How big is the group?

A maximum of twelve travellers, plus two guides. Often it's smaller — around eight to ten. Intimate by design.

Is accommodation shared, or can I have my own room?

Accommodation is twin-share throughout, and sharing is genuinely part of the journey — the connection and growth that come from travelling closely together. That said, a limited number of single rooms may be available by application; the single-room supplement is priced on application, so just ask.

I treasure my own space / I feel I've done enough "growth" in my life — is this still for me?

I hear this with great warmth. A yātrā is meant to gently stretch us, and twin-share is part of that. If private space matters to you, a single room (by application, supplement priced on application) is the practical answer — and everything on the journey is an invitation you can step toward or rest from, day by day.

What do the days look like?

A personal self-practice each morning (designed for you by Dr. NC and taught to you by his son or daughter), then collective chanting, meditation, inquiry and circle time. Most days hold one guided activity, then free time to wander, rest or explore. Some evenings hold a gentle wind-down practice. There's no formal group āsana class — that's intentional.

Do I have to wear a sari?

Not at all — it's entirely optional. Many travellers wear simple linen instead. Where we do dress in sari, it's with reverence, and it's received with real gratitude by our hosts as appreciation, not appropriation. We always dress respectfully for temples.

Is the food good? I'm gluten-free / a careful eater.

Wonderful, and very gluten-free friendly (so much is rice- and lentil-based). Two meals a day are included, with snacks in between, and I often order for the table so you needn't think about it.

What about comfort — are there spa or Ayurvedic options?

Where we travel isn't set up for Western-style spa treatments, so I don't build those in. If you'd love some deep rest, the loveliest option is to add a few days in Kerala by the sea afterwards — Sanjay can arrange it.

I'm a little nervous about being in a group / who'll be there / how I'll cope.

This is the most common worry of all, and it's so understandable. What I've found, again and again, is that profound trust and healing come from journeying together — we learn to accept each other exactly as we are. Holding the group well is a central part of my role.

How do I get there, and what about visas and insurance?

No direct flights from Australia — usually via Singapore, or Bangalore/Delhi with a connection. Arrive a night or two early if you can. Visa via iVisaTravel.com; travel insurance within 30 days of booking. We'll guide you through all of it.

Can I extend my trip?

Absolutely. Many travellers add time in Kerala or elsewhere. Sanjay Kapoor at Unique Voyages, my agent of fifteen years, will look after anything beyond the yātrā.

Am I "spiritual enough" or experienced enough in yoga for this?

Yes. There's no level to reach and no test to pass. Travellers arrive with all kinds of backgrounds — some seasoned teachers, some near the very beginning. What matters is curiosity and an open heart. Dr. NC's personal practice is designed for you, exactly where you are, and everything else is an invitation, never a requirement.

Is it self-indulgent to spend this on myself?

I understand the question deeply — so many of the women who come have spent years putting everyone else first. I'd gently offer that this isn't indulgence; it's a long-overdue turning toward yourself. As one traveller put it before she'd even arrived: I need, and I deserve, that this year.

Honestly — is India too much? Is it safe?

India is intense, and I won't pretend otherwise — that honesty is part of how I keep you safe. But the whole journey is built to hold you: a trusted guide, a small group, every decision handled, and a deliberate rhythm that moves us in and out of the intensity so your nervous system can rest. You won't be meeting India alone. You'll be held the whole way through.

It's two weeks away — what if I'm not sure I can be gone that long, or that I'll cope?

That uncertainty is so normal, and it's usually fear talking rather than truth. Two weeks is precisely what allows the journey to do its work — to soften, deepen and integrate. And you won't be coping alone; being held in a group is exactly what makes the hard and beautiful moments bearable, and then treasured.

Southern India Yātrā

A SPIRITUAL IMMERSION

January 9th - 23rd 2027

From the Moutains to the sea

Southern India Yoga Retreat & Spiritual Pilgrimage 2027

Join us for a 15-day yoga and spiritual pilgrimage through Southern India, exploring the sacred temples, ancient traditions and cultural heart of Tamil Nadu. Guided by Rachel, who has been leading retreats and pilgrimages through India since 2014, this immersive journey includes temple visits, yoga philosophy, meditation, chanting, cultural experiences, local cuisine and meaningful connections with respected teachers and guides. Whether you are a yoga student, teacher, or simply seeking a transformative travel experience, this retreat offers a unique opportunity to experience India beyond the tourist path.

Our Itinerary

Retreat Costs

About Your Host

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South India Retreat,
At a glance

This will be an immersive spiritual pilgrimage through the sacred landscapes of Southern India.

