3-week Panchakarma and Chant Rejuvenation Retreat

This three-week Panchakarma and chant retreat in South India is an immersion in the healing arts of āyurveda and sound yoga therapy. It is led by Anandra, who teaches Sanskrit mantra chanting and sound yoga therapy, and it is open to anyone drawn to ayurveda, mantra and the use of sound for rejuvenation, whether or not they have sung before.

The retreat belongs to Anandra's Heart of Sound series, in which people gather as a community to settle into the practices of mantra, music and rest. Here, that rhythm is paired with the ayurvedic tradition of Panchakarma and with the setting of South India.

What to Expect

The retreat runs for three weeks, long enough to move past a quick break and into steady, daily practice. Its two strands are āyurveda and sound yoga therapy, and they are meant to be taken together.

Heart of Sound retreats are built around daily devotional mantra and music sessions, where the aim is to find your own voice and sing for your own pleasure. Across the series, the practices include:

- Sanskrit mantra chanting, with attention to the living vibration of each alphabet sound and to more refined pronunciation
- The Tantrik, non-dual view of the Sanskrit alphabet as a language of conscious creation
- The tones of Indian music (Sa, Re, Ga and so on) and devotional songs based on Indian rāga
- Tools for self-regulating the nervous system, for physical, emotional and mental health
- Ways to build a home chant practice that lasts after you return

There is room for play, spaciousness and rest, and for time in nature. Study sessions are offered for those who like to go deeper, and you are welcome to skip them if you simply want to be on retreat.

About Anandra

Anandra has led nearly 100 retreats over a 25-year career and teaches sound yoga therapy and Sanskrit mantra chanting with a global chant community. She is the founder of the Heart of Sound teacher training programs, which are registered at the 200-hour and 500-hour levels with Yoga Alliance. Participants describe her teaching as encouraging, and she is known for approaching mantra with skill, not dogma.

Before You Go

No experience is needed. Non-musicians and musicians, introverts and extroverts, and people of any age, ability, gender, nationality, or religious or non-religious background are welcome.

A Sanskrit 101 course is included, which gives a basic foundation in mantra pronunciation if you take part in it.

The retreat also counts as in-person hours toward the Heart of Sound 200-hour and 500-hour Yoga Alliance teacher trainings, and package deals combining a retreat with training are available. Yoga Alliance registered teachers can use the retreat toward their annual 40 hours of continuing education.