THE HEART OF TRANSFORMATION INDIA PILGRIMAGE

Pondicherry – Auroville – Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 18-23 January, 2019

Samata Holistic Retreat Centre, North Goa 23-30 January, 2019

Yoga . Meditation . Healing . Ritual . Dance

Sacred Sound & Earth Prayer

with Mischa Varmuza & Amisha Ghadiali

Join us in the beautiful sun drenched Goa, India, where we will dive deep into the heart of transformation, exploring movement, stillness and healing practices. We have designed this retreat to reawaken our connection with ourselves, each other and the earth.

The journey of transformation calls for us to make time and space to nurture and strengthen our body and be boldly curious of our inner world. Over the week the practices will be both deep and challenging, quiet and nurturing, as well as joyful and light to strengthen, open and harmonise the body, mind and heart. We will go deep into the exploration of yoga asana, meditation techniques and conscious breath to guide us towards more presence, connection and freedom.

Venturing beyond the yoga practices to find greater awareness and understanding we will share stories and intention, join in sacred ceremony and ritual. January is a  perfect time for new beginnings and to sow seeds and prayers of intention. We will be gathering just after the Full Moon in Leo, a time to journey into your heart and allow yourself to shine. Supporting us with strength and courage to be our most authentic self and follow our deepest heart desire. We will work with these energies to reflect on our journey so far and burn away anything that no longer serves us. We will open ourselves to our greatest dreams and possibilities, blazing a new trail to where we have never dared go before.

A retreat offers a safe and supported environment to open new spaces within your practice and it is always a dream come true for Mischa and Amisha to have the opportunity to offer the work that they themselves have found so extraordinarily powerful. We will be treading upon the sacred land of Maha India from where these traditions were born; it is a perfect opportunity to connect to the deeper ways of yoga and dive further into ourselves and the Great Mystery in a guided, held and joyful way.

We will be further supported by our hosts Samata in this beautiful retreat, not just a retreat centre but a place where you will learn about food, ayurvedic herbs, and be truly nourished. The Heart of Transformation offers a week of discovery, healing, new friends and delicious food in a safe and beautiful space.

We hope you will join us to dance in the heart-fire and under the sun and moon and beneath the stars.

The retreat includes:

• Morning meditation
• Daily yoga sessions including mantra & chanting, mudra, pranayama and asana
• Restorative yoga
• Yoga nidra
• Guided journaling and self-inquiry practices
• Energy healing with Amisha
• Yoga assist and massage workshop with Mischa
• Cacao and sound Healing Ceremony

• Hanging out by the pool
• 2 organic home cooked ayurvedic meals each day and a communal kitchen with snacks available throughout the day
• Tour of the organic garden
• Space to relax, read, write, rest

* Optional: Ecstatic dance in Goa, shopping and sunset in Arambol, afternoon trip to Anjuna hippie market, massage, intuitive energy healings and other treatments

Example of a typical day (subject to change):

8 am Meditation

8.30 am Morning tea and snack

9am Yoga practice

11.30 am Brunch

1.00 pm Free time for exploring, relaxing, healing, treatments or group excursion

4.00 pm Afternoon workshop

7 pm Dinner followed by free time under the stars, around the fire evening sharing circle, group healing, singing circle or yoga nidra

The Pilgrimage:

Both Amisha & Mischa have spent a lot of time in India, and are happy to share the experiences of the wilds of India in a safe and supported way. For this pilgrimage we will go to Tamil Nadu, flying into Chennai and then travelling by car to Pondicherry, the old french colony seaside town. Here we will spend time in Sri Aurobindo’s ashram, and visit Auroville the intentional community created on the principles of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. It is a beautiful town build around a stunning temple which is home to many interesting sustainable projects which we will visit. After this we will venture to Tiruvannamalai, home of Arunachala the mountain which is said to be Shiva himself, we will walk around the mountain with other pilgrims under the light of the full moon, visit caves and Ramana Maharshi’s ashram. We will enjoy great food, experience the beauty of the many temples, and open up our adventurous hearts under the leo full moon. 

For more about Sadhana Forest (one of the projects we will visit) and Auroville – you can listen to these two episodes of The Future Is Beautiful podcast with Aviram Roizin and MARTI.

The Details:

The Pilgrimage: 18th Jan to 22rd January 2019. (We fly Chennai to Goa on the 22nd – where we rest a night before the retreat starts). Please arrive in Chennai on the 17th or before, so we can meet early on the 18th in Pondicherry. 

Retreat: 23rd January – 30th January, 2019.  Arrival for 4pm on the Wednesday we end at noon the following Wednesday. No experience necessary, all are welcome.

You can join for the whole journey or for one part if you prefer.

The Accommodation & Shala:

Our home for the week will be the beautiful Samata Holistic Retreat Centre which is set in a peaceful village near Arambol in North Goa. This is one of the most stunning retreat centres we have experienced with care, love and grace laced through every detail. The cottages are built in traditional Indonesian style from recycled teak wood with a rustic but elegant feel and all the rooms rooms have AC, en suite bathroom, hot water, wifi, and a safe for your valuables.

