January 2027
Sacred India
A Mystical Pilgrimage Through the Paths of
KRISHNA · SHIVA · SHAKTI
Delhi · Vrindavan · Agra · Varanasi · + Mumbai & Goa (optional)
The Journey
This journey is an invitation to encounter India's living spiritual traditions not as a spectator, but as a pilgrim.
Our pilgrimage is a carefully guided yatra — a sacred journey through some of North India's most spiritually resonant places, designed for Western seekers drawn to meditation, inner exploration, devotion, and the mystical heart of India.
We will travel through Delhi, Braj–Vrindavan, Agra, and Varanasi, moving through a spiritual arc of arrival, devotion, beauty, transformation, and integration. For those who wish, the pilgrimage concludes with an optional third week in Mumbai and Goa.
Why This Pilgrimage
India has the power to reorder the soul.
It invites us out of our ordinary patterns of life and into a more spacious, symbolic, and sacred way of seeing. A temple visit becomes a revelation. A river becomes a goddess. A chant heard in the evening air becomes a doorway to another world.
There are many trips to India. This one is being shaped as a sacred container. Rather than approaching India as spectators, we will travel as pilgrims. Rather than rushing from landmark to landmark, we will create room for atmosphere, contemplation, and direct experience.
The intention is not merely to inform participants about India, but to help them feel India — and to allow that encounter to work inwardly.
Your Guides
Jeff "KD" Meyers, M.D., L.Ac.
Minister, Congregation for Sacred Practices
A physician, acupuncturist, and minister in the Congregation for Sacred Practices, with over 30 years of experience in integrative medicine, rehabilitation, and holistic healing. His spiritual path has taken him through Sufism, Buddhism, and the yogic traditions of India. He has traveled to India over a dozen times for pilgrimage and adventure, and in 2003 was gifted with resting in non-dual awareness — an experience that continues to inform his teaching and guidance today.
Radha-kunda Das
Senior Monk, Gaudiya Vaishnava Tradition
A senior monk in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, a dedicated practitioner of Bhakti Yoga, and an authorized guide for pilgrimage tours and yoga retreats throughout India. He teaches Bhakti philosophy and leads communal kirtan — call-and-response devotional chanting — guiding seekers into the heart of devotional practice. His name carries deep resonance with the journey itself: Radha-kunda is one of the most sacred lakes for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, located at the foot of Govardhana Hill in Vrindavan, considered the liquid embodiment of Srimati Radharani's love.
Paul Ryder, PhD
Co-Founder, Congregation for Sacred Practices
A scholar of mythology and depth psychology with degrees from Harvard, Rutgers, and Pacifica Graduate Institute, Paul brings decades of study across Hindu and Yogic philosophy, Christian mysticism, Sufi poetry, and the world's contemplative traditions. Rooted in the work of CG Jung and Joseph Campbell, he approaches sacred travel as an invitation to deep inner transformation. Paul is the founder of the Congregation for Sacred Practices and serves as dean of its seminary at sacredpractices.org.
Channing McBride
Minister, Congregation for Sacred Practices
A founding Minister at the Congregation for Sacred Practices and a practitioner of somatic bodywork for over a decade, Channing brings an intuitive, deeply embodied presence to sacred space. Their personal practice of ancestral pilgrimage — exploring the indigenous roots of Celtic and Druidic traditions — informs the sensitivity and depth they offer to group pilgrimage. Channing serves the Congregation for Sacred Practices community at sacredpractices.org.
The Spiritual Heart of the Journey
Three Great Devotional Currents
Along the way, we will explore the culture and spiritual significance of three living traditions that continue to shape the spiritual heart of Hindu India.
Vaishnavism
Krishna & Divine Love
The yoga of Bhakti — approached through relationship, longing, music, beauty, and joy. Experienced through the sacred land of Vrindavan and the geography of Braj.
Shaivism
Shiva & Transformation
The sacred presence of Shiva in Varanasi — one of the oldest living cities on earth, where the veils between life and death, time and eternity, seem very thin.
