Shakti India

Explore the Temples & Culture of India

with Vishali Varga

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Each year Professor Brooks and his team select no more than 25 total applicants to experience India on a trip unlike any other. Travelers explore cities, villages, temples, artisan workshops and extraordinary natural sites, participate in sacred Hindu temple ceremonies and festivals, meet extraordinary people in their work environments, enjoy traditional Indian meals, and are greeted like a welcomed guest by the local people.

 

Most tours of India, even those called ‘cultural immersions’ tend to steer away from the complex traditions and intricacies of Hinduism. Trips to ashrams are typically set up for foreigners to use the physical practice of yoga as a cultural bridge, but most do not venture into exploring the practices of contemporary religious Hindus.

 

In contrast, we are so fortunate to be travelling with one of the few scholars who can take us deeply into this culture and immerse in their practices.

 

We respect the teachings and traditions by dressing as Hindu pilgrims during our visit. Because of this we are welcomed as honored guests and thanked for taking the time to study and practice these ancient teachings. At each temple we will participate in the rituals with its individual Hindu deity. Professor Brooks and his team will explain the myths, describe the structure, the meaning of the rituals and teach the practices. After spending evenings and mornings in the temples participating in festivals and rituals, we then take the discussion further in afternoon lectures.

 

During mealtimes we eat with the locals at small restaurants or at the homes of friends or temple priests. Our tours always include side trips to local schools, rural villages, and cottage industries of cotton weaving and bronze casting to deepen your understanding of the power of cultural lineage and its place within the practice of yoga.

 

On our Classic South India Temple Tour we always visit Chidambaram, the home of the Dancing Shiva. There we visit the dozens of shrines on the 40 acre temple complex. We will see the different yet related temples in vicinity that are interwoven into cultural/political/socio/religious myths of Shiva, Vishnu, the goddess Kali, and sages Patanajli and Vyagrapada.

 

As we travel from town to town, we’ll stop at the most significant cultural hubs and temples. We choose the places for their extraordinary experience, not for convenience or fame. We will participate in practices with the most significant deities in the land of yoga, traveling on paths with thousands of other locals on their pilgrimage routes. In 15 short days you’ll have a lifetime of memories to inspire you and provide further education. Through this experience you will come to better understand the vastness of yoga from the inside out. To join us all you need is a steady heart, a tender mind and an adventurous spirit!

 

Apply today or Contact us for more information.