INCLUDES:
- Arrival support in Mumbai and ongoing assistance for duration of tour.
- Transit from Mumbai to ashram
  ACCOMMODATIONS (16 days)
- 11 nights shared ashram accommodations
- 2 nights hotel Jaipur pink desert city
- 1 night hotel Agra Taj Mahal city
- 2 nights hotel New Delhi
  FOOD
- Three organic, fresh, locally made ashram meals daily during 10 day Ashram stay.
- Breakfast at hotel in Jaipur, Agra, & Delhi.
  YOGA ASHRAM ACTIVITIES
- Daily morning and evening asana, pranayama, meditation classes
- Daily Yoga Nidra
- Daily sunset havan ceremony (mantra)
- Daily Lectures/theory/philosophy
- Experienced Instructors in an Ashram setting
- Study the Esoteric teachings of the Ramayana (100 hours)
- Daytrips to sites in the Ramayana to enhance the learning experience
  AYURVEDA
- One Ayurvedic oil massage treatment
- Access to onsite ayurvedic treatment center
- Experience ayurvedic approach to eating in all ashram meals.
  YOGA ALLIANCE
- Up to 100 Yoga Alliance CEUs* and Shakti Traditional Yoga Studies Certification.
  DAYTRIPS AND TOURS
- Nashik day trips from ashram
- Daytrip to Lord Rama’s bathing Ghat on Sacred Godavari River
- Daytrip to Ram & Sita’s cave dwellings
- Daytrip to Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple
- Daytrip to Pandev Leni Buddhist Rock Caves
- Daytrip Trek to Hanuman’s Birthplace Hilltop
- Flight from Nashik to Jaipur
- Jaipur tour (1.5days), Amber Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), City Palace, Jantar Mantar Observatory (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Patrika Gate, Birla Temple.
- Akbar’s Palace tour (0.5days) Abhaneri Stepwell and Akbar’s desert Palace; Fatehpur Sikri & Harshat Mata Temple
- Agra Taj Mahal Tour (1 day)-sunset & next day sunrise at the TAJ MAHAL, Agra Fort Itimad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb
- Delhi Tour (1.5 days) Old and New Delhi. Rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi’s most bustling market, Red Fort, India Gate, Mahatma Gandhi resting place, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar
- Airport transfer on last day.
*Participation in all yoga activities, daytrips, and lectures are optional.
*Study hours may go toward Module one of three-part 300hr Shakti Traditional Yoga Studies YTT. Contact Bobby for details.
*Jaipur, Agra, & Delhi based on double room booking. Single room upgrade option available.
*Tour locations may be adjusted to fit group interests.
NOT INCLUDED
- Airfare from your country to Mumbai, health insurance, travel visa, personal excursions, tourist site entry fees. Expenses associated with early arrival to Mumbai if applicable. Anything not listed above.
INVESTMENT:

$2990+hst CAD
Space is limited to 12 participants. A deposit of $500 is required to hold your spot.

Early Bird Price $2890+hst CAD before Sep 13, 2024
WHAT TO BRING:

Clothing appropriate for hot, dry temperatures. Include yoga clothing for asana classes. head scarf, hat, sunglasses, at least one outfit of loose, modest, temple-appropriate attire. Comfortable shoes appropriate for easy hiking, and *sandals that are easy to slip in and out of (important for ease of moving around the ashram). Yoga mat, easy to carry luggage for getting in and out of cars, etc. Mosquito spray, sunscreen, sunglasses.
REGISTRATION:

Register by filling in the registration form at the link below. This form and a $500CAD deposit will be required to hold your space. Send emt to Payments@ShaktiYoga.ca. Contact Bobby@ShaktiYogaMethod.com if you have any questions about this process or the retreat in general. *Non-Canadians please contact Bobby for deposit payment method options.

Experience Details

The ashram is located in a breathtaking rural area just a short drive from the city. There is a beautiful view from every direction, with a small village nearby. 100% organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, beans and grains are grown onsite and prepared for the ashram by women at the nearby village. Evening walks to the ashram hill to view sunsets are a highlight. Guruji was a student of Swami Satyananda Saraswati and continues to follow and teach the Bihar school of yoga traditions.

Accommodations are clean and basic comfort ashram style. Rooms are shared with 3-4 people per cabin. Bathroom is shared. Each person has a single bed with mosquito nets, a storage locker for personal items, and a privacy curtain. There is no air conditioning in the rooms. It will be hot so come prepared with cool sleeping attire. It tends to cool a little in the evenings.

While all yoga classes, lectures, and excursions are optional, even when relaxing at the ashram it is important to respect all ashram rules. There is absolutely no alcohol or drugs allowed on premises, meal times are for silent contemplation, no noisy behavior at night, etc. Shirts should cover shoulders (t-shirts fine). In general simply following common sense behavior codes for a spiritual community.

There will be a full day of yoga study options and/or excursions available that begin at sunrise and conclude with satsangs, mantra or other activities appropriate for end of day. All of these activities are optional. You are free to relax in your room, or elsewhere on the ashram if desired.

Participants will meet in Mumbai and be provided support in connecting with transport from Mumbai to the ashram. Bobby will be with participants for both ashram and northern travel experience.

