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Retreat Program Details:

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A six day and five night Ashtanga Yoga Retreat with KPJAYI Certified teacher, Andrew Hillam, in the heart of Mount Koya (aka Koyasan), Japan. In the morning of 4th October, the retreat starts with an opening puja follow with a group chanting and Led class at Ashtanga Yoga Tattva Osaka , in Umeda Osaka area. We will then drive up the mountain together with rental cars, stopping for lunch in a traditional Japanese house converted restaurant for vegan meals. 

 

Mount Koya is a 9th century temple settlement in a mountainous forested area south of Kyoto and Osaka in the Wakayama Prefecture. The area was selected as the home for the Shingon School of Buddhism due to it’s eight surrounding peaks which form the shape of a lotus and it is considered one of the holiest places in Japan.

 

Mount Koya has over one-hundred temples and monasteries and is the perfect place to go deeper into yoga, surrounded by peaceful forest with breathtaking natural beauty and more than one thousand years of deep meditative practices gracing the mountain.

 

The retreat will take place in a traditional temple setting with early morning Mysore style yoga classes in a spacious tatami hall followed by breakfast. There will be ample opportunity during the day to see the many beautiful and stunning sites in and around the Mount Koya  area. This will be followed by a daily afternoon satsanga including Ashtanga yoga philosophy, chanting, meditation & pranayama techniques plus lots of interactive sessions to share our practice experience.

 

The last morning of the retreat is a moon day and so we will forgo asana practice and venture out in the early morning into a nearby temple setting for some simple pranayama, mantra / meditation and philosophy, followed by breakfast together. After check-out, we will drive down the Mountain together with rental cars.

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Accommodation is in tatami rooms, including traditional Buddhist vegetarian (shojin ryori) breakfast and dinner as well as two vegetarian lunches at a nearby restaurant. On the days when lunch is not provided there is the option to venture into Mount Koya for lunch (as a group or individually)  in local restaurants.  Feel free to venture out to anywhere you like at your own pace too during your free time.There are traditional Japanese baths for the use of guests and the temple (Fukuchiin) we have chosen is also the only one in Mount Koya that is equipped with a natural hot spring (onsen).

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Ashtanga Yoga: (Min 10 to start, max 20. The retreat has reached it's minimum capacity)

  • 5 Morning Asana Practice sessions

  • 4 Afternoon Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting, Philosophy and Satsanga

  • Last morning (9th Oct)  is a moon day - simple pranayama, mantra / meditation and philosophy in nature.

 

Temple Lodging:

  • Unless otherwise requested, all rooms are on quadruple basis with a shared bathroom & common bath area.

  • If you have tattoo/s, please inform us prior to reservation to discuss your bath options.

  • Check-in time is 3pm on 4th October (Dinner is set on 5:30pm with retreat briefing)

  • Check-out time is 9am on 9th October (we will have group activities in the early morning followed by a group breakfast at 8am prior to departure)

  • Daily group breakfast is set at 8am.

  • Daily group dinner is set at 6pm 

  • The Temple has a curfew of 9pm

  • All rooms can only be locked from the inside. Although Japan is considered a super safe place (especially in Temples) please do not bring extra valuables with you.

  • You are welcome to book a room if you plan to bring your family or kids along. Please contact Veronique for further details.​

 

Getting to Mount Koya: Mount Koya is about …

  • 40km away from The Kansai International Airport (KIX).

  • 2 hour shuttle bus ride from KIX (daily direct bus schedule will be made available at some point).

  • 2.5 hour car drive from Osaka or 50km away from Osaka-shi.

  • 2 to 3 hour train ride (various modes are involved) from Osaka City.

  • Our entourage will drive to Mount Koya on the morning of 4th October, departing from Osaka Umeda Area. Details will be provided after we receive your application.

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Pricing:

 

The below package fees are inclusive of:

  • Full tuition (Sample schedule here)

  • 5 nights accommodations in a traditional temple setting at Mount Koya

  • 5 x daily Shojin Ryorui dinner at Mount Koya

  • 5 x daily Shojin Ryorui breakfast at Mount Koya

  • 2 x vegetarian / vegan lunch (on 4th, Thu & 8th Mon October)

 

Note that

(1) if you are coming from overseas, please arrange your own accommodation for the night of 3rd Oct. Contact Veronique should you need recommendation within walking distance to Ashtanga Yoga Tattva Osaka.

(2) At the moment we have 4 cars driving up to Mount Koya from Osaka-shi on 4th Oct. The eventual actual costs will be evenly shared by everyone that are joining the car pool.

 

NORMAL RATES Full Package fee per person from 1st June 2018

EARLY BIRD pricing is available until 31st May 2018 - (Full payment required)​

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All the rooms are on a shared basis with or without private toilet attached. Single rooms are subject to Temples availability at point of reservation. We intend to limit the retreat to around 15 - 18 participants. We only have the following places available at the point of writing  (availability might increase should more rooms becomes available but chances are low):

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SECURING YOUR PLACE - REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT

  • FOR REGISTATION and PAYMENT– email Andrew or  Veronique 

  • To secure your place the package fee must be paid in full within 45 days of reservation.

  • The course requires a minimum of 10 participants to start which we have exceeded at this time.

  • 30% deposit within 14 days of reservation

  • 70% balance payment :

        - Early Bird Price: within 45 days from reservation or no later than 31 May, which ever is earlier.

        - Standard Price: within 45 days from reservation or no later than 3 Sep , which ever is earlier. 

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CANCELLATION POLICY

  1. Cancellation on or after 1 Sep – strictly no refund

  2. Cancellation on or before 1 Aug – 30% refund less $100 handling fee

  3. Cancellation on or before 1 Jul – 50% refund less $100 handling fee

  4. Cancellation on or before 1 Jun – 70% refund less $100 handling fee

  5. Cancellation on or before 1 May – 100% refund less $100 handling fee

  6. At any point of time, if the course is full a refund is only possible if a replacement is found.

  7. In the event that the organizers cancel the retreat, a full refund will be arranged to paid participants.

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