2025 Mahā Shivarātri Pilgrimage
£500 deposit to book
Outstanding £1000 to be paid by 31st October ( early bird)
Outstanding £1165 to be paid after 31st October
to the Sacred River Narmada in Mahsehwar and Mandu, India
with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Sangita Lakhanpal
Wednesday 18th - Friday 28th February 2025
Limited space available, advisable to book early to ensure place
Payment plan possible, please write to sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com
Cancellation Policy:
Cancel by November 15th, 2024 - Full refund (minus deposit)
Cancel by December 30th, 2025 - 50% refund
Cancel by January 15th, 2025 - 25% refund
No refunds after 15 Jan 30, 2025
All refunds incur a 4% processing fee
Email sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com to inquire
Please take a moment to fill out the form below before booking. We will contact you with all the details you need. Your cooperation is appreciated!
Please make sure to read the terms and conditions.
£500 deposit to book
Outstanding £1000 to be paid by 31st October ( early bird)
Outstanding £1165 to be paid after 31st October
to the Sacred River Narmada in Mahsehwar and Mandu, India
with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Sangita Lakhanpal
Wednesday 18th - Friday 28th February 2025
Limited space available, advisable to book early to ensure place
Payment plan possible, please write to sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com
Cancellation Policy:
Cancel by November 15th, 2024 - Full refund (minus deposit)
Cancel by December 30th, 2025 - 50% refund
Cancel by January 15th, 2025 - 25% refund
No refunds after 15 Jan 30, 2025
All refunds incur a 4% processing fee
Email sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com to inquire
Please take a moment to fill out the form below before booking. We will contact you with all the details you need. Your cooperation is appreciated!
Please make sure to read the terms and conditions.
£500 deposit to book
Outstanding £1000 to be paid by 31st October ( early bird)
Outstanding £1165 to be paid after 31st October
to the Sacred River Narmada in Mahsehwar and Mandu, India
with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Sangita Lakhanpal
Wednesday 18th - Friday 28th February 2025
Limited space available, advisable to book early to ensure place
Payment plan possible, please write to sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com
Cancellation Policy:
Cancel by November 15th, 2024 - Full refund (minus deposit)
Cancel by December 30th, 2025 - 50% refund
Cancel by January 15th, 2025 - 25% refund
No refunds after 15 Jan 30, 2025
All refunds incur a 4% processing fee
Email sangitalakhanpal0@gmail.com to inquire
Please take a moment to fill out the form below before booking. We will contact you with all the details you need. Your cooperation is appreciated!
Please make sure to read the terms and conditions.
What to Expect:
Daily Practices:
The rhythm of our days will include daily ritual connection with a spectrum of nourishing and revitalising yogic practices facilitated by Uma and Sangita. The intention of the practices is to deepen our reconnection to our own intuitive and embodied experience of the holy process of pilgrimage. Participation in all practices is optional: and pilgrims are encouraged to connect with those daily rituals that respect and nourish their energies, with respect to cyclical process and inner body wisdom.
As pilgrims we shall offer yoga rituals performed on the banks of the River Narmada to re- connect us back to nature. Lighting lamps and offering flowers to the river with prayers, these elemental Vedic rituals have ancient origins:
Sunrise rituals:
Surya Arghya - Offering water to the sun, facing the sunrise over the River Narmada, when a spectrum of sun-rays refract through the water, uplifting and revitalising us, re-balancing our energy centres. Together with the sound of the mantra, the sunlight and mantra-infused water is then offered back to the river.
Suryanamaskar - Sandhya Vandanam - a body prayer to the sun, flowing asana sequence as an act of worship to the light, together with chanting of Gayatri Mantra
Agnihotra - A daily fire ceremony at the exact moment of sunrise and sunset. Tremendous amounts of energy are gathered around the copper pyramid during Agnihotra. A magnetic field is created, harnessing the life-giving power of the sun, creating a healing bioresonance which purifies the atmosphere of pollutants, neutralizes harmful radiation, and gives nourishment and sustenance to all life forms. Our pilgrimage shares the positive patterns created through Agnihotra, recalibrating our circadian rhythms, through this act of offering back to nature.
Bhakti yoga and the yoga of sound – as pilgrims of the heart, we reconnect to the devotional, indigenous and animistic roots of yoga, honouring the elements, and the presence of the goddess in our bodies as we sing in the sound chambers of temples in Maheshwar and Mandu.
Chanting Lalitha Sahasranama- a thousand names of the Tantric Goddess Tripura Sundari- known as a Veda itself , a potent and beautiful prayer to the Goddess
- mantra chanting and singing. Our pilgrimage includes vocal practices to liberate the voice through practices of riyaaz, Indian classical vocal techniques explored through the lens of yoga philosophy.