Once our ashram time ends we will celebrate and relax as we fly north to the pink desert city of Jaipur. We will stay in air conditioned hotels, with travel provided by private drivers and guides to all remaining destinations. We will road trip from Jaipur to a stay in Agra to see the breathtaking Taj Mahal and other sights on the way. We end with time in New Delhi to see the sights and markets before being dropped off at the airport for return home.

hatha-yoga

Title

Who

ANYONE interested in an authentic India experience.

ANYONE interested in an authentic ashram experience.

Beginner Yoga Practioners wanting an introduction to yoga and yoga tradition in a supportive environment.

Experienced Yoga Practioners who would like to delve deeper into yoga traditions and practices.

Yoga Teachers interested in gaining Yoga Alliance CEUs (100 hours-could be used toward a Shakti Yoga 300 Hour Program).

The “non-tourist” traveller or those interested in transcending the usual tourist experience and would like to meet and interact with locals in both rural and city settings.

Spiritual seekers looking to experience the sacred resonance of ancient spiritually significant sites, while also living a traditional yogic lifestyle.

Daytrips & Sacred Sites

Nashik Area

While little known to the Western Tourist, the city of Nashik and its environs is one of the most sacred places in India. It plays a pivotal role in the Ramayana epic, and every 12 years is host to the largest pilgramage on earth, the Kumbh Mela. Devotees come to bathe in the sacred Godavari River that flows through the heart of Nashik, to free themselves from sins and to become liberated from the cycle of birth and death. This area is also home to the birthplace of the monkey god Hanuman, has one of the 12 most sacred jyortirlinga Shiva temples, and is an important site for the development of early Buddhist practices. *Specific site visitation may be dependant on weather conditions, site maintence or other unforseen circumstances. *Shopping opportunities will be made available at convenient points throughout.

Ancient Buddhist Rock Hewn Caves

The Pandav Leni Caves consist of twenty four 2000 year old rock cut temples holding various statues of Buddha, each a unique example of buddhist architecture and art at various stages Buddhism’s early development.
Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple

An ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva that holds 1 of 12 sacred Jyotirlingas that are part of a pilgramage all on their own. This Jyotirlinga is extraordinary as the only one featuring three faces, representing Lord Shiva, Vishnu & Brahma. Adding to its importance is its location, at the origin of the sacred Godavari River.
Birth Place of Hanuman

A short hike up to Anjaneri Hill boasts incredible views. Among the sites along the way is the understated temple dedicated the Goddess Anjana, and the cave where she is thought to have given birth to Lord Hanuman.
The Old City & Bathing Ghats

The Godavari is one of the three holy rivers of India. It is here that Lakshmana cut off the nose of a demoness, giving Nashik its name, which comes from the Sanskrit word nasika, or nose. Situated in the Old city Ramkund is a sacred bathing ghat on the Godavari where Lord Rama and his wife Sita are thought to have bathed during his exhile. Today pilgrims come here to bathe, pray, and immerse the ashes of their dead in this temple dense area of the city.
Sita Gufa

The 3000 year old site where Lord Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita lived while in 14 years of exile. Walk under the 5 (panch) ancient banyan trees (vat) from which this area of Panchavati gets its name. These surround the Devi temple which has an entry way to the cave that is thought to have been the trio’s living area. It is also the famed location for Sita’s abduction and the reason for Rama’s famed journey to Sri Lanka to save her. Line up with devotees to await your turn to crawl into cave tunnels that lead to the shivalinga at the center. The spiritual resonance is palpable.
Tapovan area of Nashik

A mesmerizing area of lush greenery used long ago as a meditation area for the great sages, hence the name Tapo-van (meditation forest). This area is believed to have been part of the holy Dandaka forest from the Ramayana. It is here on the banks of the sacred Godavari River that Rama’s brother cut off the demon Surpanakha’s nose for her advances toward Rama. It is from this incident that the ancient city of Nashik (Nose) gets its name.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

BOBBY BESSEY, B.Sc., RYT 500, RPYT, CD (DONA), HBCE

Bobby Bessey, B.Sc., E-RYT 500, RPYT, Neurogenic Yoga, and Yoga Teacher Trainer is the founder of Shakti Yoga Method and offers a number of Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher Trainings. She is the creator and director of the Shakti Yoga 200hr, Prenatal, Nidra, Yin and Ayurvedic yoga teacher trainings that she instructs internationally.

Bobby has made many trips to India over the past two decades to study both yoga and Ayurveda at various ashrams and ayurvedic clinics. She has a great passion for the history and traditions of India, and is excited to share one of her favourite places on earth with participants of this Shakti ashram retreat. She chose Nashik because of its ancient historical significance to yoga tradition, its relatively unknown status with western tourists, and because of a magical little teaching ashram that she discovered nestled in the rural outskirts of Nashik almost two decades ago. Bobby was so enamoured of this supportive, yet authentic ashram that she once even brought her mother there to introduce her to yoga and India. Some of her favourite memories of India include meditating with her Momma on the hill above this ashram. She truly believes that watching the sun set against the backdrop of ancient villages, and mountain tops (including that of Hanuman’s birthplace) will awaken you to a whole new depth of appreciation for the beauty and sanctity of your wild and wonderful life.