North India Yoga tour

DAY 01: ARRIVE DELHI
Arrival Delhi and transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day will be at leisure.

DAY 02: DELHI – HARIDWAR RAILWAY STATION / DEHRADUN AIRPORT – RISHIKESH ASHRAM
Arrival at Haridwar railway station/ Dehradun airport drive to Sadhak Gram Ashram:
You will participate in all programs and follow the daily ashram schedule which begins at 5:00 AM and runs until 9:30 PM. Time for reading, journaling, and reflection is always available.
An idea of the daily schedule :

5AM Prayers
5:15 Joints and Glands exercises/Hatha Yoga
7:00 Pranayama
7:30 Meditation (guided for beginners, silent for others)
8:30AM Breakfast
10:00 Practicum class or Philosophy lecture or spiritual video
11:00 Class or free time
12:30PM Guided Diaphragmatic breathing session
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Guided digestive breathing session
4:00 Tea
4:30 Hatha Yoga class
5:45 Meditation
7:00 Supper
8:00 Lecture, video or special night program
9:PM Night prayers

Fully furnished cottages are provided. Most cottages have AC. Guests are provided with vegetarian meals which are cooked and served in a common dining hall. A reverse osmosis water filter is in the dining hall where guests may fill their water bottles for drinking water. The tap water at the ashram is drawn from our own well. Additional facilities include a large meditation hall, a video room, bookstore, sound recording room, and the Meditation Research Institute.

The ashram provides bed linens, blankets and towels. Please bring your own toiletries.

Comfortable, casual and less revealing clothing is recommended. White and light colors are traditional ashram colors, and are considered sattvic (resonating peace and purity). Ladies will have to take care to not wear halter or thin strapped tops, mini-skirts or shorts. Men will take care to wear a shirt outside of their room. Tight clothing is also inappropriate. Shoes are removed to enter the mediation hall, dining hall, etc. so you may want to have a pair of shoes that are easy to take on and off.

In the spirit of ahimsa (non-harming), they do not consume or prepare any meat, fish, or eggs on the premises. Alcohol, intoxicants or mind-altering drugs are prohibited. Smoking is not allowed in the cottages or on the campus grounds.

DAY 03: SADHAK GRAM ASHRAM
Continue as per Sadhak Gram Ashram schedule.

DAY 04: SADHAK GRAM ASHRAM
Continue as per Sadhak Gram Ashram schedule.

DAY 05: SADHAK GRAM ASHRAM– RISHIKESH
After Yoga Class and breakfast drive to the Rishikesh Hotel

One of the holiest cities in India, Rishikesh is not just known for its religious connection but also for its beautiful landscape. Surrounded by hills (the Lesser Himalayas) on three sides and holy Ganga River flowing through it, Rishikesh is an ethereal experience. Rishikesh is the gateway to famous Chardham which are Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. In fact Rishikesh is a favorite of those coming to meditate and seek salvation. It is believed that meditation on the land of this holy place leads to salvation. Every year many people come here in the ashrams to meditate and gain peace of mind. The place is also very famous with foreigners who come to India in search of spiritual quest. Rishikesh is famous for its ashrams on the banks of Ganga, at many such ashrams yoga is practiced and taught regularly. Such is the feeling of Rishikesh that even Beatles could not escape from the magical experience. They had visited India in 1960 to pay visit to their Guru in Rishikesh. What else works in Rishikesh’s favour is its altitude (1360 metres). It is higher than other holy cities of Haridwar and Varanasi, the water in Ganga here is cooler and cleaner. The flow of the river is stronger here and the city is less populated than others. It is calmer and peaceful here. It is such a beauty, the water gushing from the Himalayas, the banks dotted with ashrams and temples (both ancient and recent) and a hilly landscape in the background of all this, Rishikesh is truly amazing.

Evening attend Aarti ceremony at Triveni Ghat.

DAY 06: RISHIKESH

Morning yoga class at hotel

Evening sightseeing and walk to Rishikesh town, Beatles Ashram (Chorasi Kutiya) and evening attend the Aarti ceremony at Parmarth Niketan.

Return to your hotel after the ceremony.

DAY 07: RISHIKESH
Morning and evening yoga class at the hotel.

DAY 08: RISHIKESH – KUNJAPURI – RISHIKESH
Early morning drive to Kunjapuri (32 kms) with Yoga teacher and packed breakfast.

