I'm excited to tell you about 2  retreats coming up in 2019. Though both are in India, they are at opposite ends of the country and offer very different opportunities to experience the many different flavors of India.

February's Panchakarma Healing Retreat and Wisdom Circle is full, but there is a waiting list in case of anyone dropping out at the last minute, and to hold space for a similar healing retreat I'll be leading in February of 2020.

Please enjoy reading about both 2019 India retreats here:

Travel with Kathy to the most southern tip of India, on the beautiful coastline of the Arabian Sea, to enjoy 14 days of total rejuvenation of mind, body and spirit in beautiful Kovalam Beach.

Your retreat cost is $1900 and will include:
 

• Daily 1-1/2 hour healing panchakarma treatment

Panchakarma is the grand healing treatment of Ayurvedic medicine. It consists of abhyanga (invigorating long-stroke massage done with herb infused oils that are deeply healing and detoxifying to your body). In addition to abhyanga you will receive an herbal ball treatment, introduction of ear, eye, and nose detoxifying drops, small herbal enema, shirodhara (a therapy in which warm oils are gently poured over your forehead for about 15 minutes while you close your eyes and relax), steam, and a finishing powder scrub.

Panchakarma is deeply healing as it softens old physical, emotional and psychological calcifications so they can be released from the body and the mind. The result of panchakarma is a fully rejuvenated mind, body and spirit.

(In Kathy’s case, panchakarma completely cured her of 5 years of chronic, debilitating neck pain and weekly migraine headaches, and freed her from an old, painful emotional attachment.)
 

• Lodging at Swagath Holiday Resort

All rooms are private with comfortable beds and private bath. Swagath is directly next door to, and within a few steps of, Ayushya Ayurvedic Clinic where you will have your daily treatments and where we will meet for daily yoga, meditation and wisdom circle.   http://swagathresorts.com/

• Consultation with Dr. Sambhu Pillai
  

Doctor will walk you through the progression of your treatments, tell you what your ayurvedic dosha is, make recommendations for continued treatments at home.
 

• Welcoming dinner
  

On our 3rd night together, after having rested and become adjusted to time zone and treatment, we will enjoy a wonderful dinner together either deep in the coconut palm forest or on the beach with an ocean view. We’ll decide together where we’d like to go.
 

• Reiki / Sound Healing Treatments with Raja Allaie

You will be treated to a session with the wonderful Raja. His sessions include energetic insights that come to him while performing Reiki on you, and a sound healing with his giant sound healing bowls. This is not to be missed.
 

• Cooking Lesson in the home of the beautiful Geeta

We will Tuk Tuk together to the home of the lovely and talented Geeta to meet her family and enjoy a cooking lesson as she teaches us to make a few of the most delicious Southern Indian dishes. And then, of course, we’ll get to eat them.
 

• Daily walks on the beach

Morning and evening walks on the Kovalam Beach are equally enchanting. Some say the waves at night look electric, and during the day you might see the local fishermen chanting their work songs as they pull in their catch.
 

• Daily breakfast in Swagath’s Cafe

Daily breakfast will be included in your stay at Swagath’s. You’ll be treated to a buffet with many Indian and American choices which might include fresh local fruits, fresh eggs, porridge, Indian curries, rice, toast and chapatis. All the food in Kovalam is very safe to eat and will not cause tummy disturbances.
 

• Daily 2-hour Wisdom Circle lead by Kathy

Each afternoon we will sit in circle. Through wisdom story, ritual, journal, contemplation and soulful discussion, we will mine the depths of our own lives to discover the amrita (precious necter) that lies within. Upon returning home, you will have gained a little more insight into who you are and how your gifts are important in this world.
 

• Group meditation instruction and practice lead by Kathy

You’ll be given some instruction in mantra meditation and we’ll practice our techniques together so that you can go home with a skill to bring more balance and bliss into your daily life.
 

• Gentle yoga lead by Kathy

Kathy will offer gentle yoga to those who would like a short morning practice. Our yoga shala (studio) will be the rooftop of the clinic which looks out over the top of the beautiful coconut palm forest. We’ll practice to the sounds of the many local birds who love to sing out from the rooftops and trees.
 

• Plenty of free time each day to relax, read, rejuvenate, or meander through the local marketplace.

Because of the beautiful, relaxing beach town that we’ll be living in, and the depth of spiritual, emotional and physical cleansing you’ll be experiencing, Kathy wants to make sure you have plenty of “you time” to be quiet and to process all that you’re encountering. For that reason, she has provided ample daily free time.

