Yoga classes and yoga teacher training by Scott Anderson at Alignment Yoga in Blue Mounds WI and Madison Wisconsin.

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Alignment Yoga India Trip

October 30 - November 15, 2011

View our slideshow gallery of the 2010 trip

India is the source of rich spiritual traditions including Yoga. This tour will focus on exploring specific cultural experiences to augment what we have been studying as yoga practitioners.

Join us for this very special visit to a land rich in diversity and spirituality. Spanning an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers, India is a vast country and includes  dry desert areas, evergreen forests, snowy Himalayas, a long coast, and fertile plains. The years of foreign rule, religious movements, and spiritual discoveries in the ancient land of India have given way to a rich potpourri of social habits, festivals, and customs. Virtually every major religion has a strong connection with India. Buddhism was born in India, so were Sikhism, Jainism and of course Hinduism.  The Zoroastrians, the Jews, the people of Bahai faith, all are found in India in substantial numbers.

Trip Highlights

Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the largest city and capital of Nepal and the namesake of the Kathmandu Valley. Once thought to be the fabled and inaccessible Shangri-La, Kathmandu is now a hub for independent travelers as well as a growing vacation spot.

Delhi
Delhi's culture has been influenced by its lengthy history and historic association as the capital of India. This is exemplified by the many monuments of significance found in the city; the Archaeological Survey of India recognizes 1200 heritage buildings and 175 monuments in Delhi as national heritage sites. The Old City is the site where the Mughals and the Turkic rulers constructed several architectural marvels like the Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque)and Red Fort. Three World Heritage Sites—the Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb—are located in Delhi.

Varanasi
On the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, being one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus of all denominations. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year. It has the holy shrine of Kashi Vishwanath and also one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard river Ganga itself as Goddess Shakti. Vaishnavism and Shaivism have always co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously.

Sarnath
Sarnath, 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, is an important site of the Buddhist Circuit. Buddha came to Sarnath soon after he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya. He delivered his first sermon or Maha Dharma Chakra Pravartan (To Set in Motion the Wheel of Law) at the Deer Park in Sarnath. Emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath 234 BC and erected a stupa here. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD.

Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya is 13 km from Gaya in Bihar. It is the site where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment under a pipal tree after years of search for the truth and knowledge. He attained the supreme enlightenment and became 'The Buddha' or 'the Enlightened One'. Bodhgaya is the most sacred pilgrimage center for Buddhists from all over the world. The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya is listed in the World Heritage Site.

Rajgir
The most important of all associations of the Buddha with Rajgir is that with Vulture's Peak, a small mountain just outside the city. Here, sixteen years after his enlightenment, he set forth the second turning of the wheel of Dharma to an assembly of 5,000 monks, nuns and laity, as well as innumerable bodhisattvas. This collection of teachings, which extended over twelve years, includes the Saddharmapundarika Sutra and the Surangama Samadhi Sutra, as well as many Prajna-paramita Sutras, which, as the Buddha himself told Ananda, contain the very essence of all his teachings.

Nalanda
Although Nalanda is one of the places distinguished as having been blessed by the presence of the Buddha, it later became particularly renowned as the site of the great monastic university of the same name, which was to become the crown jewel of the development of Buddhism in India. The name may derive from one of Shakyamuni's former births, when he was a king whose capital was here. Nalanda was one of his epithets meaning "insatiable in giving."

Special instruction
Participants will also benefit from meditation and yoga instruction by Scott Anderson, cultural teachings by Pema and Pam Atkins, and special teachings by local masters.


Itinerary
This itinerary may be changed as we receive updated travel conditions or other India information from our Delhi-based travel agent.

3 Orientation Sessions and Social Evening (dates are tentative)
Location: Blue Mounds Dharma Center. Time: 6:00 pm-8:15 pm

October 30 – Depart the USA
International airfares are not included in the program price. If you are traveling to India for the first time, we recommend flying on the same airline and itinerary as other members of the group. There are additional benefits to purchasing a group rate ticket. As a courtesy service, Alignment Yoga has reserved a block of airline seats through Middleton Travel. Please contact Judy Sidran within one week of registering to make arrangements for an international ticket.

Judy Sidran
Middleton Travel
2831 Parmenter St.
Middleton, WI 53562
608 256-4744 direct
608 251-1084 fax
608 831-4664 main office

We have been fortunate to secure a low-cost private bus that will go directly from Mound Street Yoga Center in Madison to Chicago. The fee for the bus will be the same low price as the Van Galder - $60 round trip - and will be reserved only for Alignment Yoga participants.

