Get ready to find true spiritual awakening in the new year as the International Yoga Week is being reprised in Rishikesh from the 1st to 7th of March, 2015. Located in the state of Uttarakhand in India, Rishikesh has long been considered the ‘Yoga Capital’ of the world, with people arriving here from all parts of the world in search of solace and answers to their questions about life and divinity. The International Yoga Week provides a golden opportunity for enthusiasts to attend Yoga sessions held by some of the most distinguished proponents of Yoga who specialise in many different forms of the art such as Kriya Yoga, Power Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Hatha Yoga. The International Yoga Festival is organized at various venues across Rishikesh, including Ganga Kinare, A Riverside Boutique Hotel
Rishikesh: the birthplace of Yoga
Yoga is an ancient Indian art of holistic fitness that involves discipline and wellness of both mind and body. This thousand year old system is embedded in the very fabric of Rishikesh; the city’s lanes and Ghats are lined with an unimaginable number of Ashrams and Yoga Centres that have gradually come to be known throughout the world as great centres of spirituality. A quaint little town in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, Rishikesh was pinned on the world map when the Beatles arrived here in the 1960s for a course in transcendental meditation. They were so besotted with the tranquil beauty of the town that they even dedicated a song – ‘Happy Rishikesh’ – to it. Over the decades that followed, Yoga started gaining popularity worldwide as an effective cure to many modern-day ailments and a means to gain inroads into one’s inner self. Today Rishikesh is a spiritual haven for visitors from all walks of life and all corners of the world.
Attend sessions by distinguished Yogis
During the International Yoga Week visitors get to participate in a variety of lectures, meditation sessions, Yoga classes and expert-led demonstrations of different Yoga styles. Sessions are held by renowned teachers on the banks of the holy river Ganges and the topics touched upon are not confined just to Yogic practices but also extended to general concerns of life, such as, how to improve the quality of one’s life, or how to find life’s purpose. The festival serves as a week-long window into the age-old Yogic tradition and its various forms and functions.
Be mesmerized by the Grand Aarti on the banks of holy Ganges
Sessions on all seven days of the International Yoga Week would be followed by a grand aarti (prayer ceremony) of Goddess Ganga on the ghats of the sacred river. Cultural evenings consisting of devotional music performances by folk artists would also be organized. The festival has all the makings of a truly soulful experience that could help instil positivity in your life and help you achieve the elusive ‘inner peace’ that they all talk about. Then why miss the opportunity? Head to Rishikesh, the global epicentre of Yoga, and revel in a meditative experience that could potentially change your life.
To enquire about attendance at the International Yoga Week, contact us at contact@shantitravel.com . For our programs in North India, visit http://www.shantitravel.com/en/north-india-tours
