The Vishwa Yoga Journey
VISHWA AYURVEDA
300 Hour Elemental Yoga Training
Including:
South India Adventour
w / Optional:
Bhuta Thai - Thai Yoga Massage
Practitioner Training
Now Includes 5 Days in Bali, Indonesia
December ~ January
2018 ~19
Exact Dates Still TBD
"20 Years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones
you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Explore. Dream. Discover!...
" This is indeed India; the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty,
of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels,
of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants
and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a thousand nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend,
great-grandmother of tradition, whose yesterdays bear date with the mouldering antiquities of the rest of
the nations —the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant,
wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free,
the one land that all men desire to see,
and having seen once, by even a glimpse,
would not give that glimpse for the shows of
all the rest of the globe combined. "
—Mark Twain, Following the Equator, 1897
Turn off ^ music
Sincere inquirers should not view this site from a smartphone!
Vishwa Ayurveda
T r a i n i n g &/Or A d v e n t o u r O v e r v i e w :
You've come a long way! You are in !ndia! It's like the other side of another world!
Were you planning to visit this other world for the classic "profound" Yoga in India experience
(all at one cushy resort) and then just leave? Or were you thinking to stick around, to try to see !ndia
on your own? (!) ...Sure, it seems like a great idea, but Please, take it from me. . . ( yeah, that's me )))----->
even for experienced travelers, going to India without experienced help is... well... Oh, the stories i could tell!
But this webpage is not about those wild stories. This page is about making the most of a deep yoga training
in India while making the most of traveling in India by combining it with a deep yoga training in India.
The Vishwa Yoga Journey: Powerful Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Training
Incredible Tour of South India ~ Birthplace of Ayurveda
COMBINED
Vishwa Ayurveda ~ Universal Wisdom
(300hr) Elemental Yoga Training Bhuta Thai - Thai Yoga Bodywork
...come together wonderfully to deepen students on many levels. All three trainings are based upon what the Indian system of Ayurveda refers to as the Panch Maha Bhuta (Five Great Elements) as well as the elemental wisdom found in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other indigenous five (and four) element methods found throughout the world. However, it is not enough to simply write about the elements here to really impress upon you the impact of their healing and edifying powers -which encompass the whole universe. So, for the most part, I will let this pharmapseudical commercial try to explain it:
The video below-left does not show the great beauty of the backwaters very well, but again i thought it best to save that for your own eyes. Nevertheless, the video below-center does reflect the surrealishly serene backwaters quite well. Such personal excursions as seen in this video might be possible; but it can be hard to coordinate depending on the size of our group; so think about it, but don't count on it.
Besides ancient stone ruins, Hampi is also considered the world's Mecca for Bouldering (a type of Rock Climbing). This is of course an optional excursion, and those who do it should not expect to have a lot of time for it. The thing that I am really glad about is our guide, Vikas (aka Jerry). Since i met him back in 2010, when he was about 16 years old, he has become a rock climbing rock star. We knew he was potentailly a great climber even back then before he was discovered ...back when he did it with barefeet!
Meet Vikas....
Climbing OPTION (...on your day off!)
Though climbing is an incredible root chakra (earth element) practice that is about overcoming ones fears; with every movement being an intensely focused asana; that must rise above ones fears to conquer the task at hand; that naturally evolves into intense meditation; that inevitably cultivates into blissful exhileration; and probably the closest to NIrvana most people, yogi or not, will ever come; climbing is, nevertheless, just a 1 day option. And for those who are not up for it, they will find many equally amazing things to do there. But you might want to watch the video anyway just to see the amazing landscape.
Goa Though there is much we can say about all of these places, I think the thing many people that are escaping a cold winter in February will be happy enough to know is that our first destination is that of warm tropical beaches. Here we will have a rest from our long travel to India and a detailed orientation to India, the training, and to one another. Goa is a great place for this as it welcomes adventurous yogi-travelers from around the world. It will ease you into India comfortably; as opposed to what could be a shocking plunge elsewhere.
