5-Day Mindfulness Retreat in Goa, India
The practice behind the retreat: pranayama, yoga nidra, sharing, Nadiprana and sound, in one unhurried day repeated for five.
- Runs for
- 5 days
- Each day
- 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
- Held by
- Nikhil Gupta
- Where
- Agonda Beach, Goa, India
Silence does not pull you away from the world — it roots you deeper in it.
Most of us are somewhere else
The mind is usually either back in something that already happened or out ahead in something that has not. Very little of the day is spent where the body actually is. That is not a flaw to be fixed; it is just what an unattended mind does.
A retreat is five days of catching it at that, gently and repeatedly, until being present stops being an idea you agree with and starts being something you can feel.
When it runs
- Upcoming
Each day runs 7:30 am – 5:00 pm, at Agonda Beach, Goa, India.
How a day is shaped
7:30 – 9:00 am
Pranayama
The day opens with breath. Pranayama is usually translated as breath control, which undersells it — the practice is using the breath to move energy through the nadis, to steady the system, and to strengthen the lungs doing it.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Breakfast
10:00 – 11:00 am
Yoga Nidra
Conscious relaxation. From the outside it looks like sleep; inside, awareness is still working, at a level below the one you normally live at. It is the session people report most often as the one that changed something.
11:00 – 11:30 am
A short break, kept quiet
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Sharing our stories
Saying a true thing out loud to people who are listening. It is the part most people dread on day one and miss most by day five.
12:30 – 2:30 pm
Lunch
2:30 – 4:00 pm
Nadiprana
Simple energy exercises that wake the body up and settle the mind at the same time. Undemanding to do, and oddly enlivening.
4:00 – 4:15 pm
A short break
4:15 – 5:30 pm
Sound healing
The day closes in vibration, with nothing asked of you but to lie there and let it work.
What it looks like
Why this one goes deeper
A small group
Small enough that trust builds, and that what gets said in the circle is the real thing rather than the tidy version.
Inner work, not an escape
The intention is a change you take home, not five pleasant days that fade on the flight back.
Structure with room in it
Enough shape to feel held, enough space that nobody has to perform being well.
What a silent retreat is actually for
Silence conserves energy. It sharpens concentration, and it gives you somewhere to look from. People who keep it for a few days describe the same set of changes: less irritability, better listening, and speech that arrives more carefully constructed when it does arrive.
It is worth bringing something to write in. Thoughts surface during a silent stretch that will not survive to the evening otherwise.
Silence is a journey, and journeys are hard
Real silence means being alone with yourself and being all right with that, which is difficult even for people who think of themselves as introspective. The first day or two can be uncomfortable, and that discomfort is not a sign it is going wrong.
What tends to happen is that the mental busyness gives way. People arrive looking for information about how to fix their lives, and somewhere in the middle of it the question changes into something less urgent and more trusting.
The degrees of mouna
The tradition does not treat silence as one thing. In karna mouna, speech stops but notes, gestures and eye contact remain. In kastha mouna there is no external communication at all. Beyond that is susupti mouna, and beyond that maha mouna, where thought itself is said to end.
You are not being asked to attempt the far end of that. It is offered as a map, so you know what the quiet you are practising is the beginning of.
Making Friends with Yourself
This retreat does not set out to improve you. There is no version of you waiting at the end that is calmer, better and finally sorted out.
What it offers is quieter than that: time to slow down, listen, and notice the relationship you already have with yourself — including the parts of it you would rather not look at. Most people find that the noticing is the change.
What an experience. I will not forget the space provided for healing. It will stay with me forever.
Cindy, Canada
Questions people ask
- Who is this retreat for?
Anyone looking for a deeper connection with themselves, whether you are new to meditation or have sat for years. No prior experience is needed — only an openness to look.
- Is it safe for solo travellers, especially women?
Yes. A good number of people arrive alone, many of them women, and the group is held by facilitators whose job is to keep it safe and unhurried.
- Will we be in complete silence?
Not entirely. There are stretches of silence for reflection, and there are guided sessions and sharing circles. It is gentler than a strict Vipassana retreat.
- Do I need prior meditation experience?
No. Beginners are taken step by step. If you already have a practice, there is room to go further into silence and self-inquiry.
- What should I bring with me?
Comfortable clothes for sitting and moving, a shawl or light jacket for the evenings, a journal and pen, your own toiletries, and an open mind.
- Is there free time?
Yes. Afternoons usually hold a break for rest, journalling or an optional healing session. The pace is spacious rather than packed.
- Can I use my phone or laptop?
Phones and internet are discouraged during sessions, and on some retreats they are collected at the start. There is always a way to be reached in an emergency.
- What is the daily schedule like?
Guided meditation, pranayama, sound healing, journalling, stretches of silence and group sessions — with real rest built in.
Still unsure whether this one is for you? Write and ask — somebody who teaches it will answer.
What the fee does not cover
- Airfare
- Travel insurance
- Sightseeing
- Food and accommodation
The other retreats
Women’s Circle of Healing
Seven days in a circle of women, where each one’s work on herself is also the work she does for the others.
Dates to be announced · 7 days
Women’s Retreat — Freedom To Be
Three days on what you actually want, for women who have spent a long time putting that question last.
Dates to be announced · 3 days
How booking works, and what you are agreeing to
By Submitting the Application Form, I hereby agree to the following:
- I understand that the initial deposit amount for the course/retreat is non-refundable in any circumstances.
- I understand, if I decide to cancel, re-schedule or not take part in the courses or retreats I have signed up for, the initial deposit amount will not be refunded.
- The deposit amount is non-refundable even if it is due to travel restrictions, lockdown, or any similar or non-similar reasons due to a world-wide pandemic or war or anything else of the similar nature, any act of God, or any other unforeseen circumstances.
- Incase, due to personal reasons I want to choose another date, I understand that the deposit amount stays forfeited. If I meet with an accident, become pregnant (women only), and I am unable to join the course; I will need to provide a valid doctors certificate stating the reason. I am fully aware that I will have to inform Aithein Healing School via an email atleast 30 days before the start of the event. Failing to inform the school atleast 30 days before, will result in forfeiting the initial deposit. In such a case, the decision of transferring the course to another date lies with Aithein Healing School.
- I understand that once I have physically joined the course or the event I have signed up for, I shall become obligated and responsible to pay Aithein Healing School the complete fees of the course or event. This fees becomes non-refundable, non-cancellable, and non-transferable.
- I understand that if I fall sick due to Covid or any pandemic or if the course/retreat has to be stopped due to such restrictions or similar reasons, the school may consider transferring my pro-rata balance fees to any future course of my choice. The decision lies with Aithein Healing School.
- I understand and agree that once I have joined the course/retreat physically, Aithein Healing school is not liable to refund me the course fee if I choose to drop out of the course due to my personal issues or circumstances.
- I understand that I will have to pay the balance course/retreat fees (minus the initial advance deposit) upon arrival at Aithein Healing School, by cash or via transfer atleast 15 days before the course begins.
- Aithein Healing school reserves the right to end my participation or continuation in the course if it finds my presence disturbing to the group process.
- I also understand that if Aithein Healing School has to cancel the course for any situation beyond its control such as covid related restrictions or any other reason prior to the beginning of the course, then I am entitled for a full refund, except the initial advance deposit. In such a case, Aithein Healing School will not be liable to cover any other losses I might incur such as travel, insurance, etc. due to any such cancellations.
Any and all disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of Canacona, Goa, India.
Come and sit with it
Tell us what drew you to this one and roughly when you could travel. We write back within two working days.