The Great Escape

Cool winds, warm sunshine, bright days, starry nights

It is wonderful to take a holiday.

It is even better to take a holiday that does wonders to your health, personal and social happiness and gives you an experience that lasts a lifetime.

What about a transformative yoga holiday in the hills?

As north India starts to sizzle in the bakery of a brand new summer, and a virus-bitten population looks for solace, you could consider a great escape - taking a yoga holiday.

Let me pull back a little bit.

Yoga as we know of it, is a gift from thousands of seekers and seers, from thousands of years ago, who put together some astonishing formulas for living happily, successfully and free from pain and suffering.

Under these secret tenets are principles of human existence with a promise of magic – how to get fit for example, and how to inspire others to get fit. The codes explain a schedule for daily living, including occupations, social interactions, saving the planet, having compassion for all living creatures, and of course, how to get ahead on the business track, save yourself from poverty, starvation and natural disasters, and how to treat yourself when you are sick.

Health, wealth, effective and fulfilling relationships and of course, fulfilling your potential – called self-actualization by modern philosophers – it is all there.

However, yoga does not have its roots in modern cities, nor does its rich genetics get to prosper and exhibit its full potential in the modern spaces that we live in. In simple language, yoga, as we know it, is out place, and a little embarrassed.

Yoga is actually a golden gift from an ascetic life, from the ashrams, from an ancient time, and deep, remote places, where monks could explore the mysteries of life.

And they found some, simple but profound answers.

To get a flavor and taste of what yoga is, and what it can do of us, you have to be in an ecology where yoga was manufactured.

A yoga retreat, or a yoga holiday, is a slice of that ancient pie, set in the factory of yoga, the backyards of nature, the courtyards of valleys and hills, the infinite walls of misty mornings and starry nights, the abundant kitchens of mother earth in its purest form. It is a simulation of what the monks experienced, but without the hardship, the labour, the many years of sacrifice, the enormous effort in self-discipline and survival.

In one week, a modern yogi can experience the essence of a yogic life.

And what exactly is a yogic life?

Loosely translated, and simply put, it means an overall detox – from phones, social media, heavy, non-stop consumption of food and alcohol, work and family responsibilities, and the pressures of a high paced, modern daily life. It is, for a brief while, a life without your current responsibilities and identity, without the speed and the addictions. It is a return to who you are, pure, unadulterated you.

How does this detox happen?

There is a pre-set schedule of waking up, activities during the day, food, and interactions. There are sessions of meditation, yoga and education, all put together seamlessly. On certain days the schedule varies to include nature walks, and even an outing to nearby places and markets of interest. A mix of specific activities and the ecology of yoga, leads to a mental, emotional and physical detox in just a week, leaving you feeling light, unburdened and happy.

Is this for beginners? Or is this for those who have practiced yoga for some time? Is it tough or demanding?

Well, a yoga retreat is something to look forward to. It is like a homecoming, it is in a Gurukul (the home of an invisible, or real guru), or if I was to say, Gurucool. A kind of home away from home, where someone else is in charge of the kitchen and the daily schedule, not you. The two hour, twice a day yoga classes during the retreat are refreshing and accommodates beginners, intermediate and advanced practitioners. The morning and evening meditations are simple, yet profoundly liberating. The satsangs are memorable, and long after we finish the holiday, the chants will resonate in our drawing rooms and courtyards. The food is amazing, and also memorable. The accommodation is rustic but comfortable, the outdoors is breathtaking, and the time? Well, it seems to stop.

In all, it is a holiday worth the time and effort of breaking away from our hypnotizing, daily life.

We city folk do not normally get a chance to live in an ashram, away from life’s demands, and connect with ourselves. We are householders, not ascetics or saints. However, this is something very much desirable, and valuable. Once a year or so, a very special and unique holiday from everything.

A yoga holiday.

We at the Sivananda Yoga Centre, Gurgaon have been organizing yoga retreats and holidays since 2010. Hundreds of people have enjoyed the amalgamation of yoga and holiday over the years. The promise is big – transformation from ordinary to extraordinary in just seven days.

And it happens, over and over again.

All that talk of inner peace and saving the world – it all happens, without too much debate or doubt.

And you can perpetuate it in your life when you get back!

Our next yoga retreat is from 10 to 16 April, in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. It is a location close to Dharamsala, the abode of the Dalai Lama and the world’s highest cricket stadium. People with or without experience of yoga can participate.

The details are available on our website.

https://www.yogashowstheway.com/one-week-yoga-retreats

The experience of a yoga retreat cannot be captured in words. It has to be experienced.

Come, let us spend a holiday together.

It will be so worth it.

I guarantee it!

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