Sadhana Yoga’s yoga adventure is very much an adventure! The experience really pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me to learn more about myself and my capacity to be resilient. Ali’s knowledge about India and incredible planning skills made this trip something you can never experience as a regular tourist. And on top of all the wonder and grittiness of India, you get to do yoga and meditation with a master. It’s not a journey for the lighthearted. Take on this experience and be ready to do the inner work and exponentially grow! I am forever grateful to Ali and Milan for the life-changing opportunity
Barsana is the rural homeland of the Goddess Radha. The greeting Radhe! Radhe! is commonplace. Radha’s birthplace is brimming with temples, pilgrims and amazing wildlife. Migratory birds flock here from northern altitudes. This is also where Guruji’s final resting place is.
Sitting at Gurujis ashram and spending time with my friends in the village is always a privilege. The group took a barefoot walk around the local forest and got to relax with the locals
Barsana is off the beaten track and it provides a great contrast to the rest of the trip. Here we got to enjoy the simple life and relax with people who were happy to see us again after 5 years away.
Wow! Firstly our overnight train was delayed for four hours, which meant we had to sleep on the train platform for four hours. Two of our male yogis kept guard as we slept, some of us surprisingly comfortably. We arrived in Varanasi in the evening and the next day we spent time exploring this ancient city of many contrasts.
The 3500 year fire rituals of the burning ghats sat in sharp contrast to the new Modi-inspired mega mall of the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir. This is a place we’re people wear VCRs to see the temple, where high tech CCTV and police are everywhere, and ATMs and cashless QR codes are the norm. India has largely embraced this high tech leap but some things remain tgr same. Watch our NZ! The new world order is already here in India!
Rishikesh possesses unparalleled beauty. Milan organised the group to do partner yoga on a private beach. After yoga on the roof the second night, the super moon rose up out of the mountains providing the focus of our breathtaking meditation. We ate at delicious food at lovely Western style restaurants. Bathed in the Ganga for full moon blessings and went up to a powerful shakti peeth high up in the mountains. We also meditated at the powerful Makar Vahini Ganga Ji Temple. Big program, non stop but an wonderful 3 day visit!
Haridwar delivered an amazing jam packed programme. We had many Maya Devi darshans, bathed in the river, hung out with the sadhus, visited Mansa Devi, explored the markets, and did yoga on the roof! Rekindled old connections and made some new connections. A very transcendent surreal visit
Gritty, chaotic and endlessly vibrant, Delhi delivered lots of fun and adventure for each member of our group. We drank morning chai on Arakashan Road, explored the night market at the main bazaar, and held our team building session – a Circle of Trust – exploring our goals and fear for our forthcoming trip.
Spring brings our garden to life and fills the corner of High Street and Stewart Street in Marton with colour and birdsong.
Thanks to our garden guardians Leighann, Anna and Julie for looking after the garden and fish while I’m in India with my yoga group for November. You are wonderful yogis!
Today, I celebrate 20 incredible years of teaching yoga. I’d love to share with you my wisdom and experiences from two decades of teaching, practicing, and living a yoga lifestyle. Yoga is the gift that keeps on giving. It is a lifestyle that has brought me balance, strength, and wisdom.
Bending, Breathing, and Blessings: lessons learned along the way
Having taught over 8500 yoga classes… met my Guru at an Indian Goddess Temple… visited sacred places across India, Nepal and Tibet… run two yoga centres, taken 5 yoga groups to India (next one due, November 2024)… run numerous workshops and spiritual events… completed a Masters focused on Yoga communities in Aotearoa … and presented at yoga conferences… you think I would have learnt a thing or two about yoga right? Well, the answer is yes, absolutely. Yoga is an incredible teacher. But I’m still grateful to be learning every day as well.
