ADVENTURE TO INDIA TRANSFORMATION TOUR 11 days, 10 nights: February 24-March 6, 2019 Join us and experience India along with a small group of other spiritual seekers. You ll have the opportunity to meet many exceptional people and visit unusual places that westerners don t usually have access to. Each person will react in their own unique way- seeing a group of sadhus around their dune fire or visiting an ancient Durga temple- and those reactions will be discussed together as a group. The eleven days we spend together will allow you to feel and see things you ve never experienced before. This journey is designed to create a transformation in your life. This tour includes a rare opportunity to be in Varanasi, India s most sacred city, on Shiva Raitri, the day all India celebrates this holiest night of the year. Shiva Raitri is a festival of transformation and we ll be on the banks of the sacred Ganges river to join in the celebration. We ll also visit Delhi, Vrindavan, and the Taj Mahal.
This tour will be conducted by Steven Newmark, who holds a doctorate degree in counseling psychology. Dr. Newmark is the Director of American Yogi, a movie about India and Maharaj-ji, which Ram Dass called inspiring. Steven will share his knowledge of the culture, history and spiritual wisdom of India in daily presentations. India isn t for sissies nor the novice traveler. Her magic, her mystery and the incredible heart force she emanates made for the most powerful transformational journey of my life. I can not imagine having traveled there without the wisdom, knowledge and expertise in all things India that Steven so graciously brings to the traveling table! ~ Deborah Austin
THE JOURNEY NEW DELHI Days 1-3 Our journey begins in the Capital city of India with an orientation meeting before dinner. We will be staying at a wonderful 5 star hotel in the tradition of the British Raj. The next morning Steven will share the basic principles of Indian spirituality in preparation for a visit to a powerful Hanuman temple in Delhi. Once there, we will be able to participate in the rituals of the temple and experience directly how the average Indian relates to the Divine. In the afternoon, we ll have lunch at the Imperial Hotel where Gandhi and Nehru decided the fate of India s liberation. There will be time for shopping and relaxation and then we ll enjoy dinner at Dhaba, a unique and authentic Indian restaurant. After dinner, we ll share about our first day in India. Thank you Steven for a most amazing life changing journey. I ll never forget this experience. ~ Bob Porter
VRINDAVAN Days 3-4 From Delhi we ll travel a few hours to the holy village of Vrindavan, considered to be one of the main spiritual centers in India and the birthplace of Krishna. Here we will visit the Maharaj-ji s Vrindavan temple, featured in American Yogi. Maharaj-ji is the Indian saint made famous in Ram Dass s iconic book Be Here Now. This is a very powerful temple where we will meditate in Maharaj-ji s room. We will also visit the ancient Bunki Bihare temple, join in the chanting at the Ickson Krishna temple and take a boat ride down the Yamuna river where we ll enjoy the Evening Festival of Lights.
AGRA days 4-5 From Vrindavan, will take a short journey to visit the amazing Taj Mahal, which we ll visit in the evening and again in the morning. In the evening we will treat ourselves to dinner at the famous Oberoi Amarvilas, one of the most beautiful hotels in India From Vrindavan we ll take a short ride to Agra to spend the night at a wonderful hotel near the Taj Mahal. The next morning we ll visit one of the most amazing wonders of the world. I just returned from my first trip to India with Steven Newmark and seven other amazing people and now new friends. It was by far the most beautiful, mystical spiritual pilgrimage I have ever experienced. ~ Mary Jo Belongea
Rajasthan days 5-8 Next we ll travel to Rajasthan, the land of Kings, historic forts, colorful people, camels and elephants. Here we ll stay at a hotel in a Tiger reserve. Safe walks In the mornings in the reserve will be available for those interested. In Rajasthan, we ll have the rare opportunity to visit an enlightened Saint, Shyam Sundar Das, a.k.a. the Jungle Baba. Many of the past travelers said he was the most joyful and loving person they ever met. It is hard to communicate how rare and fortunate it is to be able to spend time with a holy man of his stature in a small setting. Although it is impossible to know how you will feel in the presence of a holy man, being with him can take you into higher realms of consciousness. He will be available for questions, advice and personal spiritual instruction. The journey to India was Steven was life-changing! Meeting the Guru was an extraordinary experience of being in the presence of someone who is more open and loving than anyone I ve ever met. ~ Robert Fisher
Varanasi at Shiva Raitri Days 8-11 I don t think you ll every forget the last part of our journey when we visit Varanasi on the holiest festival of the Year. As the sun rises, we ll take a boat ride down the Ganges to see devotees praying and bathing in the sacred river. We ll also meditate at an ancient Durga temple, receive a blessing at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, walk through the ancient streets of Varanasi and attend the famous Arati celebration in the evenings. On the night of Shiva Raitri, we ll celebrate along with all of India and consecrate our journey together. On the last morning we ll have a closing ceremony on the banks of the Ganges. One of the greatest aspects of traveling in India is meeting the friendly, joyous, openhearted, ever-smiling Indian people.
THE JOURNEY We will meditate together every morning. If you are just beginning to meditate, Steven will share his forty years of meditation experience with you. We ll share about our experiences of the day together either morning or evening. Even though this will be a deeply spiritual trip that doesn t mean we have to be uncomfortable. One of the things we enjoy most in India is the quality of service you can find in the best hotels in India. We have carefully chosen outstanding hotels that are known for their high standards of safety, cleanliness and hospitality and are careful to be sensitive to foreign concerns and food requirements. We find that it is so comforting after being out in India, to come back to an outstanding hotel that has a swimming pool, gym, and several great restaurants. You will have the option to be pampered at India s Ayurvedic spas. We have designed frequent periods of free time where you can explore India yourself, have a serendipitous experience, or most importantly, take time to rest, relax and soak in the atmosphere and peace of this ancient country.
LEAF READING OPTION There will be an option of three additional days to visit Chennai and get your future and past read by the Naadi leaf plate readers seen in American Yogi. The first day you will receive your individual reading and the second day you will visit several ancient temples to do pujas to ameliorate negative past life karma. The cost for three nights double occupancy at the Feathers Hotel, plane and car travel and the reading will be $800. This Journey will be limited to a small group to ensure that each participant will receive the maximum benefit.
THIS JOURNEY IS 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE THROUGH OUR NON-PROFIT. Cost The cost for the Journey is $3,600 double occupancy, $6,800 for couples, $4,200 single occupancy. This covers 11 days/ 10 nights in high quality hotels, large buffet breakfast each morning, and transportation within India. It does not include air transportation to India. $400 discount if committing by Jan.20. I want to make sure this is the right experience for you and for us, too. So I will talk to you on the phone and answer your questions so we can both feel confident this journey will meet your needs. Please feel free to reach out to me at stevennewmark@gmail.com. Steven Newmark, Ph.D. has been a psychotherapist, author, and lecturer in Marin county, California for the last 30 years, and director of American Yogi, a documentary about the spiritual wisdom of India, which Ram Dass called inspiring. He is also the author of Before Becoming This, which Deepak Chopra said was insightful and joyful. He has been a student of Eastern spirituality for forty years and has been featured in the New York Times, San Francisco Examiner and The Late Night with David Letterman Show.