Jivamukti: Living Liberation – retreat with Stewart Gilchrist

Join Stewart Gilchrist as he returns to Nepal for an inspirational one week retreat in a stunning Tibetan Buddhist monastery. In a place where ancient yoga traditions are still alive, explore the practical aspects of Astanga yoga – asana, dhyana, pranayama and mantra – and how these can lead to the yogin becoming the Jivamukta: liberated in her lifetime. 

Going beyond name and form, transcending the three gunas, surpassing samadhi and separating mind, body and soul… Stewart combines an exquisite, energetic asana practice with in-depth exploration of philosophy that shows us that yoga is a path to liberation. His teachings will be complemented by visits/hikes to some of the great pilgrimage sites nearby, teachings from the monastery, morning meditation with the monks and plenty of time for quiet contemplation and connecting with the place and its people.

Retreat overview 

Each morning experience morning prayers with the monks in the monastery under the gaze of the huge Amitabha Buddha statue (the largest in Nepal). This is followed by a morning session of dynamic mindful movement with Stewart in the beautiful yoga shala overlooking the hills, within the monastery.   

In the afternoons, workshops with Stewart will comprise of yogasana, meditation, pranayama and mantra, and/or seated teachings that explore how traditional yoga philosophy is interpreted in today’s modern world. 

There will be opportunities to experience the extraordinary location throughout the retreat, with excursions to sacred sites based locally and in Kathmandu (including a half-day hike), and dharma teachings from the monastery.

An exceptional opportunity to be part of a spectacular and welcoming working monastery. 

Stewart Gilchrist

Stewart is known throughout the world of yoga for his popular, innovative, authentic and dynamic classes. He infuses his high energy and challenging teachings with yogic knowledge, as well as his unique charisma, politics and humour. His classes include an emphasis on breath, vinyasa and philosophy with strong physical adjustments. Stewart applies the original teachings of yoga to the modern world to create thought-provoking teachings in modern dharma.

Having trained in astanga and as a Jivamukti teacher, Stewart’s spiritual journey led him to train all over the world with teachers who have had a profound effect on his unique style of teaching.

He offers his eternal gratitude to all his teachers: Sabel Thaim, Jennifer Dale, Hamish, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Swami Niramalanda and Sri K Patthabi Jois. 

Take a look at Stewart’s Ted talk and his Yoga Journal profile. 

The venue

This retreat is hosted in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the foothills of Nepal’s Himalaya’s – the gift of a unique collaboration with Mahalaya.

For Tibetan Buddhists, the hills of Pharping where we immerse for our retreat together is one of the most sacred and important pilgrimage sites, as it is where the second buddha Guru Padmasambhava (“Guru Rinpoche”) attained the state of enlightenment, before going on to establish Buddhism in Tibet. The monastery is surrounded by paddy fields, and the beautiful yoga space within the monastery overlooks the foothills, and – when the weather is clear – gives us stunning views of the sunrise over the snow capped Himalayas.

The monastery which is our home during the retreat makes important contributions to the preservation and sharing of the Buddhist teachings, and our stay there helps to fund education for the many young monks from remote areas of Nepal.

It is the perfect place to go within and practice.

The guest accommodation has spacious and modern rooms, comfortable beds for deep and refreshing sleeps, all with attached bathrooms. 

Accommodation is on a twin-share basis, and the retreat fee includes a delicious, vegetarian and substantial brunch and wonderful healthy dinner each day. 

Course fee and practicalities

The fee is 152,000 Nepali Rupees. At the time of writing, this equates to approx GBP £1020. Payment details will be sent to you on confirmation of your place.

The fee is all-inclusive from when we pick you up centrally to when we return you to our meeting-point at the end. It includes: return transfer from central Kathmandu to the monastery in a comfortable private bus, twin-share accommodation for 7 nights, all your delicious vegetarian meals, world-class teaching from Stewart Gilchrist, trips during the retreat.

Our meeting point will be at a centrally located hotel in Kathmandu from 9am on Sunday 27th September 2020. We will depart for the monastery by private bus at 10am. The airport in Kathmandu (TIA International Airport) is located approximately 45 minutes by taxi (traffic depending) from our meeting point.  

We will return to central Kathmandu by 1pm on Sunday 4th October 2020. From there allow an hour to travel to the airport if you are planning to fly that day. 

Next steps

Simply complete the Registration Form and we’ll help you from there. 

On securing your place with a deposit, we will also send you the retreat welcome pack, full of information to help you plan your visit.

 

 

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