Day 1: departure

On day 1, we depart from Schiphol Airport for Delhi, India. After this we will take the train (or flight) to Varanasi. The tour guide will be waiting for us at Delhi.

Varanasi is colorful, rough, harsh, dirty and spiritual. We spend five days in this intense city so we can really hear, see, smell and feel India. You have the opportunity to participate in yoga and the havan every day.

Day 2 – 5: Benares

After checking into the hotel, in the afternoon we take a walk along the Ganges and the ghats up to the Dashashwamedh Ghat. This is the most important and most spectacular ghat. After this, we will participate in an aarti, the prayer service in Hinduism that involves chanting mantras and meditation, after which we will return in a rickshaw to the hotel.

Varanasi is a city of millions on the Ganges River and one of the four sacred pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. It is also the most sacred place for Hindus. Pilgrims from all parts of India come to this city to take a bath in the Ganges River. One of the Hindu beliefs is that bathing in the Ganges washes away bad karma from past lives.

Day 3

We will start the day with a boat ride on the Ganges to the Manicarnica ghat where we will watch the sun rise. Prepare for the rituals that will take place here by the locals.

After the boat ride, we enjoy our delicious Indian breakfast. After this breakfast, we visit the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Sarnath, the place where Gautama Buddha first proclaimed the dharma, the Buddhist teachings, in the fifth century B.C.

After lunch you will have free time. In the evening, we return to Benares.

Day 4

In the morning, at the Shiva Temple on the Ganges, we watch the sunrise together, which is a very special experience because of the atmosphere. We will also do a puja (Hindu sacrificial ritual) there.

Sunrise is considered the best time for a bath. Furthermore, Hindus believe that those who die in Varanasi and are cremated there are freed from “samsara” (the cycle of birth, death and rebirth). Along the sacred Ganges River, therefore, there are several cremation sites where the corpses are cremated in the open, on pyres.

Should you wish to participate in yoga, you can do so at 6.

After breakfast, we visit some temples. Among others, the Hanuman mandir, Kashi Vishvant temple, BHU Benares Hindu university and the Durga temple. After lunch there is time to do something for yourself.

Day 5

After breakfast, we visit the Ramnagar fort. After this, you have free time.

As for karma, you get the chance for a special experience: on the banks of the Ganges, we meet the Vedic astrologer. He can create a horoscope based on your date, time and place of birth. Vedic astrology, also called Jyotish (“science of light”), can help you name your strengths and challenges so that you are able to reach your full potential as a human being.Read all about Jyotish here.

In the evening we can participate a music concert (optional).

Day 6 – 14: Chilianaula

Preparation in the temple for Shiva day.

On Day 6, we leave Varanasi in the afternoon by train to the town of Bareilly, at the foot of the Himalayas. There we will be picked up by cab transfer to Chilianaula, a village in the Kumaon (Uttaranchal) region, close to the border with Tibet and Nepal. This area is spiritually very interesting and also has numerous beneficial health benefits.

We are staying there at Ashram Anandapuri right next to Bhole Baba Ayurvedic Hospital and Research Centre, which specializes in holistic treatment through ayurveda, yoga and meditation. We will undergo a five-day ayurvedic cleansing there with the group, called panchakarma. This treatment is a special experience with great depth.

The regimen is preceded by a personal intake meeting with the medical center’s physician, Dr. Misra (view his profile here). In this conversation, it is determined what your Ayurvedic constitution is, what any complaints or concerns are, and what specific approach is appropriate for you. We spend the following days in Ayurvedic cleansing, revitalization, massages, herbal baths, yoga and meditation. As reborn, we conclude this mini-retreat.

Gita, 75 years old

Project ‘Seeing through yoga’

There’s another beautiful thing. The ayurvedic hospital does a lot for the local community. The eye clinic present specializes in cataract surgery and helps dozens of people get “new eyes” every day. As a participant in the Spiritual Journey India, you automatically contribute to this charity.

Seeing through yoga is Bezielen’s donation project to support the clinic in its work. With each participant in this trip, an amount is automatically set aside to enable cataract surgery: an average of two people can be helped with cataracts per traveler. Since 2013, dozens of people have already been helped!

We continue to support the clinic through voluntary donations. We undergo a body cleanse ourselves and ensure that all donations go to the right place. This is how we exchange. Check here for more information, or if you would like to contribute.

Day 14 – 16: Herakhan

On day 14 , we travel via cab transfer from Chilianaula to Herakhan/Haidakhan: fresh air, clean water, silence. There, at the foot of the Himalayas, we find the ashram of Haidakhan Wale Baba, a place of truth, simplicity and love. In this special place we will stay for three days. You will participate in the daily life of the ashram (fire ceremony, aarti, karma yoga), yoga classes and meditation. We take a walk along the river, stay on the bank, climb Mount Kailash Little.

Bathing in the Gautama Ganges: One of the Hindu beliefs is that bathing in the Ganges washes away bad karma from past lives.