The amazing thing for me right now is that a number of people who I taught yoga to over the years have gone on to qualify as yoga teachers. Also, previous students are not only still joining me for yoga pilgrimages to India and attending the retreats I run across the lower North Island, some of them have also become my closest friends. The yoga community is one of the most profound gifts yoga has given me. Yoga’s other special gift is is the incredible health benefits it brings. At 60 years old I feel fantastic and hope to for many more years to come. All of this is thanks to yoga!
I met my Guruji – Ravananda Saraswati – at a Goddess Temple in Haridwar – a holy town in northern India. Guruji and I travelled all over India together. I was also blessed to be able to live with him at his humble ashram in Barsana before he died in 2016.
I learned you don’t need a guru to practice yoga, or to even to be a genuine yogi. But having a guru is very beneficial if you want to flourish spiritually. Having a guru is like growing a great garden. You don’t need anyone to help you grow your garden, but if you want your garden to flourish and grow abundant fruit then it helps to find people who have successfully gardened before you and learn from them.
Guruji taught me that to sit in silence is one of life’s greatest joys. Also, that to give with an open heart helps you the temper the materialistic drive that spins the wheels of Western culture. While there is safety and comfort staying within our individual identity, Guruji taught me it is much more exciting and expansive being part of a tribe, living life as a fully conscious being within the Universal matrix. Om Namo Narayan!
My other guru was my godmother and Aunty Pauline (see B&W picture below). Aunty Pauline taught me that if you have a calling to teach yoga then you should your listen to that call, even if it means getting old first. Although teaching yoga has kept in me in ‘genteel poverty’ for 20 years, it has also made be wealthy beyond measure. I thank Aunty Paul for planting that initial seed and showing me what it takes to be a fierce yogini.
Kailash Yatra – Tibet(2005)
The Mount Kailash Yatra is not for the fainthearted! Yet, for serious yogis it is one of the most significant pilgrimages you can do. Standing in front of the north face of Mount Kailash is both awe inspiring and breathtaking. And, when I say breathtaking, I mean that at 14,500 feet the oxygen is so rare that it’s often hard to put one foot in front of the other without panting. Furthermore, traversing the Dolma-La pass at 18,000 feet alone without a guide was without doubt the most difficult thing I have ever done. Nonetheless, this pilgrimage taught me to listen to the path because the earth and the rocks hold the songs of the yak-men and will keep you on course. This pilgrimage also reminded me to always invite the ancestors on every journey, because you never know when you might need their support. I ended up doing part of this 4-day walk solo though a snow blizzard. This taught me that even when things seem tough at the time, in 20 years from then they’ll become your fondest memories. Hardship is good! It builds tapasya.
Wisdom gained from taking people to India
I have learned so many lessons from taking people to India. Here are just some of them:
You can’t carry people’s baggage for them…
If people are carrying lots of unresolved issues or addictive habits then India inevitably brings them to the surface, often on Day One!
The biggest two obstacles to taking Westerners to India are their habits and their unconscious egos: drinking barista coffee, drinking alcohol, and eating meat on a weekly basis is the antithesis of a yoga lifestyle. So, when we land in India’s holy places it is strict vegetarian and teetotal and some people have a visceral reaction to having to adapt to the yoga lifestyle… even though they have been encouraged to adapt to a yoga lifestyle weeks before. However, we each grow at our own pace.
Moreover, some people are so entrenched in their egoistic behaviours (I, me, mine) they cannot see themselves or are able to reflect on their own behaviours. On previous trips one or two people have acted as if they deserve better than everyone else. Yet, being able to go without luxury and home comforts for a few weeks gives people with Western lifestyles a chance to reset and grow from it. Many insights can be gained from such experiences.
I have learnt you can never be fully prepared for what India has to offer, but it pays to be as prepared as possible.
Fun people are naturally good humoured …
Fun people generally bring lots of laughs and good times with them on the trip. Find the fun people and invite them on your trip, they make it all worthwhile!
When you go with the flow magic happens…
When you go against the flow you may end up slipping over in cow dung and getting metal filings in your shoes. So, it’s best to surrender to moment and go with the flow. Trust that the Universe has a plan for you.
