The first TriYoga retreat in Mysore, India was held December 20–27, 2013 at the beautiful Windflower Ayurvedic spa and resort, with 27 attendees from 8 countries enjoying a rich program of daily TriYoga sadhana, music, presentations, ayurvedic massage and spa treatments, and local sightseeing.
A traditional Indian ceremony opened the retreat, with each attendee taking part. Dr. Ragavendra Pai (right) organized the ceremony, and special guest Swami Muktidananda of Sri Ramakrishna Ashram (center) gave the opening address.
The retreat was well received by the press and enjoyed great local and national media coverage.
The retreat included fantastic performances by well-known musicians.
Tabla maestro Prasann Salkar (center) traveled from Goa to perform at the retreat and to offer tabla lessons. Prasannji is Yogini Kaliji’s tabla teacher and also teaches tabla, dholak, and bells to many TriYoga teachers and students.
Sheetal (keyboard, pictured far left) and Ramunajam (mridangam, center-left) are members of Sri Ganapathy Sachchidanada’s Celestial Message Troupe.
Dr. Pai spoke on Sanskrit and mantra, and Dr. Miguel Rivera (Dr. G, pictured here) presented on yoga research.
Mysore is rich in history and tradition, making it a great base for local sightseeing. The Journey to India group visited nearby 3,500 ft. Chamundi Hill, site of the famous 1600 year old Chamundeshwari Temple and the giant statue of Nandi the Bull.
Here the group is pictured during a special tour of the Mysore Palace grounds. The palace is among the most visited sites in India, often drawing more annual visitors than the Taj Mahal. Last year, Yogini Kaliji taught a TriYoga program on the palace grounds—the first of its kind in the history of the palace. This year many of the palace staff remembered Kaliji and greeted her with a warm welcome.
Another sightseeing highlight was the gorgeous Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary along the banks of the Cauvery River. In addition to birds, the sanctuary includes many crocodiles! The trip to Ranganthittu also included a visit to the famous Sri Ranganatha Swamy (Vishnu) Temple.
Special thanks to Hari, TYI Secretary, for his coordination, organization, and constant support!
