Once in a Lifetime Himalayan Journey
Join Dr. Keesha and Ajayan Borys for a Meditation Retreat to the Sacred Source of the Ganges River
Those joining us for this sacred journey will experience much more than an ordinary tourist sight-see. Our intent is a relaxed but focused 14-day pilgrimage and meditation retreat to the Source of the Ganga high in India’s Himalayas, one of the great remote spiritual centers of the world.
Imagine you, October 2 - 15, 2020…
- Journeying to the spiritual heart of our planet for a sublime and sacred Himalayan meditation retreat.
- Enjoying the unparalleled natural beauty of the Himalayas.
- Deepening your meditations with advanced, esoteric spiritual practices.
This Himalayan meditation retreat will include an abundance of sacred sights—temples, ancient caves, ceremonies—intimate encounters with sadhus, swamis, and saints, delicious local North Indian cuisine, comfortable and clean accommodations (single and double available—see below), and optional river rafting on the Ganga.
This is a rare opportunity to join Dr. Keesha and her husband, Ajayan Borys, on a deep immersion meditation retreat. Dr. Keesha will be discussing Ayurveda and will help you understand your own personal constitution and how to care for yourself in the way your body is asking you to. You will learn meditation and yogic practices indigenous to this region of the Himalayas at a level that would normally require many years of instruction–provided you could find such instruction at all, which is rare today, even in India.
“The journey with the group to the Source of the Ganges was so enlightening for me…. a great experience, the best experience for personal growth I’ve ever had.” —Caroline Sophonow, Aesthetician and Yoga Teacher, British Columbia, Canada
“I cannot believe how much my meditation practice is now influencing my life (you were talking to us about some after-retreat effects)—it is truly sensational! I am happy, and content and my days go by in sheer admiration of all the wonderful things I have in life.”—Dr. A. Cornelius, Switzerland
Cost
Meditation Retreat/Tour Cost (in US dollars):
- Doubles $3975/person
- Singles $4475/person.
- $400 off for early registration! See below for details.
Includes accommodations, all meals, ground transportation (see detailed itinerary below), and in-depth meditation instruction from Ajayan (some optional yoga instruction will be included from local teachers); does not include airfare, travel insurance, or bottled water. (For environmental reasons, we discourage the use of disposable plastic bottles and encourage the use of filters, which nowadays are quite effective.)
Registration, Deposit, and Early Registration Discount
Early registration allows all participants to make travel arrangements long in advance of the retreat and to get the best pricing on airfare. For that reason, we offer an early registration discount. If you submit your retreat registration form with a $1500.00 (USD) deposit by April 2, 2020, you will receive a $400 discount off the cost of the retreat.
- You may pay your deposit online here.
- Download the retreat registration and agreement form here.
- For questions, email [email protected].
- Full payment for the retreat is due no later than August 2, 2020. See our Refund and Cancellation Policy.
For more information
See detailed itinerary below or email [email protected].
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1—October 2, 2020
Arrive in Delhi and transfer to hotel. Rest.
Day 2—October 3
Ride to Rishikesh situated on the banks of the Ganga in the Himalayan foothills. Dinner and rest. We’ll stay in a modern and comfortable ashram/hotel on the banks of the holy Ganga. Rishikesh is well-known for its many ashrams, temples, and yoga centers. For centuries yogis have retired to the banks of the holy Ganga here to do their sadhana in quest of direct realization of the eternal, infinite Self of all. The atmosphere is tangibly vibrant with spiritual energy, yet today it also bustles as a quaint commercial center.
Day 3—October 4
Our meditation retreat begins with a morning of rest and relaxation, bathing in the Ganga (it’s quite clean here, upstream of Rishikesh proper, where we will go to a secluded sandy beach surrounded by jungle), and preliminary instruction in yogic practices especially conducive to meditation (pranayama and bandhas). In the afternoon, we’ll have our first meditation instruction, and in the evening, we’ll enjoy an early dinner and observe a traditional puja performed on the Ganga’s banks.
