The word “yoga” has many meanings, one of which is an alignment of various aspects of our self (body, breath, mind, emotions, relationships etc.). The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali are the basis of Yoga and they are a delightful confluence of philosophy and practice. It has been an extraordinary guidepost for seekers over millenia and is full of wisdom that is urgently needed in our quest for a more humane and compassionate way of life. The central ideas of Yoga (like dhyāna, prānāyāma, avidyā, etc.) have influenced the entire body of inner exploration of our sages (Antaranga Yoga). There is no area of spiritual sādhana that is not influenced by the essential principles of Yoga.
Ritambhara offers many programs based on the ancient text of Yoga Sutra compiled by Maharshi Patanjali. Each program has a unique flavour and approach and is anchored in the Ritambhara way of Antaranga Yoga. Yoga is actually one of the 6 darshana in the Indian tradition. The word darshana means “to see” or “that which enables us to see.” The programs listed here offer a mirror for participants to begin to see their life, aspirations, disappointments, compulsions, patterns and so on a little more clearly. One begins to see how we are entrenched in our habituated thought processes. Seeing this enables transformation from within. One is then able to live a life with better choices with fullness and meaning (i.e. with rasa).
These programs are designed to enable people to take a dip into the world of Yoga and Sankhya depending on where they are in their life. For e.g. The family retreat is an invitation to experience the wisdom that Yoga has to offer for families, the Sacred Quest is a program for youths, Inner Work Through Yoga (IWTY) and Yoga Sutra Study for someone wanting to commit to a longer and deeper journey with the Yoga Sutra. Each program enables one to look within for answers, revealing layers and thereby moving towards deeper alignment.
We invite you to explore the various programs and see what draws you in, based on your current life-situation.
What We Offer
YOGA SAMVĀD
Dialogues on Yoga Yoga Samvād – Dialogues on Yoga is a series we started as part of the ‘Peace & Sustainability Through Yoga’ initiative during International Yoga Day 2020. This series features experts from diverse fields engage in insightful dialogues on yoga. In our next dialogue we have the dynamic monk from Chinmaya Mission
SaptaSwara
Path of Karma Yogi Each of us is on a journey, a quest for a deeper meaning to our existence and higher truth to be understood that reveals the nature of life. The nature of reality is too vast and incomprehensible to be fathomed by the limited brain and sense organs. The practice of Asana
Inner Work Through Yoga: An Introduction
Inner Work Through Yoga (IWTY)
Inner Work Through Yoga (IWTY) is one of the Yoga-based offerings at Ritambhara and brings the wisdom of Yoga Sutra in a contemporary and contemplative way. It invites participants to engage in a self-reflective manner to understand their own life, actions, relationships and choices. The word Yoga usually brings up an image of someone doing
Yoga Sutra Study
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.