You may not be able to teach all people how to feel gratitude,but you can coach most people on what it takes to be thankful
An old saying goes, you can’t feel resentful and thankful at the same time. People who appreciate the experience and have no problems being gracious and self-aware provide a real blessing. The area outside comfort zones is where magic exists … keep going and you will eventually be able to look back and see all of your experiences as beads on the mala of life.
You might not be able to teach people how to feel gratitude, but you can hold Gratitude Circles and encourage people to find things and situations they are thankful for.
Wisdom gained from running a Yoga Centre
I have learned so many amazing lessons from running a yoga centre. Here are just a few:
PeopleSkills: People are the most important part of running a yoga business. I know everyone who comes to my centre on a first name basis and I always try to take an interest in how they are feeling and what they want each time they come to class. The classes I teach are collaborative and I always try to incorporate my students needs and wants. This input from my clients and students provides diversity, a sense of community and brings joy and good humour to our classes.
Running a company: I set up Sadhana Yoga Ltd as a limited company back in 2006. Having a company is great because you can offset business expenses like study and travel, as well as all the business running costs. Registering a company is easy and I recommend it for any teachers who want to make yoga their full-time job. https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/help-centre/starting-a-company/
Property – to buy or rent? I rented my old studio in Miramar for 11 years and it was very difficult trying to make ends meet. I was lucky enough to buy a humble freehold property in Marton 7 years ago and was able develop the property into both a working yoga centre with gardens and creative space for my various community art projects and exhibitions. While rates on the property in Marton have recently gone up, owning a commercial property is a much better option than renting. Also, setting up a small yoga centre in a rural town allows you to meet some amazing Kiwis and benefit from interactions with local people who know what it means to be part of a community.
Running retreats: Retreats are an amazing way to help people expand on their self-care, meditation, healthy eating, and group adventure. I have been privileged enough to take yoga groups on yearly pilgrimages to the hot pools, conducting workshops and yoga challenges, weekend retreats to beautiful locations around the lower North Island, and of course to India. Retreats and group events are a great way to build community and keep excitement and adventure alive for your community.
All I can say in closing is thank you Yoga for the last 20 years and I looking forward to the next 20 years! May we all keep on growing wiser with yoga.
Ali
If you would like to come on one of our retreats, need professional advice on how to run a yoga business, or want me to give a talk at your next yoga conference please don’t hesitate to ask. I am so grateful for all the lessons and insights I have gained from being a studio owner, teacher, and retreat leader for the last 20 years
You can contact me by email at nzyogacentre@gmail.com or phone and leave a message on my business line on 06 327 4108.
Confirmed dates for this trip: Monday November 11th – Sunday November 24th
We will embark on a transformative journey to the heart of yoga, inviting a select group of students to join us on a two-week immersion in Northern India. Our mission is to inspire, connect, and empower individuals through the practice of the 8 limbs of yoga, fostering personal growth, cultural understanding, and a deeper sense of community.
Our commitment is to engage with sacred spaces for self-discovery, embracing the rich traditions of yoga in the land of its origin. We aim to guide our participants on a holistic path of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
As we explore the diverse landscapes and absorb the energy of this ancient land, our mission is to cultivate a supportive community where every participant feels seen, heard, and uplifted. Through daily yoga practice, and shared experiences, we seek to create lasting connections that extend beyond the borders of our journey.
We are dedicated to fostering a deep appreciation for the local culture, respecting the traditions of the communities we encounter, and promoting sustainable and responsible travel. Our mission extends beyond the physical practice of yoga, aiming to instil a sense of mindfulness, compassion, and gratitude that participants can carry with them long after the journey concludes.
Join us on this transformative adventure as we embrace the spirit of yoga across Northern India. Together, let’s create memories, and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
I am really looking forward to leading a new yoga trip to India at the end of 2024. My fellow yoga teacher Milan Magan and I are inviting a small group of intrepid yogis (5-8 people) from New Zealand to Northern India, the original heartland of yoga.