There is a beautiful teardrop pool to swim in and relax by and a number of quiet shady areas around the property to rest and just be.

It is a perfect place to unwind, breathe in the air, space and nature. The environment invites you to reconnect to the simplicity of natural living and dissolve the hardness and stresses of work life.

We will have the retreat space exclusively to ourselves.

Samata is a Sanskrit word which translates as balance or equilibrium. The centre has been created as to raise funds for The Dungari Foundation, a non-profit whose goal is to find sustainable solutions to preserve a growing list of endangered species solely endemic to high altitude Alpine Himalaya. There work includes researching the herbs, conserving them for future generations and empowering and educating villagers to cultivate these herbs. They also discourage illegal wild-harvesting practices to protect this fragile ecosystem and these ancient and important medicines that have been birthed from these sacred mountains.

The Food:

The vegetarian food is exquisite; the ingredients are mostly home grown and organic from the retreat garden and Tess, the chef and ayurvedic specialist carefully designs a delicious and healing ayurvedic menu to nourish us during our stay. The women of the village spend four hours preparing each meal with care.  Vegan and gluten free options will be available on request.

Teas and light snacks are available in the communal kitchen throughout the day.

The Price:

Residential Retreat at Samata

Tuition & Deposit: To secure your place on this retreat we ask for a £350 (Earlybird) or £400 (Standard) deposit. This is the cost of the course teaching fee.

Accommodation & Food: The accomodation and food price will depend on your choice of room and is shown below. Please note this cost is in dollars and will be paid directly to Samata Holistic Resort.

Simple Single Room $910

Deluxe King Room (Single Occupancy)  $1120

Deluxe King Room (Shared) $840 per person

Deluxe Twin Room $840 per person

Triple Room $700 per person

Master Suite $1750

Master Suite (Shared) $1225 per person

This price includes accommodation, food and listed activities above. Transport to the retreat centre is not included. We can help coordinate taxi shares from Goa Airport to reduce costs and our environmental impact. Money shouldn’t come in the way of wellbeing and fun, if you would like to pay in instalments this is possible, please write and let us know.

Early bird offer is until 13th July. Special solstice offer of £75 off until June 21st.

Optional Pilgrimage in Tamil Nadu

The pilgrimage is £420 – which is payable by the 1st November. (Please pay sooner if you can).

This includes all transport, accommodation, one group meal, and a couple of surprises! We will travel from Pondicherry to Auroville to Tiruvanmalai and then to Chennai airport to travel to Goa. It doesn’t include your taxi from Chennai to Pondi on the 17th Jan (approx £20) or your flight from Chennai to Goa (please book on Spicejet SG3105 on the 22nd Jan) if you want to travel with the group). These costs are based on sharing a double room. Please let us know if you require single occupancy. Breakfast is included every day, and two big group meals. Then for the other meals we have kept it more flexible so that you don’t have to order off set menus and we can break off into smaller groups if we please.

Please arrive in Chennai/Tamil Nadu on or before Jan 17th. We will be book accommodation in Pondicherry on the 17th, so we can start early on the 18th. And we will arrive in Goa one night before the retreat, you can either stay an extra night at Samata or somewhere else in Goa.

The Replenish Effect:

It is important that our retreats bring benefit and expansion to all who are involved. We don’t just want you to fly in, taxi straight to the retreat centre and then leave the country. We make our retreats meaningful in the local community by building partnerships, supporting independently run businesses and doing all the little things that make a big difference, like helping you offset the carbon for your travel.

Your Hosts

Amisha & Mischa met through an advanced teacher training with Sianna Sherman and teaching in London studios. They first bonded over nearly having the same name, and then as their journeys unfolded found a mutual love and motivation towards the discovery of yoga and transformation as both dedicated teachers and students. They have spent time in India together visiting temples and deepening their practice and continue to inspire and compliment one another with their passion and curiosity to challenge themselves, each other and their students towards growth. They are true kalyanamitras, which is the sanskrit word for friends on the spiritual path – and their teaching styles complement each others.

“I have been on retreats with Mischa and Amisha both individually and together. They are each unique yet have similar teaching backgrounds which I find compliment one another. I love the fact that Mischa’s practise is physical, strong and deep spiritually. I always come away having learnt something new. Amisha is wonderful and again with her wisdom and teaching structure I have found myself over the past year or two developing my own spirituality and yoga practice.” Bobana, Creative

“Mischa and Amisha are an amazing, beautiful pair. They both live their teachings in a new and inspiring way and have a deep knowledge and understanding of yoga. I spent a weekend with them last year and found it nourishing, fascinating and joyful, we were all taken on a mystical journey through some of the practices of yoga, old and new. I would wholeheartedly recommend spending time with them on a retreat, it will be a magical and uplifting experience!” Charlotte, Consultant

About Amisha:

“I came to Amisha’s retreat to learn more about the practice of YOGA. She taught me how to open up more and be in the moment. I loved how she created a space for the whole group to feel at home and safe. She really made me fall in love with Yoga. I will take her knowledge with me for the rest of my life. She is warm, wise and lovely.” Aemilia, Film Producer