There are plenty of things to do in Kovalam. Walks on the beach or into the forest area for shopping and dining, Tuk Tuk to Trivandrum (the capital city of Kerala), visit local temples, take a yoga class from a local master, watch craftsmen make musical instruments, or . . . take a nap.
 

• Taxi ride from TRV airport to Ayushya Ayurvedic Clinic

A taxi will be waiting for you upon arrival. You will be met right outside the airport front door and escorted to your taxi. Your taxi ride to the clinic is a little less than 30 minutes. When you depart for home, your taxi will also be arranged and paid for.

Your retreat cost does not include:
 

• Airfare

Cost of airfare from LAX to TRV is about $1000 depending on your skill & timing in booking. Kathy got her most current flight (Feb 2018) on Emirates Air for $950.
 

• Any herbs you might wish to take home with you to continue your treatment

Doctor often suggests a home protocol for you to continue. If you choose to purchase the herbs for your protocol, they will be inexpensive and you can take them home as extra baggage. Kathy always brings an additional small collapsible suitcase to transport her herbs.
 

• All lunches & dinners (with the exception of our welcome dinner)

Though you will be on your own for lunches and dinners, the meals in Kovalam are very inexpensive. You can choose to buy food at the local market and cook it in the kitchen at the clinic for about a dollar or two a day, or go out to one of the many local restaurants. There are lots of wonderful restaurants to choose from, serving many mouth-watering vegetarian, chicken or fish options. Cost for a truly delicious meal will run you about $3 to $8 dollars and often the portions are so big that you can take leftovers back to the clinic kitchen to eat the next day.
 

• Shopping

Kovalam Beach is filled with shops that present beautiful items by local artisans. You can get anything from a gorgeous, hand embroidered pashmina shawl to a hand-carved drum, a fun dress, handmade shoes, beautiful jewelry made from precious stone and sterling silver, and more. The shops here are not the “trinket-selling” shops you’ll see in Rishikesh. Though you can get some fun, inexpensive “take-home” gifts, most of the shopping is for quality items at very reasonable cost.
 

• Tuk Tuk to any of the excursions of your choice

If you decide you’d like to tuk tuk in to Trivandrum to see the sights, or even tuk tuk down to the beach if you don’t feel like making the short walk on any given day, you are on your own for the cost of the tuk tuk. But like anything else in India – it’s very inexpensive.
 

• Gratuity for your panchakarma therapists

It is customary to tip your therapist. 200 to 300 rupees is the suggested amount. This amounts to $3 to $4.50 in U.S. dollars. So, let’s just say $4 x 14 sessions = around $56.
 
A little about weather and logistics:
 

• Weather in February in Kovalam Beach is lovely. The temperatures are in the 80’s in the afternoon, but mornings and evenings are cooler and the ocean breeze makes things balmy and comfortable.

 

• All the bedrooms at Swagath’s have an overhead fan and an air conditioning unit. You will be very comfortable.

 

• Clothing in Kovalam is beach friendly. There is nothing special you need to buy to clothe yourself appropriately for Kovalam. Any of your casual wear items from home will be perfect. Kathy suggests natural fiber clothing such as light cotton to be really comfortable during your stay.

 

• The one thing Kathy recommends you pack, however, is a light “shift-type” dress that you can throw on to go to your treatments in. Anything you wear will get very oily, so you’ll want to bring something light, easy on and off, cotton if possible, and OK to throw away when you’re done. (Or save for your next trip to Kovalam for panchakarma the following year.) (wink wink)

 

• There is an ATM right outside the front door of the clinic so it’s easy to get Rupees with your ATM or credit card. Many of the shops accept credit cards.

 

• If you bring cash from home, there are plenty of places to exchange money. This is a tourist resort with many international tourists so the whole city accommodates people and their money.
  
  
• You’ll need a passport and an Indian Visa for your trip.

Take a look at the many faces of Kovalam Beach.

10
Additional Information:

Kathy is limiting this trip to only 10 women. She wants the experience to be intimate and deeply meaningful for everyone. A small circle of wisdom sisters is what she envisions gathering for this very special trip.

Together, we will enjoy a time of deep healing, welcome rejuvenation, and an opportunity to bond deeply with one another.

Cost for this retreat is $1900.