Living in an ashram also means trying to overcome your ego: we do the work we have to do, whether we feel like it or not. We eat what we get. We follow ashram rules. And within these boundaries you can totally relax – if you open yourself to this. We will leave the highways of our thoughts and make the brain judgment-free.

“If you are at peace, I am in peace. If you are troubled, I am troubled. If you have problems, I have problems. There will always be hills and mountains to overcome on the way to God. Do not be disturbed by the mountains falling down. It is the duty of the mountain to fall down and it is the duty of the soldier to move the mountain. You should seek harmony in everything that you do. I am harmony. Thank you for your love.”

Shri Babaji, April 1980

Day 17 – 18: Delhi

After Herakhan, we will return to Delhi, where we will spend two more days before boarding the plane to the Netherlands. In these two days, we still visit the beautiful Sikhi temple at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, where we get to take a look at Indian cuisine, smell the fragrances and admire the colors of Chandni Chowk.

We let you taste the hustle and bustle of Delhi while riding around in a Rickshaw. So you don’t have to walk through this, but still experience this atmosphere.

Day 18: return flight

After breakfast we visit the still unknown Akshardham temple. In the evening we will depart from Delhi airport after which we will land at Schiphol airport again.

Tour Guide

Accompanying the trip is Leonor “Lakshmi” Brugarola, Kanchan Verma or Anjani Makhaisingh. Lakshmi is Spanish by origin. In 1994, an inner call brought her to India, where she met her spiritual master Sri Muniraji and the teachings of Babaji. The profound experiences and longer stay in India have led her to call the Anandpuri Ashram in the Himalayas her home for the past 25 years.
She teaches introductory courses in Hindu rituals, directs the karma yoga group and is otherwise the point of contact for people from all over the world who come to this place.

The urge to travel and the joy of sharing Hindu culture with people led Lakshmi to new paths. Since 2015, the Ganga tour has been fortunate to have her as a guide.

Since 1997, Kanchan has been skilled with the diversified outbound and inbound tours and continues to do so to this day. She specializes in guiding spiritual groups in India. Kanchan is Indian by origin and speaks English, Hindi, Punjabi & Marathi.

Kanchan did Law in 2018 and further certification in Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH). Kanchan is associated with several NGOs working with children, women’s empowerment, domestic violence helpline, helping seniors and promoting theater with young children.

Anjani first met a Guru at a young age, and there the seed was planted. She first learned Dhyana (meditation) and Pranayama (breath), did yoga teacher training and got much more in touch with the physical part of yoga. Through Yoga, and Meditation classes, workshops, courses and yoga teacher training, among others, she enjoys passing on her knowledge and experience to others. Anjani is a CAT therapist and is an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Why join the Spiritual Journey India? When is Spiritual Journey India right for you?

If you are open to the differences, to another way of thinking and living and can forget your own way of thinking, then you can connect with this country. Leave your need for comfort at home. If you want to take a shower, there is not always water. And when you’ve showered and are dry again, you want to shower again. But you have to be sparing with water. Sweating profusely is also a good way to clean and sleeping on a very hard mattress is not bad for the body either.

A car ride includes a vibrating massage. When you see how little space people take for themselves – four on a bike, ten in a small car or a hundred on a bus… Be content in the now, this simple yoga wisdom makes your life easier. Practice pratyahara – close your senses and come to yourself. Waiting – you will do this a lot during the Spiritual Journey India. You learn to be more patient. Taking things as they come – and making the best of them.

Are you interested and already feeling travel fever? Sign up now using the form below.

Cost

The total cost of the trip is €1,750.
Passage at 7 participants. Otherwise surcharge based on group size.

Included

• Travel expenses within India
• Overnight stays in India on the basis of shared double room
• Accommodation expenses at ashram Bhole Baba
• 5-day ayurvedic treatment at Bhole Baba:
  • 2 ayurvedic treatments per day
  • 2 yoga classes per day
  • 2 meditation sessions
  • 3 ayurvedic meals per day
  • Herbal Teas
  • Pure water
  • Counseling physician
  • 3-month advice
• Accommodation expenses Delhi

Not included

• Return flight Amsterdam-New Delhi (+/- €750,-) and possibly flight or train New Delhi (+/- €50,-)
• Visa (approx. €75, – Currently 25 usd) ) – more info
• Travel Insurance
• Daily meals. Count €5 per day, it depends on what you like to eat. During the ashram stay and panchakarma treatment, lunch and dinner are included.
• Ayurvedic herbal preparations for use at home (max. €75)
• Tips
• Astrological consultation
• Possible mentoring and coaching after the trip
  
  

Useful links

• How do I get a visa to India?
• What do I take with me on a trip to India?
• Vaccinations for India
• How do I prevent diarrhea in India?
• General conditions
• Seeing through yoga: become a donor!
• What is a puja?
• What is Vedic astrology and what can I do with it?
  
  

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