YogAnga Retreat
Schedule & Dates
Courses & Schedule at YogAnga Retreat
YogAnga Retreat at Sri Santosh Puri Ashram offers a range of residential Yoga and Ayurveda courses throughout the year. Rooted in traditional teachings, these programs support both study and direct experience within an authentic ashram environment.
Courses are scheduled according to the lunar cycle (Hindu calendar), creating a natural rhythm for practice and learning. Guests may join specific courses, come for a personal or silent retreat, or simply follow the daily routine of the ashram.
Life at the ashram is closely connected to the rhythm of traditional Indian festivals. You may choose to plan your stay to coincide with these moments. Key festival dates are included in the schedule below.
Explore the different courses below, and scroll down to view upcoming dates and schedule.
Residential Courses and Retreat Descriptions
Ayurveda One Month Residential Intensive Training Certificate Course
Sanskrit scriptural foundation meets real life relate-ability, where you will learn the basics of principals, diagnosis, treatments, medicinal plants & preparing medicine, in this One Month Intensive Ayurveda Certificate Residential Training Course.
Patanjali Yoga Sutras Lecture Courses
Patanjali Yoga Sutras Philosophy lecture course with Ganga Puri gives an introduction to Jñana Yoga in four chapters: Samadhi, Sadhana, Vibhuti, and Kaivalya. Take your yoga practice to the next level by gaining a deeper understanding of the eight limbs of yoga.
YogAnga Retreat France, at St Izaire
YogAnga Retreat France: Ananda Mataji Hermitage at St Izaire carries the spirit of Santosh Puri Ashram, from the banks of the Ganga River all the way to the banks of the Dourdou de Camares River in the South of France. For our European Friends who can't travel all the way to India, but miss the daily routine of a sadhana retreat.
Ayurveda Theory Two Week Residential and Online Courses
Sanskrit scriptural foundation meets real life relate-ability: learn the basics principals to help you lead a healthy Ayurvedic lifestyle, in this two week Ayurveda Theory Online Course.
Hatha Yoga: Asana & Pranayama
Explore various techniques of traditional Hatha Yoga: Asana & Pranayama by deepening your practice by living a spiritual life within a residential ashram environment. All will benefit from our general guest asana classes, whether you are a beginner or have previous experience.
Yogic Sukṣma Vyāyām Courses
Alaknanda Puri teaches Sukṣma Vyāyām, also known as Himalayan Yoga, a unique system of subtle prāṇic exercises, which energizes the body and harmonizes the mind.
Ayurvedic Indian Cooking
In this two weeks intensive practical course taught by Mandakini Puri, with the kitchen as your classroom, you will learn classic vegetarian dishes based on the Ayurvedic principles, to feed your yogic lifestyle.
Bhagavad Gita Courses
YogAnga Retreat Bhagavad Gita Courses happen several times throughout the year providing both theoretical and practical experience in Karma, Bhakti and Jñana Yoga. One of the foundational books of Sanatan Dharma (Hindu Philosophy), the Bhagavad Gita is a Sanskrit text that can guide any seeker towards the art of living.
Yantra Painting with Mandakini Puri
Experience the unique clarity of mind, inner peace, mantra and meditation, while connecting with your own creativity through Yantra Painting in this two week residential course with Mandakini Puri.
YogAnga Retreat Schedule 2026
🪔 Festival: Guru Purnima 2026
In 2026 YogAnga Retreat will celebrate Guru Purnima at Sri Santosh Puri Ashram on July 29: a full moon celebration in honour of our gurus, Santosh Puri Babaji and Narvada Puri Mataji.
Guru Purnima according to the Hindu lunar calendar, is held every year in the month of Ashadh (typically around June or July during monsoon). In 2026 YogAnga Retreat will celebrate Guru Purnima at Sri Santosh Puri Ashram on July 29.
Come gather with us in this special time of year. Mingle among old friends and fellow devotees. Share stories about your experiences with Babaji and Mataji. Listen to the recitation of the Guru Gita.
In Sanskrit the word गुरु guru is made of two root words: गु gu meaning darkness, and रु ru meaning the remover of darkness. Our spiritual and academic preceptors remove the darkness of ignorance by imparting us ‘Apara Vidya’ (temporal knowledge).
ॐ असतो मा सदगमय ।
oṃ asato mā sad-gamaya
Om, Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of the Eternal Self),
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
tamaso mā jyotir-gamaya
Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge),
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय।
mṛtyor-mā amṛtaṃ gamaya
Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality.
One who dispels ignorance and leads to the path of knowledge. Guru Purnima is meant to pay tribute and shower utmost adoration, and respect for the one who like the phrase in Upanishad, which says ‘tamaso mā jyotir-gamaya‘ leads in the journey towards light.
Guru Purnima also marks the first day of monsoon, the rainy season. On this full moon celebration, all spiritual aspirants / devotees pay tribute to their respective (spiritual or academic) teacher or Guru.
The day before we decorate the ashram with flowers. That morning we perform a havan (sacred fire ceremony). After which we will enjoy a special meal. Through out the day we will take turns reading from the sanskrit sacred text: Guru Gita.
You will see this image of Dattatreya, sitting on the alter behind the dhuni (our sacred fire place).
Hindus often associate Guru Purnima with the sacred memory of Saint Guru Vyas Dev, who taught Dattatreya, the one who is considered the guru of gurus. Ved Vyasa was the one to divide the Vedas into four- Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva.