Soul Retreat - 15th to 19th May 2024

MAY is now sold out.

Please email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.

PAY IT FORWARD!

Welcome to Kailash Ashram's new retreat model; your spot on the retreat has been generously supported by another student.

At the end of the retreat, if you have benefitted from our program, you will be invited to make a contribution towards supporting another student on retreat as per your means and capacity via a one off donation, or via monthly installments.

If you do not have the capacity to Pay-It-Forward, you are welcome to apply for a scholarship.

Are you ready to reclaim a life of peace, purpose and genuine prosperity?

Traditional Meditation and Yoga have been used for thousands of years to bring health and happiness to mind, body and Soul.

Hey it's David and Rajni here, we are the founders of Kailash Ashram and your Soul Retreat facilitators and guides!

We live and breathe Traditional Yoga and it is our joy to welcome you to join us on the next instalment of the iconic Soul Retreat.

Great… So what is the Soul Retreat (and what is Traditional Yoga?)

Traditional Yoga is an ancient and proven pathway to a life of inner-peace, and a method to free oneself from suffering.

With no disrespect intended, Yoga is way more than what it has become in the West (many peoples experience of Yoga is only as a stretch class in the local gym.)

During the Soul Retreat you will be guided to learn from the Traditional Yogic practices that have their roots in ancient India.

The branches of this beautiful tree can support your journey of growth, providing shelter and a structured approach to the common difficulties we all face in life – from worry, fear, doubt, to jealousy, greed, anger, hatred and lust, Yoga has teachings and practices to make sure you are living your best life, free from the above poison.

The fruit of the Traditional Yoga 'Tree' is an inner feeling of being grounded, playfulness, connection, satisfaction, truth, presence and ultimately, love.

During the retreat we will guide you how to incorporate Yoga into your daily life (with a strong emphasis on how the ancient wisdom is relevant to modern times.)

As a multi-faith friendly environment, there is no requirement for you to let go of existing beliefs, faith or practices, and what we share is complementary to all paths that seek to cultivate inner balance and peace.

Why Kailash Ashram?

Rajni and I are householders (not monks) but are deeply devoted to this path. As such, we know the ins and outs of worldly life; relationships, work, family and the ups and downs of the daily grind.

We aren’t ‘woo-woo’ and our students love us for being real, raw and 100% honest.

As an Ashram (a dedicated Yoga retreat centre), we don’t entertain outside energies so the feel of the space and facilities support our message.

You won’t get this sense of home on a retreat where someone hires a venue, no matter how ‘lush’ or 'glam' the facilities are.

Leaning upon thousands of years of lineage, we have received intimate guidance from our teachers and offer ourselves in service to guide, nurture and support you with one aim, the realisation of your deepest most Self (we call it the Soul, or in yogic speak, Atman.)

Hence… the Soul Retreat!

Is the Soul Retreat too advanced for me (or too basic?!)

No… and No!

It is common for us to have the full spectrum right from beginners through to yoga teachers on our retreats; we are able to teach at multiple levels at the same time and all Souls will benefit from the universal knowledge we share.

Many students come back more than once, many multiple times to volunteer and support others.

Even if you are experienced, chances are, you are new to the practices we share, so it will be our pleasure to introduce you to the teachings of our lineage.

Those with prior experience often mention that they ‘drop in’ very quickly to a deep place within, and beginners remark how approachable we make our teachings.

What practices will I learn? (ie.. the technical part!)

At the Soul Retreat we are excited to share with you the Himalayan Meditation Practice.

In Sanskrit this practice is called Samarpan Dhyan Sanskar, and both David and Rajni have received initiation from Swami Shivkrupanand who teaches in India and abroad through the organisation, Gurutattva.

This is the jewel in the centre of the crown that is the Soul Retreat, and is conducted via a 30 minute sit for dhyana (meditation) and we sit multiple times per day.

In addition, the other teachings support your understanding of the Soul, and will leave you with plenty of take home Yogic practices.

• Revitalise the body through gentle Hatha Yoga Workshops from the Shadow Yoga School
• Tap into the wisdom of your Soul via our Himalayan Meditation Masterclass and set yourself up to practise daily at home.
• Understand mind, body and nature with a positive light in our Elements of Yoga workshop (the ‘Yoga of Self Knowledge’ is known as Jnana Yoga)
• Find your voice, learn about the origins of Yoga, have fun and connect with the group through Mantra Yoga (group chanting)
• Explore how devotional practice (Bhakti Yoga) can open your heart and help you foster unconditional love for you and others
• Learn to give back and serve the community through the Yoga of Action (Karma Yoga or in our tradition, Gurukarya)
• Experience a state beyond the mind and body in our heavenly Sound Journey weaving together world sounds to soothe the Soul
• Connect to nature through Indigenous Nepalese practice from the Himalaya (a Kailash original we call ‘Mountain Yoga’)
• Tap into the wisdom of your unconscious through our guided meditation and art practice called ‘Soul-Art’
• Receive personal guidance in 1-on-1 sessions with David and Rajni where you can learn to apply the teachings to areas of you most need a hand with
• Release the past and set a positive intention for the future in our 5000+ year old traditional fire ritual where we will guided and explain the process in English and weave together all of the knowledge of the retreat (Chitta Shuddhi Yagya)

Awesome… So what transformation can I expect?

