Satsang, A Spiritual Journey

For detailed information about Satsang, please click here (this will take you to the World Spirit website).

South India, January 15 - February 05, 2012

Ayurveda - Yoga - Vedanta

‘Sat’ means Consciousness, Being, Truth, Reality and ‘Sanga’ means company, so ‘Satsang’ means ‘in the company of the truth’.

Therefore your companion on this journey will be the ancient Vedic system of Self Knowledge, which will be explored in three phases in three different places :

Ayurveda : Jan 15 - Jan 21, 2012 - Cochin, Kerala

Study Course : Ayurvedic Medical System

‘Ayus’ means longevity and ‘Veda’ means knowledge, so Ayurveda is the ‘Knowledge of Life’ or ‘Science of Life’. The week is an opportunity to look more closely at the traditional medical system of India and the more complete way that it looks at health and the human body.

After being met at Cochin Airport and being transferred to the Ayurvedic Health Centre, there will be daily massage, study sessions, cookery classes and light yoga. The week will be stimulating, refreshing and deeply relaxing

Yoga : Jan 21 - Jan 27, 2012 - Varkala, Kerala

Yoga is well known as a physical discipline in the West and in the company of the ocean, spectacular sunsets and even more massage, the week will explore the core idea of spiritual union at the heart of the yogic system.

After the very slow boat to Varkala through the famous Kerala backwaters and arrival at a comfortable, sympathetic seaside hotel, morning and evening yoga sessions will advance technique and deepen understanding of the wider spiritual practice of Yoga. By the end of the week, participants should be so chilled out that they’ll be checking their passports to remind themselves who it was they left behind two weeks beforehand.

Vedanta : Jan 27 - Feb 03 - Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu

After a short flight across South India to Chennai and onwards by taxi, the journey arrives at the foot of holy Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai. With the Ramana Ashram, the Fire Element Temple and a different Swami round every corner, it is one of the main spiritual centres in South India.

Attending the daily satsang of Vedanta specialist James Swartz, the journey will explore the main credentials of Vedic Self Knowledge, Vedanta itself meaning the end ( anta ) of knowledge ( Veda ), in the sense of relinquishing the need to be continually searching for something outside of oneself.

Return : Feb 03 - Feb 05 - Mamallapuram, Chennai

For easy access to Chennai Airport, the Tour ends by the seaside temple town of Mamallapuram, famous for its stone masons and spiritual rock carvings.

Tour Budget : £1,555 (Sharing) £1,855 (Single) 21 nts excl. international flights

World Spirit does not offer the sharing of rooms by people that do not know each other beforehand. Accommodation is mid range international standard. Ten clients maximum. Visas are required for India.

Micha Augustin - Tour Guide - A fully qualified Ayurvedic practitioner and an experienced Yoga teacher since 15 years now on her fifth tour of South India.

Testimonials

Fascinating tour giving great insights into Indian life.

Care and attention at the ayurvedic Clinic was second to none and James' insights into the Vedas were brilliant.

As for Micha her explanations of Hinduism, the ayurvedic principles and Indian life were brilliant.

And as for the shopping!

Susanne, New Zealand

What you expect from this Type of holiday? New experiences? Yes. An insight to a unfamiliar culture? Yes. Believe me this holiday has been all that and so much more.

The ayurvedic Clinic surpassing my expertations. The doctors and Staff actively over one week only found the required menu and treatments to not only sooth my body from a very nasty fall but also walked away with next to ezcema, something I have never been without from a child!

All the Staff at the centre were so caring and kind you felt there was nothing you could not ask of them.

Tiruvanamalai was a huge shock to the system at first and I think without Micha to guide us we may well have come away with the wrong impression.

Micha ganged us all with care and understanding, explaining the temples, rituals and sight in a way that made us feel at home quickly. The wonderful stories with stay with me forever she has great knowledge of her subject and her spirit filled us all, leaving us not only having had a wonderful holiday but for me also beginning of a wonderful journey that has had the very best start.

The Yoga grounded us each day and Satsang was wonderful, I felt very blessed when Micha was able to arrange dinner with James Schwartz on our last night.

