The Living Lineage
India Retreat | April 10-17, 2027

8 days in Rishikesh. Music, yoga, culture, and the people who keep both alive.
Led by Jenn Agostini and Local Guest Teachers

scroll to the bottom to apply 👇🏾

Why this is for you.

You’ve practiced long enough to feel that the poses are a doorway, not the destination. Maybe you’ve chanted mantras and felt them land somewhere in your body and Soul, some place the mind couldn’t quite follow. Yoga was never meant to be something we do for an hour and put away. In Rishikesh, yoga and music are lived every single day: sung at dawn, offered to the river each evening, carried in the hands of teachers who received it from theirs.

The philosophy stops being something you understand and starts being something you do. I built this for people who want yoga to live through them, with music in their own voice, the philosophy in their own choices, and devotion in the way they move through an ordinary day. If that’s you, you’re exactly who I had in mind.

You’ll feel at home here if you’re:
» A yoga practitioner who wants to go past the physical practice
» Drawn to kirtan, mantra, and singing in a group
» A musician or singer curious about Indian classical traditions
» Someone who wants cultural exchange done with care and honouring, not consumption
» Someone who is ready to lean into the ceremonial and devotional beauty of this culture
» Someone who wants to spend time in the Himalayan nature (& some of my personal favourite not-so-visited spots!)

No musical training needed. No advanced yoga history required. What matters is that you’re willing to show up, listen, be a guest, and sing imperfectly together.

my first trip to Rishikesh in 2016
during my 200-hour yoga teacher training

What this retreat is

Rishikesh sits where the Ganga leaves the mountains and becomes a river you can sit beside. For eight days, we do that. We practice before the town wakes up. We spend our days with the musicians and teachers I've been learning from for years. We sing until our voices open up, and then a little more. Kirtan. Harmonium and tabla. Nāda yoga, the yoga of sound. Ceremony at the water. Philosophy in the place it was born. Movement that our bodies crave.

You come as a participant, not an audience. Nobody performs for you. You sing, you sit, you listen, you ask, and you meet the tradition as something people are living and sharing in this very moment.

This isn't a teacher training, and I'm not the authority here. I just know the way to the doors. The people on the other side of them are the point.

 

Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

I’ve spent years moving through Asia, learning from different philosophies and forms of movement, following the knowledge wherever it was being kept. And somehow every road I’ve taken bends back to this town. Rishikesh is where the Ganga comes down from the mountains, and it’s where I keep coming to meet it: to sit with my music teachers, practice, and be a student again. Each time I leave, I’m a little more myself than when I arrived.

That’s the world I want to bring you into. We’ll stay in the small, warm hotel I’ve been returning to for years, where the staff and I call each other by name, and where they will learn yours. We’ll walk to the places that quietly rearranged how I see things. And we’ll spend our days with the teachers and musicians who have made this town what it is to me: not a destination, but a home I didn’t know I was looking for.

The Four Threads

Sacred music. The heart of the week. Kirtan and call-and-response singing, an introduction to Indian classical music (exposure to the harmonium, tabla and rhythm, rāga and the way a melody carries a mood and an hour of the day), and nāda yoga. No musical experience needed as we’re here to cultivate an intimate and spiritual relationship with sound, not a grade.

Daily sādhana. Every morning, early: movement or chanting, then meditation and breath by the river as the little city comes to life. Yoga will be held as a discipline that holds the rest of the day, taught the way it was taught to me.

Nature. Time by Ganga and other rivers is in the schedule. Mama Ganga, the Holy River, asks questions and gives guidance in ways that I haven’t felt possible without her. We will explore her energy by being with her, honouring her.

Sacred places and living culture. Temples, ashrams, the evening Ganga āratī (the lamp ceremony for the river) and formal pūjā ceremonies throughout the week. We go as guests, with the manners guests must have in these spaces. Plus, we will get to attend a local cooking class so you can bring the flavours of India home with you!

the people we’ll learn from

  • Shiv Ji

    Indian Classical Voice and Sanskrit Bhajans

    You get to learn how to create a relationship with each note and experience how opening the ears and voice up to sounds supports us to tune deeper into our emotions and the emotions of music.

    Shiv is a Hindustani (North Indian) classical vocalist, performer and teacher based in Rishikesh, India. He trained in Hindustani classical music for 8 years at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi, and has performed all over India for the last 15 years. Through his music, he promotes Indian classical music, folk music, and the poetry of Kabir, the great 15th-century saint-poet of India.

  • Naman Ji

    Kirtan, Traditional Mantras and Pujas

    Naman will guide us through different kirtans and encourage and teach us to connect with each mantra that we are chanting, so we know what we are singing and devoting to. Naman will also give us the gift of guiding us in formal puja ceremonies. Naman was also a contestant on Symphony of India.