Payment details:

• A $500 non-refundable deposit holds your space.
• Make 2 payments of $700 each to pay in full.
• Total amount of $1900 is due by January 2, 2019.
• If you cancel 90 days prior to the retreat you get 75% refund less the $500 deposit.
• If you cancel 6 months prior to the retreat you get full refund less the $500 deposit.

Oct 9 - Oct 18, 2019
Activating the Mysteries of Ganesha 
A Retreat for Transcending Obstacles & Opening Doors of Opportunity
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Join Kathy Bolte and Christie Smirl as they teach you how to tap into your own deep wisdom to remove the obstacles that prevent you from opening fully to the many doors of opportunity awaiting you.
 
We will explore the wisdom stories of Ganesha, the mythical elephant-headed God who sits at the threshold of the Hindu Pantheon and removes seen and unseen obstacles that prevent us from living our fullest life.
 
Your retreat will include:
 

• Stay at the beautiful Parmarth Niketan Ashram at the foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganges River. We'll be staying in the sacred city of Rishikesh, the very birthplace of yoga
• Daily meditation & gentle yoga on the banks of the sacred Ganges River.
  
• Sit in wisdom circles as we explore the energetic qualities of creativity, abundance, the heart, magnetic attraction, and Unity over duality.  
• Learn and practice a special Vedic mantra to activate the many superpowers of Ganesha.
• Enter into the sound based practices of toning, mantra, and kirtan, to align more solidly with our own sacred truth.
• Experience Ganga Aarti, the nightly ritual of lighting of the lamps.
• Sangha with H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji.
• Visit Ramana’s Garden, a very special children’s home that will inspire you to live more fully in gratitude and service.
• Spend time in the infamous “Beatles Ashram” for a day of exploring history through art and sound.
• Cross over Lakshman Jhula, the famous bridge where Rama’s younger brother Lakshmana crossed the Ganga using just two jute ropes.
• Go shopping at the vibrant Lakshman Jhula Market.
• Visit the beautiful ISKCON temple at Madhuban Ashram for evening aarti, kirtan, and dinner.
• Sit in Vasistha’s Meditation Cave where sages and saints have meditated for hundreds of years and feel the power of this ancient energy.
• Enjoy the many cheeky monkeys, scruffy dogs, and sacred cows that walk the streets.
• Luxuriate in plenty of free time to enjoy the river, the Indian culture, and your own quiet time.

Meet your retreat leaders:
Dr. Christie Smirl & Kathy Bolte

Christie is a Nurse Practioner,  Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine, Reiki Master and facilitator of healing circles. She is a natural healer and spiritual visionary. She teaches Yoga Teacher Trainings centered around Ayurvedic practices and leads healing circles at her home in Rancho Cucamonga.

Kathy is a Yogāsana and Nāda Yoga (yoga of sound) teacher. She has been facilitating Women's Wisdom Circles for 20 years and is skilled at storytelling and leading heartfelt discussions that encourage circle participants to mine the deep recesses of their soul. She is certified in teaching Sanskrit, Mantras and other sound based practices.

Together they are vocalists and instrumentalists for the popular Kīrtan band, Ākāśavāni. They lead kirtan at yoga festivals and yoga studios throughout the US & in India.

Cost of retreat: $1900

Your food will be at your own expense but is ridiculously inexpensive.  If you eat at the ashram it will cost you $5 per day.  If you eat out at any of the many local restaurants it will cost you around $8 to $10 per day.

Shopping is very inexpensive in India.  If you bring $200 “shopping money” you’ll bring home a bounty.
 
Your airfare is not included in the cost of the retreat.  You will need a flight from LAX to Delhi and then an in-country flight from Delhi to Dehra Dun and a taxi from Dehra Dun to the ashram.  Your round trip flight from Delhi to Dehra Dun and your round trip taxi from Dehra Dun to the ashram will cost you about $120 US Dollars total. (Once you’ve paid your deposit, we’ll give you lots of details about travel tips & “how to” instructions.)
 

Payment details:
 

• $500 non-refundable deposit holds your space. 
• Make two $700 payments - 1st due by May 1, 2019. Final payment due by August 1, 2019.  You also have the option of making one payment of $1400 for payment in full.
• If you cancel 90 days prior to the retreat you get 75% refund less the $500 deposit.
• If you cancel 6 months prior to the retreat you get full refund less the $500 deposit.

Be sure to reserve your space early.  We are taking only 12 people.

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