Retreats

This eight-day pilgrimage moves through the ancient Shakta heartland of Tamil Nadu, South India — a landscape where the goddess has been worshipped without interruption for thousands of years.

The temples you will enter are not museums. They are living sanctums where priests carry hereditary knowledge that has never been written down, where fires have not been extinguished, and where the energy of the divine feminine is not symbolic. She is present.

Retreat Summary

Curated specifically for women, this trip will be an immersive journey into the rich culture, philosophy, spirituality and arts of South India, guided by long-time India traveler and yoga educator Nea Ferrier, with a on focus Śākta (Devi) and Pañca bhūta (Five elements) sthalams

Your days will be filled with practising yoga and meditation (optional); visiting temples where we will have the chance to participate in ancient rituals; meeting traditional textile and sculpture artisans; and sampling the local cuisine, all led by local guides who have been part of these traditions for generations.

Retreat highlights:

Walk through three of the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalams — the elemental temples of Earth at Ekambareswarar, Water at Jambukeswarar, and Space at Chidambaram — each one still operating as a living site of worship, not a relic.


Be present for a full one-hour abhishekam at the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple — one of the three foremost Shakti Peethas in India, whose fierce energy Adi Shankara is said to have transformed by installing a Sri Chakra beneath the goddess’s feet.


At Jambukeswarar in Trichy, stand before Goddess Akhilandeswari — the fierce form of Shakti who never sits, whose energy is so intense that Adi Shankara himself is said to have placed ear ornaments on her to temper her power — and witness the underground spring that keeps the Shiva Lingam permanently submerged


Walk the grounds of the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, built from 60,000 tons of granite in 1010 CE, and the 7th-century Pallava rock-cut wonders at Mahabalipuram — both UNESCO World Heritage Sites that reward slow attention.

Spend a full day in Kumbakonam, “Varanasi of the South”, the temple city on the Kaveri where sacred tanks outnumber streets and medieval Chola heritage is still part of daily life

Sit with master silk weavers in Kanchipuram and bronze sculptors in Swamimalai, to witness ancient ritual protocols firsthand, and receive context for what you’re seeing from guides who have lived inside these traditions from birth.

We close the trip at the Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram and stand before the Chidambara Rahasya: the formless void at the heart of the tradition, pure consciousness with no image and a closing sunrise meditation at the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram, with the Bay of Bengal at your feet.

This is not a tour of Tamil Nadu. It is a meeting with her.

What’s not included

• International flights to/from Chennai
• Travel and medical insurance
• Indian visa fees and documentation
• Personal expenses – SIM cards and laundry and personal shopping
• Temple donations and individual ritual offerings (flowers and oil lamps and coconuts..etc)
• Tips and gratuities
• Anything not listed above

PRICING

SHARING (DOUBLE ROOM)*

• EURO 1850 early bird by July 31
• EURO 1950 regular price

SINGLE

• EURO 2050 early bird by July 31
• EURO 2150 regular price

*Please note if you are not travelling with a partner, I will match you with someone. From my experience, retreat travelling partners end up becoming firm friends!

Bookings close September 15 or when spaces are filled.

PAYMENT TERMS

50% deposit to secure your spot. Please wait on booking flights until confirmed the retreat will go ahead ( by September 15).

Final balance by October 28. Payment is by bank transfer (Wise account) unless otherwise requested.

OTHER DETAILS
Flights and visas to be organised independently. Arrival and departure from Chennai International Airport.

We can also help you arrange additional days either side of the retreat dates.

APPLICATION

Please complete this application form for to apply for this trip.

About Nea

For more than eighteen years, Nea has been teaching yoga and guiding students in the transformative practices of the yogic tradition.

Since first travelling to India in 2005, she has returned almost every year, developing a deep connection with the country’s spiritual, cultural and philosophical traditions.

Her travels have taken her across Bengal, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, enriching her understanding of India’s diverse sacred landscapes and living wisdom traditions.

Nea has spent extended periods studying Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore at the Sri Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute and received the blessing to teach from Paramaguru R. Sharath Jois in 2010.

Since 2015, she has been leading retreats throughout India, including in Gokarna, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Udaipur and Varanasi. These journeys weave together daily yoga practice, meditation, chanting and philosophy with meaningful cultural experiences, creating opportunities for both inner exploration and authentic connection with India.

Inspired by a lifelong fascination with Yoga, Ayurveda, Tantra and Vedic wisdom traditions, Nea thoughtfully curates retreats for women seeking both personal growth and adventure. Her approach balances the depth of traditional practice with the richness, beauty and vitality that come from travelling through one of the world’s most compelling spiritual landscapes.