Day 4—October 5
Morning optional hatha yoga instruction, plus group meditation instruction in the morning. Over the course of this retreat/tour, you will have the opportunity to learn several exceptionally effective forms of meditation readily accessible to beginners. (Advanced practitioners will learn advanced techniques.) These styles of meditation, indigenous to this area of the Himalaya, and are collectively referred to as Effortless Mind meditation.
During our time in Rishikesh, you’ll also have free time to sight-see and shop for gifts and souvenirs. An extensive bazaar offers a wide variety of fine hand-made clothing, crafts, fine arts, jewelry, and other goods—at amazing prices. There are also many temples and spiritual sites in the area to see.
Nomadic tribe in the Himalaya
Day 5—October 6
After individual practice of yoga, meditation, and breakfast, we’ll drive to Uttarkashi (6 hours of travel). You’ll get a first taste of the gorgeous foothills of the Himalayas and the life of India’s mountain farmers, which has remained much the same for hundreds of years—unforgettable scenery and equally unforgettable glimpses of a charming and ancient culture.
On the way, we’ll stop and climb the several hundred steps to the mountaintop Kunjapuri temple, said to be the place where a part of Sati’s body (Shiva’s wife) fell to earth (Her breasts; you’ll hear the full story on the drive).
Arriving in Uttarkashi (at 3,500 feet), a quaint Himalayan village on the banks of the Ganga, we’ll be staying in a newer comfortable hotel: meditation, dinner, and rest. Here, we’ll visit the famous Vishvanath temple (one of India’s 12 major temples for the worship of Shiva) and observe a powerful Arati (worship with the waving of oil or camphor lamps).
The large natural lingam here is a natural wonder. It is said to have emerged from the earth spontaneously. Before the temple was constructed around it, locals tried to dig to find it’s root, but all efforts have failed, so deep into the earth does this lingam descend. There is also a temple in the same complex dedicated to Shakti-Devi.
Day 6—October 7
After morning meditation, we’ll drive to Gangotri (4 to 5 hours) at just over 9,000 feet—a breathtaking trip as we continue to follow the Ganga upstream, whose waters here explode with power, cutting through the vast maze of mountains. Colossal peaks lushly forested with jungle and pine, towering cliffs, and cascading waterfalls all make for otherworldly dramatic beauty. In Gangotri: meditation, dinner, and rest.
Day 7, 8, 9—October 8, 9, 10
The remote Himalayan hamlet of Gangotri is considered to be among India’s most sacred pilgrimage sites. Natural beauty provides spiritual haven for resident and visiting yogis and holy men. The Gangotri temple serves as focus for devout Hindu pilgrims. Dramatic canyons, surrounding mountains and forest, a cascading waterfall, the virginal holy waters of India’s most sacred river, an atmosphere soaked in centuries of devotion and meditation, and typically sunny weather, make an ideal setting for enjoying the bliss of meditation and yoga. Our days here will include:
- Final instruction in meditation, pranayama, and other yogic practices–the height of our meditation retreat.
- Participate in puja and bhajans in the evenings at the Gangotri temple.
- Group meditations and discussions about the spiritual culture and philosophy of India.
- Leisurely nature hikes along and within picturesque canyons.
- Visits to the Gangotri temple, and to the caves and huts of local holy men.
- Free time to relax and enjoy the exquisite sights of the area.
- Optional bathing in the Ganga flowing in its pristine purity.
- Optional hike to the Gaumukh Glacier 18 KM above Gangotri.
Day 10—October 11
After individual yoga/meditation practice and breakfast, we’ll drive 4 hours back to Uttarkashi. Individual meditation, dinner. Rest or optional shopping in town or visiting the temples.
Day 11—October 12
After yoga instruction and individual meditation, we’ll drive 6 hours from Uttarkashi to Rishikesh. Individual meditation, dinner, and free time.
