Our Fall 2024 India pilgrimage is an invitation for you to step outside your current context of life, enter into another world of spiritual wonder, and redefine the foundation on which you find personal purpose and meaning.

Info Session

Click the button below to schedule a FREE 15 minute information session with Kishor for this pilgrimage!

FALL INDIA PILGRIMAGE 2024

led by Acyuta Gopi & Kishor Chandra

dates – september 29th – october 13th

location – Govardhana eco village / Rishikesh/Vrindavan

price –

  • $3500 *2-person shared accommodation*
  • $3000 *early bird* First 5 sign ups!

*for any questions please write to us at maryallison@bhakticenter.org

Overview

Life continues to test, press and squeeze us. It is a testament to our spiritual endurance to continuously seek our center and reground ourselves. For centuries, India has invoked the deep yearnings of the soul for truth, connection and devotion. Going on pilgrimage provides a unique opportunity to dive deep into an ancient spiritual culture that can reawaken our sense of inner fulfillment.

As pilgrims, we approach our journey in a mood of opening our minds and hearts with humility so that genuine transformation can take place in our lives. You will be in the company of supportive fellow travelers and form friendships that often last a lifetime.

Throughout our journey, we will sing sacred songs in Kirtan, hear and discuss teachings from yoga texts, take part in regular asana practice, and share wholesome meals together. From ancient temples and breathtaking landscapes to colorful palaces and simple-hearted yogis imbued with spiritual wisdom and love, we can enter into a world beyond anything we’ve ever experienced.

What’s included

  • 14 days and nights of accommodation and transportation
  • Morning mantra meditation, reading and Discussion of Gita (India’s most revered sacred text)
  • Yoga & meditation classes
  • Histories and incredible stories of the Vedic culture (made applicable to today’s times)
  • 2-3 Delicious love-filled vegetarian meals each day
  • Life-long friendships
  • Seva (Opportunities to serve the local people)
  • Parikrama (Pilgrimages through and around temples and holy places)

What’s not included

  • Airfare and transportation to India
  • Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, etc.
  • Visa fee
  • Tips for driver / guide

Schedule

First, we fly into Mumbai and travel to Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). At GEV we will establish the foundation for our journey ahead through enlivening sanga (group sessions), kirtan, and storytelling.

After 4 days there we will head back to Mumbai to catch our flight to the most mystical land of Rishikesh. Often referred to as the capital of yoga, Rishikesh sits at the foothills of the Himalayas and is historically a place where saints, seekers, and yogis would go to engage in deep meditation. We will visit local ashrams, go on nature hikes, do walking kirtan around town, and most importantly we will get the opportunity to take a sacred bath in the Ganga river.

We will spend our last few days  in the most sacred of villages, Vrindavan; a village with over 5,000 temples celebrating the birthplace of Lord Krsna. Here we will visit temples and holy sites, hear stories from sadhus, do lots of kirtan (!), and partake in pilgrimage around the sacred town. We will be in Vrindavan during the holiest month out of the whole year so expect a beautiful and lively experience of Bhakti. 

Itinerary

  • September 29

    Arrival in Mumbai and travel to Govardhan Eco Village (GEV)

  • September 29 - October 3

    Govardhan Eco Village

  • October 3 - October 8

    Rishikesh

  • October 8 - October 12

    Vrindavan

  • October 13th

    Breakfast and Departure

Registration

If you are interested in joining us, please register on Momence and make your $1000 non-refundable deposit which secures your spot.

Please note there is a non-refundable deposit required to hold your spot for the Fall 2024 India Pilgrimage. By paying the $1,000 deposit, you know that you are holding your spot for our 2024 India retreat, that it is non-refundable, and that a second payment of $1,400 will be due by June 1st, 2024. The remaining balance is due by August 29th, 2024. You will be sent a retreat policies document to review and sign once your deposit is made.

Please contact us BEFORE booking your flights. We will give you specific flight details as well as visa information.

Cancellation Policy

  • There will be no refunds or discounts for arriving late, leaving early, flight cancellations, travel delays or illness.
  • Any monies paid to the retreat are non-transferrable.

If you cancel your reservation:

  • 61 days or more prior to the start of the retreat, you receive 50% of the money you have put down after the deposit (the deposit is non-refundable).
  • 31-60 days prior to the start of the retreat, you receive: 20% of the money you have put down after the deposit (the deposit is non-refundable).
  • 0-30 days prior to the start of the yoga retreat, no refunds are given.
  • To cancel, you must send an email stating that you wish to do so to info@bhakticenter.org.

Acyuta Gopi signing kirtan in IndiaFor as long as she can remember, Kirtan or the Bhakti Yoga practice of mantra meditation through music has been the focus of Acyuta Gopi‘s life. The art of writing soon took up residence in the spaces of her heart not occupied by music, and the transformative power of prayer soon followed suit. With the blessings of her family and teachers, Acyuta has had the amazing fortune to travel the world singing, writing, and witnessing those heart transformations that she loves so much, first hand. Conducting workshops, classes and seminars on kirtan has absolutely changed her life for the better, and she can’t think of a better way to live. Now along with her family, she’s focused her efforts on the NYC community and pouring her heart into the beautiful practices of Kirtan, writing, and the incredibly transformative tradition of Bhakti Yoga.

Kishor Chandra, Pilgrimage in India leader

Kishor Chandra is a yoga teacher, bhakti practitioner, and kirtan leader. Always seeking deeper truths and a higher purpose Kishor moved to India when he was 21 years old. There he lived in ashrams and studied the ancient yogic philosophy of the Vedas and yoga asana under the tutelage of master yogis. Since then he has travelled all over the world and refined his yoga asana teachings with a focus on healing injuries. Having suffered many himself Kishor is passionate about sharing an asana practice that is both transformative, well informed, and sustainable. With over 1000 hours of training Kishor’s signature blend of Katonah Yoga®, Vinyasa, Functional Mobility, and Advanced Asana helps students reach their yoga potential in a safe and sustainable way. Kishor leads workshops, trainings, and retreats all over the world but his home base is the Bhakti Center where he serves as the Yoga Director. He has studied under the guidance of master teachers His Holiness Radhanath Swami, Kulavadhuta Satpurananda, Dr. Gajendra Kumar, Raghunath Cappo, Jaya Jagannath das, Dhyana Masla, Dana Flynn, Abbie Galvin, Nevine Michaan, Benjamin Sears and others.