With Nea Ferrier, Yoga Educator & Menstruality Mentor (Authorised level 2 Ashtanga Yoga teacher, 2010) and Kate O’Donnell, Founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institute (Authorised level 2 Ashtanga Yoga teacher (2011).

Join Nea & Kate in beautiful Salento, Italy for an immersion into the sister sciences of Ayurveda & Yoga to enhance your journey as a female Ashtanga yoga practitioner.

The retreat combines the Ashtanga yoga method, along with a deep dive into Women’s health from an Ayurvedic viewpoint; anatomy of the subtle body, women’s physiology and how to connect to your innate cyclical wisdom.
You will leave this retreat with valuable take-home Ayurvedic lifestyle practices along with a refreshed approach to practising and/or teaching yoga.

We’ll also make time for some site-seeing in picturesque Puglia – la dolce vita!

Lecture Topics

• Introduction to Ayurveda: Dośa system
• Dinacharya and Rtucharya: Daily and Seasonal Practices
• The Ashramas (life stages)
• Prana, Tejas & Ojas
• Anatomy of the Subtle body
• Ayurveda and Western view on Hormone Health
• Ayurveda view on asana and pranayama, Modifications for different stages of Life
• Menstrual Cycle Awareness

Daily Schedule

• 7:00 am-8:30 am – Mysore Class
• 8:45-9:15 am – Sanskrit chanting
• 10:00am – Brunch
• 11:00am-1:00pm – Ayurveda Lecture
• 1:00-4:00pm – Free time (spa/sauna available)
• 4:00-6:00PM – Yoga workshop
• 6:30pm – Dinner

(No afternoon class on Wednesday to allow time for additional site-seeing)

Additional extras

• Transfers between retreat centre and aiport/train station
• Use of spa/sauna and any treatments
• Any additional site-seeing

Certification

• We can provide certificates of participation on behalf of the Ayurvedic Living Institute

About the Retreat Centre

Yoga is Salento is one of the world’s top Ashtanga yoga retreat centres. Set in the stunning southern Italian countrside on a working organic farm Agricola Samadhi, Yoga in Salento has become of favourite of teachers and students worldwide. Enjoy your yoga practice in the beautiful custom-built shala and when not practising, walk through the gardens, be at the pool or use the spa.

Located in the inland of the ‘Heel of Italy,’ an enchanting peninsula in the south of Puglia, Yoga in Salento & Agricola Samadhi are just a few kilometers from the ‘beautiful Baroque Lecce’ and equidistant from the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea, offering a perfect location to explore the wonders of Salento.

The closest town Zollini is ten minutes walk away and Lecce is 15 minutes drive.

• EURO 695 for early bird (until December 31)
• EURO 875 for full price

For bookings email Nea@neaferrieryoga.com

Accommodation to be booked separately via Yoga in Salento.
info@yogainsalento.com

Prices start from EURO750 per person.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Secure your spot with a 50% non-refundable deposit. Final payment to be made 30 days before retreat start date.

Please wait for confirmation before booking flights.

About Kate

Kate O’Donnell has spent the last twenty-five years traveling through the far-reaches of India in search of ancient healing practices to bring back to the United States.  Through her own healing journey, Kate experienced first hand how a holistic system creates lasting health. She’s since emerged as a preeminent expert in Ayurveda—the sister science to Yoga—and has built her own method customized for modern Americans. Her individualized approach—“guiding from disease to ease”—has transformed the lives of thousands of people and made her one of the most respected thought-leaders in holistic medicine. Kate is a four-time bestselling author of the Everyday Ayurveda Cookbookseries, host of the Everyday Ayurvedapodcast, international speaker and the founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institutewhere she has educated a generation of practitioners.

About Nea

Nea is a teacher of Ashtanga yoga practice and philosophy. She was given the blessing to teach by Paramaguru Sharath Jois in 2010.

She has taught as resident teacher in Australia, Japan and the UAE where she founded Ashtanga Yoga Dubai in 2014, as well as a visit teacher to yoga shalas in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

A student of yoga for more than 20 years, Nea continues her personal studies in Ayurveda, Tantra and Veda Chanting.

She is Menstruality Mentor, certified by The Red School, and is passionate about sharing menstruality as the ultimate spiritual practice for women.

Nea’s teaching style is gentle, compassionate and intuitive, focused on guiding students to find their own balance between effort and letting go, and to practice in a way that is sustainable and supportive for various life stages.
Nea now resides in Cape Town and currently teaches online and as well as leading retreats internationally.