A Yoga retreat and holiday with Fiona Agombar Below are details of a yoga trip to South India at the beginning of 2012. January is the best time to visit the region as the weather should be a pleasant 25 – 28 degrees. Two great centres have been chosen for the visit which are full of beauty and culture and which will give an insight into the real India. There will be yoga twice a day.
A meeting for participants is planned for Saturday 18th September.
Flight - the aim is to use Emirates via Dubai, departing Monday 16th January 2012. I may travel out to India ahead of you, but will certainly be at Chennai airport to meet the flight. Arrive Chennai Tuesday 17th January around 8am and transfer to the Ideal Beach Resort Hotel at Mahabalipuram (about a 60 minute coach trip). Stay at Ideal Beach Hotel 17th, 18th,19th January. Transfer by coach to Thanjavur, staying at Ideal River View Hotel. 20th – 25th January. Depart Thanjavur 26th back to Ideal Beach 26th – 30th January. (There will probably be an optional trip to Chennai at some time during these four days. Monday 30th January - mid morning departure from Chennai for London. This yoga holiday is designed to give participants an enjoyable taste of the fabulous South Indian culture, whilst also providing plenty of rest and relaxation plus yoga taught in the Krishnamacharya tradition by Fiona Agombar.
Mahabalipuram, 17th – 19th January and 26th – 29th January Ideal Beach Hotel
Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, set on the Bay of Bengal, is famous for its stunning 7th Century Shore Temple – one of the oldest in South India and a World Heritage site. Mahabalipuram is also known as the centre for stone carvings – artisans line the streets creating hand-carved deities for temples in India and for export. There is much to see – this is also the heritage site known as the Five Rathas (Five chariots) plus Arjuna’s penance – an incredible frieze cut in a rock wall telling part of the story from the famous Indian Epic the Mahababharata. There are many other carvings and historical sites. Additionally there are good shops selling a selection of fabrics, carvings and handicrafts including jewellery, plus restaurants offering seafood and Indian delicacies. We will be returning here after staying at Thanjavur, so there we will be plenty of time for either sight-seeing, or relaxation. The Ideal Beach Hotel is an extremely comfortable resort hotel with a swimming pool and tropical gardens that roll down to the beach-side location for swimming in the Indian Ocean. There will be yoga in the morning and a quieter meditative practice in the evening before supper. There will sometimes be philosophy discussions after supper. Sessions are optional, although participants will be encouraged to join in.
This is how the Ideal Resort’s website describes the hotel: "The Ideal Beach Resort is like a glowing gem nestled in a lush tropical garden, a paradise of birds and butterflies. In this lap of nature is a haven of man-made luxury. Naturally, the in-house speciality is sea food-crabs, lobsters and a wide variety of fish, straight from the nets of the local fishermen. Ideal Beach Resort; peace and beauty crystalised for you."
Coach from Mahabalipuram to Thanjavur: 20th January.
Thanjavur 20th – 25th January, Ideal River View hotel. Thanjavur lies deep in the far south of India in the state of Tamil Nadu – which is often referred to as the spiritual heartland of India. Here, the Vedic traditions which gave birth to Hinduism have probably remained truer to their original form longest. Thanjavur, which was the capital of the Chola Empire, is now remembered mostly for the superb bronzes of which the dancing Nataraja is the most famous. These can be seen at the museum. Thanjavur is also famous for the massive Brahadeeswara Temple (World Heritage site). The surrounding area is rich in temples and historical sites ranging from the magnificent to the crumbling. After our 6 days in Thanjavur, we return to Mahabalipuram for 4 final nights before departing from Chennai to London on 21st.
This is how the Ideal Resort’s website describes the Thanjavur hotel: "The Ideal River View: A cluster of cottage type apartments with modern amenities are designed and devised to provide the maximum privacy and seclusion with exclusive balconies looking over a stunning river view and green landscape. Self contained air conditioned cottage type rooms open out in to the sky with spectacular views. The resort has organic grown rice, vegetables and fruits in the garden. The Ideal River View is a perfect blend of Indian tradition and contemporary facilities."
This is how the Ideal Resort’s website describes the Thanjavur hotel:
"The Ideal River View: A cluster of cottage type apartments with modern amenities are designed and devised to provide the maximum privacy and seclusion with exclusive balconies looking over a stunning river view and green landscape. Self contained air conditioned cottage type rooms open out in to the sky with spectacular views. The resort has organic grown rice, vegetables and fruits in the garden. The Ideal River View is a perfect blend of Indian tradition and contemporary facilities."
This yoga retreat is designed as an introduction for those who are not so familiar with this part of South India and are interested in finding out more. Please note that full board is included at Thanjavur but not in Mahabalipuram which is breakfast only, so that you will have the chance to explore the local cuisine in the town. Food is very cheap compared to the UK.
Cost: The cost of the retreat will be £1,600 which will cover twin-shared accommodation, flights, food as mentioned above, yoga tuition and transfers. Sight seeing in Mahabalipuram is easily done personally as the town and monuments are close by. However while we are in Thanjavur, I have included several minibus trips to see the main sites of interest, temple, palace, museum, etc. Booking requires a deposit of £200 to secure a place plus £500 for the flight which will be booked as soon as your cheque has cleared. There will be 20 participants and we are expecting this to fill quickly, so early booking is advised as there may be a surcharge if flights go up, although we hope this won't be the case. Please note that the deposit and flight money will be used for advanced rooms and seats so is absolutely non-refundable. Please enclose a cheque for £700 made payable to Fiona Agombar and post this to Ray Lloyd. (See below for address) . The balance needs to be paid by September 30th 2011. Please do remember that you will need travel insurance - this is mandatory.
A meeting for participants is planned for Saturday 3rd September in Portsmouth but if you can't come full details will be sent.
I am an experienced traveller to India and know the region well. Gill Lloyd is my yoga mentor and both she and her husband, Ray, have made many such similar visits to this area in particular. Ray will be helping me with the practical organisation of the trip. So, there is a fair amount of support and experience behind me!
Please note that the yoga will be stronger than that which is taught on the Energy retreats in Turkey, which tend to be geared for those with Chronic Fatigue. You will need to be fairly healthy to participate in this retreat, although none of the yoga sessions is compulsory and the travelling is deliberately being kept quite light – just two centres, rather than rushing around touring. The two centres are enough to gain an excellent insight into local culture.
Partners are welcome. There is an unavoidable single supplement of around £450, so it will be much cheaper if you are able to share a room. If you are coming as a single traveller I will do my best to match you up with someone who you will get on with and you can of course request who you would like to share your room with.
Once the group is established, I will write more fully to give advice on obtaining visas, vaccinations and to cover common questions about health issues generally. For those who are able to attend, I am planning to hold a meeting during 2011 to give you a little more background to the places we are visiting and to cover any concerns /questions you may have. Likewise, if you have questions, please email me and I will compile a FAQ which I will send out to the group.
Fiona Agombar
Please note that the price was set before the problems in the Middle East. If fuel prices and consequently flight prices increase, we may have to charge a surchage. Therefore you are advised to book this retreat as soon as possible while this price is held.
To Book: Please send a cheque for £700 payable to Fiona Agombar and send to: Ray Lloyd, 105 Gales Drive, Three Bridges, Crawley, RH10 1QD. If you have any queries please contact me at fagombar@yahoo.co.uk. I /We would like to book the trip for India 16th January – 30th January 2012 I/ We enclose a deposit for £700 per person. I/We confirm that I/we will have travel insurance Name Address Email Contact telephone number