This trip will be a full immersion yoga experience, and it will be the sixth India yoga trip I have led, and the sixteenth time I’ve traveled through India. Milan has also visited India many times and completed his teacher training in Mysore, South India.
We will practice daily asana and meditation, visit sacred places for darshan (viewing sacred sites and entities), eat amazing vegetarian food, and visit some extraordinary places. India is a wild ride and going with a group of like-minded people can really make it a memorable experience.
What makes this trip special is that we incorporate the 8 limbs of yoga, which will help us to detox, reset, and deepen our practice.
Yamas – The group will abstain from consuming meat and alcohol and will step out of Western mindsets of material and emotional attachments
Niyamas – Personal observances include clean living, practicing contentment, self-discipline, self-study and spiritual immersion
Asanas – Physical postures both as morning practice and stretches during and after long walks
Pranayama– Control of the breath and mind, as well as learning mantras to suit specific locations
Pratyahara – Plenty of personal down time for quiet rest and withdrawal of the senses
Dharana – Deepened focus on a variety of beautiful sacred experiences
Dhyana – Guided meditation throughout the trip
Samadhi – Superconscious states that happen when we immerse ourselves fully in the present in divine locations
The five main locations of the trip are:
HARIDWAR & RISHIKESH
After leaving Delhi, our first stop is Haridwar, a famous holy town with hilltop views, sacred bathing sites and a bustling bazaar. We will be based in a beautiful peaceful ashram on the edge of the Ganga – the northern tributary of the river Ganges. We will also visit Maya Devi Temple – a spectacular wish-fulfilling temple.
We will then move on to a few nights in Rishikesh, the ‘Yoga Capital’ of the world. Rishikesh is not only naturally beautiful; it is also jam packed with shops filled with musical instruments, precious stone malas, health food products, yoga clothing, ayurvedic treatments and much more. We will trek to JhilMil and visit the amazing Kali Cave and immerse ourselves in the many wonders of the area.
We will then catch an overnight train to the breathtaking city of Varanasi and explore to the excitement of this ancient place.
Finally, we will head to Barsana, the rural resting place of Ali’s Guruji, Ravananad Saraswati where we will experience the simplicity of rural life. We will also visit in the holy town of Vrindavan and partake in a parikrama (circumambulation) of the town.
These 14 days of yoga cost $2950 and includes:
15 nights accommodation (including the first night in Delhi)
Morning yoga and guided meditation with two qualified yoga teachers
Light breakfast, tasty beverages like chai and lassi and full sit-down vegetarian lunches or dinners daily
Transport costs around India during itinerary (trains, taxis, auto rickshaws)
Guided walks to exciting locations and sacred destinations, with plenty of interesting local knowledge along the way
Liaising with and guiding yogis prior to and during the trip
Gifts for each person that will enhance the adventure
Donations to sadhus and selected local families
This trip does not include:
Airfares (around $1700 return), online India visa ($50), immunizations (not compulsory), or travel insurance (optional)
Confirmed dates for this trip: Monday November 11th – Sunday November 24th
Leave NZ on Saturday 9th and arrive in Delhi Sunday 10th. Fly out from Delhi Sunday evening November 24th or stay on and enjoy the wonderful sights of India and choose your own time to fly home.
Day 0 – arrive in New Delhi and settle into the hotel. We will get together as a group for shared discussion and getting to know each other.
Day 1– leave New Delhi for Haridwar on the morning train (5 hours train). Arrive at accommodation and settle in.