✓ Visit some of Southern India's most sacred temples

✓ Experience the spiritual energy of Tiruvannamalai

✓ Explore the French Quarter of Pondicherry

✓ Daily yoga, meditation and reflection practices

✓ Authentic cultural experiences beyond the tourist path

✓ Travel with an experienced India retreat leader

✓ Small group connection and personalised support

✓ Nourishing South Indian cuisine

This Journey May Be For You If...

You feel called to experience India beyond the typical tourist route.
You are seeking a deeper connection to yoga, spirituality and self-discovery.
You value meaningful travel, culture and authentic experiences.
You are travelling solo and appreciate the support of a guided group.
You are ready to step away from everyday life and immerse yourself in something transformative.

Register Your Interest

Hello dear one,

Perhaps you've longed to go to India for years, but the thought of going alone, of facing the logistics and the intensity by yourself, has always held you back. Perhaps you're standing at a threshold in your life, craving not another holiday but a trip with real meaning and purpose. Perhaps a quiet voice has begun to say: I’m ready..

If any of that lands, keep reading..

This is not a tour, and it isn't quite a retreat. It's a yātrā, a Sanskrit word for a journey undertaken for spiritual purposes. A journey through the heart of yoga, through my favourite Indian state and home away from home, Tamil Nadu. I've been leading these journeys for eleven years. My first was in 2014, guiding groups through both the north and the south of India. Each one gathers the people and places that have guided and blessed me over the years, and together we make new discoveries, new memories and new friends.

There's an old line I use incessantly: you can never step in the same river twice. Every year the trip is new, new faces, everyone changing, India herself never the same. And yet there's a depth that comes from returning to the same beloved places again and again. Like returning to the heart, each visit reveals something new while also bringing us closer to what is enduring. That's the gift I want to share with you.'

If you're standing at the threshold of your decision, the next step is to fill in the application on the website.

Rachel xx

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Come and explore India with us

Our South India Retreat Itinerary

Chennai

9–12 January · 3 nights · the soft landing

Our yātrā begins in Chennai with a gentle arrival designed to help you settle into India. We stay at the beautiful Taj Connemara, allowing time to rest, recover from travel and ease into the rhythm of the journey. Chennai is also the home of the Krishnamacharya yoga tradition, and our first days are spent studying with Dr NC and his family. Through philosophy, chanting and personal practice, you'll be introduced to the deeper meaning of the sacred sites we will visit and receive an individualised sādhana to support your pilgrimage.

Alongside our time at the shala, we'll explore some of my favourite local restaurants, boutiques and cultural treasures while acclimatising to life in India. As international flights often arrive late and there are no direct routes from Australia, I recommend arriving one or two nights early if possible. It is a wonderful way to settle the nervous system, adjust to the time zone and begin your Indian pilgrimage feeling rested and ready.

12–15 January · 3 nights · Śiva through the mountain

Tiruvannamalai is one of India's most sacred pilgrimage destinations, centred around Arunachala, the revered mountain said to embody the light and consciousness of Lord Śiva. It is here that our yātrā truly begins. Over several days we immerse ourselves in the spiritual heart of this holy town through sunrise meditation, the traditional Girivalam pilgrimage walk around the mountain, visits to sacred temples and time spent in the presence of Arunachala itself.

We also visit the cave and ashram of the great sage Ramana Maharshi, whose teachings continue to draw seekers from around the world. Alongside our group practices, you'll have plenty of space for personal reflection, journalling, meditation and exploration. With its vibrant café culture, chai shops and welcoming atmosphere, Tiruvannamalai offers a beautiful balance of pilgrimage, spiritual practice and rest.

Tiruvannamalai

15–17 January · 2 nights · the town of the senses

From the sacred slopes of Arunachala, we travel to the coastal town of Pondicherry, where French colonial history meets South Indian culture. Staying in the heart of the French Quarter, this part of the journey offers a gentler pace, with beautiful architecture, seaside promenades, boutique shopping, vibrant cafés and space to simply enjoy the experience of being in India.

During our time here, we'll explore the town by bicycle, participate in a traditional South Indian cooking class and visit a Gaṇeśa temple to mark the next stage of our pilgrimage. Pondicherry offers a beautiful balance of culture, rest and sensory delight, with plenty of free time for wandering, journalling, ocean walks, or simply soaking up the atmosphere before our deeper temple journey continues.

