Journey to the India of Yoga (5th edition)

 Journey to the India of Yoga (5th edition) 

with Gonçalo Correia e Marco Peralta

20 years of experience of researching, studying and practicing Yoga and Meditation in India

Presentation and Aim

Nowadays in the Western world, medical and scientific community study and research techniques originated in yoga, focused on relaxation, breathing and meditation, among others, with the aim of promoting general well-being and health, namely in the context of mental health. 

Despite the benefits and proven scientific studies, to what extent does it make sense to ignore the spiritual dimension and relationship with the Divine that has always been present in Yoga and Meditation as an ancient culture of the Indian subcontinent? How will this be impactful and relevant? 

After 20 years of traveling to the India of Yoga, what continues to impact and inspire us both in the way of teaching Yoga and in the way of living life, comes from the inspiration of being in contact with yogis, yoginis, sadhus, sadhvis and sannyasins who still live in difficult to access areas in the forest, in caves or small huts. 

India is mentioned more and more in books, articles, TV programmes and social media, classes, workshops and Yoga Trainings as the birthplace of Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and Vedanta. But among so many references, what can be considered reliable and realistic?

Alongside with ‘Modern Yoga’, the ancient Yoga Tradition has been preserved for thousands of years by yogis and yoginis who simplified their lives and reduced material possessions to the essential and necessary in order to dedicate themselves exclusively to the path of greater understanding and enlightenment about themselves and life, self-realization (moksha). 

Although apparently more isolated, they receive visitors and play an active role in society. These yogis and yoginis are available, give advice, guidance on any aspect of human life, teachings and clarifications on the practice of Yoga and Meditation, in a broader vision of what has come to be known as the teaching of Yoga in a classroom in a modern culture. 

That's why, we consider a blessing the opportunity to learn about Yoga and its roots in India, not from a tourist perspective, but with the aim of having a personal and real experience of yoga as it is lived and practiced in India today, learning directly from yogis who keep the tradition alive, perpetuating the yogic lifestyle in the same places thousands of years ago. 

At a time when there are more schools, communities and Yoga teachers in the West than in the East, what relevance/importance does going to India continue to have in the Yoga context?

The invitation is for you to come and experience for yourself the answer to this question!

Apart from the deepening of yoga sadhana and the benefit of having the chance to be all together and share the same goal in this journey, the intention is also to keep the spirit of a pilgrim in the more personal sense of stopping, reflecting, and meditating on one’s own Existence.

We will stay mainly in the Rishikesh area, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, at the banks of the river Ganges and surrounded by mountains. It is a very relaxing and pleasing place with many temples, ashrams, Yoga schools and caves. In spite of the number of visitors increasing every year, Rishikesh remains a reference place chosen by those who dedicate themselves to the study and practice of Yoga, Meditation and Vedanta.

In the cafés and restaurants we find travelers just like us, on the streets we walk among the local population, not to mention the bookshops in the list of meeting points and true libraries of Yoga! In all these places we create empathy and begin conversations which will almost always end up in… Yoga, spirituality, the meaning of life and self-knowledge! Here the most mundane conversations are incontrovertibly… about Yoga!

Having been in India for the first time 20 years ago, and in Rishikesh in particular, it has had a great impact on us, in our practice and way of looking at Yoga. That's why in the last 7 years we started sharing it and traveling to India with others, namely leading groups of Yoga and Meditation Teachers but also of practitioners in general

We want to share it with you!

GONÇALO CORREIA

Senior Yoga Teacher and Trainer Pro by Yoga Alliance Professionals with 27 years of experience studying and practicing Yoga and Meditation. He started teaching Yoga 22 years ago and in the following years, with the desire to dive more intensely, he took his first trip to India, learning from yogis and yoginis from different traditions, practices and lifestyles. He lived with them mainly in an ashram context and in a kutir (small hut) in the forest environment. This experience had a huge impact on his life. To this day, he maintains contact with some of these same teachers, visiting them and learning from them regularly.

