INDIA 2027
Ashtanga, Gestalt and Cultural Retreat
20 April to 7 May 2027
New Delhi, Rishikesh and Ananda Lok, India
India asks for presence. The river asks for listening. Practice gives form to what is ready to emerge.
BOOK NOW
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE RETREAT PDF
CHOOSE YOUR JOURNEY
India 2027 is offered in two distinct stages. You may join Stage 1, Stage 2 or continue through the full journey.
Stage 1 is a cultural immersion led by Germán Garro and Leandro “Leo” Giovinazzo.
Stage 2 is the Ashtanga and Gestalt retreat at Ananda Lok, with Santina Giardina Chard as the principal teacher and facilitator.
Santina is not teaching or participating in Stage 1. She joins the journey for Stage 2 at Ananda Lok.
STAGE 1
Cultural Immersion
20 to 30 April 2027
New Delhi and Rishikesh
Led by Germán Garro and Leandro “Leo” Giovinazzo
Stage 1 begins with four days at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in New Delhi, an oasis within the city. The experience includes ashram practice, meditation, markets, tuk tuks and visits to the Taj Mahal and Akshardham Temple.
On 24 April, the group travels to Rishikesh and stays at Yoga Niketan Ashram on the Ganges. The ashram offers Hatha Yoga, alignment, meditation, philosophy, gardens, a library and a terrace overlooking the river. The cultural program also includes visits to Kunjapuri Temple and Neelkanth Village.
Germán and Leo provide cultural guidance and practical support throughout Stage 1.
Stage 1 Investment
Early bird payment by 30 November 2026
Shared room: US$500
Single room: US$600
Payment from 1 December 2026
Shared room: US$600
Single room: US$700
STAGE 2
Ashtanga and Gestalt Retreat at Ananda Lok
1 to 7 May 2027
Ananda Lok, 22 kilometres upriver from Rishikesh
Principal teacher and facilitator: Santina Giardina Chard
Stage 2 takes place at Ananda Lok, a retreat house built into the forested hillside above the Ganges. The retreat begins with check in before 4:00 pm on 1 May, followed by orientation and dinner.
Each morning begins with Mysore style Ashtanga taught by Santina. After breakfast, Santina facilitates the Gestalt group process. Afternoons are free for swimming, rest, walking or visiting Rishikesh. Germán leads evening kriya and Yoga Sutra study.
Morning Mysore
Each morning, Mysore style practice becomes an investigation into emotional anatomy. The sequence gives form, gravity gives truth and the bones give direction. Santina works individually with how each student organises themselves: where movement begins, where support disappears, and where pressure, collapse or stopped impulse enter the posture.
Through the feet, long bones, kidneys, cavities and inner volume, the body reveals what has been organised beneath habit, effort and will. As support becomes more available, breath, feeling and movement can reorganise from within.
Gestalt Group Process
After breakfast, we meet in Gestalt group process. One person may bring forward what is alive for them and, with Santina, follow it through sensation, breath, gesture, speech and relationship.
Santina tracks where contact is interrupted: where explanation replaces experience, the breath stops, the body braces, or attention leaves the self to manage the room. She supports the person to return to what they feel, need and know.
The group witnesses the work, offers resonance rather than advice, and becomes part of the living field in which familiar relational patterns can be experienced in real time. Individual work, dialogue and embodied experiments allow a new response to emerge and be integrated within the support of the group.
Stage 2 Investment
Early bird payment by 30 November 2026
Shared room: US$1,500
Single room: US$1,600
Payment from 1 December 2026
Shared room: US$1,600
Single room: US$1,700
THE FULL JOURNEY
New Delhi, Rishikesh and Ananda Lok
20 April to 7 May 2027
The full journey combines the cultural immersion led by Germán and Leo with the Ashtanga and Gestalt retreat led by Santina at Ananda Lok.
Full Journey Investment
Early bird payment by 30 November 2026
Shared room: US$2,000
Single room: US$2,200
Payment from 1 December 2026
Shared room: US$2,200
Single room: US$2,400
Different room types may be selected for Stage 1 and Stage 2.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
• Accommodation and meals from 20 April through breakfast on 7 May
• Taj Mahal and Akshardham Temple excursions
• Kunjapuri Temple and Neelkanth Village excursions
• Transfers between Delhi, Rishikesh and Ananda Lok
• All scheduled teaching, practices and group processes
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
• International flights
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure
• Indian tourist visa
• Travel medical insurance
• Yellow fever vaccination when required
• Air conditioning at Yoga Niketan, approximately US$8 per day and payable directly at the ashram
RESERVATIONS
A US$200 nonrefundable deposit confirms your reservation. The deposit is deducted from the final retreat price.
A WhatsApp group will be created to coordinate forms, meeting points, possible flights and transfers.
A valid passport and Indian tourist visa are required. Guidance with the online visa process will be provided.
Shoulders and upper legs must remain covered in ashrams and sacred places.
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE RETREAT
INFORMATION
Download the India 2027 PDF for the complete itinerary, accommodation options, teaching
program, prices, inclusions and travel preparation.
QUESTIONS AND BOOKINGS
Bookings can be made through Santina’s website, email or WhatsApp.
Stage 1 enquiries may also be directed to Germán at Anahata:
Instagram: @anahatayogapatagonia