Yoga Retreat in Rishikesh, India
An Immersion into the Heart of Yoga
January 15 - 22, 2027
with Saraswati Clere, Carlos Pomeda & Stephanie Lopez
Step out of the momentum of daily life and enter a place where the yogic journey has been nurtured for millennia. Nestled at the foot of the Himalayas, along the crystalline waters of the sacred Ganges, Rishikesh has long been a valley of seekers—a sanctuary where countless practitioners have devoted their lives to sadhana, contemplation, and awakening. It is here, in this potent cradle of practice, that we gather for a week-long retreat designed to help you reconnect with the healing power of yoga in its purest and most transformative form.
This immersion is crafted for dedicated students, teachers, and spiritual seekers longing for depth, clarity, and renewal. Held at a peaceful yoga center just north of Rishikesh, surrounded by lush forest and sweeping Himalayan vistas, the retreat offers a supportive environment where practice becomes effortless, inquiry becomes natural, and inner shifts arise with grace.
Each of your guides bring decades of teaching, leadership and scholarship. Together they create a spacious, grounded, and insightful experience that honors the full breadth of the yogic path: embodiment, breath, meditation, subtle anatomy, philosophy, and awakened awareness.
Why This Retreat Is Unique
Our shared intention is to offer a deeply supportive environment where you can experience yoga not merely as a set of techniques, but as a living path of healing, wholeness, and awakening. Practicing in a place where thousands of yogis and sages have walked before you invites a profound inner opening—there is a sense of stepping into a current of timeless wisdom that naturally carries you inward. The atmosphere becomes an active participant in your journey: the quiet presence of the river steadying your breath, the mountains reminding you of your own inner strength, and the sacred land itself gently softening the layers that keep you from your deepest truth.
What You’ll Experience
• Daily asana, pranayama, and meditative practices
• Guided restorative and relaxation sessions
• Yogic philosophy, subtle-body teachings, and meaningful discussion
• Journaling, contemplation, and group sharing
• Time for rest, integration, and quiet riverside reflection
• Excursions to sacred sites in the Rishikesh area
This retreat is ideal for practitioners seeking a deeper, more holistic experience of yoga—beyond posture, beyond theory, and into direct insight.
The Retreat Center
The retreat center is a sanctuary of stillness and beauty, nestled along the sacred banks of the Ganges River and embraced by the gentle rise of the Himalayan foothills. From the moment you arrive, there is a palpable sense of spaciousness—an invitation to exhale deeply, slow down, and reconnect with what matters most. The land itself feels blessed: quiet forest pathways wind through the property, birdsong echoes through the early mornings, and the river’s steady flow becomes a constant reminder of presence and renewal.
The center sits on a working organic farm where nearly all of the food is lovingly grown on-site. Fresh vegetables, herbs, and grains are harvested directly from the earth and prepared into nourishing vegetarian meals that support clarity, vitality, and lightness of being. Every meal feels like an offering from the land—simple, wholesome, and deeply satisfying.
Comfortable single and double cottages are spaced throughout the property to preserve privacy and quietude. Many offer stunning river views or glimpses of the surrounding mountains, allowing nature’s rhythm to gently guide your days. From each cottage, it’s only a short walk to the yoga shala and meditation spaces, where the warm Himalayan light fills the rooms and practice unfolds naturally.
This is a place where time slows down. Where the mind settles, the body softens, and the heart remembers its innate peace. The retreat center is a refuge for deep spiritual immersion, a home for inner transformation, and a reminder of the profound grace that arises when we live close to nature, simplicity, and our own true essence.
Pricing
All prices include lodging, vegetarian meals, and all retreat sessions.
Double room:
• $2250 per person before June 15
• $2450 after June 15
Private room:
• $2550 before June 15
• $2750 after June 15
Meet Your Teachers
Saraswati Clere, ERYT-500
Saraswati is a San Francisco Bay Area–based yoga teacher, award-winning filmmaker, and founder of Yoga Kula. With more than two decades of teaching experience, she offers an approach to hatha yoga that is both deeply embodied and refreshingly accessible. Her teaching integrates functional alignment, mindful movement, and breath-centered awareness, supporting students in cultivating vitality, clarity, and inner steadiness. Saraswati’s dedication to the yogic path, her years of training, and her commitment to authentic practice infuse her classes with warmth, intelligence, and heart. www.yogakula.com
Carlos Pomeda
Carlos brings more than 40 years of devoted study, practice, and teaching in the yoga tradition. Trained as a monk in the Saraswati order for 18 years, he immersed himself in the deep study of Indian philosophy and yogic practice. He holds master’s degrees in Sanskrit from the University of California, Berkeley, and in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara. Known for his ability to make profound teachings clear, engaging, and immediately applicable, Carlos draws on both his scholarly mastery and his lived experience of the tradition. His teachings illuminate the heart of yoga with precision, humor, and a rare depth of understanding.
Website: www.pomeda.com
Stephanie Lopez
Stephanie Lopez, LISW, C-IAYT, is the Senior Advisor of Philosophy & Learning and Senior iRest Trainer for iRest Institute. With a deeply embodied understanding of meditation informed by 30 years of immersion in the nondual teachings of yoga, Stephanie is sought after to bring the principles of living an authentic and awakened life into corporate and wellness settings, leading retreats and training internationally. Stephanie is a Gestalt psychotherapist, certified yoga therapist, and world-leading meditation teacher who has presented meditation at Google, Spotify, and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She also serves as Chair on the Certification Committee for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) helping to promote standards and credentialing for the field of yoga therapy. She is a contributing author of “Yoga Nidra Meditations.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Travel: Our recommendations.
We recommend that you arrive in India a few days earlier to rest and recover from jetlag.
You can fly to Delhi. (approx $850 from SFO)
We recommend you stay in a hotel in Delhi, (comfortable hotels by the airport).
Then fly to Dehradun. (approx $50 from Delhi) 45 mins
We will coordinate with everyone to organize similar arrival times so we can help organize transport to the retreat center. Airfare and transport from the airport is not included in the package price. We are happy to talk about other travel ideas if you wish to travel in India before or after the Retreat. During the retreat we will stay together as a group as we immerse ourselves in the practices.
Visa: You will need a valid passport and, depending on your country of origin, a Visa to travel to India. All US citizens do need a Visa to enter India at this time. It is very easy to get an online visa. It takes approximately 7 days. $25 for 30 days or $40 1 year e-visa (ask us for the steps) https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/
Booking, payment options, cancelation policy
To reserve your spot, please email us info@yogakula.com
Deposit per person: $1000 paid upon registration will secure your space.
Payment options: Paypal, Venmo, or Credit Card
Cancelation policy:
Full refund until July 1, 2026
No refunds of any kind after July 1, 2026
In the unlikely event of us canceling the retreat, we will provide a full refund, including deposit.
We look forward to welcoming you to Rishikesh
