Vishwa Yoga Journey
Schedule / Itinerary
​Jan 14 - Feb 9
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Please Note:
This schedule is basically complete. However, there is always a chance that some things change due to the general unpredictability of India.
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Most will arrive on Jan 14th, but you may want to arrive a day or two earlier if it saves you a great deal on your flight cost. However, you will need to arrange an earlier arrival with Bhakti Kutir (which can also set up airport pick-up for you). However, there is no need to arrive earlier if it is just to recover from your long flight as we have travel recovery time built into our program. Nevertheless, the training will officially (and gently) begin in the evening on Jan 14th. Prior to this, from the early morning hours and throughout the day, we will have drivers ready to meet those arriving at the airport. (They will be holding a name placard for you that you will see as you exit the airport doors.) Thus, we prefer you arrive on the 14th. However, with enough notice we can still arrange airport pick-up. But you will have to let our lodging managers at Bhakti Kutir know well ahead of time that you are arriving a day or so early and pay them directly for the extra time you will be staying there due to coming early. {Contact: BhaktiKutir@gmail.com / Address: 296 Colomb, Palolem, Canacona, Goa 403702, India / Phone: +91 98236 27258
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Goa:
Jan 14, 2024 ~ Sunday:
Majority of arrivals come today
Rest
6:30PM Group Dinner
8PM Gentle evening practice: Meridian Tracing to help with jet lag and reset the bodies clock.
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1/15 Monday:
7AM: Morning Practice (option to sleep in; although most westerners find they are already very awake very early in the morning)
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
11AM: Class
1PM: Lunch, Siesta (advised) or Free Time
3:30PM: Class
6:30PM: Dinner, Free Time
8PM: Class
9:30PM: Free Time ~ Be in bed by 10:30
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1/16 Tuesday:
7AM: Morning Practice (still optional to sleep in)
The rest of the day is the same as Monday
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1/17 Wednesday:
7AM: Morning Practice
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
11AM: Class
1PM Lunch, Siesta (advised) or Free Time
3:30PM: Riverboat thru a bird sanctuary
6:30PM: Dinner
8PM: Class
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1/18 Thursday:
7AM: Morning Practice
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
11AM: Class
1PM: Lunch, Siesta, Free Time
3:30PM: Class
6:30PM: Dinner, Free Time
8PM: Class
9:30PM: Free Time ~ Be in bed by 10:30
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1/19 Friday:
6AM: Depart for swimming at Dudh Sagar Water Fall (Optional: This is the waterfall you see on our VYJ webpage with the train going in front of it. Yes, it's pretty awesome (although the water is very cold)! However, besides the 2 hour drive to the Jungle to get to the waterfall, you will need to go "Four Wheelin'" in a Jeep for 45min thru the jungle, and then 45min back after swimming. And this is REAL ¨four wheelin¨, tires spinnin in the creek as you plough over rocks as big as GaneshÅ› head; meaning that you are likely to bounce way up out of your seat, again and again, and again, and again... It's a lot of fun for the first 20 minutes, but like i said, it's 45 minutes; both to the falls and back. In other words, for some people it's more fun than their bodies can handle. Therefore, students have the option of skipping this adventure and just having free time at Palolem Beach. Or...
Alternate Excursion: If enough of us are interested, we can arrange a trip to "Old Goa" to see an amazing old Basilica (Goa has a big Christian population). There, besides the ancient church, are the ruins of Saint Francis (yes, that St Francis) in a glass casket so that you can still see him slowly rotting away (they declare he has decayed very little, but looks pretty dusty to me).
5:00: Class
6:30PM: Dinner
8PM Class
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1/20 Saturday:
Same schedule as Thursday the 18th.
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1/21 Sunday:
Same schedule as Thursday the 18th.
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1/22 Monday: Free Day (Don't shop much! You will have to carry that stuff all the way to the other side of India)
(Get some snacks for Tuesday morning! We will leave before breakfast.)
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1/23 Tuesday:
5AM Wake and Depart by 5:30 (Sharp!) for the train that leaves at 7:50AM for Hampi
(This is the train that goes by Dudh Sagar Waterfall)
Lunch will be on the train / Be careful! or just keep eating whatever you brought along for the ride)
Enjoy the beautiful ride thru the rainforest! (..or just sleep :)
​Hampi:
Still Tuesday:
3:00:Arrive Hospet (the train station near Hampi) around 3PM and take Tuk tuks to Hampi
3:30: Arrive at Rocky´s guest house in Hampi and settle in
4:30: Grab a snack
5:00 Hike up into and onto the giant boulders to watch an amazing sunset!
6:30PM: Dinner at Chill out
Free time
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1/24 Wednesday:
7AM: Morning Practice
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
11AM: Class in one of the stone temples
1PM: Lunch at Chill Out
3:30PM: Class in a stone temple
6:30: Dinner
Free Time
8PM Class
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1/25 Thursday:
5:30AM: Take Tuk Tuks to Sunrise Temple
9AM: Breakfast at Chill Out
11AM: Class among the ruins
1PM: Lunch
Free Time
3:30: Class
6:30: Dinner
Free Time
8PM Class
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1/26 Friday:
6:AM: Gather to go¨Bouldering¨ (Optional). The climbing guides begin with a short yoga practice.