The Soul Retreat is a curated journey of rediscovery, the destination is nothing short of your Soul.

In just 5 days we have witnessed hundreds of students gain clarity, release trauma and self-limiting belief, find stability in times of crisis, grow, heal, learn, laugh and cry.

More importantly, our students walk away with the tools to cultivate lasting peace, where it counts, back home.

We first witnessed our own transformation – it helped David leave the Army and heal from his dark past, and Rajni to let go of past hurt and horrible trauma so that She could learn to prioritise Herself.

We are not counsellors or psychologists (we are Yogin’s) and the focus of the retreat is not to dwell upon difficulties or poke into wounds, but to learn practical methods of overcoming adversity, to understand why we suffer, and what it takes to flourish in life (by your standards, not ours!)

Retreat Amenities

Our Ashram is set in the remote wilderness of the Grampians just 3.5 hours from Melbourne (Gariwerd) where we offer the perfect blend between natural surrounds, an earthy lodge with cosy touches.

All meals are vegetarian and whole food, tasty and nutritious that cater to a variety of palates and included are snacks, tea and coffee.

Bathrooms are self-contained but shared between all retreat guests.

The maximum participants for the retreat is 14 students, but often a few less depending on room layout.

Rooms

Rooms are allocated on a first come, first serve basis, it is now the same price for small private rooms and twin-share rooms, if you would like to secure a private room, book in today as these fill up quickly!

Twin share rooms can be booked as large private rooms for one or two guests.

NOTE: We require those that have sleep apnoea, loud snorers or NDIS participants to book a large private room.

NDIS

We welcome participants who have NDIS funding available under community participation, or Short Term Accommodation (Respite.) Please reach out so we can help you through the process.

SUMMER SPECIAL

Book by the end of the month and receive lifetime access to our online teachings; Elements of Yoga course (value $995), Seven Weeks to the Soul (Value $295) which are vital resources for you to continue your practice at home after the retreat (where it really counts!)

Final Note

As you can gather, the Soul Retreat is not an indulgent Bali style ‘Yoga and Wine holiday!’

We will pamper you on the level of your Soul, so please come prepared to learn and grow. We treat the traditions to which we belong and our Ashram with sacred respect.

The Soul Retreat requires a mature mindset where you will be guided to introspect and to embrace parts of yourself that you may have been avoiding. We handle such situations with care, tenderness and love because ‘we have been there too.’

There are no quick fixes on the path of Yoga; what it asks is honesty, integrity and commitment.

It pays to keep in mind why you were drawn to Yoga as a life of peace requires dedicated focus and practice.

If you are still on the fence, we ask that you familiarise yourself with Kailash Ashram via this website prior to booking, as you will get a good feel for both David and Rajni through our youtube channel, interviews and blog posts.

We connect to all participants prior the retreat to ensure a good fit, and find that a zoom call with David is a great way for you to get a feel for how the practices can support you.

Are you delaying a decision?

After chatting with hundreds of people on dozens of retreats, we know how scary change can be. It is normal to feel a little nervous about committing to such an endeavour (we are here to support you, so please lean on us!)

We have found many people become afraid to make a decision because they are unaccustomed to prioritising their wellbeing. Most people we speak to would spend a few thousand dollars on a car, servicing and repairing it when required, yet when it comes to tuning up the mind, body and Soul they avoid it because it feels indulgent.

Simply, it isn't. The investment in the teachings we have for you will carry you further than any car can.

If you find yourself needing ‘time to think it over’, a desire to 'sit on it' or 'waiting till the time is right' most likely, in our experience, you will talk yourself out of the retreat.

We have literally had students ‘sit on it’ for 2 years before eventually joining us… then to share that they wished they had found our teachings 40 years earlier as they would have meant they avoided a lot of suffering.

Delaying is a trick of the mind, and we are here to help you go beyond that.

We teach that the Soul is a much more powerful place, it is a realm governed by intuition rather than reason. Our suggestion, if the retreat feels right, lean into the courage it takes and sign up.

Similarly if there is a big internal ‘no,’ we won’t be offended in the slightest. We genuinely pray that you find the right retreat and practices for you and are happy to point out some other options.

The Soul Retreat will sell out, as it has done time and time again.

Given you are still with us on our pretty epic retreat description, we trust that we will be seeing you on retreat.

We thank you for your time, attention and consideration and look forward to seeing you on the retreat.

Much love,

David and Rajni

Questions?

If you would like a hand booking in, or have any questions to ask, please call David on 0415 703 324, email [email protected], or use the link above to organise a time for a zoom call.