Pondicherry

South India spiritual journeySouth India spiritual journey

Chitambaram

17–20 January · 3 nights · the dance of consciousness

Chidambaram is one of the most important sacred temple towns in South India and home to the famous Nataraja Temple, where Lord Śiva is worshipped as the Cosmic Dancer. Deeply connected to the history of yoga and the teachings of Patañjali, this is a place where philosophy, devotion and living tradition come together. Guided by local priests and dear friends, we experience the temple in a way few visitors do, with access to rituals, stories and cultural insights that bring the sacred symbolism of this extraordinary place to life.

Our days in Chidambaram include temple visits, morning practice, seva projects within the local community, and opportunities to connect with both the spiritual and human heart of the region. We also visit nearby temples and have the option to explore the beautiful Pichavaram Mangrove Forest, a vast network of waterways rich with birdlife and natural beauty. This is a deeply immersive part of the pilgrimage, offering a rare glimpse into the living traditions, culture and spirituality of South India.

Thanjavur

17–20 January · 3 nights · the dance of consciousness

After the intensity of Chidambaram, Thanjavur offers space to rest, reflect and integrate the experiences of the pilgrimage. With comfortable accommodation, time to slow down and opportunities for personal reflection, this stop provides a welcome pause before the final stages of our journey.

Thanjavur is home to the magnificent Bṛhadīśvara Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the greatest achievements of Chola architecture. Guided by a local historian, we explore the history, symbolism and enduring legacy of this extraordinary temple dedicated to Lord Śiva. The region is also renowned for its traditional arts, including Thanjavur paintings and intricate metalwork, offering a beautiful glimpse into South India's rich artistic heritage.

Madurai

21–23 January · 2 nights · into the arms of the Mother

Our pilgrimage concludes in Madurai, home to the magnificent Meenakshi Amman Temple, one of India's most important Śakti temples. Dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareśwarar, the temple celebrates the union of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine and offers a beautiful culmination to our journey through South India's sacred landscape. Guided by a local expert, we'll explore its rich mythology, symbolism and living traditions.

Beyond the temple, Madurai invites us to wander its vibrant markets, discover artisan jewellery and traditional crafts, and enjoy time for quiet reflection before returning home. We also visit the former home of Ramana Maharshi for meditation and stay in comfortable accommodation, giving space to integrate the experiences of the yātrā before continuing your travels or journeying home.

Itinerary

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“It surpassed all expectations. The group was wonderfully diverse yet perfectly aligned, with such a lovely dynamic. Each day offered both stability and flexibility, with just the right balance of planning and spaciousness. Everything contributed to an experience that invited me to choose a different attitude.”

Sue S

“The destinations we visited revealed so much about the way of life in Southern India. I was thoroughly delighted and impressed by how lovely the people are immediately attractive in their warmth, their manners so graceful, and the children beautiful. It was a true taste of Southern India.” Robyn

Why India. Why me.

I first went to India in 2006. I'd come back to England after years in Australia, had just ended a long relationship, and for reasons I still can't fully explain, it simply came to me that I needed to go. I went with two girlfriends and took myself off to an ashram in the south.

Looking back, I think India was always part of my journey. My parents hitchhiked to Australia for their honeymoon in 1970 through India, up around the Khyber Pass, the old Hippie Trail. I grew up looking at their photographs of the Taj Mahal and the mountains, so something was already in my bones.

When I first sat in an ashram and heard the chanting, the drums, the celebration of kirtan at dawn, something in me recognised it. The same deep human longing for oneness, just wearing different clothes.

When I came home, I trained as a yoga teacher in Sydney, and fell in love with the chanting, the scripture, the philosophy, not the parts I was supposed to love. I was already working as a psychotherapist, and one day I wondered: what if yoga and yoga therapy could go together? I Googled it, and that search led me to my teacher, Dr Chandrasekaran, in Chennai. I completed a three-year postgraduate diploma in yoga therapy with him, and I've been returning to India and to his family ever since.

This yātrā is how I begin my year. It's the highlight of my whole calendar. It's where I get to visit the people and places that have shaped my practice, my life and my purpose — and share them with you.

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About Your Host

“Just divine insight and presence by Rachel in the practices, design of yatra, and as our friend. Whether it was health or other challenges that emerged, Rachel listens with a compassionate heart and supportive wisdom that is a rare gem. India is like no other country to visit. To know Rach was walking alongside me in all of these experiences, the learning, and unravelling was golden....thank you always Rach. And...the humour and laughs were always bubbling amongst us all because you encouraged us to be free! I headed home with one distinctive thought...anything is now possible, and it has been true.”

