India is one of the great spiritual spots on earth with its deeply devotional people, sacred rivers, mountains, and elaborate temples.  It is the birthplace of yoga as well as other forms of Eastern spirituality including Buddhist meditation and Hindu chanting.  

Join yoga teachers Darren Main of San Francisco and Kimberly Wilson of Washington, DC in this exciting pilgrimage to foothills of the Himalayas in the holy city of Rishikesh, India. We will practice yoga on the banks of the Ganges river, meditate with the sadhus (Hindu mystics) and experience the sights and sounds of this ancient culture.

The River Ganges
According to Hindus, the Ganges River is the most holy river in the world. All Hindus make an effort to travel to this river at least once in their lives, and it is believed that bathing in and drinking from this river can wash away bad karma. 

When you walk along her banks, it is easy to see why this river is so revered. You can’t help but be touched by the peaceful flow of this river. It provides the perfect place to take your yoga and meditation practice to the next level.

The Holy City of Rishikesh
Often called “The Yoga Capitol of the World”, Rishikesh is one of the most holy cities in India. It was made popular to westerners by the Beatles, who went there to study Transcendental Meditation with their Guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is also the city to which Paramahansa Yogananda fled as teenage boy, in the modern spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi.

It is near the origin of the Ganges River and an important pilgrimage spot for yogis and Hindus alike. The entire town is filled with spiritual seekers from all over India and there are hundreds of schools offering yoga, meditation, chanting, Sanskrit, Ayruvedic classes and spa treatments and philosophy courses. The riverbanks are peppered with Sadhus—holy men and woman who renounce the world to practice daily yoga and meditation.

There are countless shops where you can buy devotional items, handmade clothes and ayurvedic herbs. Every night the entire town pours to the river for a devotional ceremony called Aarti where pilgrims float candles and flowers down the river.