Over eight days, you will participate in Hatha yoga sessions, meditation practices, and purification techniques, while also immersing yourself in traditional spiritual principles and visions from classical yoga including the non-dual tradition of Advaita Vedanta. You will experience living in a community dedicated to living with an open heart and have the opportunity to participate in weekly events such as Bhajans (devotional singing).
Note
This yoga retreat is accessible either in weeks one and two with the second week building upon the previous week's teachings. You can choose to participate in either week, but preferably you would start with week one. Weeks one and two are part of a whole three-week module where Hridaya Yoga France offers a 30% discount on the tuition price. Week three is not accessible weekly.
Dates for Week 1
- February 2nd - 9th
- March 16th - 23rd
Dates for Week 2
- February 9th - 16th
- March 23rd - 30th
Program
This is a holistic retreat that creates the conditions for the revelation of your real nature, the spiritual heart. It is a life-changing journey in which important yoga topics are introduced in both a practical and theoretical way. The practice of Hatha yoga provides an intimate inner knowledge of the physical body, bio-energies, and chakras (energy centers), as well as of your ultimate nature. A contemplative attitude and an awareness of the spiritual heart is an important part of the practice. In this immersive retreat, a typical day of practice includes:
- One hour of meditation (optional)
- Four hours of Hatha yoga practice (week one features shorter practice sessions)
- Mini-lectures on specific meditation practices and yoga techniques
- A two-hour lecture on yogic philosophy and lifestyle
Week 1
- Features classes that include longer lectures and are a slow, gentle start to the course
- Focuses on introducing fundamental yogic concepts and the basics of the Hridaya Yoga practice
- Shares beginning purification techniques
- Presents the study of yogic ethics
Week 2
- Features classes that include more time for Hatha yoga practice and tips for experiencing yoga postures as meditation
- Offers yogic dietary recommendations
- Continues the study of yogic ethics
You will learn about
- The symbolic meaning and proper performance of more than 30 yoga techniques (asanas, pranayama, kriyas, etc.)
- How to cultivate contentment, deeply relax, and open your heart
- Ramana Maharshi’s self-inquiry method (asking the question “Who am I?”) and the infinite power of the spiritual heart
- How to meditate in an asana and rest in the present moment
- Powerful practices for raising your energy, concentrating your mind, and centering in the heart
- Subtle anatomy (chakras, energy channels, etc.) and how to perceive it
- Yogic purification techniques and dietary recommendations
- About the branches of yoga, including yoga Nidra (the yoga of sleep), Bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion), and Karma yoga (the yoga of conscious action)
Arrival and orientation
Check-in is at 2:00 p.m. on the day of arrival. Please arrive in time to get settled into your accommodations prior to the orientation session that will begin at approximately 6:00 p.m. The retreat starts at 8:45 a.m. the next day. Check-out is at 10:00 a.m. on the date of departure.
Daily schedule
- 07:00 - 08:00 Meditation (optional)
- 08:00 - 08:45 Breakfast (self-catered)
- 08:45 - 11:15 Hatha yoga
- 12:00 - 12:45 Lunch
- 12:45 - 15:30 Karma yoga and free time
- 15:30 - 17:30 Hatha yoga
- 17:30 - 18:15 Dinner
- 18:30 - 20:30 Lecture
- 20:30 - 22:00 Free time or optional activities
- 22:00 Mauna (noble silence)
