Mayapur, West Bengal – 6 days

Our first immersion begins with us flying to Calcutta, where you will be picked up and taken to a very powerful and sacred village in West Bengal, Nabadwip, Mayapur, the nine islands surrounded by the sacred Ganga, and explore the nine limbs of bhakti devotion, dive deep into kirtan, mantra, yoga, and ritual. Here, the veil between worlds grows thin—grace can be felt, and divine presence becomes tangible through sincere chanting and practice. The sacred Ganges flows gently through West Bengal, its lush green landscape embracing you, while saints and teachers call you onward into the greater quest.

Vrindarvan 3 days

We plan to fly from Calcutta to Delhi and take a cab to Vrindavan. The birthplace of Lord Krishna, Vrindavan is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus and home to over 5,000 temples, large and small. Mantra chanting resonates throughout the town. Each day will offer a new experience and adventure. Sitting in on the famous 24 hour mantra music kirtan at the most beautiful and vibrant Krishna Balaram temple will be an unforgettable experience.  We will enjoy a boat ride on the sacred river Yamuna, surrounded by puja (ritual). Each day we will visit significant historical temples, diving into the mystical stories behind these living shrines. We will also tour a wonderful charity school that educates girls from very poor families, not only changing their lives but also ending generations of poverty. We’ll meet local saints and sages living lives of devotion, practice yoga and meditation, and enjoy delicious healthy food. We’ll also make time for a henna party and of course plenty of shopping. We will be staying at a comfortable, calm hotel called the MVT Guesthouse.

Govardhan 3 days

We will also spend 3 days by the sacred hill of Govardhan near Vrindavan, considered to be a living force and avatar of divinity, grace in the form of a mountain. Thousands of pilgrims circumambulate barefoot around it every day, chanting the holy names of God. Its energy and power are infectious for believers and skeptics alike. Around the 21 km long pilgrim path, there are many holy spots where one is invited to enter prayer and meditation, as well as gorgeous sacred ponds where locals and visitors bathe for purification. We will stay at the newly built Govardhan Retreat Center, partaking in a Kirtan mantra music festival led by musicians from all over the globe, gathering to unite their souls in one sacred song of Divine Love. We will also visit Barsana, the land and home of the Goddess Sri Radha, a mystical place that graces pilgrims with love and touches individuals’ hearts in unexplainable ways.

Sacred Disciplines on the path

Those who journey with Gopi on a sacred pilgrimage are invited to walk the path with reverence, embracing certain yogic disciplines—Yamas and Niyamas—that open the heart and purify the mind. These sacred observances should not be viewed as restrictions, but instead as gateways that allow one to receive the deeper blessings of both the inner and outer pilgrimage.

Central to this practice is Ahimsa, the principle of non-harming, expressed through a pure vegetarian or vegan diet. A yogic diet may include dairy, yet excludes all meat, fish, and eggs. This sattvic nourishment supports clarity, vitality, and peace—qualities that help refine perception and deepen spiritual experience.

Participants are also asked to refrain from alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs, and all forms of intoxicants, including vaping or marijuana. Such restraint protects the subtle body and allows your consciousness to remain open, receptive, and attuned to grace.

Gopi encourages her students to honor these practices as sacred companions on their journey—ways to harmonize body, mind, and spirit with the essence of pilgrimage itself. Her retreats provide wholesome, balanced, and lovingly prepared meals that nourish not only the body but the soul, bringing contentment where cravings once dwelled and balance where restlessness once stirred.

Our team

Why travel to India with Gopi? Because her very breath carries the rhythm of the East, and her heart beats in harmony with its sacred traditions. The ancestral wisdom of India flows through her being—through her chants, her stories, her rituals—and it is this living current that she shares with each traveler who walks beside her.

Her passion for India becomes a living guide, revealing the jewel of this ancient land through sacred storytelling, mantra, culture, and ceremony. The true gateway to India is not an airplane ticket—it is being guided through streets and allies, finding calmness in chaos, being amidst the fervor of thousands of pilgrims all pushing into the crowded temple door. Their devotion in motion catches the fire of bhakti and ignite the love in one’s own heart. With Gopi, you journey beyond temple doors, into the living heart of devotion. You are welcomed into homes and hermitages, meeting rare souls whose lives are steeped in prayer, simplicity, and divine joy. Their blessings awaken something within—an echo of remembrance, a recognition of home.

This year, Gopi will be traveling with Kristen Zorda, owner of Yoga Mandali, a Bhakti Yoga studio and a sacred space in the heart of Saratoga Springs. Kristen is a devoted practitioner, a bhakti singer, and a true visionary within her community. Her open heart, radiant presence, and genuine kindness create a field of welcome and love for all who journey beside her.

Another cherished member of Yoga Mandali, Michael Ndolo, will serve as the retreat’s lead kirtan singer—guiding the group through meditative chants and devotional melodies. His kirtan becomes a bridge between worlds, inviting travelers inward into the heart’s own pilgrimage through the power of sacred sound.

This is not the tourist’s path. It is the seeker’s path—a pilgrimage of the soul, guided by love, reverence, and the timeless song of the sacred.