The first priority in life is good health. Good health is a determining factor for both material and spiritual satisfaction. Yoga is an integral system bringing good health to body and mind as well as spiritual union or contentment with one´s own self. The origins of Yoga are in the Vedas, the 6000 year old[...]

Gokarna means Cow's Ear It is believed that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow (Prithvi, the Mother Earth) here. It is at the ear-shaped confluence of two rivers Gangavali and Aghanashini. Gokarna is a small temple town on the western coast of India in the Kumta taluk of Uttara Kannada district of[...]

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, Rishikesh is known as the 'Gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas' and 'Yoga Capital of the World'.It is known as the pilgrimage town and regarded as one of the holiest places to Hindus. Hindu sages and saints have visited Rishikesh since ancient times to meditate in[...]

Do yourself a favour before going to India: be prepared! Get into the right mindset and you'll never forget the things you experience there. Knowing a few India travel essentials before hitting the ground will help you adjust more quickly. Although India can be a challenging place to travel for the uninitiated, fortunately, the reward[...]

Annie Wyatt of Namaste Retreats India is making a delicious Green Juice. Watch her easy-to-follow step-by-step video to get an idea of the kind of juices you'll be enjoying during your detox and cleansing retreat in India. Green juice has amazing benefits.  It has an alkalizing effect on the body, it neutralises toxins and at[...]

Chant anywhere anytime Mananaat traayate iti mantrah - That which uplifts by constant repetition is a Mantra A "mantra" (/ˈmæntrə, ˈmɑːn-, ˈmʌn-/ (Sanskrit: मन्त्र) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit believed by practitioners to have psychological and spiritual powers. Mantra meditation helps to induce[...]

By Veechi Shahi, co-founder of Namaste Retreats India Maybe you remember times in your life when you felt overwhelmed, extremely sensitive or you suddenly started crying because your emotions got the better of you and you couldn’t help it. And you just couldn’t stop crying. Or you had anger bottled up and then one day[...]

Two Million Temples – one in every Street The evidence of Indian civilization can be traced back to thousands of years. No other place can vouch for the sort of diversity, which fills every nook and cranny of this incredible country. The various religions, cultures, languages, dialects, traditions, festivals, customs and temples provide many facets of[...]

India is the second most populous country in the world, so food, language and culture greatly vary from one region to another. There is no official national food or dish of India. Each region of the country has its own dish that remains popular among citizens and tourists.  A common thread among most regions and[...]

More and more people are now practicing yoga than ever before and this has to do with the fact that yoga deals with the evolution and development of the human personality. The very word ‘yoga’ in Sanskrit means to join together but what are we joining together? Different parts of our self and different parts[...]

“Every moment is alive with possibility!” — Veechi Shahi Veechi’s mission is to inspire women to live life to the fullest. She is an exuberant, joyous and deeply-connected Life and Wellness coach & trainer, who believes in the wonder of Life. She offers Life and Wellness Coaching, Stress Management, Women Empowerment Workshops and Meditation for[...]

What is Yoga? Yoga is an entire system of practises designed to bring about complete Self Realisation. There are many ways in which we can apply yogic knowledge in order to attain this deep understanding of the Self. Some would say that everything is yoga. The great sage, Patanjali authored the Yoga Sutras which is[...]

I’ve been cleansing and fasting for 25 years. In the early days I began to fast after reading a book called The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity by Daniel Reid, which radically influenced my thinking. I read every page in fine detail in the health section of the book. I became somewhat obsessed by[...]

What is wellness? Wellness is a feeling. When you feel healthy and whole, when your body is functioning at its optimal, when you get enough sleep and feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning. When your mental faculties are clear and alert. When you feel strong and when you take enough time out[...]

Regarded as sacred by Hindus, the river is personified as the goddess Ganga in ancient texts and art. Ritual bathing in the Ganges was and is an important part of Hindu pilgrimage and the ashes of the cremated are often spread across her waters. The River Ganges also known as the Ganga, flows 2700 km[...]

India never fails to astound with it’s onslaught of sights, sounds, smells, colours and tastes. It is an extremely visceral place as I once again on my twelfth trip discovered. I was in India in March to co-host a retreat with my extraordinary partner in Namaste Retreats India, Veechi Shahi. As always, India offers experience[...]

retreat When we retreat (from the world) into ourselves, something deep within us is accessed.  We nourish ourselves in a new way.  In a way that we long for in our very active lives but in a way that perhaps we’ve glimpsed but not yet delved into.  When we retreat, our senses are sharpened, we become more in tune with our inner selves,[...]

Fire Puja or Havan in Rishikesh on the banks of the Holy Ganges River. incredible india Incredible India has a mystical allure that is unsurpassed by any other country in the world. In fact India compels one to visit, calling and calling and our hearts desire cannot be quelled until we go. Being the country[...]

"Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice.” Heather Ash Amara Deadlines. Pressures. Expectations: When we allow the dust of everyday life to settle down, a sea of possibilities emerges which we never knew existed. When we start living these possibilities, we transform into a person that we never knew we had within us.[...]

Welcome to the South of India South India is also known as Peninsular India or "Deccan" referring to the area covered by the Deccan Plateau that covers most of southern India excluding the coastal areas. Shaped like an inverted triangle South India is bound by the Arabian Sea on the west, by the Bay of[...]