Group lunch in Haridwar town 1 pm
Your first afternoon between 2-5 pm is free to explore Haridwar
Late afternoon yoga class overlooking the Ganga (Milan)
Guided meditation – Ganga Darshan (Ali)
Group bonding exercise – Circle of Trust (Ali & Milan)
Evening meal together (optional)
Day 2 – Haridwar excursion
Morning yoga (Milan)
Breakfast
Visit Maya Devi Mandir, Bhairav Mandir, and Bhairav Ghat
Satsang and guided meditation (Ali)
Explore and have lunch at the Main Bazaar
Walk along the riverfront and ghats and visit the famous Hakipauri Ghat
Afternoon is free for your own adventures
Day 3 – Manasa Devi excursion
Ganga snan/ holy bath in the river to cleanse away all old karma (Ali)
Morning Yoga (Milan)
Breakfast
Manasa Devi walk (Ali & Milan)
Group meditation at Manasa Devi Mandir (Ali)
Lunch
Group team building activity
Day 4 – Leave Haridwar and stay in Rishikesh
Morning yoga (Milan)
Morning meditation and group satsang (Ali)
Breakfast
Check out of accommodation and head to Rishkikesh
Afternoon off to explore Rishikesh – you may book an Ayurvedic treatment, go shopping, or book a bungy jump.
Meet up again as a group at 5 pm
Evening river darshan and Gratitude Circle
Evening dinner together as a group
Day 5 – Rishikesh
Morning yoga (Collaborative/ Partner Yoga)
Breakfast
JhilMil excursion via Neelkantheshwar Mahadev Mandir (Ali)
Stretch en route (Milan)
Group lunch
Evening group discussion (Milan and Ali)
Day 6 – Explore from Ram Jula to Luxman Jula as group
Morning yoga (Milan)
Breakfast
Check out of accommodation, store bags and explore Rishikesh as a group
Group lunch
Leave Rishikesh by taxi and go to Haridwar early evening to catch the overnight train
Everyone is free to journal and to rest on the 20-hour train journey.
Day 7– Arrive Varanasi evening, arrive at accommodation and settle in
Milan and Ali back on duty to organise taxis to accommodation.
Settle into our rooms, then meet again for a big evening meal
Shared reflections on the trip (optional)
Day 8 – Explore Varanasi and evening aarti
Morning yoga (Milan)
Explore the Water Temple, winding back streets, Kali fort and enjoy a peaceful meditation (Ali)
Group lunch and delicious lassi
Evening meditation
Attend aarti ceremony (Ali)
Day 9 – Boat trip and northern Varanasi
Morning yoga (Milan)
Morning meditation on the smashan (Ali)
Breakfast
Boat trip and group lunch
Explore the northern parts of Varanasi
Evening Yin Yoga (Kelley)
Day 10- Half day off to explore Varanasi
Rest day from yoga and group activities so we can personally reflect on the journey
Check out of rooms at noon and store luggage at hotel
Gather together at hotel foyer for 1 pm lunch (buy provisions for train to Mathura)
Day 11 – Arrive Mathura/ Barsana morning
Taxi from Mathura train station to Barsana
Check into accommodation in Barsana and have breakfast
Visit ashram and participate in cultural immersion at Guruji’s ashram (Ali)
Visit the local village and temple (Ali)
Afternoon yoga at the ashram or temple (Milan)
Evening meal in Barsana
Day 12 – Explore Lodhauli
Morning yoga (Milan)
Breakfast
Village temple tour & sadhu darshan (Ali)
Forest bathing meditation (Ali)
Lunch at the ashram
Evening walk up to Radha temple (Ali)
Day 13 – Vrindavan
Morning yoga (Milan)
Guided breath + meditation (Ali)
Breakfast
Travel to Vrindavan auto/taxis/bus + check into accommodation
Day excursion parikrama (Milan)
Look around and enjoy group lunch
Day 14- Explore the local area
Radha kirtan (Ali)
Breakfast
Closing ceremony and group reflection session
Final group lunch
People who need to fly out will head back from Chhata to Delhi by taxi after lunch
Evening meal with people remaining with the group
Day 15 – Leave Barsana & Return to Delhi or other destinations
Please note this itinerary may be subject to refinement and change.
NZ Yoga Centre - AOTEAROA 
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