    Born and raised in a family of priests, immersed in culture, rich with spiritual practices where the power of healing chance, and Mantra Chanting was central to daily life, Naman’s upbringing was shaped by the sacred art of bhakti Yoga, a path of devotion by which he surrendered to the divine. Discovering and cultivating an intimate loving connection with the supreme. His devotion is expressed through mantra, chanting, Kirtan.

  • Guru Mukesh Ji

    Indian Classical Music Guru

    From the lineage of Sivananda Ramesh. He has been teaching for 40 years and is a direct disciple of the lineage through his father and Guru Ji Sivananda Ramesh. He is a true guru and master of harmonium, voice, tabla, and sitar.

    Guru Mukesh ji is a deeply devoted teacher who lives and breathes music. He is also a person with a heart full of compassion towards all the beings in this world.

  • Manan Ji

    Local Musician and Aarti Guide

    Manan is a soft soul with a deep connection to and engagement with music, from Indian Classical to Bhajans to Bollywood to Indian Pop. He was born and raised in Rishikesh, just on the cusp of the Holy Ganga River.

    Manan is also an amazing local chef with his own streetside restaurant and will teach us to make a delicious local dish!

  • & More Local Teachers

    Yoga, Meditation, Satsang, Music…

    We will learn from and receive guidance from many teachers in the area. These teachers are not just meant to be taken from; they deserve full honour by us, the visitors and students of the lineage.

Our 8 Days Together

A typical day for us would look something like this… some days include a longer excursion, and some evenings are free.

6 am: Morning Sadhana, on-site or by the river (sound, movement, breath, lead by Jenn)
9 am: Breakfast and tea/coffee
10 am: Music Workshop (with Guest teacher)
1 pm: Lunch and Sharing Circle
2 pm: Cultural visit, philosophy or music (with Guest teacher or Jenn)
6 pm: Ganga for the sunset, kirtan, or ceremony (with Guest teacher or Jenn)
8 pm: Dinner

There’s walking every day, some of it on steps and uneven paths, so you’ll need to be in reasonable health. We take tuk-tuks when the distance calls for it. April afternoons can be hot, so pack light, loose clothing that covers your knees and shoulders.

This is your experience, so you are welcome to attend as much or as little as feels good for your heart and body. I encourage you to attend everything, and, of course, it is not compulsory. You are encouraged to listen to your innate knowing.

Where we will stay…

We will stay in one of my favourite guest houses in Rishikesh, away from the town's chaos, while still only a 10-minute walk away, and just a 15-minute walk and a 5-minute drive from several beautiful spots along the Ganga River.

Included:
· 7 nights’ accommodation in a cozy, cottage-like hotel.
· private room and private bathroom, with room service
· breakfast and lunch daily
· all workshops, ceremonies, and sessions with myself and our guest teachers.
· scheduled cultural visits, ceremonies and entrance fees
· local transport during the program.
· yoga shala to use as we wish.

Additional:
· airport transfers from Delhi (~$80) and Dehradun (~$25); I'll help you arrange them

Not included:
· flights, visa, & travel insurance (required)
· personal spending and dinners

Price & how to join

Price - $2,100 (after November 15th, 2026)
Early Bird - $1,700 (until November 15th, 2026)

Deposit is $500 to lock in your spot (non-refundable)
Final balance due by January 5th, 2027 to hold your spot.

Fill in the short application below. I read every one and reply within a week. If it's a fit, you'll get a link to pay the deposit and your place is held.

Where the money goes…

We pay the musicians and teachers who work with us properly for their time and knowledge. Additionally, a fixed portion of every booking goes to a vetted local family or initiative; I'll name it once chosen. We want to give back to the land and its people who have given so much to us.

And remember, there is no experience required. The most important thing is that you arrive with an open heart and open mind so the magic of Rishikesh, Yoga, and Music can all melt into your being.

We are here to honour, respect, and learn from the lineage itself. Here is a little taste of the teachers you’ll directly get to learn from and sit with, in an intimate group setting.

A taste of some of the teachers…

THE FINE PRINT:

Anything during this training is subject to change from the schedule. If this happens, it will only be done with respect to the group, the teachers, and the culture. It’s promised that any change will be done for the best interest of the whole group and space.

Apply now

  • Yes; it's a well-travelled spiritual town and you'll be met on arrival. Most participants come alone.

  • You'll be invited to. Nobody is made to. Most people who swear they can't sing, do within just a couple of days with these teachers.

  • Gentle to moderate. Daily movement is adaptable, and the walking is on uneven paths and steps, so reasonable mobility helps.

  • Vegetarian, as is nearly everything in Rishikesh. Vegan and gluten-free are easy; tell me on the application.

  • Yes, and I'd recommend it. I'll share where to stay. Just ask and I’ll get you connected.

  • The $700 deposit is non-refundable, under any circumstances, including illness, visa problems, or changes to your travel plans. This is what lets me confirm the hotel, the teachers and the musicians months in advance. For that reason, please take out travel insurance that covers cancellation if you feel you may need this.

FAQs