The Yoga and Meditation Fellowship India Trip is an alternative winter break experience designed to help students to explore the historical roots of yoga and meditation practices, the dynamic evolution and continuing relevance of these practices, and the intersection of these practices with social justice and environmental issues. The trip consists of regular gentle yoga (asana) practice and guided meditation, small-group discussions, excursions, guest speakers and presenters, and engagement with on-the-ground social justice initiatives.
Our tentative schedule has us landing in the dynamic city of Bangalore… perhaps an unlikely site for yoga and meditation at first glance. Nonetheless, we encounter a hub of mindfulness and meditation there, starting our spiritual journey of discovery at a meditation retreat center. From Bangalore, we journey to Mysore, the beautiful “yoga capital” of South India. Here we explore ancient temples, learn at contemporary schools, and begin to identify the historical trajectory that brought yoga from east to west.
Switching gears, we will next travel to Mumbai—a sprawling metropolis that serves as India’s financial, arts, and fashion capital (and also the seat of Bollywood). Beneath the surface of Mumbai’s hustle-and-bustle, however, the city is a treasure-house of yoga and meditation gems. Sites we will visit include the Yoga Institute, the oldest organized yoga center in the world and birthplace of the “yoga studio” model that is now ubiquitous globally; Kaivalya Dham, an educational institution that seeks to integrate yoga, Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), and naturopathy; and Mani Bhavan, the ashram set up by Mahatma Gandhi to harness the power of meditation and spiritual wisdom in the service of social justice. There will also be an opportunity to explore the sights and sounds of the city. The fact that Mumbai is a dynamically pluralistic and multi-faith city also offers us an amazing opportunity to engage with contemplative practices from a variety of Hindu and Buddhist lineages, as well as Muslim and Christian traditions. Students can visit a monument to Sufi spirituality, get a taste for mindfulness practice at a Buddhist shrine, and encounter Christian worship… all in the same day!
Next, we retreat to the outskirts of Mumbai, where we will explore the intersection of spiritual reflection with social justice and environmental engagement. We will be based at the Govardhan Eco-Village, an award-winning retreat center and community that aims to combine devotional yoga wisdom with sustainability, rural development, and women’s empowerment. We will hear from guest presenters—scientists and monks, yoga masters and grandmothers—as we explore the connections between inner work and making an impactful change in the world. We will also roll up our sleeves and get hands-on with gardening projects, visits to the center’s rescued animal sanctuary, and experiencing fair-trade sustainable craft production. Excursions include an optional nature hike in the legendary Sayadhri mountain range.
We conclude our journey in the pilgrimage cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, reputed to be the mythic birthplace of yoga. Once the domain of forest sages and cave-dwelling mystics, these towns are rich with both history and contemporary practice. Nestled in the foothills of the snowcapped Himalayas, and along the banks of the sacred Ganges river, this region will offer us a deep dive into yoga culture and practice.
Invigorated, we return to New Delhi for a few final days of processing the experience, sharing and reflecting, and, of course, some shopping. We fly from New Delhi directly back to New Jersey.
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