Shopping was a giggle although I am quite sure without Micha's guidance could have been a very different story.

India and Micha have filled my heart and made me feel alive, young and excited about my future.

Keep up the wonderful work.

Gay, Brighton

Just to say a huge thank you for being our fabulous guide in India. The holiday was outstanding.

I very much enjoyed your animated & enthusiastic stories about the Deities, places of interest & the Indian culture which helped in my understanding & appreciation of what I saw around me. Tips on crossing roads safely also invaluable!

The perfect order of locations to visit. Firstly the Ayurvedic Hospital at Kalady in Kerala. Treatments were wonderful from the sincere & dedicated therapists here, felt so much better for it by the end of the week.

Onto Thiruvannamalai & the holy Mount Arunachala with it`s Shiva Temple was impressive.

I very much enjoyed the daily teachings of the Vedas with James Schwartz, being amongst the hub,Shrines & shops, it`s vibrancy & the sights, scents & aromas of the town.

Thank you also for our daily yoga exercises with individual attention & stretching in ways I wouldn`t have thought possible! Have taken it up.

Our final place, Mamallapuram by the sea & Shiva`s butterball. The visit to the stone carvings & it`s history was interesting. It was being at the beach in the sunshine which gave me the opportunity to process the experiences I`d had.

I have brought much away with me from this enriching experience.

With thanks Heidi North

Travel Information

Visas - Clients will almost certainly need to apply for a visa at various Indian High Commissions. At all costs one should avoid the maniacal Visa Section chaos in the weeks before Christmas.

Flights - As all our itineraries are accessible internationally, we do not quote for flights. Fly direct to Kochi ( Cochin ) Frequent connections from Europe go via The Gulf, or via Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay).Clients should book the flight transfer on Sunday January 11 from Cochin to Chennai when making their international flight reservation.

Health - India is a lot healthier than it used to be. Bottled water everywhere has made a big difference to traveller comfort and sticking to the wonderful South Indian vegetarian cooking is recommended as one of the most effective ways of avoiding stomach problems.

However - Personal Medical Decisions: All clients must decide on the following immunisation guidelines: Hepatitis A & B - Polio Booster - Tetanus Booster - Typhoid - Diptheria - Rabies - TB (BCG), Japanese Encephalitis - Malaria Protection. Seek relevant professional medical advice.

Insurance - All World Spirit clients are advised to be fully insured, with comprehensive medical policies that cover transfer to first class medical facilities and emergency repatriation.

Communications - Cheap, normal, pay as you go, telephone services are ubiquitous in India. European tri-band mobile phones work in most major destinations. Internet facilities - though subject to overloading and breakdown, are developing and improving fast.

Accommodation - Over the last few years, India has gradually responded to the requirements of the modern traveller, providing more and more reasonably priced mid-market, international standard accommodation. Subject to 'India being India', the Sacred Elements Tour is based on this standard of hotel. World Spirit makes the reservations and clients pay their own hotel bills. We do not offer the sharing of rooms by clients that do not know each other beforehand.

Rituals - Where permissible for non-Hindus, and in order to savour the spiritual atmosphere of the sites visited, participation in simple temple rituals should be considered, For those who have a personal relationship with God, it is quite appropriate to see their deity in the one that is there.

Climate - The December and January Tour dates should benefit from dry and sunny weather: Late January - Highs 27-33 C Lows - 18-23 C.

Payment - The published budget prices include:
1 - 14 nights accommodation, airport taxi transfers & tour transport which clients pay for in the normal way on site.
2 - Tuiition & Guide Fees and a Service Charge payable to World Spirit by cheque 2-4 weeks before departure.
3 - General facilities & food at the Ayurvedic Centre in Cochin ( 7 nts )
4 - Flights and living expenses are not included.

NB - Budget Prices - Budget Prices - All prices quoted in this brochure are budget prices based on established costs and variable foreign exchange rates. the actual price can vary either way by approximately 10% as a general rule, possibly more with turbulent foreign exchanges.

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