Kunjapuri Temple – Lying in the divine Himalayas of Tehri Garhwal district, three Siddha Peeths can be located well on top of three different mountains, dedicated to ‘Sati the wife of lord ‘Shiva’. The holy triangle of the temple is linked with a famous tale …. when Sati, daughter of Daksha Prajapat, immolated herself at the sacrificial spot lord Shiva took the dead body of his wife and started walking towards the Himalayas. The places where the parts of her dead body fell are known as Kunjapuri, Surkanda Devi and Chandrabadni and are thus worshipped as Siddha Peeths.

Located at an altitude of 1645 meters and it lends a panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks to the North and Rishikesh, Haridwar and the Doon valley to the South.

Practice yoga with the yoga teacher at top of the hill. After breakfast go to a typical Garhwali village for a walk.

Return to your hotel in Rishikesh after the walk.

Evening yoga class at the hotel

DAY 09: RISHIKESH – HARIDWAR – RISHIKESH
Morning yoga class at the hotel. Afternoon drive to Haridwar for half day sightseeing.

Hardwar town is the gateway to the abode of Gods. The mythological and religious importance of Hardwar is well known. The ‘Kumbh’ and the ‘Ardh Kumbh’ fairs are held periodically, every twelfth and sixth year in Haridwar, when a large number of pilgrims and devotees converge to commemorate this divine event. According to astrologers, the ‘Kumbh Fair’ takes place when the planet Jupiter enters Aquarius and the Sun enters Aries. According to mythology, ‘Devas’ (Gods) and ‘Asuras’ (Demons) churned the ocean to obtain Nectar and when the coveted ‘Kumbha’ (pitcher) of Nectar (Amrita) which gave immortality was obtained from the depths of ocean, one of the ‘Devas’ whisked away the ‘Kumbha’ from the ‘Asuras’ and evading from the ‘Asuras’, stopped at four places viz. Hardwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain before he finally Arrived into the safety of heaven. A few drops of Nectar are supposed to have spilled over on the water at these four places and sages, saints and pilgrims started periodically to flock to each of these ‘Tirthas’ to celebrate the divine event. In fact, it is a unique event that blends religious and social features alike.

Shantikunj is the headquarters of the spiritual and social organisation All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP). Established in 1971 at Haridwar, it has emerged over the years as a center of the global movement of Yug Nirman Yojana (Movement for the Reconstruction of the Era) for moral-spiritual regeneration in the light of hoary Indian heritage. Situated at the bank of holy Ganges and between the Shivalik ranges of the Himalayas, it’s also a place of attraction for tourists and seekers of spiritual guidance.

The Daksh Mahadev Temple is an ancient shrine situated south of Kankhal town. Also visit the Cremation Point. Har-Ki-Pauri, the sacred ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya in the memory of his brother Bhartrihari. Evening witness Aarti ceremony at Har Ki Pauri.

Return to your hotel after the ceremony.

DAY 10:- RISHIKESH – VASHISHTA CAVE (SHIVPURI) – RISHIKESH
Morning yoga class at Hotel. After breakfast drive to Vashishta Gufa (Vashishta’s cave).

After breakfast drive to Vashishta gufa or cave which was about 25 km away from Rishikesh. This is a place huddled in the middle of high range hills all around with mother Gang flowing to the right of the cave. There was complete silence interspersed by the small sound of leaves dropping on the ground or the sound of birds. Mythology says the great sage Vashishta did penance here 3,000 years ago. The compound has a temple, small accommodation for the ashram occupants and the cave. The entrance of the cave does not give any hint of what is there inside. The cave was about 20 ft long, 10 ft wide at the entrance but slowly tapering down and the height was about 7 ft. In other words, this was a huge cave. At the furthest end of the cave, there was a Shiv-ling with an oil lamp nearby. The cave that stretched quite a way inside the mountain was walled off at this point. Apparently, sages from the remote and higher parts of the Himalaya come down in their astral bodies to that part of the cave for meditation.

Afternoon back to Hotel and evening attend the yoga class at the hotel

DAY 11: RISHIKESH- HARIDWAR RAILWAY STATION/ DEHRADUN AIRPORT
Drive to station or airport to connect train/flight for Delhi. On arrival, transfer to an airport hotel.

DAY 12: DEPART DELHI
Transfer to international airport for flight to onward destination.