Ashtanga Yoga Retreat, Astam Village
Join us for our next Yoga retreat in Pokhara, Nepal. Come together to explore the depths of your yoga practice, and meanwhile experience the culture and beauty of Astam Village.
Next dates:
November 18-24, 2024
YOGA RETREAT IN POKHARA, NEPAL
Searching for a little escape away from reality and want to journey into the magical lands of ancient sages and yogis? This retreat offers you an opportunity to travel to the lands of the Himalayas and feel the majestic energy of the mountains whilst also taking a journey inward into yourself, discovering the power of yoga and all its benefits. Yoga is about the connection with the mind, body and soul. We will work to find harmony in your inner-world so that it can radiate to your outer world and into the relationships around you. You will deepen. your awareness of life, find love, peace and clarity within.
This retreat is for anyone wanting to explore Yoga and learn about its traditional techniques and practices. The retreat will be focused on Ashtanga Yoga, with an emphasis of the Vinyasa style of Asana and the philosophy behind the practice. We will have a morning daily Asana practice where you can explore the physical body and aim to release tension and create balance. In the afternoons, we will have occasional workshops which breakdown asana so you an learn about the current alignment and benefit of the asanas we are practicing. This will also give you the tools to implement a strong yoga practice at home.
Outside of the physical Asana practice, we will be having classes that focuses on Yoga philosophy. These classes will be a chance to absorb all the ancient knowledge and deepen your understanding of Yoga. You will surely realise why is it such a beautiful practice to be devoted to and will be immensely inspired.
We will also be having daily (optional) pranayama classes early in the morning, which is a practice of controlling the breath to increase the life-energy (prana) within the body. There will also be daily meditation classes in the evening to learn the art of concentration and focus which will benefit your life in many ways.
Located in the heart of Nepal, Astam is a small mountain top village full of beautiful farm lands, fields of flowers and plants, traditional style Nepal homes and stunning views of the Annapurna range of the Himalayan mountains. By joining this retreat and living in this beautiful place, you will find peace, love, harmony and inspiration all at your doorstep.
How to travel to Nepal:
There are many international flights to Nepal each day. The airport is Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu or Pokhara International Airport.
Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu- this is the Capital of Nepal. If you decide to fly into Kathmandu, you will need to travel further to Pokhara either via a domestic flight or you can take Tourist buses. Domestic flight is around 30 minutes and around $150 maximum. For the Tourist bus, they will leave from a popular place in Kathmandu called Thamel. They leave at 7am every day, are around $15 and we can easily help you organize this. If you are coming earlier, once you arrive in Pokhara we can give you suggestions of where to stay or if you are arriving when the retreat is beginning we will provide the accommodation from the starting date (28th).
Pokhara International Airport- This is where we will begin our retreat. This is a recently opened International airport so until now we are waiting for news for the international flights to begin there. Otherwise this is where you will arrive on your domestic flight if you choose this. From there, if you arrive early you can get a taxi to the hotel we suggest or one of your own or if you arrive at the date of the retreat you can come directly there.
What is included:
6 nights accomodation
3 meals daily (fully vegetarian)
Daily yoga classes
Transport from Pokhara to Astam Only on arrival day
First aid and medical help (Not financial)
Breakfast on final day (16th)
What is not included:
Transport from Kathmandu or any airports
Transport on the departure day (can provide help to organise)
Visa for Nepal
Flight tickets
Health and travel insurance
Alcohol, cigarettes or non-veg items.
Choice of room
Accomodation
The Annapurna Eco Village resort and lodge, is located in a village at the top of a mountain, called Astam. This resort is a yogis paradise. The Shala is warm and inspiring and only a few minutes walk from your room. You will enjoy stunning views of the Himalayas from your window, have opportunities to learn how to manage and take care of an organically grown farm full of vegetables and fruits, learn about the traditional culture of Nepal and be surrounded by the sounds of nature, allowing your mind to rest from the busy modern world.
Pricing
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$950 USD for Private room
This spacious room come furnished with a large double bed picked for ultimate comfort. it comes with an attached bathroom with all the necessities and a balcony to enjoy the surrounding views. Book this room with a 30% deposit and final payment will be made upon arrival.
Bookings are made via email. Please contact us at infopremyoga@gmail.com or follow the button bellow to the contact page.
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$700 USD for a shared room
This spacious room come fitted for two-three people. It is furnished with three single bed, picked for ultimate comfort. it comes with an attached bathroom with all the necessities and a balcony to enjoy the surrounding views. Book this room with a 30% deposit and final payment will be made upon arrival.
