7 Day Pranayama (Breathing Practice) & Yoga Retreat (Continuing Education) in Rishikesh, India
Pranayama & Yoga Retreat in India
The Breath and Pranayama Retreat at Yoga Vidya Mandiram in Rishikesh, India, is held over a duration of 7 days and 6 nights.While this retreat explores the practices of pranayama as the highlight of the program, the curriculum also integrates yoga asana, relaxation, and meditation practices on a daily basis to bring balance into students’ practice. For asana practices, the school focuses on Hatha yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga styles of asana.
Meet the instructors
Highlights
- Daily yoga asanas classes
- Karma-yoga and daily mantra recitations
- Daily shat-kryiya and pranayama practices followed by pranayama theory
- An excursion on a rest day at the foot of the Himalayas (near Rishikesh)
- Daily guided instructions into relaxation and meditation practices
- Three daily healthy, nutritious vegetarian meals
- 6 nights non-AC accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
Yoga styles
Jolly Grant Airport (US$ 17 per person)
Indira Gandhi International Airport (US$ 85 per person)
Accommodation
Facilities
- Smoke-free property
- Yoga studio
- Free Wi-Fi
- Library
The accommodation is facilitated with Wi-Fi connection and with air-conditioning available on request (at additional charges). However, please note that Yoga Vidya Mandiram School reserves accommodation for participating students who booked for yoga courses. Any friends or relatives will not be included in the accommodation.
There are two room options available for this course: a private single room and a shared twin room. The rooms are provided with towels, basic toiletry set, bed sheets and Wi-Fi connection. All rooms are shared with the same gender, unless students arrive as a family or friends. There is an attached bathroom in each room with hot shower.
Program
Certifications
The course/hours count as Continuing Education hours for Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®) only.
This retreat is suitable for those who
- Are either fresh beginners or beginners with basic knowledge of yoga
- Wants a short break from a busy and fast lifestyle to refresh and balance the body and mind
- Are interested in learning breathing and pranayama techniques to practice in daily life
- Are looking for a balanced lifestyle through yogic wisdom, science, and practices
- Are yoga teachers who want further guidance or deepen their pranayama practices
- Are registered RYT and want to collect Continuing Education (CE) training hours
The Breath and Pranayama Retreat at Yoga Vidya Mandiram in Rishikesh, India, is held over a duration of 7 days and 6 nights. While this retreat explores the practices of pranayama as the highlight of the program, the curriculum also integrates yoga asana, relaxation, and meditation practices on a daily basis to bring balance into students’ practice. For asana practices, the school focuses on Hatha yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga styles of asana.
Students will go through 6 days of training with one rest day per week. On this rest day, the school organizes a half-day excursion for students that may involve visits to one of the sacred sites in Rishikesh. The rest day usually falls on a Sunday but may be shifted to a weekday to avoid tourists and traffic during high season in Rishikesh. The excursion would be a visit to either Vashishtha Cave or Kunjapuri Temple. The excursion may shift to a different destination in specific circumstances. excursion organized by the school is included in the course fee and the destination would be selected by the school.
Retreat curriculum
Yoga Vidya Mandiram guides its students of yoga to a journey of self-discovery and inspires them to practice yoga holistically; yoga for you is a process of integrating the body, breath, and mind, and focus are placed on other limbs of the practice beyond the physical yoga asanas.
Breathing and pranayama practices
- Establishment of diaphragmatic breath
- 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4 breathing practices
- Different practices of pranayama: nadi shodhana, ujjayee, kapalabhati, bhastrika, shitali, shikari, and brahmari
- Benefits or pranayama practices
Satkarma or cleansing exercises
- Jala-neti
- Sutra-neti (Introduction)
Practice relaxation and preparation for yogic sleep
- Introduction to the concept and practices of relaxation
- Relaxation in daily life
- Sequence of relaxation practices
- Tension and relaxation exercises
- Systematic relaxation exercises
- 31 points relaxation exercise
Meditation
- What is meditation and what is not?
- Meditation in daily life
- Two to five minutes meditations
- So-ham mediation
- Meditation with sushumna breath
Mantra chanting
- Intro to mantra science
- Morning prayers and evening prayers
- Suryanamaskara 12 mantras along with bija mantras
Hatha yoga and Ashtanga yoga asana
- Meditative steps of performing the Hatha yoga: centering, entering, refining, holding, coming out, and reflection
- Suryanamaskar (sun salutations)
- Types of yoga asanas: standing, sitting, backward bending, forward bending, spinal twisting, fire series, inversion, Shavasana, and others
- Yoga asanas benefits
Typical daily schedule
- 05:00 Wake up!
- 06:15 - 06:30 Mantra chanting
- 06:30 - 07:30 Session 1 - shat-kriya and pranayama practice
- 07:30 - 09:00 Hatha yoga (classical)
- 09:00 - 10:00 Breakfast and free time
- 10:00 - 12:00 Session 2 - Pranayama theory and practice
- 12:30 - 13:00 Karma yoga (Seva)
- 13:00 - 14:30 Lunch
- 14:30 - 16:00 Self-study / self-practice
- 16:00 - 16:15 Tea break
- 16:30 - 18:00 Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga
- 18:00 - 19:00 Relaxation (yoga Nidra) and meditation practice
- 19:00 - 20:00 Dinner
- 20:00 - 21:00 Self-study / free time
- 21:00 Go to sleep!