Dasha Mahavidya - We shall also be chanting the mantras of the Dasha Mahavidya and learning about these powerful Wisdom Mothers. As pilgrims we shall bring our mantras to chant and sing.
Shiva Lingam ceremony - part of our pilgrimage includes an ancient ceremony performed in the Shiva temples, setting the lingam into the yoni, to enact the creation and reconnect us to the 5 elements
Yogic Dance -Yoga Dance flow movements- exploring a dance based yoga practice, moving with mantra , breath and guided and free dance yoga movement.
Total Yoga Nidra- Yoga of rest
Sacred acts of resting to reconnect to our dreams – daily restoring and nourishing our intuitive capacity.
Swimming in the river waters.
There will also be the opportunity to consult individually with Uma and/or Sangita for yoga therapy, MotherpeaceTarot or guidance on the practices.
Location
This pilgrimage will be based in Maheshwar, a town which lies on the north bank of the Narmada River, in Madhya Pradesh, the “Heart of India” .
The nearest is Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, Indore. This is about 90 minutes from Maheshwar by car. Airport transfers are provided, and included in the price of the pilgrimage.
Maheshwar , an ancient place of pilgrimage, off the beaten track, is said to be located on what was once the ancient City of Maheshmati. Here women enjoyed rights and freedoms which existed only here in India, for example the right to enjoy pleasure and love outside of the bounds of marriage. In more recent history, the great Queen Ahilya bhai, devotee of Shiva, located her capital here in the 1700s, recognising the spiritual power of this place. Maheshwar is known as the Gupta Kashi” secret place of light” During her rule, there was a great period of spiritual renaissance, peace and prosperity. Much of the Royal lands was put into Trusts for the purposes of Yoga Bhakti.
The River Narmada is one of India’s most ancient and holy Rivers. An ancient place where, for centuries Yogis have taken the Narmada Pilgrimage. As She flows from East to West, the sun sets and rises over the River Narmada, thus making this ideal for sun and river rituals. Bathing in the Narmada is like a baptism, being born again each time, and thus is a perfect place to prepare and be present for the biggest new moon yogic ceremony in India.
Narmada Crystal is said to contain the energy of Shiva, and stones are taken from this River and placed in key energy centres through the spine of India. The stone does not need to be consecrated to perform animistic worship and rituals as it is already potent and charged with Shiva Shakti, hence it is a River of Light. Bathing in the Narmada is like a baptism, being born again each time, and thus is a perfect place to prepare and be present for the biggest new moon yogic ceremony in India.
Our pilgrimage also includes a trip to Mandu, an ancient citadel, located in the Malabar Hills, to explore the abandoned temples and palaces of the Sultanate and the pilgrim sites of Yogis.
Accommodation
In single ensuite rooms in Hansa Guest House, Maheshwar.
This venue has been specially built to cater for the needs of pilgrims to the Narmada, and includes gatherings spaces for our classes, as well as bedroom and dining areas.
What’s Included
Airport Transfers to and from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, Indore
Single occupancy room with ensuite bathroom
Three delicious Ayurvedic meals a day, using mostly locally sourced and organic ingredients. Drinks and snacks throughout the day. The food will be mostly vegan and gluten free, sometimes dairy and with- gluten options will be available. Breakfasts : a buffet of fresh fruits, yoghurt, vegan milks, with Indian breakfast options
Pilgrimages and sacred voyages:
Daily dawn and dusk pujas in the River Naramada
Boat Trip to the 10th century Bhaneshwar Island Temple
Boat trip to the rapids of Sahasra Dara.
Pilgrimage to ancient Citadel of Mandu, located in Malwar Hills.
Ritual and ceremonies for pilgrimage
Daily set up of altars,
Dharamshala decorated with flowers and candles
All arrangements to perform our own rituals in temple spaces in Mandu and Maheshwar.
Use of the Dharmashala for all workshops/classes
Guidance and local advice, all support provided by the Rewananda family, managed by Yogi Kapil Shri.
What’s Not Included
Flights (including baggage costs) are your responsibility, please organise for flights to arrive in time to join us by 18 February. Once our flights are booked please inform us of your arrival times so we can organise the airport transfers.
Visas, please be sure that you get a visa to enter India. UK residents need tourist visas to enter the country. We recommend Visagenie www.visagenie.co.uk
for excellent, prompt efficient service
Any additional individual sessions with the retreat leaders (eg for Motherpeace Tarot readings, yoga therapy or mentoring) are to be paid for in situ, in person in cash or via paypal.