9 Things You Will NOT Get at a Heart of Sound Retreat… GUARANTEED!
Recently, around the lunch table with our group of wise, embodied, mature souls on chant retreat, we had a lot of laughs about what a Heart of Sound retreat is NOT…
Nowadays one must be quite discerning about which retreat you choose to attend, since there are SO MANY. I’ve even seen inexperienced facilitators plan retreats in locations they’ve never been to, with content/themes they don’t even know themselves!
A retreat deep into the Heart of Sound is a life-changing experience wrung from over 25 years of retreat & pilgrimage leading experience. Pure sound medicine, direct embodiment of the magic of mantra.
“You helped me touch my soul.”
said one of our retreat students, with tears in her eyes.
(The same seemingly reserved Swiss German with an endlessly goofy dry wit that surprised everyone!)
We can go directly deep into the power of sound because we are neither hopping on the wellness trend bandwagon, nor blindly perpetuating the hypocrisy within rigid “traditional” yoga culture.
What You Are Guaranteed NOT to Find in a Heart of Sound Retreat:
1. Performative Crying or Screaming
You don’t need to have FOMO about someone else’s breakthrough, or fake a kuṇḍaliṇī awakening in order to appease the facilitator’s ego, or compete for “special” social spiritual status.
2. Mishmash of Culturally Appropriated Rituals
Mantra, rāga, yoga, & āyurveda are so elegantly effective, there’s no need to snort imported herbs from the Amazon to feel something.
3. Unprofessional Diagnoses of Physical or Mental Illnesses
You won’t be spiritually gaslighted into thinking your perimenopause symptoms are a dark night of the soul that requires intense sādhanā.
We trust that good rest, hydration, sleep, food, time in nature, connection with kind people, and gentle sound-based yoga will help whatever you’re dealing with—or refine/restore/reset you to optimal radiant health as we all need periodically.
4. Religious Dogma
Our trauma-informed approach to nāda yoga makes the sensation of your own voice vibration a refuge from “up & out of the body” systems that would seek to subtly disempower your authentic connection to Self.
We walk the narrow edge of radical embodied mystic. No time for mind games, cultish power dynamics, etc.
5. Patriarchal Rigidity
Sensation, pleasure, luxurious self-care, empathy, tuning IN and listening to what’s truly alive in us, as we tune ourselves as resonant instruments of Love—gently melts all of the “should’s” and “have to’s” that have kept our throats choked up and hearts clamped shut in the patriarchy.
Post-patriarchy bhakti yoga, rich with devotion and resonant skills, but with none of the yuck? Yes please!
6. Channeling
Multiple dimensions of “divine” states are easily accessible to all participants while we’re deep into our mantra and rāga sessions, and personal revelations and “a-ha” coherency moments abound.
The focus is on empowering everyone to have their own direct experience of the power of sound.
No one person is channeling a particular angel, alien, or master, no prophetic messaging, no apocalyptic storylines, etc.
7. Visualization or Imaginary States
The real present moment is perfectly full!
We co-create sound spaces together that are heavenly in the body, now.
There’s no need to compensate for a lack of direct experience by imagining something else. No pretending to be tuned into the facilitator’s personal trip in order to perform “good” for the teacher.
8. Forced Extreme Breathwork
You will not be intentionally triggered to “explore vulnerability” or create trauma bonds.
Instead, you’ll find safe, gradual, sustainable transformation through self-created sound in our Heart of Sound practices that respect your autonomy.
9. Peer Pressure
Our retreats are not the yoga version of a high-school clique culture.
Haute couture spiritual yoga fashion, competitive mālā rep counting, spiritual sādhanā one-upmanship—just doesn’t arise in a mature collective culture.
You’ll have plenty of space to be authentically in your own experience, ride your own growth edges at your pace, and share (or not share) personal details as you wish.
Retreat Training Students Speak
The playlist below has 26 short videos to get a true feel for what folks experience on retreat with Anandra!
Incredible personal and professional transformation stories from a few of the Heart of Sound trainees -- from 2014 to now -- speak about their experiences about training with Anandra in India, Hawai'i, Australia, Germany, and online. Over 500 people from 65 countries have taken this training. They learned sound therapy through traditional Indian sound yoga techniques like Sanskrit mantra, vocal toning, learning nada yoga, how to play harmonium, lead kirtan chants, nonviolent communication, and much more.
Chant Retreats
Experience sound yoga therapy and Sanskrit mantra chanting with Anandra and our global chant community in person!
Our "Retreat into the Heart of Sound" experiences are offered worldwide by Anandra and Heart of Sound graduates. While our priority during retreat is to provide you with an invitation to our profound chanting practices (and you're welcome to skip study session times if you're simply on retreat) your "inner nerd" will also enjoy our innovative approaches
Retreats also count as in-person attendance hours for Heart of Sound 200-hour and 500-hour Yoga Alliance teacher training. Package deals are available saving you $200-$500.
Get FREE access to A DOZEN mini sound training resources from Heart of Sound
Designed to help you orient your practice to the heart of sound:
Discover the best sound yoga therapy, mantra meditation, and nada yoga here:
- Dive deep with the world's first and only online sound and mantra 200HR & 500HR Teacher Training
- More free sound baths and chant experiences of all different types are available at HeartofSound on YouTube / Sound Bath Playlist
- Get to know Anandra through her IG reels and media appearances.
- Interested? ☎️ Book a FREE 30 minute Discovery call! Let's explore together and find the perfect option
