A JOURNEY TO INDIA ROOTS OF MEDITATION | 2019 november 4 – 23 | A two week journey to India, where we will dedicate time to developing our intellectual and experiential understanding of meditation in order to grasp its potential depth and meaning.
A JOURNEY TO INDIA
ROOTS OF MEDITATION
2019 november 4 – 23 | India
As you will notice by reading the program of the new journey, the most important aspect of this voyage is the element of meeting: meeting India, and meeting ourselves.
As you will notice by reading the program, the most important aspect of the trip is the element of meeting: meeting India, and to meeting ourselves. We will meet Indian culture through encounters with its population. We will go by foot or by bike to meet villagers living off the beaten tracks of tourism. We will visit children in schools, meet my music teacher and his family, chat with Indians on the Ghats of Varanasi, as well as cook with a family… And of course we will come to meet ourselves.
We will practice meditation in the mornings and/or evenings whenever that is possible and also develop together our capacity for introspection, our understanding of what spirituality is, and seek to stay closely in touch with ourselves during the whole trip. Our day to day experience will be where our practice takes place, and we will pay close attention to the inner movements that this trip will no doubt stir up. India is the perfect place for this, and we will be particularly supported and inspired in this undertaking since all of our destinations are spiritually important places dedicated to introspection, to faith, self-mastery and self-knowledge, and to the encounter with the ultimate.
We will certainly come out of this adventure with a greater knowledge of India, but also with a greater understanding of ourselves. This trip is an invitation to slow down. To slow down the frenetic pace of our days by accepting to spend time sitting still in silence. To slow down by taking the train rather than the plane, accepting to “see less” in order to soak in more. To slow down in order to be in harmony with the Indian slowness that can simultaneously bewilder, seduce, or challenge, and which will remain alien to us if we visit the country in the western touristic style.
A meeting, once again, with a country of extremes, where the lethargic stands alongside the dynamic, where “non-doing” is not completely devoured by activity, where materialism is far from the only priority, and where the notion of emptiness takes on its full meaning.
ACTIVITIES AND CITIES VISITED
We will practice meditation, walking meditation “the yatra”, yoga only if you want to. We will have a swim in the river Ganges and many visits, meetings, free time and shopping. We will listen to Indian classical music, will participate in Satsang, participate in Aarti (evening prayer of light) and we will take our time with each discovery. We will visit the cities of Delhi, Dharamsala, Pushkar, Varanasi, Sarnath.
PROGRAM
COST
All details in the program.
TESTIMONIAL
Steve, from Spain
“I came back from India a changed person. I have had a lot of time to reflect on our experiences and of course my own in particular. The experience for me was life changing and I started feeling very free as a being while we were there. I can honestly say that all the experiences and interactions with the different people that you organised for us, as well as of course India the teacher changed my life. I came back having shed the past and felt free from past baggage. For the first time in years I felt happy being me and happy being just with myself. I cannot put into words how amazing this is for me. I realised as I was telling friends about what we did and experienced that this is not everyones experience and what made it special is that you were able to share your vision and India with us. I am eternally grateful to you for organising this tour. Even things that were difficult for me at times like the lack of luxuries I realised taught me such a lot and was very important for the transformation that I feel happened within myself.”
Linda, from South Africa

“Here are a few words about the tour, which for me was fantastic, mind-blowing and transformational!
For me it was a perfect way of re introducing myself to travelling in India (It was twenty years ago I was in India before….) I felt too worried to go on my own this time, as I have kind of forgotten how to travel….By the way, I never did a ‘tour’ before in my life – I used to travel free-style…
The Roots of Meditation Tour gave me the ‘security’ of travelling with a small group, whilst at the same time going to places that were not just for tourism, and with an emphasis on developing a meditation practice and bringing this practice into the every day experiences of travel….This worked extremely well for me. It made the trip SO MUCH MORE than just a touristic activity, and this is exactly what I wanted from the trip.
I have a strong distaste for the kind of tourism which is just about taking photographs and saying ‘I’ve been there, and done that!’; just ticking sights off a list….I prefer the kind of travelling which involves meeting people and places ‘close up’ – and also which involves some kind of awareness raising.
The best aspects of the two weeks were:
a)The excellent teachings with Denis
b)Putting the meditation teachings into practice, sometimes in ‘challenging’ and unpredictable situations – making them even more profound.
c) I especially enjoyed our stay in Varanasi – that was also my favourite accomodation.
d)I found it enriching to visit the charities that are helping the poor women of Bihar, and the Spiritual-focussed education projects in Bodh Gaya.
e)I loved meeting the individuals that Denis already knew from his years of living in India – it was lovely to have personal introductions to inspiring individuals – and also to find out about the different faiths of India.
f)I LOVED travelling by rickshaw – it was my favourite way to travel. Though of cause I did appreciate the minibus on the long distance journeys!
IN CONCLUSION
Thank you Soul of India and Denis for a perfect two week travelling retreat, it was EXACTLY what I needed for my mind, heart, body and soul. It woke me up and re inspired my love of India.”
Sophie, from England

“Denis was a great tour leader. He was knowledgeable about the places we visited, had great contacts, and spoke fluent English and Hindi. He did an excellent job of smoothing our way. it was a pleasure to travel with him and I would highly recommend him as a tour leader.”
Sabrina, Canada

“It is never too late to express one’s gratitude and so I take this opportunity to send my feed back almost a year since my last trip to India with Denis. Time has passed but so many impressions from this trip keep on living within me : the colors, the smells, the sights, sounds, sensations, and emotions. They are inexpressible but so alive still, and this trip has become a part of me. I met beautiful people with whom we shared moments of laughter, fatigue, confusion and excitement. Our guide, Denis, was always adaptable to each of our wishes; he was accommodating, attentive, and keen to share generously with us his great knowledge of the country and of meditation.
This trip was a delight, in fact I will register for the next one.”
Rose