Rituals Of The Inner Altar
Yoga Immersion in India
With Jaina, Justyn and Uschi. This retreat is a collaboration of Beloved Retreats and The Seeker Yoga School.
October 20 – November 2, 2023


Our annual India trip this year invites you to open to teachings, practices and rituals that connect you to your inner altar.
How do we access the most sacred sanctuary on the inside? How do we create intimacy with the Divine within? How do we deepen the relationship with inner intuition to create our own practices and rituals for Sadhana?
As we hold these questions for inspiration, we will journey into the sacred swirl of the city Varanasi, to the foot of the Himalayan mountains in Rishikesh and the sacred attunement of Kanchidam to be blessed at the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram.
This is a grounded trip intended to hold the container of integrating the teachings of the koshas, pranayama and meditation; alongside a cultural immersion of the birth place of this ancient practice. There will be opportunities to connect to the wisdom of the people, yogic teachings and your own inner wisdom while we travel and practice together.
This immersion will be an opportunity to crystallize how karma yoga (service in your practice) is amplified through these connections to your inner relationship with Spirit.
This is an advanced trip for seekers that are ready to fully surrender and meet their edges in practice. This trip requires openness, humility, surrender and spiritual maturity.
*itinerary details are subject to change during the trip as we always stay in the flow to best serve the group in the present moment.
Preparation for this trip will require :
- personal phone call with either Justyn or Jaina
- Signed document to agree to the terms of the trip
- 3 zoom meetings as a group prior to the trip
- The reading of ALL emails that detail how to prepare, travel and pack for the journey
- Daily meditation practice
- The reading of text “Be Here Now” by Ram Das

Uschi and Rakesh will be our guides through the magic of India’s culture. With expert knowledge and loving care, they will spear-head our daily excursions. They will provide us along the way with rich cultural history, wisdom from the mystical side of India, information on customs and rituals of Indian lifestyle, and brilliant translations of love everywhere we go.
WE WILL JOURNEY THROUGH
-Varanasi
–Rishikesh
–Kanchidam
YOUR RETREAT INCLUDES
Local culture
Incredible food
Sacred Temples
Yoga Practice
Meditation
Philosophy lectures and discussion
*Your tuition includes, all yoga study, hotels, food and transportation throughout India*
Our travel dates are October 20 – November 20 2023
Cost (not including flight) = $3800 Early Bird Rate, $4000 after March 1, 2023
Cost includes all places we stay, all internal travel, most meals and the yoga / meditation training. You are responsible for your own flight.
Feeling the call to step forward? We are taking an intimate crew of seekers so space is limited. Early bird rates are available to pre-register now!
E-mail jaina@belovedretreats.com to apply.
We can’t wait to take this miraculous journey with you!
Love,
Jaina, Justyn,and Uschi


Your Guides:
Jaina Portwood – Founder of The Beloved School of Yoga and Beloved Retreats

I have been practicing yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2002. As a youth, I accomplished incredible achievements as a competitive athlete. I consistently rose to the top, even as a young swimmer, breaking state records at the age of 7. This confidence and physical power has allowed me to see the world in a different paradigm, what some athletes call “the zone.” I was instantly attracted to yoga as a means to experience magical altered states of reality, manifestation, magic, and longevity.
I first studied yoga in college alongside calculus, physics, and cellular biology. After experimenting with a 100% raw foods diet for 8 years, I birthed 4 children naturally, and fell deep into health and healing modalities. Starting in 1999, I gained certifications in massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, thai massage, energy work, permaculture, herbalism, flower essences, and a range of other studies related to human anatomy an physiology, nutrition, and advanced esoteric yoga. I have a wealth of yoga experience through over a decade of svadhyaya (study of self), bhakti (devotion), and I have trained with yoga masters all over the country.
Above all else I hold an intention for spiritual, and physical expansion. Yoga is union. To be united to the Self, through the Self, into the Self…the heart….unconditional love. This is achieved through pranayama, asana, nutrition, intuition, and insight to take you beyond the seen world and into cosmic consciousness.
As your primary guide for instruction and certification, I am dedicated to a personalized approach to teacher training, life coaching and yoga/health mentorship. Everyone is different in the way we learn, grow, and transform into our highest, most supreme, optimal selves. I help individuals shine their brightest!
Justyn O’Neill – India Pilgrimage Guide 2022

Justyn O’Neill is a 500hr certified yoga instructor and educator. She received her yoga certification in 2010 at the Frog Lotus school of yoga in Koh Samui, Thailand and completed her 500hr studies in 2017 with Radiant Life Yoga. She continues her studies here in the cities and in India on-going.
Her classes often focus on healing the relationship we have with body, moving beyond limited perspective and arriving in a place of acceptance and deep love for what is.
It is her intention that students leave class feeling empowered by their truth and appreciative of their bodies. The flow in class is challenging and unique to assist students in discovering both their inner and outer strength. Her classes create a safe container to effectively incorporate meditation and self study, as tools to guide students to eventually come to a place where they can deeply love who they are.
Uschi Gibson – India Pilgrimage Guide 2022

Uschi was raised in the rich spiritual arms of the Ojai Valley, home to Krishnamurti and the Theosophical Society. Uschi moved from Ojai, California to Varanasi, India more than 13 years ago to live her dream of working with women in rural communities. Since leaving her former fashion career with Versace, her life has unfolded and blossomed in ways she never could have imagined.
As a yogini and teacher at Lulu Bandha’s with Kira Sloane, Uschi cultivated the skills and community support to launch her on her path—Founding an ethical business model with women in India, inspiring creativity and resourcefulness in a rural community, and sharing her reverence of the traditions of her chosen home with an international community. Working initially as the head of the Krishnamurti Foundation India’s Women Empowerment Unit, Uschi cultivated a training and production program within the local community. From here, Uschi gave birth to LuckyUschi, a customized clothing line that sources local textiles which are hand-dyed, handwoven, and embroidered, giving employment to Varanasi’s traditional artisans. 12 years on, Uschi manages a group of artisans independently. The women she has trained and become close with make up an independent group of empowered women who are now training others.
Uschi founded Lucky Lalita/Samarasya Journeys (**we are changing the name), where she guides sacred and educational pilgrimages, and partners with international teachers to coordinate Yoga teacher trainings, and wellness retreats. Working in Varanasi, as well as other sacred sites in Northern India, Uschi and her partner Rakesh connect groups into the deep soul of India providing cultural and spiritual experiences that could only be offered by locals. Creating a safe container for transformational experiences, Samarasya Journeys offers many trips and retreats throughout the year.
In 2020 Uschi began to teach again, now online via Zoom. Combining her years of study in the texts of South Asia, and her immersion within the cultural traditions, Uschi’s current passion is to share the spirituality and connected rituals of her chosen home. Focusing on her deep connection to the traditions of Shakta Tantra, Kashmiri Shaivism, and the major and minor goddesses and yoginis of India, Uschi’s teaching imparts the roots of ritual practice, respect for the lineage, and expanding beyond the Asana practice into the deep heart of Yoga.