(You can sleep in or practice asana on your own if you prefer)
10AM: (late) Breakfast, showers, etc
11:30: Class
1PM: Lunch
2:30: Depart for Hanuman Temple / "birthplace" of Hanuman (be prepared to climb like 570 stairs!)
3:30: Class at Hanuman Temple
6:30: Dinner
Free Time
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1/27 Saturday:
7AM: Morning Practice
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
10AM: Class in one of the stone temples
1PM: Lunch at Mango or Mowgli restaurant
2:30 Class
4:00: "The big sunset hike" (The best hike in Hampi!)
6:45: Dinner
Free Time
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1/28 Sunday:
7AM Morning Class
9AM Breakfast
Free Day!
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Head to Train station
9:PM Depart on Hampi Express ("sleeper train") for Bangalore
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1/29 Monday:
Early AM: Arrive Bangalore
TBD / Perhaps see the big city and/or visit Masterji Vishwanath, or just head on over to Pyrmamid Valley
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1/30 Tuesday​
Pyramid Valley:
Arrive Pyramid Valley, settle into rooms
(Most of our time here is spent in silence and meditation)
5PM Orientation to PV
6:30 Dinner
7:30 First meditation session in the Pyramid
Take advantage of this special opportunity; meditate as long as you can in the Pyramid before bed!
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1/31 Wednesday
7AM: Morning Practice
9AM: Showers, Breakfast, etc.
10:30AM: Meditation Instruction & practice
1PM: Lunch
3:30PM: Meditation Instruction & practice
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Pyramid Meditation
Take advantage of this special opportunity; meditate as long as you can in the Pyramid before bed!
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2/1 Thursday:
7AM: Morning Practice
8:30: Showers
9AM: Breakfast
10AM: Pyramid Meditation
11:30: Move out of rooms; pack your things into van
1PM Lunch
2:30 Meditation Instruction (Review of Process)
3:00 Final Pyramid Practice
4:30 Conclude practice (pls don't leave early)
5PM Board Van
5:15 Depart for Bangalore
6:30 Stop for Dinner
8:PM Head for Bus Station
10PM Board "Sleeper Bus"
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Auroville:
2/2 Friday:
6AM Arrive in Pondichery
6:15 Load "Tuk-Tuks" and head to Auroville
6:45 Arrive at Atithi Griha Guest House / drop off our stuff; but we might not be able to enter our rooms until noon. Therefore...
7AM walk over to an awesome Auroville cafe at the guest center.
8:30 Rent Bicycles
10:00 Register for meditation in the Matrimandir
10:45 Go for required initial viewing of Matrimandir
11:30 Rest (...finally!) (provided they let us go ahead and check into our rooms even though it is not noon yet).
1:30 Lunch at Auroville Guest Center
2:30 Orientation to Auroville
3:00 Class: Who was Sri Aurobindo and ¨The Mother¨
5PM Free Time
6:30 Dinner at Visitor Center (it will probably take 30 min to receive our orders)
Everything below may need to be re-arranged as we wait for when our group will be assigned time to sit for meditation inside the Matrimandir.
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2/3 Saturday
7AM Asana practice on the roof of Atithi Griha
9AM Breakfast at the Auro Cafe
10AM Video and Discussion on Auroville: City of the Dawn
1PM Lunch
2PM Tour of main campus
3:30 Class / Visit Aurobindo Archives building
Free Time
6:30 Dinner
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2/4 Sunday:
7AM Asana practice on the roof of Atithi Griha
10AM Head to Pondichery (just a 30min drive from Auroville) is where we will see the French influenced town where Sri Aurobindo built his Ashram;. We will spend the day here, exploring the ashram, but return to Auroville before dusk.
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2/5 Monday:
Return to Pondichery / Sri Aurobindo Ashram
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2/6 Tuesday:
7AM Morning Practice
Auroville: Return to class training schedule
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​2/7 Wednesday
7AM Morning Practice
Auroville: Return to class training schedule / course review
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​2/8 Thursday
7AM Morning Practice
1PM Option to return to Pondichery for sight seeing and final shopping
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2/9
7AM Morning Practice
9AM Showers, Breakfast, etc
Free Time
6PM Graduation!
Although the training ends with graduation in the evening on this day (2/9), your lodging will be paid thru 2pm on noon on Feb 10th. (Check out at Atithi Griha is usually 2pm, but we will need to reaffirm this.)
Departures or lingerers: Our program ends on 2/9 in the evening, so we expect some of you will be leaving on the evening of the 9th; but you can also wait until 2pm on the 10th (check out time) ; but there is nothing to stop you from staying longer - other than a flight home that you may have already booked. However, it may be worth changing your departure date to stay longer. Auroville is a place that takes many days to really get to know and months to begin to comprehend. But either way, there is always something to do or learn in Auroville. This international village is like a university of spirituality and "unending education." However, if you want to do this you, will need to let Atithi Griha or some other lodging facility know asap, as good ldoging is often taken up quickly in Auroville.
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Others may want to continue onward to do our Advanced RYT 300 training in Vishwa Ayurveda that takes place in Ubud, Bali; which is only a few hours away and cost usually less than $200 to get to from the Channai airport. Or perhaps you would like to just go to Bali for a wonderfully relaxing and much needed break Yoga & Spa Retreat after the training/adventour you have just taken; Or maybe you want to continue your training in Thai Yoga Massage Training (14 days), that takes place concurrently with the yoga retreat.