The Yoga of Response to Grace – Retreat
With Mark Whitwell
4th February to 12th FEBRUARY, 2027
In the heart of Tamil Nadu, South India, lies the ancient pilgrimage site of Arunachala. This mysterious holy mountain is known as a column of fiery light, an embodiment of Śiva himself. Every year thousands of devotees come from around the world to receive the field of grace and blessing that surrounds the mountain.
Pilgrims come from across India and the world to pay homage to the mountain of flame. The great twentieth century sage Ramana Maharishi came here as a young man and never left the mountain. His ashram is five minutes walk from our gathering place.
In January 2026 we had the pleasure to visit Tiruvannamalai on personal pilgrimage. Mark first came here in 1973, and a ‘chance’ meeting on the Holy Mountain led him to meet Desikachar and Krishnamacharya. We knew we wanted to return and invite sincere practitioners and friends.
We invite you to join us in Tiruvannamalai in full daily darshan of Arunachala, immersing in the transmission of the many many saints and sages who have made their homes here.
Our Hosts, Sangam Manor
Sangam Manor is a safe and beautiful place for people to come and immerse themselves deeply in the incredible richness of Holy Arunachala.
Newly built, it springs from the tradition of Sangam House across the road, a peaceful, simple yet luxurious place for pilgrims to stay.
Built by sincere practitioners for sincere practitioners, the rooms are simple and yet extremely comfortable where it counts – cotton bedlinen, all water meticulously filtered even shower and sink, single rooms each with an ensuite, shared living room areas, surrounded by plants, art, statues and sacred literature.
Sangam House and manor were built in Tiruvannamalai with the intention of hosting sincere practitioners, not tourists. They write: “The entire hill seems to emanate a profound sense of deep stillness and Silence that cannot be described, only experienced. It has long been a perfect retreat for ardent seekers to immerse themselves in deep meditation and contemplation.”
“Here in this beautiful retreat house, we witness a confluence—a flowing together of souls—with the sole purpose of creating a sacred field of contemplation, communion, and connection.
Sangam Retreat House facilitates this process by providing a tranquil, comfortable, and spacious home dedicated to this intention.”
Please watch their sincere intro video below:
And read more / peruse photos here: https://sangamhouse.com
Each day we go deeply into the Yoga from Krishnamacharya, the grandfather of modern yoga, in the magnificent covered rooftop shala in full view of Arunachala-Shiva. (Not the rooftop pictured above)
This Yoga is our response to the grace that comes from the Mountain, yes, but is also available at all times and in all places. It is our sacred practice of ‘conductivity’ - receiving the inspiration and Shaktipat we may have received, and responding intelligently.
Krishnamacharya is known to have said, that if you dont have the practical means to respond to inspiration, you’re better off not being inspired in the first place.
Yoga enables us to transition from waiting for blessings, to adult practitioners responding with devotion to all that we have received.
As such it is suitable for ALL spiritual lineages, whether you are inspired by a great Guru, Saint or Sage, by a holy mountain embodiment of the divine, by a moment with an animal, or at the passing of a loved one, a birth, or any other transmission source. Yoga is what we can do in response to Grace.
yoga as whole-body prayer
You will immerse in the breath principles largely lost from modern yoga, that make yoga effective, powerful, safe and devotional. The breath grounds your practice in interoception, feeling the body from the inside out, yoga as whole-body prayer to Life, yoga as spiritual practice, yoga as profound internal reverie. Not yoga as exercise.
If you have questions and would like to discuss them, send a message on whatsapp to Rosalind
at +64 27 715 9538 to arrange a time to talk.
Studio members, Apply from within the Online Studio, rather than clicking below!
Vision
Our agenda is: practicing and feeling the radiance that is life itself, in relationship to Arunachala and the entire Indian traditions. Now is the right time for embodiment practices that leave no part of us behind.
Maximum participants 30 people
Daily clean, delicious Indian meals (spiciness optional)
Each day will hold Yoga practice of asana, pranayama, stillness/contemplation, chanting, music and philosophy/discussion, along with….
Visiting Ramana Ashram and Maha Samadhi site
Optional before or after retreat: make the 14km circumambulation of the mountain with the pilgrims
Walking meditation upon the mountain up to Virupaksha caves, including the rooms of Ramana’s mother
Sessions on Yoga Sutras, history of Yoga, Vinyasa Krama and subtle anatomy
Learn how to shape Yoga to the individual, not the individual to Yoga;
Deeply relax and feel the intrinsic beauty of our own nature, as nature.