Shaktism
The Divine Feminine
Encounters with the Divine Mother — woven throughout the entire journey, in temples, rivers, and the living devotional life of India.
The Spiritual Geography
Delhi
Entering the Sacred Landscape
We begin in Delhi, the great threshold city, where ancient and modern India meet. Here we arrive, ground, and begin softening into India's deeper rhythm. This first stage is about crossing an inner threshold — leaving behind the familiar and opening to another mode of perception.
Vrindavan
Awakening of the Heart
The sacred land of Krishna. Here we enter the path of Bhakti — love and devotion. We will walk the sacred geography of Braj, where mythology, devotion, place, and the infinite meet.
Varanasi
Shiva, Mystery & Transformation
The spiritual climax of the pilgrimage. One of the oldest living cities on earth — where the veils between life and death seem very thin. On the ghats of the Ganges, we encounter a spiritual world still very much alive.
Agra
Love Made Visible
More than a famous monument, the Taj Mahal becomes part of the pilgrimage as a reflection on sacred beauty, longing, and the enduring force of love.
Optional Extension
Mumbai & Goa — Integration
After the intensity of pilgrimage, this final phase allows for integration, embodiment, and gentle return. Ayurvedic treatments available.
What Makes This Different
A Sacred Container, Not a Tour
We will move respectfully through sacred places, receive darshan where permitted, participate in spiritual practices, and create space each day for reflection, meditation, and meaningful conversation.
This is not about adopting beliefs from another tradition without context. It is about entering the sacred world of India with respect, listening deeply, and allowing contact with these living traditions to expand one's own spiritual understanding and depth.
This Journey Is Designed to Balance
— Sacred site immersion
— Meditation and spiritual reflection
— Meaningful cultural context
— Beauty, wonder, and rest
— Flexibility within a thoughtful overall structure
Who This Is For
This journey is for sincere seekers who feel called to experience the spiritual heart of India in a way that is meaningful, grounded, and deeply alive.
— Adventurous explorers of consciousness
— Meditators, yoga practitioners, and spiritually curious travelers
— Western seekers drawn to pilgrimage, sacred sites, and contemplative traditions
— Those interested in mysticism, bhakti, mantra, temple culture, and the devotional life of India
— Travelers who want depth, beauty, and transformation — not a standard sightseeing tour
— Those who value both inner practice and cultural immersion
This may not be the right fit for those seeking a luxury vacation, rigid scheduling, or a fast-paced checklist-style itinerary. The spirit of this journey is spacious, devotional, experiential, and open to the unexpected.
The Inner Arc of the Journey
Sunrise on the Ganges
Dawn breaking as pilgrims bathe and priests chant — one of the unforgettable sacred experiences of India.
Evening Ganga Aarti
Fire ceremony on the ghats — a powerful encounter with devotion, ritual, sound, and sacred beauty.
Temple Life in Vrindavan
Chanting, bells, flowers, music — direct immersion in the bhakti tradition of love and devotion.
Darshan with Spiritual Adepts
Intimate small group meetings and darshan with spiritual teachers, gurus, and healers of many traditions.
in the sound of bells at dawn,
in the sight of lamps floating on the river,
in the silence after chanting,
in the presence felt inside an ancient temple...
No one returns unchanged.
Express Your Interest
This pilgrimage is being created for a limited group in order to preserve intimacy, cohesion, and depth of experience. If this journey speaks to something deep in you, you are warmly invited to express your interest below.
Early commitment pricing ends July 31, 2026 — save $250 on your journey
Reserve your place
Pay Your Deposit
$1,008 USD per person
Deposit to reserve your place, subject to the cancellation policy. Balance due October 15, 2026.
One registration per person. Traveling together? Each traveler completes their own registration.
Deposit to reserve your place on the Sacred India: A Mystical Pilgrimage Through the Paths of Krishna, Shiva, and Shakti — January 2027. Subject to the cancellation policy.
Please review the Release of Liability and Indemnity before completing your registration: Review the Travel Waiver.
After your payment, you'll receive this document by email for electronic signature.