A unique 10-day retreat in India with world renowned master teachers, authors, and founders of Svastha Yoga, A. G. Mohan and Indra Mohan.

In the great ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, it is said, ‘there is no strength like that of yoga.’ Strength here means mastery over one’s own mind. Yoga in its original form, as a philosophy and practice of empowering mind and body, increases our clarity and strength of “right decision-making.” Yoga should and can lead us to peace and happiness through our own better choices.

The Yoga for Inner Strength retreat with the Mohans will be hosted in a resort setting close to the famous temple town of Mahabalipuram, situated an hour south of the city of Chennai in South India. The venue is a 3-star resort on the beach, a lovely place to relax and immerse yourself in the retreat program, and experience the culture and spirituality of South India as well.

This experiential yoga retreat has as its central theme, yoga for inner empowerment. Philosophy, theory on the functions and methods of mastering the mind will be shared, alongside practices including pranayama (breathing), bhava (mental and reflective practices) and asana (slow movement). These practices are based on the Yoga Sutras, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and other ancient sources. With right knowledge, right action and right patterns, we can release ourselves from the mental limitations we have created for ourselves, turning towards calm and happiness.

“The body is a temple. The Divine is the life force inside us.”

The Yogic Path to Inner Strength

Knowing, doing, and retaining are the three fundamental capacities of our mind that govern our life. These are presented as the three gunas in yoga. All these three functions of our mind are intricately connected. What we know guides our choices. Through action we create change. And by our patterns, we set our foundations.

To better our life from within, we must use all these three capacities gainfully: acquire right knowledge, do the right actions, and retain the right patterns. This retreat will give you the knowledge, practices (actions), and the keys to retain the patterns to strengthen your inner progress towards peace and happiness. We do have the potential release ourselves from our inner limitations!

The word Svastha in Sanskrit refers to the state of complete health and balance. The focus of this retreat is to not only observe and understand your mind, but to also actively diminish the inner obstacles to peace and steadiness, to move toward that state of Svastha.

You will learn and experience simple, practical yogic methods – useful for yoga and meditation practitioners, teachers, health professionals, and anyone interested in acquiring the inner tools required to achieve mental steadiness, clarity and contentment. These practices will include reflection, asana, pranayama, and meditation.

“This retreat will help you find peace with a changing body and moving mind.”

Content and Format of the Retreat

There are daily morning and afternoon sessions with the Mohans with an extended midday break to rest. The program totals 50 hours. For yoga teachers and allied professionals, this can count towards your continuing education and professional development. The program content is divided into 4 sections which include the following topics:

Section 1: Knowledge to empower the mind

• What is the mind?
• The ropes that bind the mind
• Obstacles to empowerment
• The 3 types of attachments
• 4 divisions of ego
• 5 components of knowledge and 5 components of action

Section 2: Action (karma) and its effects

• Classifications of karma
• Elements of karma
• How bondage is created
• Way to be free of inner bondages
• Type of actions based on the gunas
• Role of clarity (sattva) in reaching the goal

Section 3: How to bring about clarity (increase sattva)

• Following the path to freedom (dharma)
• Cultivating compassion and charity
• Practice of kriya yoga and the eight limbs of yoga
• The role of prana and agni

Section 4: Practices

• Reflective practices which complement theory and help integrate concepts introduced.
• Pranayama
• Retraining the senses
• Practices to develop new latent impressions (samskaras)
• Yamas and niyamas
• Methods to remove wrong knowledge and develop right knowledge
• Cultivating clarity and lightness of mind and body

Personal Practice

The structure of this retreat allows relaxed time in the mornings for your own personal practice in your comfortable room or on the resort grounds by the sea. The sunrise over the ocean provides an inspiring and vitalizing beginning to your day. There is an extended midday break for lunch and resting, as well as time for your personal evening practice or a beach walk before dinner at the venue or one of the many restaurants close by.

“Life is a blessing. Make it an offering.”

About the Mohans

This retreat presents a rare opportunity to study and be guided by A.G. Mohan and Indra Mohan in person. In a fast-paced world, the Mohans teach us to pause and reflect, come back to the self, cultivate peace, and remain focused on what is truly important.

A. G. Mohan is one of the foremost yoga masters in this era. He began his yoga journey in 1971, spending nearly two decades as a personal student of the legendary yogi Sri Krishnamacharya. Then he immersed himself in further wide-ranging studies of ayurveda, samkhya, tantra, ancient India dramatics, jyotisha, and more over decades. He is the author of several books on yoga, including Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind, Yoga Therapy, Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings and Krishnamacharya In His Own Words.

Indra Mohan began her yoga studies along with her husband, A.G. Mohan, in 1971. She is one of few people to receive a post-graduate diploma in yoga from Sri Krishnamacharya. She is appreciated by students not only for her extensive knowledge and clear teachings, but also for her wisdom and calm presence. She has guided many thousands of students over five decades to increase their wellbeing, manage their health problems, and find personal and spiritual transformation.

Venue

Mamalla Beach Resort

Located about 60 km south of the city of Chennai in South India, is Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), a seashore town of architectural beauty along the Bay of Bengal.

All along the coast from Chennai to Mahabalipuram are several pristine beaches. Just outside the hustle and bustle of Mamallapuram is the unique 3 star Mamalla Beach Resort. Having retained its unspoiled beach and cool casuarina grove, the resort is a relaxed venue for the retreat with clean rooms, a large pool, outdoor undercover restaurant, and shady grassed areas to relax.

The sun rises over the sea and the beachfront is idyllic for personal practice in the early mornings before breakfast. In your free time you might like to relax in the tropical sun of the resort’s private beach or pool, enjoy the tasty cuisine, take a boat ride to see submerged temple tops, explore the town and its many shops and restaurants, or visit the Shore Temple Complex.

Dates

This retreat will be held from 4 – 13 January 2025.

How to Join

For more information, please email: retreats.svastha@gmail.com