Note: It is advised that you arrive at the yoga school one day before the course starts.
Included excursions
Excursion is half-day sightseeing on the rest day, usually on Sunday but may change depending on the weather or the time of the year to avoid traffic from the annual pilgrimage. The destination of the excursion is selected by the school and may be different each week.
Visit includes a selection of the below:
- Kunjapuri Temple
- Neer Gaddu Waterfall
- Vashishtha Cave
Instructors
Sukhmit Singh
Sadhak Sukhmit ji has been a disciple of His Holiness Swami Veda Bharati for since 2006 and have since practiced his sadhana on a daily basis until today. However, before he became Swami Veda ji’s disciple, he was already familiar with spiritual practices. He met Swami Veda Bharati ji and became initiated into the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga and Meditation. He spent years as a sadhaka studying the yoga practices, mainly meditation, and yoga texts including Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita and Vedant Darshan, and serving the ashram through teaching and ashram duties as his sadhana.
Anuradha Sharma
Anuradha Sharma, originally from Manipur, India, was inspired by her grandmother, a devout yoga practitioner. While pursuing her bachelor's degree in History, her interest in yoga grew. Guided by her Gurus, she was initiated into the Himalayan meditation tradition at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Ashram in Rishikesh. Anuradha holds a one-year diploma in holistic science and a Master's in yogic scriptures from Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University. A certified 500-RYT from Yoga Alliance USA, she specializes in traditional Hatha, pranayama, meditation, and Iyengar Yoga.
NIshant Tyagi Kumar
Nishant Tyagi has been a dedicated yoga practitioner for over a decade. His journey with yoga began as a means to heal from depression and has since become a lifelong passion. Through the practice of yoga and its comprehensive philosophy, Nishant achieved a balanced state of mental, emotional, and physical health, leading to profound personal transformation. Nishant's teaching approach is deeply rooted in his personal experiences and professional training. He excels in yoga asana, with a particular focus on alignment and adjustments.
Supriya Karikatti
Yogini Supriya Karikatti Ji brings in the knowledge of holistic yoga from the generational background, 6 years of experience in the industry and from her MA degree in Yoga Science. She is deeply rooted with the rich yogic spiritual culture practicing and guiding students from across the world to connect with oneself through Pranayama, Meditation and sound healing techniques. With her experience, she will guide you to release, relax and restore your energy to be in your absolute self and will assist the students in their teaching skills.
Retreat location
This yoga teacher training will be held at Yoga Vidya Mandiram yoga school in Rishikesh, India. In nearby places, there is Dehradun Airport (DED), which is 15 kilometers from the center. The yoga school is located in the heart of the sacred township of Rishikesh on the bank of the holy river Ganges and at the foothills of the Himalayas, the abode of yogis.
The school is in a wonderful magical place, only a short walk from the main town and the bank of the river. It is the perfect location for your activities.
Distances
- Dehradun Airport (DED), 15 kilometers
This Yoga Retreat is vegetarian-friendly
Click to see more vegetarian-friendly Yoga Retreats
Food
You will be served three daily delicious and healthy vegetarian meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as Chai (Masala tea) for after tea time. Filtered water is always available. The menu is creative and balanced with proteins, so you feel full and satisfied. If you are planning to have a fast or skip our meal, please inform Yoga Vidya Mandiram to avoid food waste.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
Things to do (optional)
- Hiking
- Rafting
- Safari tour
- City sightseeing
- Ayurvedic massage/treatment
What's included
- 6 nights non-AC accommodation (AC available at additional cost)
- Three vegetarian meals per day
- Afternoon tea (Masala Chai)
- Half-day excursion
- Free Wi-Fi
- Yoga materials during class (i.e. yoga mat, block, belt, etc.)
- Printed study handouts
- Course certification
- GST (18%)
What's not included
- Airport transfer (available at additional charges)
- Travel expenses (i.e. airfare, train, bus, taxi, etc.)
- Laundry services (available at additional charges)
- Extra nights beyond course dates (available at additional charges)
- Extra excursion not organized by school
- Air conditioning / heater (available at additional charges)
- Travel and medical insurance
- Other personal expenses
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Jolly Grant Airport
14 km
Transfer not provided
Indira Gandhi International Airport
209 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by airplane
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is the nearest international airport, where you would most likely enter India from if you are travelling from outside of India. Transfer from and to this airport take 6-7 hours on average or longer with traffic and is available upon advance request.
From DEL airport, you can take a domestic one-hour flight to Dehradun Airport (DED). Another option is to book your flight directly to arrive at Dehradun Airport (DED) if you are only travelling from within India.
Arrival by bus
Buses to Rishikesh leave New Delhi from the Kashmiri Gate national bus stand approximately every hour. The bus ride takes about eight hours and costs around 450 INR for air conditioned buses and 250 INR for buses without air conditioning.
Arrival by train
The best option is to reach Haridwar Junction railway station, which is about 45 minutes away from Rishikesh, by road on a driven taxi or the so called tuktuks. From Delhi, the train ride takes approximately 8 hours, depending on the train. Haridwar is serviced by many trains from and to Delhi, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Amritsar, and many others.
Arrival by taxi
Taxis are always available anywhere in India. The drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Rishikesh will take around 6-7 hours, depending on the traffic conditions. The drive from Jolly Grant, Dehradun Airport (DED), to the school in Rishikesh takes around 35 minutes.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookYogaRetreats.com. All major credit cards supported.