Yatra (यात्रा)
When it’s for God maybe it’s easier to share?
I’ve been wondering how to put my time in India into words. How do you share something that feels sacred? Still I want to try because this country deserves to have stories shared about it. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to go on one of the most inspirational trips of my life.
Let me rewind.
A year ago, I was invited to my friend’s wedding in Jaipur. A few weeks later, I learned that my teacher, Tony Lupinacci, would be leading a Yatra to Rishikesh, the exact week before the wedding. Yatra (यात्रा) is a Sanskrit word that signifies a journey, travel, or pilgrimage to a sacred place.
Coincidence, I think not.
After a year of planning and one cancelled flight later, we were off. I was traveling with my closest friends, Alden, Giau and Aaron.
I used my 14 hours in the air to complete week nine of The Artist’s Way which required me to engage with three months of morning journaling and… read it back to myself while highlighting insights and circling action items. I thought it would be painful. It was the opposite. I was overwhelmed with feelings of self-compassion and self-love that I was not expecting, and didn’t know I was capable of. I felt like I went through a portal — back to myself.
(If you want to join in on next year’s Artist Way group with my friend who leads you through it, drop a comment. She says, “The pages give us everything we need to know”.)
The air in Rishikesh was perfect. Cool in the morning, breezy, dry, sunny. The streets smell like a farm. I was immediately happy.
We met up with our teachers leading the Yatra, Tony and Flor Daneu, at our hotel for the week, Antalya. They took us directly to their favorite coffee shop which we would stop in incessantly after this moment, Cafe Moktan.
The coffee shop reminded me of this scene from Star Wars, people from different galaxies stuffed together looking for a beverage of their choice.
What it really was like:
That afternoon, on our walk back to our hotel, Tony took Alden and I into our first temple for a blessing. We walked through the gate, into a spacious courtyard of sorts, took our shoes off and walked barefoot up a flight of stairs to a landing that overlooked the Ganges River. The Swami led us to sit down, offer him our wrist for him to tie a reddish yellow thread as he chanted prayers for us, our families and to the deities. I loved my new thread. I still have it on over a month later.
My morning went something like this: 6AM wakeup, pull off my mouth tape, step over my luggage, slide open the door and step onto our balcony to take a look at the river, “Ganga”. Even from a safe distance, the water looked fast and icy. Dangerous but inviting. She has an opaque light teal hue unlike I’ve ever seen before in any body of water. The sun rises behind the lower Himalayan mountains surrounding her. Like I said, the air is perfect, 55 degrees.
The Ganges River, lovingly called Ganga in reference to the Hindu Goddess Ganga, is why so many people worldwide make the pilgrimage to Rishikesh. Ganga is known for her healing powers and each night the river is honored with a stunning display of worship in an Aarti ceremony.
This worship is what I’ve learned to call Bhakti. But it is just one element of Bhakti. The word is derived from the root verb "bhaj," which means "to worship," "to share," or "to partake". I would define Bhakti as devotion, a devotion to one’s heart, true inner knowing and one’s relationship to a higher power.
Aarti is an hour-and-a-half ceremony performed at the bank of Ganga. It starts with beautiful chants then the rest of the ceremony incorporates the elements Fire, Water, Earth and Air. It is mesmerizing, choreographed and celebratory. You can see all different Aartis happening up and down the river, the music starts to overlap and collide as the sound bounces across the water. Brass lamps are waved in the air and filled with fire fueled with ghee or camphor.
I read that the camphor used to fuel the lamps eventually burns out and disappears to signify the destruction of the ego in the light of true knowledge.
Being roommates with your friends for a week is the best. Even with their mouths taped shut, still asleep, I thought of things to say to them. During this yatra we practiced noble silence, Mauna (मौन) in Sanskrit, where we do not speak to anyone or even acknowledge anyone with a wave before practice. Therefore the first thing that came out of our mouths each day is Om (ॐ).
A fellow student is sitting on her mat in the middle of the room meditating and I am the first to make coffee. This time I prepped all three french presses to make as much coffee as possible for my other friends who are about to stumble in.
Practice starts.
“Place yourself here, on the 26th of March, 2025, in Rishikesh, in India, on this planet, among these stars”
I love when Tony announces this, I feel a wave of presence.
Two hours of practice that spans meditation, mantra, kriya and asana makes my thoughts feel clear and ready for a day of rich, sensory exploration.