Cost TBD
What this covers
Full tuition with Mark and assistant teachers
8 days accommodation (private or double room with ensuite)
All meals (three fresh-cooked vegetarian meals every day, herbal teas, fruits)
One-on-one time with Mark or Rosalind to refine one’s own practice, as required
Option for ongoing mentoring with Mark and brilliant teachers at all levels of experience around the world via an invitation to the “teacher’s gatherings” weekly for one year
Initiation of the heart of yoga certification process if you wish for it (this requires further teaching experience and ongoing mentoring)
How to book
$200 deposit upon registration confirms your place.
All amounts in US dollars
Total due by TBD
Full payment due by 4 January 2027
Reduction available for online studio supporting members (from at least 2025)
Schedule (flexible)
First day
Arrive
Regular schedule
TBD
Last day, 12th Feb
Morning practice, depart any time during the day, meals as required.
Prerequisites / Required Reading
Prior to the course beginning, students are recommended to read:
Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar
Yoga of Heart by Mark Whitwell
God and Sex: Now We Get Both by Mark Whitwell with Rosalind Atkinson and Andy Raba
These texts are indispensable for helping you discover whether this is the right training for you, based on resonance with the teachings. Please only come if you have read these texts, and done a class with Mark or watched videos online and felt a personal resonance. Teaching happens within that relationship, not as an info-dump from an authority.
FAQ
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Some people who have resonated with these teachings in the past:
those who have been practicing in the heart of yoga;
those looking for a ‘non-seeking’ and authentic approach to Yoga
those teaching yoga but feeling bored or confused or disillusioned within it;
those looking for a gathering that is about transformative relationships and accurate practice, not information-gathering
those who always sensed there is magic in yoga but haven’t been able to touch it
sincere devotees of diverse traditions who are looking for a whole-body practice to enact their devotion within
those who found Desikachar’s The Heart of Yoga or Mark’s Yoga of Heart useful as a text
those who have trained with students of Mark and would like to take the opportunity to “go to the source”
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We look back to the actual practice tradition brought through by Krishnamacharya that is mostly not available in the yoga industry. Once you taste the power of your own breath, you cannot go back.
You will not be cramming your head with endless knowledge. It is an experiential process for the whole body, allowing you to teach from the body’s intuition, not from the head’s knowledge.
The yoga and the philosophy is adapted to the needs of each person. You don’t have to do Yoga… Yoga does you.
We don’t presume to try and know better than each person’s natural bodily intelligence… what could know better than the force that grew you from a single cell, and presently beats your heart and moves your breath? So there is no gross adjustment, and no imposition of teacher knowledge over another person. We learn to share the breath practices through which each person can participate in the power and beauty of their own natural life. As such there is no hierarchy because each person is already the beauty of the natural world.
We usually host a very diverse group of ages, nationalities, and a balance of male and female. There is no one “type” of person drawn to study with Mark, it tends to be those drawn to what is authentic and deep, and we come in all shapes and sizes.
Those who really need highly strict schedules and predictability may struggle. The mood is fluid and responsive to the needs of the group.
The Yoga is traditional tantric hathayoga made uniquely relevant and accessible in modern life. It is not about information gathering. Yoga is in your entire embodiment or it is nowhere. We explore subtle anatomy as the movement of energy in the body, not body part anatomy from a western medical perspective. You won’t learn names of muscles, bones or detailed labels on the body from the outside (if you have a personal interest in this that’s totally fine). We will be considering how to share the precise practices that enable others to feel their own intrinsic intelligence, not trying to approximate that intelligence with mental knowledge.
Discussion will include relationships, sexuality and anything else in your life you wish to bring yogic understanding to. You can speak as much or as little as you like and be assured of being listened to with respect and love. This is a conversation, a two-way flow of information, not a broadcast or a lecture. It is not any kind of neo-tantric workshop or space. Dress needs to be conservative in respect for our Indian hosts. You will get the most out of it the more reading, questioning and exploration you bring with you. You are a co-creator of this course, not a consumer of it. It does not exist outside of your presence.
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We have a limited number of scholarship places for young Indian people wishing to learn the yoga of Krishnamacharya. These are offered by the Heart of Yoga Foundation. Please write to studio@heartofyoga.com for more information.