October 31 – Arrive in Delhi

November 1 – Orientation to Majnu KaTilla and depart Delhi

November 2 – Nalanda, Rajgir, arrive in Bodhgaya

November 3 – A day in Bodhgaya
Located in the central part of the state of Bihar, in the northeastern part of India Bodhgaya is associated with the life of Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhist religion. A part of the great Ganges plains and one of the four holiest cities of Buddhism, Bodhgaya is famous for Mahabodhi temple. Situated on the west of the Falgu River, which is a tributary of River Ganga (Ganges), the town is also an important study center of Buddhism. While in Bodhgaya, there may be teachings by local masters. We may arrive during the Monlam, or great peace festival

November 4 – Visit to Mahakala Cave

November 5 – Visit to Mahakala Cave

November 6 – Arrival in Varnassi
Being the oldest city of the world and an important Hindu pilgrimage center, Varanasi attracts a large number of people from all over the world. For centuries, Varanasi is famous for spiritualism, mysticism, Indian philosophy and Hinduism. The Ganga Ghats (river fronts) are the main center of religious activities and rituals and also form one of the main attractions of Varanasi. The Alamgir Mosque, blend of the Hindu and Mughal styles of the architecture, is another important attraction of Varanasi. Some of the most important temples of Varanasi are Durga temple, Vishwanath temple, Sankat Mochan temple, Tulsi Manas temple and the Bharat Mata temple.

November 7 – A day in Varnassi

November 8 – Transition to Delhi

November 9 – Fly to Kathmandu
As the largest (and pretty much the only) city in the country, Kathmandu also feels like another developing-world city rushing into a modern era of concrete and traffic. Take a walk in the backstreets, however, and the capital's amazing cultural and artistic heritage reveals itself in hidden temples overflowing with marigolds, courtyards full of drying chillis and rice, and tiny hobbit-sized workshops largely unchanged since the Middle Ages.

November 10 – A day in Kathmandu: Swayambunath, Osel Ling

November 11 – A day in Kathmandu: Kopan, Nagi Gompa

November 12 – A day in Kathmandu: Pharping, Ganesh and Tara temple

November 13 – Depart for Delhi

November 14 – A day in Delhi

Retreat Staff
Scott Anderson, Retreat Leader
Pema Antoniotti, Retreat Coordinator
Nagindas Sanghavi, Cultural Liaison
Pamela Atkins, Cultural Liaison

Travel & Accommodations
All domestic travel is included in the package. Travel inside Delhi will be via train and private mid-class luxury bus, though it is possible that we may take a flight. We will stay at clean backpacker style guesthouses in double rooms. Meals will be on your own at your expense. Alignment Yoga will provide one vegetarian meal on each major travel day. Entry fees at local sites are included in the price of the trip.

International airfares are not included in the program price. If you are traveling to India for the first time, we recommend flying on the same airline and itinerary as other members of the group. There are additional benefits to purchasing a group rate ticket. As a courtesy service, Alignment Yoga has reserved a block of airline seats through Middleton Travel. Please contact Judy Sidran within one week of registering to make arrangements for an international ticket.

Judy Sidran
Middleton Travel
2831 Parmenter St.
Middleton, WI 53562
608 256-4744-direct
608 251-1084-fax
608 831-4664- main office

If possible, group transportation from Madison to the Chicago O'Hare airport will be arranged for trip participants.

Passports & VISAs
Travel to India requires both a passport and VISA. The new government regulation is that passports must be current for up to 6 months beyond the completion of your return trip with enough blank pages (2) to accommodate a visa. For passport information and applications, visit http://travel.state.gov/passport and for information on VISAs, visit https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com.

Fees & Registration
The total cost is $2,100 for registrations received before April 1, 2011. Afterwards, the cost is $2,400. This does not include international airfare. To reserve your space, please submit a $500 deposit, by either registering online or sending a check to:

Alignment Yoga
PO Box 144
Blue Mounds, WI 53517



Testimonials

Scott approaches his classes with intelligence, discipline and knowledge. His knowledge of anatomy provides a language with which to communicate the body alignment desired, and his knowledge of biomechanics provides a basis for understanding the many challenging postures. His intelligence and intuition facilitate his perception and response to individual difficulties with the postures, that might result from previous injury or misalignment. His problem solving skills and his genuine desire to see each of his students overcome obstacles is impressive. He always attends to his students' needs, which is why there is such a great rate of improvement in his classes.

-Ellen B, Tucson

Alignment Yoga - Box 144, Blue Mounds, WI 53517 - (608) 437-5931 -

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