What left the deepest imprint on my heart in Rishikesh wasn’t the sacred flow of Ganga or a new mantra carved into my mind — it was the people. The people I met here opened themselves with such genuine warmth, offering connection that was real and generous. From my incredible teachers, Tony and Flor, to my new friends on this yatra, to all the guides and pandits (Hindu priests or scholars) that we were introduced to and took classes from — I am forever grateful to you.
So I’d like to highlight these people who inspired me so you can know the goodness in them too.
THE PEOPLE OF RISHIKESH
MITTRA JI, Yoga & Philosophy Teacher
Flor and Tony introduced us to Mittra Ji. Flor, who calls Rishikesh home, floated around in long linen tunics and guided us around the city with ease. Mittra Ji led us in a welcoming puja (an act of worship) and mantra initiation ceremony. He told a story that will stick with me forever:
A man walked up and saw a group of elephants in an open barn. Each one was tied up with a single, thin string. He asked the owner, “Why are they tied up with such little strings? Can’t they break free?”
The owner replied, “When they were very young, we used these same strings, and back then, they weren’t strong enough to break them. Now that they’ve grown, they still believe they can’t.”
Bharat, Sound Healer, Anhad Didgeridoo Healing Academy
After I had my Vedic astrology reading I realized there was a sound healing studio next door featuring my favorite instrument, the didgeridoo. I asked if I could book a healing session and I was quickly introduced to Bharat. He nodded and I thought this was my lucky day, I am going to get a sound healing session right now! He walked me up to the roof where he motioned me to sit in a chair across from him. We sat and… just talked for almost 30 minutes straight. He was a former biologist who studied bears and birds around the world. The day he submitted his thesis, he turned to sound healing. He taught himself all about the science of sound and how frequencies affect our chemistry. We shared life stories. I signed up for a sound healing session for a day later that week …and bought a didgeridoo.
Vishal Gupta, Artist and Owner of Ayurpak
Tony took us to a local restaurant, Ayurpak, for an ayurvedic dinner. I was in awe of the beautiful hand-painted walls, mouldings, pillars and tapestries so elegantly designed throughout the restaurant. On our last day in Rishikesh, my new friend Lenae, told us that the tapestries at Ayurpak were available for purchase and we ran over to buy what we could. Vishal, the owner, greeted us and proudly shared his art with us. Beyond that, he pulled his phone out to share videos of himself dancing to sacred songs for Shiva. I cried. He was so proud to share the dance.
I wrote in my journal, “When it’s for God maybe it’s easier to share? It’s not for him. It’s a dedication to God.”
Praveen Ji, Vedic Astrologer
Praveen is a Vedic astrologer and came highly recommended by our friend who visited Rishikesh the week before us. Not only did Praveen Ji offer to pick me up on his scooty when I told him I was running late, he gave me an incredibly in-depth Vedic astrology reading. He took the time to educate me on the differences between Vedic astrology and Western astrology (your placements are usually different). He gave me practical advice to use my skills in service of helping young girls and encouraged me to continue on my spiritual path. I learned new mantras and when to utilize them. I was fast to take his recommendation in buying an emerald and wearing it close to my heart on Wednesdays, the day of Mercury.
Darshan, Yoga and Philosophy Teacher
Darshan started our lesson by asking us directly “What is Bhakti”. The room of teachers and experienced yogis fell silent. Conversations around Bhakti were held with intense reverence, as if the divine was always in the room and us westerns were a bit intimidated. Speaking in front of a group about spirituality and defining it for yourself is daunting no matter who is the room. So I was relieved to hear others chime in with their perspective: defining it as devotion, truth and love.
After the discussion Darshan took us to Ganga to learn how to properly enter the river by first asking her for permission, walking in slowly, dunking 3 or 7 or 21 times, spinning around in a circle clockwise and then raising a handful of water up to the west 3 times while honoring our ancestors.
I felt a wave of presence again, a feeling that what I was doing wasn’t just for me, it was for my version of God and my ancestors.
Sharing this hasn’t been easy. It took me a long time to put this into words. But I want to be more like Vishal, who dances with pride and shares what comes from the heart. Maybe it’s not about what I say, but that I offer it at all. It’s not about me. It’s a dedication to God.
Our group, led by Tony Lupinacci and Flor Daneu
March 22nd - 28th, 2025
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
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Loved reading about this journey. Thank you for sharing!
So beautiful! Thank you for sharing.