In addition to classes and workshops, he is dedicated to training new Yoga and Meditation teachers, both in initial courses and in specializations, namely in Yoga Therapy, Yoga and Meditation in the Context of Stress and Burnout. 

He organized four editions of the Journey to the India of Yoga together with Marco Peralta, aimed at groups of both Yoga Teachers and Practitioners in general.

MARCO PERALTA 

Senior Yoga Teacher, Trainer Pro and Approved Mentor by Yoga Alliance Professionals. He has been practicing and teaching Yoga and Meditation for the last 29 years. He began practicing Yoga and Meditation through books in 1995, after an existential search initiated by the death of one of his best friends.

He took his first Yoga class with a teacher in May 1996 and began teaching that same year at the invitation of his teacher with whom he practiced regularly. In the following years, he continued his practice, research and training in Yoga and Meditation, training and visiting teachers from different schools and philosophical perspectives in Portugal, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Greece and India.

In these last 29 years of teaching, he has shared thousands of hours of Yoga and Meditation with thousands of Human Beings in classes, lectures, events, workshops, satsang, retreats, trips and professional training. He has trained hundreds of teachers in the areas of Yoga, Meditation, Yoga during Pregnancy, Yoga Therapy and SUP Yoga.

He is the author of the practice CDs ‘Yoganidra – Deep Relaxation’ (2006) and ‘Guided Meditations – Be Who You Are (2014). He teaches regularly in Portugal, Greece and India.

Lives and teaches Yoga, Meditation and Philosophy as a way of Life.

SUMMARY OF ITINERARY

(13 days / 13 nights)

3rd Feb: Departure from Portugal or other European country

4th Feb: Arrival at Delhi

5th Feb: Delhi / Rishikesh

9th Feb: Rishikesh/Haridwar/Rishikesh

16th Feb: Rishikesh / Delhi

17th Feb: Departure from Delhi (and arrival in Portugal or other European country)

The journey program will be from the 4th February to the 16th February in India, whereby flights should happen one day before and one day after these dates, as exemplified in the itinerary above.

The program is subjected to changes. We know personally all the teachers, sadhus, swamis and sannyasins whom we will practice and study with.

PROGRAM INDICATION

- Stay in Delhi in a 5-star hotel with breakfast and dinner included.

- 2-days stay in a traditional Ashram with a Swami from the Shivananda and Satyananda lineage (Bihar School of Yoga). Life in an ashram, daily study and practice of yoga, karma yoga, satsang and meditation. Direct experience of the running and routines of a yogi community from the Himalayas.

- Visit and satsangs with a Sadhu with more than 50-years experience of living in a cave. One of the most ancestral ways of living and deepening one’s practice of Yoga and Meditation with self-knowledge as the goal.

- Workshop with a renowned Teacher and Yogini in the Tantric tradition.

- The program includes daily Yoga and Meditation classes with the Senior Teachers Gonçalo Correia and Marco Peralta

– CPD (continuous professional development workshop): “Types of Yogis and Samadhi (Freedom) as Purpose” lasting 20 hours certified by Yoga Alliance Professionals with Senior Teachers Gonçalo Correia and Marco Peralta. Includes physical manual.

- Visit to temples, caves, bookshops and relevant ashrams. 

- Participation in rituals (arati), pujas and satsangs in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta and Jñana Yoga.

- Free time for personal exploration.

– 24-hour support from experienced local guides and facilitators Gonçalo Correia and Marco Peralta

Note:

- Meetings with other yogis and yoginis may come up during the trip. India is also that: the unexpected and the surprises.

Limited to 8 participants

If you don't want to miss this trip, it's important that you register as soon as possible. The next step is to contact us to formalize the registration. We will contact you to schedule an interview before making the first payment where you can ask your questions and we will provide more details about the trip.

REGISTRATION AND RESERVATION:

Prior to registration in Journey to the India of Yoga, one must arrange an interview.

Contacts for information and registration:

https://forms.gle/FuL1dcDe2xmoVR8j9

journey.indiaofyoga@gmail.com