SaptaSwara Retreat
Satkhol, Uttharakhand, India
The second edition of the SaptaSwara Retreat was organised by Ritambhara Ashram at the Quiet Place Retreat in Satkhol, Uttharakhand, India from May 10 – 14, 2023. This beautiful space hosted a very diverse group of enthusiastic participants from different parts of India. Kavitha Elango and Hariprasad Varma from Ritambhara Acharya Sangha (RASA) were the co-facilitators for this retreat.
During the four days, the group explored the seven key ideas drawn from Yoga Sutras, Natya Sastras and vAstu Shilpa Shastra in a self-reflective and experiential manner through theatre, music, dance and arts along with contemplative dialogues. SaptaSwara is a framework of self-exploration designed by the co-founders of Ritambhara Ashram, Sri Raghu Ananthanarayanan, a direct disciple of Yoga Acharya Sri T Krishnamacharya, and Smt. Sashikala Ananth, who is a renowned vAstu exponent.
The participants experienced deeply evocative spaces within and was able to practice looking at their own life and patterns of behaviour from a space of inner quietness. Many of them shared the experience as deeply transformative. The retreat also had its moments of fun, laughter, and connecting to nature through beautiful evening walks and hikes. You can listen the participant experience and see few more glimpses from the retreat in the video below.
Anoop is a student of Yoga, an entrepreneur, a coach and a father of two young boys. He has led successful leadership stints in both the corporate and non-for-profit sectors. On encountering the country’s water/farmer crises at close quarters, he decided to pause and examine the impact various ‘isms’ – capitalism, colonialism, etc., were having on us as individuals, families, the society and the environment at large. This quest led him to formally engage with traditional Indic knowledge systems while also learning from the latest advances in science – about our physical and mental wellbeing, importance of body and mind work in healing trauma and the urgent need for a conscious rebuilding of family / work / social structures if we have to thrive individually and collectively. Insights, frameworks and processes gleaned from these on-going studies, an anchorage in his own personal practice and his wide-ranging experiences is what Anoop brings to facilitation/coaching spaces in Ritambhara and his various professional engagements.
Priya is a Yoga therapist in the Krishnamacharya tradition. She adapts Reiki & energy work, Vedic chanting, life coaching & Ayurvedic practices in her healing spaces. She is committed to nurturing collectives that have the praxis of Yoga at their heart.
Anisha has been on an exploration to understand herself through yoga for the last 15years which led her to teaching yoga, yoga therapy and inner work through yoga.
Apoorva chanced upon Yoga in her early 20s. A spark was lit within and there was no turning back. Her exploration led her to the Krishnamacharya tradition more than a decade ago. Curious about human behaviour and what drives it, she was thrilled when her search ended (and also began) when she first came upon the Yoga Sutra, which illuminated a path towards answering many questions that had been held for a long time.
Anita is a yoga teacher and therapist in the tradition of Sri.T.Krishnamacarya and Sri T.K.V. Desikachar, a Reiki practitioner and a Life Coach. She is also the founder of Vishoka, a center for learning Indic and energy-based frameworks for living and healing. Her deep concern for human suffering and the problems of unsustainable living kept her on the path of seeking an integrated approach to looking at life, living, learning and healing.
Ankit is a seeker in the wisdom traditions of India. The core of his work includes creating dialogic spaces where people can look within and see the connection between their inner and outer lives. Inspired by the likes of Gandhi, Aurobindo, Vivekananda and Guru Gobind his experiments in service took him back to his roots in Punjab where he is creating a community-led model of higher education which is open, inclusive and accessible for all. Ritambhara for him is a space for engaging in a community which is committed to a DHramic life. He anchors his work of learning and leadership in the Antaranga Yoga Sadhana and the humanistic wisdom of Mahabharata.