Bookings are made via email. Please contact us at infopremyoga@gmail.com or follow the button bellow to the contact page. .
Example schedule:
6:00am-9:00am Pranayama and Asana Practice
9:00am-10:30am Breakfast
10:30am-1:00pm Leisure time/ activity or cultural experience
1:00pm Lunch
4:00-6:30pm Workshop or Philosophy class
6:30 Dinner
Terms and Conditions:
To book we only require a 30% deposit amount from you now to book your spot.
Deposit amount is fully refundable up until 3 months before the retreat start date. After that it will be secured towards the accommodation costs. This also means that by this date you cannot change the date for the retreat.
If before this time you decide you cannot make it, we can change the deposit for a future date in that same 1 year timeframe.
3 months before the retreat starts we required another 20% of the payment from you to confirm your spot. We will email you for this.
If for some reason the course is canceled from our end, you will get a full refund.
We have a minimum amount of people that need to join the retreat for it to run. This means, we have the ability to cancel the retreat up until the 3 months before the retreat. After this date, there will be no cancellations unless emergency situations occur, and retreat will run as planned.
Any discount offers are only valid within the same year they were running and are non transferable for dates in the next year.
Teachers
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Prem
Prem is from Nepal, born in Lumbini. He has spent the last 7 years travelling around India and Nepal learning from different Gurus and deepening his knowledge in many areas of Yoga. He has taught at many Teacher Training Schools over the years as well as studio and online classes where he specializes in Ashtanga Vinyasa, Adjustment and Alignment, Pranayama Kriya yoga and philosophy. He is a kind and warm soul but will help you discover your hidden talents and skills with a sense of encouragement and strength. He has a deep spiritual presence and has a passion for tradition.
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Mikaeli
Originally from Australia, Mikki traveled far from home in search of a deeper meaning of life and to follow the path of yoga. Her journey began in Nepal and since then she has traveled across Nepal and India learning and deepening her knowledge in many areas of Yoga. She teaches daily classes as well as at Teacher Training schools. She teaches Ashtanga Vinyasa, Vinyasa, Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Anatomy and Philosophy. Her heart is pure and guides her students with love and kindness whilst also inspiring many to follow their dreams.
Festival Season in Nepal
October/ November is the season for festivals in Nepal. There are Two festivals that fall in this time period and they are the most important festivals of the year. They are Dashain and Tihar Festivals.
Dashain Festival in Nepal, also known as Vijaya Dashami is the biggest and longest festival celebrated by Hindu Origin Nepalese all over the world. Dashain lies in the month of Ashwin (September/October). Ashwin is the happiest month, which brings joy and a smile to the face of Nepalese people.It is a festival of spirituality and merrymaking as well as a celebration of faith. In celebration of Goddess Navadurga, the festival honors nine manifestations of the goddess. In the first day of Dashain, the Divine Word of God is read each day for nine days. Activities associated with Dashain include swings, kite flying, reading cards, and making animal sacrifices. Nepalese diaspora, as well as other Nepali populations living outside Nepal, observe the festival with equal enthusiasm.
This years dates:
Around October 20th- 30th
The second festival is called Tihar. In fact, some Nepalese even refer to it as “Deepawali”. Its timing is based on the new moon of the Hindu month Kartika, but extends two days before and after that event. Thus, it is a five-day festival. On the Western calendar, it comes in either November or October, varying year to year.While each Hindu ethnic group in Nepal celebrates Tihar in slightly different ways, the main outlines remain the same everywhere. The season is called “the Festival of Lights” after the clay lanterns (“diyas”) that are lit and stacked around houses every night. People use pigmented rice, flour, sand, and flower petals to make “rangoli,” which are decorative patterns on the floors of homes and outdoor areas. They are meant to honour and welcome various Hindu gods and goddesses to the home. Also of high importance is the honouring of various animals during Tihar, they are outlined below:
Day 1: Festival of the Crow
Day 2: Festival of the Dog
Day 3: Festival of the Cow
Day 4: Festival of the buffalo
Day 5: Festival where sisters and brothers give each other Tika on their foreheads to secure for them a happy and long life.
This years dates:
November 11-16th
Ashtanga Vinaysa Asanas demonstration by Prem.
These are the asanas practiced in the Ashtanga Vinyasa series. We will be learning and focusing on these asanas in the Mysore practice.