Day 12, 13—October 13, 14
We will complete our meditation retreat at our ashram/hotel in Rishikesh where yoga classes will be offered in the morning, as well as group meditations both morning and early evening. Activities we will do here include:
- A trip to nearby Vashishtha Guha, said to be the cave of the great ancient rishi, Vashishtha, who was a mind-born son of Brahma the Creator—a most powerful spiritual spot. The deep spiritual silence in this natural cave is utterly profound, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’ll also see another adjacent cave, said to be the cave where Vashishtha’s wife, Arundhati, lived.
- You will have the option of taking an 8-km river rafting trip on the Ganga from Brahmpuri to Rishikesh.
- We will drive through a natural reserve (home to wild elephants and tigers) and see a local hilltop temple in a beautiful, sylvan setting.
- Free time to relax, take scenic walks, and shop for gifts, souvenirs, and fine arts and crafts–some of the finest you will find in all of India.
Day 14—October 15
Ride to Delhi, lunch, dinner, and relaxing in hotel. To Delhi international airport to fly back home (late night of 10/15 or early AM of 10/16).
For more information
Please email [email protected].
“I'm absolutely delighted I went on the Himalayan Retreat with Ajayan. The trip exceeded every expectation and the hike to Gaumukh was especially amazing--a highlight I will never forget! My meditation is so much deeper now and my daily practice is established.” — Martin
About Dr. Keesha and Ajayan
Dr. Keesha Ewers is a board certified Functional and advanced Ayurvedic medical practitioner as well as Doctor of Sexology, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, trauma informed therapist, energy worker and the founder and medical director of the Academy for Integrative Medicine Health Coach Certification Program.
Dr. Keesha has been in the medical field for over 30 years. After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis—an incurable disease according to Western medicine—she discovered how to reverse autoimmunity using her Freedom Framework® Method, which she has now used with thousands of her own patients and teaches to her health coach students in her online certification program.
Her constant thirst for knowledge in the pursuit of finding answers to her patient’s problems has taken her around the world, learning from traditional healers and native cultures from Australia to Peru and Africa to India, as well as from the best of the innovative thinkers and scientists the US has to offer.
Dr. Keesha Ewers is author of Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle: The Woman's Guide to Reclaiming Emotional Freedom and Vibrant Health (Samadhi Press 2017) and the Mystic Medicine Mandala Coloring Book: 80 Patterns for Health and Peace (Samadhi Press, 2017).
Ajayan has been exploring and teaching a variety of meditation practices since 1970. In the early 70’s, he spent several years studying in residence under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation Program®. For the next ten years, Ajayan taught the TM Program®. Since then he has traveled the globe continuing an impassioned exploration of consciousness and developing human potential through various meditation and yogic practices, specializing in traditional Tantric meditation practices as well as Advaitic (non-dual) meditation. He is the founder of Effortless Mind® meditation.
From 1994 to 1998 Ajayan studied with India’s most widely revered living woman saint, Mata Amritanandamayi (Ammachi, the “hugging saint”), living at her main ashram in Kerala, India, and serving as the meditation teacher there. While in India, Ajayan also spent time with holy men and yogis in the Himalayas of Uttaranchal—a haven for saints throughout the ages—and researched the spiritual practices indigenous to that area. He also studied under the Tantric teacher, Swami Anandakapila. Having made a study of meditation his life, and having instructed and guided thousands in meditation in North America, Australia, Europe, and India, Ajayan has gained a reputation as a consummate meditation teacher.
Ajayan Borys (aka Henry James Borys) is author of Whispers of the Himalaya (Purna Press 2017), Effortless Mind: Meditate with Ease (New World Library, 2013), The Way of Marriage: A Journal of Spiritual Growth through Conflict, Love, and Sex (Purna Press, 1991; HarperCollins, 1993), The Sacred Fire: Love as a Spiritual Path (HarperCollins, 1994), and numerous articles on meditation and relationships as a spiritual path.
© 2020 Dr. Keesha Ewers