Living in Harmony through Spirituality
Gilroy Retreat November 7-9, 2025
A weekend with holistic yoga in the midst of nature, under the guidance of Swami Bodhananda.
Enjoy a warm and welcoming glimpse of your stay, with relaxation in the pool, fun games, and outdoor activities!
Join us for a 3-day, 2-night, November 7-9, 2025 weekend retreat with Swami Bodhananda ji. Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and connect with like-minded souls on a journey to your best self. Experience holistic yoga sessions that nurture body, mind, and spirit. The Friday–Sunday schedule will be shared by the end of September 2025. Schedule as below:
Living in Harmony - A Spiritual Retreat
Retreat at Gilroy - 10525 Foothill Ave, Gilroy, CA 95020
Schedule after the speaker’s sample talks. Scroll down to read the entire speaker list and their bios.
Rough Schedule
FRIDAY
Arrive before 5pm to take full advantage of the retreat
5 pm to 6 pm: Social hour
6 pm to 7 pm: Bhagavad Gita
7 pm to 8 pm: Dinner
8 pm to 8:30 pm: Introductions
8,30 pm Happy Hour followed by MSRT- Meditation
10 pm: Sleep
SATURDAY
6:00 am to 6:30 am:Aum Meditation
7.00 am to 8:00 am:Yoga session by Ranjitha
8:00 am to 9:00 am: Shower and breakfast
9:00 to 10.15: Relevance of Scriptures in modern life - Swami Bodhananda & Dr.Shriram Sarvotham
10.30am - 12 noon - Gita and Management (Relationships in family, society, corporate) - Swami Bodhananda and Dr. Prasad Kaipa
noon to 1:30 pm lunch & social time
1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Yoga’s Hindu Roots by Rutvij Holay
2.45pm - 4pm - Samadhi in Yoga - Swami Bodhananda, Santosh Kumar
4.00 pm to 4:30 pm: Cyclic Meditation
4:30 pm to 5:00 pm: Chai
5:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Sangha and Games/Laughter
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm: Bhajan Sandhya
7:00 to 8:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm to 9:00 pm: Cultural
9:00 pm: Trataka/Meditation
10 pm: Sleep
SUNDAY
6:30 am to 8:00 am: Pranayama & Yoga by Shriramji Sarvotham
8:00 am to 9:30 am: Shower, Breakfast, Packing
9:30 am to 10.30am: Western & Eastern Perpectives on Chitta and Consciousness - Swami Bodhananda and Savitha Nanjangud
10.30am - 12:00 pm: Panel Discussion with all the above speakers - Living in Harmony through Spirituality
12 noon - Lunch
1pm - Disperse…
Why join?
Holistic yoga and holistic living practices
The magic of sangha, group connection
Moonlight conversations under the open sky
Movement blended with meditation
Rest in the comfort of home-like spaces
Relax and rejuvenate with aqua therapy in the hot tub
Enjoy the sattvic meals
Exclusive sessions with Swami Bodhananda, Dr. Prasad Kaipa, Santosh Kumar, and other speakers as more speakers confirm. See bios at the end.
This is a retreat designed to enrich your body, mind, and spirit together: through nature, yoga, and community.
Limited spots available, book yours today!
How to book?
Select the option that works best for you, complete your payment, and we’ll share the details soon.
Pricing - $450 for stay options - While they last - limited spots as it is Airbnb (2-3 spots left)
DAY VISIT or ONLINE: $150 (for both days)
All rooms have more than one bed. So rooms will be shared.
Payment - Zelle would be most ideal, but other options are also fine.
https://yogabharati.org/pay
Retreat Speakers
Swami Bodhananda
Revered in America and India for his expertise in Vedanta and meditation, hails from Kerala, India. He pursued economics in his undergraduate studies before joining the Saraswati order, founded by Adi Shankaracharya. Currently, he serves as the Spiritual Founder and Director of The Sambodh Society in America and 11 other Sambodh Foundation organizations in India. A prolific author, Swami Bodhananda has written numerous books on Vedanta and yoga. Explore his work further at https://sambodh.org.
Dr. Prasad Kaipa
Prasad Kaipa is a co-founder of Institute of Indic Wisdom and focuses on consciousness studies. Dr. Kaipa has served in many enterprises and non-profit organizations with a unique approach of integrating business approaches with brain research using Indic spirituality / wisdom models. He has advised and coached 130+ C-level executives at Fortune 500 companies as a thought leader in innovation, leadership, and change management. He has been a co-author of a best- selling book “From Smart to Wise” in 2013. For details, visit: https://www.prasadkaipa.com.
Shriram Sarvotham
Mr. Sarvotham, PhD, ERYT-500, is a senior faculty member at Yoga Bharati. Practicing yoga since childhood, he has conducted over 150 workshops and retreats on yoga, Bhagavad Gita, and Patanjali Yoga Sutras across the USA, including prestigious yoga conferences, educational institutions, and corporate offices.
Santosh Kumar, MS(Yoga)
Santosh Kumar, MS (Yoga Therapy and Philosophy) is a senior yoga teacher and therapist. He aims to share the enriching experience of Yoga and its philosophy with others. Santosh studies Yoga Sutra of Patanjali and Bhagavad Gita.
Savitha Nanjangud
Savitha Nanjangud (M.A. in Counseling Psychology) is a yoga teacher who led yoga education at Yoga Bharati from 2009-2015. An ardent student of Yoga/Vedanta, Savitha is passionate about integrating Yoga psychology in her counseling work. Her other interests include contextualizing historical trauma and decoloniality.
Rutvij Holay
A student of Vedanta, Vyakarana, and other Dharmic sciences, Rutvij serves as Director of Expansion and Partnerships for HinduPACT, on the International Leadership Committee for Hindu Heritage Month, and on the Advisory Board of the Hindu American Foundation, on the Academic Council of the International Hindu University, amongst other groups. He has worked actively on improving the perception of Hindu Dharma (including Yogadarshana) and the rights of its practitioners in American schools and textbooks, the political sphere, and the general public.
Yoga Instructors
Ranjitha Sastry
Ranjitha Sastry has been a yogs instructor since 2001 and has been teaching yoga at Yoga Bharati for over 8 years. Ranjitha views yoga as a blend of endurance, flexibility, and Pranayama. She teaches invigorating yoga with deeper stretches and emphasizes dynamic mobility in her yoga sessions. She pursuing her Master of Science (MS) in Yoga.
Ashwini Surpur MA (Sanskrit)
Ashwini Surpur is the Executive Director of Yoga Bharati and a Senior Yoga Therapist. With 15 years of experience as a Software Engineer at Oracle, she transitioned to full-time volunteering at Yoga Bharati in 2010. Specializing in yoga therapy, particularly for cancer and terminally ill patients, she's a sought-after speaker on yoga and Hindu philosophy and contributes articles to various publications. Passionate about literature and philosophy, she holds an MA in Sanskrit and enjoys writing poems and articles in her free time.