Does anybody know about yoga and vipassana retreats?

[Juan]

I want to enter fully in a long retreat, maybe for about a year or more. And I would like it to be in a healthy balance between physical yoga and the theravada tradition. Does anybody know about a place where I can find this, like a monastery or retreat place?
Thank you very much.

[mettajoey]

I don't know but it sounds like a fantastic time!
I'm jealous... 

[Juan]

I'm sure it is! I practice both and they do complemet each other great

[Matthew]

Juan,

Hi ... I think your best opportunities for this kind of retreat would be found in India or maybe Thailand - where there are many ashrams offering such - searching the web and seeking for personal recommendations would be where I would begin.

Doing such a long retreat in India will cost 1/5th of what it would cost in the west. I cant personally recommend anything too you but I will try and look around to see what  can find.

Matthew

[Juan]

THANX!!!!

[pamojjam]

Hi Juan,

I want to enter fully in a long retreat, maybe for about a year or more. And I would like it to be in a healthy balance between physical yoga and the theravada tradition. Does anybody know about a place where I can find this, like a monastery or retreat place?
Thank you very much.

Depends, if you already are educated in hatha yoga, or if you would need to attend regular yoga classes? In many meditation retreat places in South Asia you have your own kuti to stay in, and in there wouldn't distract others with yoga exercises.

An other approach always possible especially in India would be to attend yoga classes and do your practice yourself in between. Or alternate yoga classes with 10-day meditation retreats.

kind regards..

[Stefan]

Hei Juan,

I never heard that Hatha Yoga and Vipassana are mixed up in special retreats ... if you find a place where this is done, then I'm curious to hear more from you ....

... hmmm, considering the fact you didn't post for quite a while then maybe you have found this place already? Sit well ...!

Metta, Stefan

[pamojjam]

Hi again,

a good place to start in India would be the winter time in Bodhgaya (where the Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree). You would meet lots of travelers of all Buddhist traditions - and all recent informations about retreat places. And the climate is most bearable at this time there.

There at the Thai temple there are two 10-day Vipassana retreats in a row in January where, when I participated in '96, some participants did Hatha Yoga at times. A third 10-day retreat more into communication would follow in Sarnath afterwards (where the Buddha started to teach for the first time). These Vipassana retreats are traditionally held since the seventies each year by Christopher Titmus and various other mainly western teachers. Some of them also steeped in advaita vedanta. Vipassana there also actively includes sounds, thoughts, etc.

Get the most recent informations here:
http://www.insightmeditation.org/index.php/welcome/eng/india

On this website you also will find an extensive list of retreat places in India, South Asia and the world.

enjoy..

[cdubx]

Hi Juan-

I work with Karuna Meditation Center in Kamala on Phuket. The main practice is Vipassana from the Anapanasati and Satipatthana Suttas. We have quite a few westerners involved in residential retreat there. All of the teachers are western and speak English, all have been monks or nuns at some point in their lives and have traveled extensively in India, Burma, Thailand, and Tibet doing pilgrimage and retreat.

With Metta,
Christian

[nostroaccount]

Hola Juan!
If you want a healthy balance, you can go to McLeodganj in India.
Loads of yoga classes there.
Best thing is that there is a Vipassana meditation center there too on the hills.
You can take one course of 10 days on the hill, then come and stay on the foot of the hills for 20 days and practice yoga. you can repeat this cycle.
They also allow you to meditate in the center just for group sittings.
McLeodganj is a famous city in north India.....you would have heard this name bcoz the Dalai Lama lives here.
Feliz Navidad y nuevo aneos.