This will be our first class: Shavasana!
Everyone will rest up here from their long travels from
all over the hole wild world to India.
You can also rest very well here as well.
Dudh Sagar (milk falls) an almost nearby attraction. Yes! thats a train going in front of the falls! We will be taking that train to Hampi...
Actually, kidding aside, you can go HERE to get a little better idea of the power of this training; but for the most part you're just going to have to wait until you can both receive the teachings while experiencing them; as the surroundings themselves are an integral part of the curriculum.
It is not about touring India with Yoga.
This is about traversing India,
and the Five Great Elements, As Yoga!
Therefore each of the following places will be our classrooms:
Bhakti Kutir is a unique eco lodge, just one beautiful hiking minute from Goa's famous Palolem Beach. Here you can experience the luxuries of nature. Here the trees are not cut down for huts. The huts are built around the trees; literally, some have trees growing right up thru them; and some have outdoor showers that, though still enclosed and private, allow you to shower under the sun or stars. However you can also opt for a more "normal", less adventurous, room.
The food is also amazing, with many delicious vegetarian, vegan and raw food choices. BK has its own organic farm from which the food comes; including a green smoothie bar!
HAMPI
"Hampi is located within the ruins of the city of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, Hampi continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple and several other monuments belonging to the old city. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site." (wikipedia). Legend also declares it as the birthplace of Hanuman, the monkey god. I would add that the Hindu Flinstones must have lived here as well. Pictures really do not do the place justice, nor does the video to the right (though a decent attempt at the landscape). However the video doesn't cover any of the endless temples carved out of the land, like the one pictured above. This is best saved for real-time! Of all places in India, Hampi never disappoints. Many have come back to Hampi after the training/tour for a longer stay.
It is at Hampi that we will find our greatest classroom for studying and experiencing the Earth Element.
Pyramid Valley is home of the worlds largest meditation pyramid. Though the pyramid has symbols for all 5 elements, a pyramid primarily represents the transformmative power of the Fire Element (as the word Pyramid comes from Pyr (fire) Amid (in the midst). Here we will practice Vipassana Meditation for 3 days in silence. However if after clicking the link Vipassana seems a bit overwhelming for you, it can be enough just to Be Here! As one Trip Advisor comment put it: Every time I visit this place my mind runs 100 times faster, this place gives me time to interact with my inner conciousness, most of the problems are solved when you find a solution within. Life runs real slow here... If you are troubled with lots of thought, this is a definite visit, to meet yourself, yes yourself! The Calm meditation gives you space [which kindles fire] to escape from rushing life, slow down a little bit, and clear your mind of clutter. This place is worth visiting again and again.
For more information about pyramid valley and the power of meditation in a pyramid go to: www.pyramidvalley.org
Pondicherry...
is it French?
is it Indian?
it is definitely Unique!
Bengaluru ~ SERVICE PROJECT
From one of the largest empires of ancient times (Hampi) to one of the fastest growing cities in the modern world, Bengaluru is considered the silicon valley of India. A rather shocking contrast from where we came, as we re-encounter the hectic lives of the citified masses. The sprawl is as endless as the pollution here; and the people in need of yoga is equally endless.
Here we will do one or two service projects:
Visiting and helping out at a girls orphanage
-and/or- Helping out at an alternative health clinic.
Kerala is also famous for Kathakali Dance; a form of story telling that involves as much dancing with the face as the rest of the body. It has been kept alive for centuries in Kerala by dancers who practice many hours a day, day after day, and beginning from a very young age.
Pondicherry, home of
Sri Aurobindo Ashram & nearby
Auroville
International Village
Experiment
Auroville is all about a vision for the future and Vision is the foremost quality of The Space Element.
After watching the video (center) you may want to pack up everything and head straight to Auroville. I felt the same way, and i did live there for nearly 6 months during graduate studies; however it took me several months to really figure the place out. As a visitor, just passing thru, you will probably only see an interesting land-scape of houses, huts, gardens, windmills, craft shops, beautiful, environmentally sustainable buildings and such... but to really get a feel for what goes on INSIDE Auroville you must have an inside guide; which is much difterent from an outside guide - who would be as clueless as i was. But after many visits it was finally explained to me from a real insider:
Auroville is not just a village or city,
It is the soul of a people with a spiritual vision...
and just as an individual does not just lay her soul bare to any and all, Auroville only reveals her soul to the sincere; not the casual tourist.
All lodging throughout the tour is eco-friendly and double occupancy.
One of our many Earth Element classrooms
The Matrimandir
Meditation Temple at the center of Auroville
Kerala is India's most famous region for Ayurveda, as well as the Water Element ~ the element that represents healing. Kerala's "Backwaters", however, are particularly interesting. They are actually below sea level; which seems to make them especially soothing. The water element is also related to flow, which can teach us many things. But rather than go into it here with mere words we will experience this element as we flow thru the backwaters on one of Kerala's famous traditional House Boats.
Or perhaps you'd rather go this route ----->
Training ~ Adventour
is NOT for everyone!
If you know you are one prone
to complain ~ even when knowing it probably isn't going to change anything;
if inconvenience & moderate discomforts disturb you to no end; if you literally need air-conditioning; if mosquitos throw you into caniption fits; if sleeping overnight on a rikety train sounds like punishment for a lifetime of bad karma; if using a squat-toilet illicits a sense of horror;
if you are a shop-alholic and cannot withstand a great bargain even though you already have more than you can carry alone ... barking dogs, crowing roosters, sunburn.. you get the idea;
but that is the nature of this experience, the unexpected, the unknown,
stepping outside your comfort zone.
This is not a vacation!
Nor is this simply a tour.
We really mean it when we say Training; and we really mean it when we say Adventour!
Click on the gate to the left to see the grounds, villas and treatment facilities at Karaili. They were built upon the Indian system of Vaastu, an Indian version of Feng Shui.
KARAILI
World Famous
Ayurvedic "Healing Village"
Karaili is also in Kerala, but very near to the mountains of Tamil Nadu. It is here where all we have learned comes together: nature, health, ayurveda; and where we will study the Air Element, which is about Mastery. Here we also receive 2 Ayurvedic treatments per day; and eat according to the healthy and delicious recipes of ayurveda as well.
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The Healing Village is located in Palakkad, Kerala, deep in the heart of the birthplace of Ayurveda; the ideal place for an Ayurvedic health retreat based on authentic Vedic knowledge. The name Palakkad, derived from Pala (denoting the sweet scented Alstonia Scholaris tree) and Kadu (meaning forest), speaks for itself. The town of Palakkad is surrounded by the richest fauna and flora in Kerala, just kilometers away from the majestic mountain range between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It also lies at the foot of the Western Ghats, a dreamy land of misty mountains with evergreen tropical forests, dams, wildlife sanctuaries, rivers, rare birds, historical monuments, temples and traditional Ayurvedic treatment centers!
Thus Concludes Our Journey With and Within
The Panch Maha Bhuta
{The Five Great Elements!}
Be assured,
This experience will remain with you
all of your life!
Start Preparing ASAP!
You will need a
Passport & Visa.
{These can a few weeks to obtain!}
It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves
- in finding themselves.
~ Andre Gide
Ready To Go ?
Travel, Learn, Grow, Discover, Become!
YES!
Let's Do This!..
This is really happening...
DEC ~ JAN
2018 ~ 19
Exact Dates Still TD
Its never to early to start preparing!
You will need a Passport & Visa.
{These can take a few weeks to obtain!}
Click Here
for important details about travel to India
Awesome Early Bird Specials
and a whole lot more!