“Amisha is a gifted yoga teacher that shows her knowledge of both the spiritual and the physical side of yoga, and teaches both brilliantly. This retreat was life changing and I still hear her voice singing mantras in my head!”  Paul, Entrepreneur

“Amisha is a breath of fresh air!! She is kind, gentle, loving and full of light energy. Taking her mantra workshop at Bali Spirit Fest genuinely changed my practice and I thank her everyday for how she has helped me grow!” Ally, Entrepreneur

With a love of yoga and meditation that has spanned over a decade, Amisha Ghadiali’s own “burn out” led her to train as a teacher, which in turn opened a giant rabbit hole into the mystical realms. Her classes are strong yet relaxing, focused on clear alignment and moving from the heart. She has a calming presence and uses playful theming, mantra and experience of exploring world wisdom traditions, to leave her students with inspiration, grounding and joy they can bring into their daily lives.

Amisha is a 500 hour certified Yoga teacher after completing her advanced teacher training with Sianna Sherman, and is a modern day priestess, reiki master and intuitive energy healer. Her background is in politics and sustainable fashion, and since 2006 she has been designing jewellery for her own label with the tagline “elegance rebellion.” She creates meaningful pieces such as malas for chanting, made with precious gemstones. She brings all this awareness and her fascination with the relationship of our inner and outer worlds, to her work.

Amisha has used these practices in her own life to work with trauma including recovering from being run over by a pick-up truck. She has lived that typical stressful city life, and found that bringing a soulful healthy approach to her every day made things much more rewarding and balanced. She recently founded Replenish, where she leads retreats and works one-on-one through her mentoring programme to assist you in creating space to show up for yourself each day and to facilitate the formation of lifelong habits that will support and nurture your inner and outer connections.

Amisha is also a writer and speaker on all aspects of conscious and green living. A big part of her ‘yoga’ is exploring how we relate to the world around us and embody our values.  She hosts the podcast and edited the collaborative book, The Future Is Beautiful, coining the term Creative Activism and bringing together ideas and artwork from over two hundred contributors to inspire a brighter future. Her words have appeared in publications including The Huffington Post, Rebelle Society & Ecouterre and she has spoken at events and festivals around the world such as TEDx Oxbridge, Sunday Papers Live & Burning Man.

About Mischa:

“The retreat was a sweet breath of fresh air. Mischa is a truly inspiring teacher who in four short days has helped me deepen my relationship to yoga and further the spiritual connection to my physical practice.” Loren, Music Producer

“I can’t express the transformation I experienced in both body and mind the retreat with Mischa.  She truly is an inspirational teacher. What a blessing to have a whole week with her! As a teacher myself, I recognise the hard work and dedication that goes into these retreats and I can only say that Mischa has a true gift for sharing her strong, soulful yoga in a way that truly connects you back to your root and to the universe as a whole.  I learnt so much about myself and about the beautiful gift that is Yoga. Her energy is so nurturing and her passion and dedication to the practice shines through. I cannot wait for the next one! Thank you Mischa, for continuing to inspire me on my journey.” Sally-Anne, Yoga Teacher

Mischa’s yoga journey began over a decade ago and slowly began to weave its way through her life; she is continually humbled and inspired by the potential of yoga to transform, expand and heal and is devoted to sharing the practice with others.  She is a 500 hour trained teacher having finished her 300 hour training with her teacher Sianna Sherman. She is also in apprenticeship with Sianna and part of teh Rasa Yoga Teaching team and she regularly assists on workshops and advance trainings around the globe. Mischa has spent over a year in India studying, practicing and visiting sacred sites and it holds a special place in her heart.

Her teaching is heartfelt and creative with a deep focus on breath and alignment and a combination of strong steady flow and longer holds to both uplift and tap into the stillness. She has a diverse and deep practice and is most inspired to share the creativity of vinyasa and hatha flow which allow the freedom to explore the infinite possibilities of the practice. She draws her understanding from a number of styles and traditions, particularly inspired by the philosophy and practices of the Tantric lineage. Her classes are woven with philosophy, myth and stories and include music, chanting and ritual.  She is also influenced by her studies and training in the Priestess tradition and extensive travels to both Asia, Indonesia and South America.

Mischa works with Ayurvedic Yoga Massage, a beautiful combination of deep tissue massage with assisted yoga stretches and alignment, and Reiki to support the physical and energetic healing process. She is also fully trained in Naturopathy and Nutritional Therapy which she integrates into her holistic approach in practicing and sharing the teachings and supporting individuals on their journey towards greater wellbeing.

Mischa is currently based in London teaching across some of the leading studios but continues to travel for study, practice and teaching. Her teaching is passionate and knowledgeable, her intention is to both challenge and restore, holding a space for individuals to awaken and reveal their highest Self. Expect to  be taken on a journey of self inquiry and unfolding.

Facebook Live: 

You can also watch our facebook live talking about the retreat and pilgrimage – https://www.facebook.com/amisha.ghadiali/videos/1938280072893242/

How to Book:

If you have any questions or would like to reserve a place, please contact Amisha on takeamoment@amisha.co.uk or Mischa on info@mischavarmuza.com