~ Louise 2023~

South India Yatra 2027 Retreat

Honestly, not logistical dramas. The deeper challenge is witnessing the fullness of life — the joy and beauty and richness, and also the poverty, and things that can be hard to come to terms with. In the West, so much of life happens behind closed doors; in India, the whole cycle is visible. We meet it together, and we hold each other through it. That holding is part of what makes the journey so rich.

“This has been a truly magical spiritual journey, exactly what I had been longing for. It has been amazing to be guided by you, Rachel — you are a beautiful teacher inside and out and along the way I have made wonderful friends. Most of all, I have learnt to love.” Vanessa

“My experience exceeded all expectations. Dr NC was the highlight to meet such a remarkable man with such great talent was unforgettable. This journey has taught me to look inward for the answers to everything, and it has inspired me to begin my yoga journey.”

Dan

How I hold this journey

India is the teacher. This is the truest thing I can tell you about how I work. I don't do a great deal of teaching when we're there, because there's already so much arriving through the experience itself. My role is to hold the space, to walk alongside you, and to help tease out whatever is rising. This isn't my tradition — I'm a devoted visitor — so wherever I can, I lead you to people who live this culture, and let them teach. You'll learn from priests, from a temple dancer, from my teacher and his family. I'm the guide of the journey.

We move in and out of the intensity. India is a lot for the nervous system — that's part of her gift and part of her challenge, and I won't sugarcoat it. So this journey is deliberately paced. We zoom in to full immersion — simple hotels, temple towns where the whole place is alive with worship — and then we zoom out and soften again: a pool, a spacious room, time to rest and digest what's moved through us. The simplicity isn't a compromise; it's chosen, a little tapas for the soul. And then we cushion it, so your system can integrate.

Everything is taken care of. From the moment you book, you're held. I help with visas and flights and all the fiddly bits beforehand, and once we're travelling, I take the decisions off your plate — I order the meals, flag the autos, negotiate the price. Past travellers describe it as authentic travel without the decision-making. All the overwhelm that can come with independent travel in India simply falls away, leaving you free to be present. (I'll boss you around a little — but only with great love.)

A firm foundation, with room for magic. I plan thoroughly, but I always leave space for spontaneity. Some of the most treasured moments arrive unplanned like finding a group of devotees singing bhajans, a sunrise we hadn't scheduled, something a fellow traveller researches and we simply add. That's how I love to travel: held, but open.

An intimate group — never the red umbrella. I take a maximum of twelve travellers, plus two of us guiding. Often it's fewer — around eight to ten. Following a red umbrella on a commercial tour is my idea of a nightmare. I want this to feel like a group of friends making their way through India together. We arrive as strangers and leave as friends — and the friendships formed on these journeys have been some of their greatest gifts.

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INVESTMENT & BOOKING

Retreat Costs

Inclusions

Transfers if you arrive and depart on the dates the yātrā begins and finishes (if not, you'll arrange your own — we'll help you)
Twin-share accommodation at a variety of hotels and B&Bs (star ratings vary by location and local availability) — sharing and group travel is where the connection and growth live. A limited number of single rooms may be available by application; single-room supplement priced on application
An air-conditioned bus and an experienced driver throughout
Regular chanting practices; yoga self-practice encouraged (a yoga therapy consultation is available at additional cost)
Regular circle time to process our experiences
A traditional South Indian cooking class
Cycling tour of Pondicherry
Sari/lungi tying workshop
Temple rituals and ceremonies with special guides
Two meals a day at all locations
All tips

Exclusions

A yoga therapy consultation with Dr. NC, available at an additional cost (~$100 AUD)
Alcoholic drinks
Additional room service or meals outside the group arrangements
Additional rickshaws if you'd like to head out independently
Additional travel — happily arranged via Sanjay at Unique Voyages
Additional tips and charitable donations, should you wish to give
We suggest a maximum of ~$350 AUD spending money, unless you'd like to shop

Investment & booking

$6,995.00 AUD

This journey is strictly limited to twelve travellers — it's what keeps it intimate, personal, and nothing like following a red umbrella. After not running in 2025, the 2027 yātrā is a long-awaited return, and places are already filling. If it's calling you, I'd love you not to wait.

Accommodation is twin-share throughout. A limited number of single rooms may be available by application — the single-room supplement is priced on application, so please ask and I'll let you know.

Pay in full, or spread the cost over a payment plan. Whichever you choose, the journey needs to be paid in full by 1 October 2026. A sample payment plan: