49-Day Pratyabhijna Retreat

The cost of the 49-Day Retreat includes a course fee and a fee for food and accommodation at Refugio Terraza de la Tierra, where participants stay for the last 39 days of the course.

For 2023, the total fees are $1,910 USD ($1,740 low-income price). Please note that Hridaya takes no percentage of the fees paid to Refugio Terraza de la Tierra and that once paid, these fees are non-refundable. See our Payment and Refund Guidelines below for more information.

If you would like food and accommodation at the Hridaya Yoga Center during the first 10 days of the retreat, you can book and pay for this separately.

As exact costs for this long-term retreat may vary from year to year, please contact 49days@hridaya-yoga.com for the most up-to-date pricing.

As there is always great interest in the 49-Day Retreat and we want to be sure we can serve the maximum number of participants each year we have a rather strict payment and refund policy for this course.

Please Note Our 49-Day Retreat Payment Guidelines:

• Prices are listed in U.S. dollars.
• To confirm your registration, you must make a non-refundable deposit of $150 USD.
• Your balance is due at least 28 days before arrival; once your deposit has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to make the final payment.
• Note that once paid, all fees are non-refundable.
  

If you have any questions about the payment and refund guidelines, please email us at 49days@hridaya-yoga.com.

Sahajananda recommends a daily practice of at least 2 hours of Hridaya Meditation. You can find guided meditations and lots of information about this approach on our website. You may also wish to become familiar with the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. We suggest starting with his short book Who Am I?, which is available as a free download.

On a more mundane note, we suggest that you pay all of your bills, create email autoresponders, and deal with any other “real world” issues before the retreat begins. Try to make peace with anyone you have issues with, deal with as many unresolved problems as possible, and tell your dear ones how much you love them. This is very important, as thoughts of unresolved issues may become distracting while you are in solitude.

You may provide your loved ones with the info@hridaya-yoga.com address and our phone number (+52 958 1008 958) for them to send you a message should an emergency arise. (You may want to inform them of the kind of “emergency” you would like to hear about.)

The first 10 days of the retreat will be at the Hridaya Yoga Center in Mazunte. You are responsible for booking your accommodation and food for this time. If you would like to stay and/or eat at the Center, you will be able to book this during the registration process (accommodation subject to availability).

On the afternoon of Day 10 of the retreat, we will move to Refugio Terraza de la Tierra, a beautiful mountainside retreat center in San José del Pacífico, about a 3.5-hour drive north of Mazunte. Your fee includes transportation to and from the Refugio, 40 nights’ lodging, and food from the morning of Day 11 to the morning of Day 50.

On the morning of Day 50, we will return to the Hridaya Yoga Center in Mazunte. There will then be a sharing session with Sahajananda for the group to close the retreat. You are invited (and encouraged!) to also share your experience with the entire Hridaya Community at sharing sessions held after the retreat finishes.

Sahaja will be very connected to 49-Day Retreat participants throughout the program. Before the start of the retreat, there will be an orientation session at which he will give advice and inspiration for the retreat and you can ask questions.

During the first 10 days of the retreat, you are welcome to write him questions to be answered during question and answer sessions in the evening.

On Day 11, there will be a special Q&A session in which he can address the unique concerns of being in solitude. This session will be held via Zoom, streamed to the Refugio’s common room.

Once a week in weeks 3-6, you can write him a letter and he’ll respond a few days later. Previous participants report that they felt very supported by Sahaja and that his letters were real treasures.

We recommend arriving at least one week in advance to acclimate to the area and join morning meditations at the Hridaya Center. There will be an orientation session two days before the start of the retreat, so be sure to be here at least by then.

We suggest that you plan to stay at least one week after the retreat to enjoy the echoes of the experience and harmoniously reintegrate the outer world into your new expanded consciousness.

Refugio Terraza de la Tierra is a charming spot on a quiet mountainside surrounded by pristine forests. You will be assigned your own cabin. The cabins are cozy and clean, and have either a double bed or 2-3 single beds. Each cabin also features a fireplace and a chair that can be used for meditation. Note that not all cabins have electricity, though plenty of candles will be provided.

The Refugio will provide sheets, towels, and toilet paper. Retreat participants should bring toiletries. New sheets and towels will be provided once per week. If you have additional laundry, the Refugio offers a weekly cleaning service for a nominal fee.

You will stay warm by using the fireplace in your cabin and dressing appropriately for the climate. 

You will be responsible for making your nightly fire (before the retreat begins, you will receive instructions on how to make a fire). A box of firewood and ocote resin kindling (a helpful natural fire starter) will be left outside the door of your cabin every day. If you have any problems starting your fire, you will be able to give a signal to the staff and they will assist you in a way that will allow you to maintain solitude. 

Note that one box of firewood per day is included in your fees. This is enough fuel for a roaring evening fire. Should you find that you would like more firewood, it is available for $75 MXN per box. You may request more firewood by writing a letter to the on-site Karma Yogi. Payment for additional firewood may be made at the end of the retreat.

As the mountains can be cold, especially at night and in the early mornings, we highly recommend that you bring layers of warm clothing. This could include a jacket, a hat, sweaters, socks, slippers, and a shawl. You may also want to bring a sleeping bag or blanket for an extra layer when sleeping or meditating.

During the first 10 days of the retreat, we suggest joining the meal plan at the Hridaya Yoga Center. The Center offers simple vegan meals three times per day during breaks in the retreat program. You’ll be able to sign up for meals when completing the registration process.

From the morning of Day 11 to the morning of Day 50, food will be provided at Refugio Terraza de la Tierra. The retreat center staff will prepare meals and bring them to your door. There will be two meals served each day, one at 11:30 am and the other at 6:00 pm. They will be simple, vegan, and made with love. Most ingredients come from food grown on the property or are sourced from local farmers and markets.

If you would like to have tea, you will need to bring a thermos, which will be filled with each meal.

Although the meals are substantial, we recommend bringing some snacks to supplement them. Good snacks include nuts, energy bars, and dried fruit. You may also want to bring olive or coconut oil, spirulina, and other superfood supplements. (You can buy oils, nuts, and some kinds of dried fruit in Pochutla. Other items are best brought from home.)

The food provided is intended to be sufficient. However, you may sometimes wish to have an extra portion. Second portions are available for $50.00 MXN per meal. You may request more food by writing a letter to the on-site Karma Yogi. Payment for additional food may be made at the end of the retreat.

As our resources at Refugio Terraza de la Tierra are limited, we generally cannot make accommodations for special kinds of diets. That said, if there are things you don’t eat, we will make a note of them and do our best to keep them off your plate. If, for example, you do not eat black beans, when we are serving them to others, we will try to give you more salad, rice, etc. to replace them. We cannot, however, make a special meal for you. Please feel free to contact the Retreat Coordinator for more information or if you have specific questions.

You will be provided with six 1-liter glass bottles of fresh mountain water in your cabin. When a bottle is empty, leave it outside your door and a new one will be delivered.

By you! As the retreat is a solitary experience, retreat center staff will not enter to clean your room. Therefore, cleaning supplies will be left outside your door for you to use as often as you desire.

During the time in solitude, the suggested schedule is as follows:

7:00-11:30 am Practice
11:30 am-3:00 pm Brunch and Rest
3:00-6:00 pm Practice
6:00 pm Dinner
7:30-9:30 pm Practice

Of course, you are welcome to do more practice or to modify the schedule based on what works best for you. “Practice” is mostly Hridaya Meditation, supplemented by Hatha Yoga and pranayama.

The retreat follows the standard Hridaya Silent Meditation Retreat guidelines, including:

• Refraining from all media (music, internet, computers, cell phones, cameras, books, etc.)
• Noble silence
• Modest dress
• Sexual abstinence
• Avoiding looking in mirrors (after the 49-day retreat, you will look at yourself again and see how beautiful you really are!)
• Maintaining an inner attitude of solitude (do not look into other people’s eyes; instead, keep an inward focus)

The only creative activity that is allowed is writing about your experiences after meditation–and this is highly recommended. Taking notes during the lecture sessions of the first 10 days of the retreat is also advised, so please bring a notebook and several pens.

Sahaja recommends that participants approach the time in solitude as if they were in a cave, staying in their rooms as much as possible.

However, if you can maintain a meditative attitude while walking the forested paths around the Refugio, you may go outside for short periods. When outside, try to stay as internalized as possible, avoiding interaction with other retreat participants and staff. 

When leaving and returning to your room, please be aware that others may be walking around the property or meditating outside their rooms. Please avoid looking at people, so their privacy and solitude are respected.

To best support your experience, we will collect your phone before the retreat begins and store it safely for the duration of the retreat. This will help you avoid any temptation related to the phone and create conditions for diving more deeply within.

If you generally use your phone as an alarm clock or otherwise find it supportive to know the time, we strongly recommend bringing a travel clock with enough batteries to last the entire retreat period.

We suggest the following:

• Toiletries (enough for the whole retreat!)
  • Toothpaste and toothbrush
  • Shampoo, soap, conditioner
  • Washing powder (if you want to do some handwashing)
  • Nail clippers
  • Medications
  • Menstrual supplies (if applicable)
• A yoga mat (if you do not have one, you may borrow one from the Hridaya Center)
• Earplugs and an eye mask
• Paper, notebooks, envelopes (for notes to Sahaja), and enough pens and pencils
• A flashlight
• A watch or battery-powered clock and/or a timer for meditation/yoga sessions
• Ample batteries for your electronic items (flashlight, clock, timer, etc.)
• Cash in pesos in case you need supplies or laundry service (it is best to bring small bills)
• A water bottle and thermos
• Mosquito repellant for your time in Mazunte
• A cloth napkin (the Refugio does not provide napkins with meals)
• A hat and sunscreen (if you plan on going outside)
• Warm layers (as it can sometimes get cold during this time of year, we strongly recommend you bring multiple warm layers to be sufficiently prepared)
  
  • Shawl
  • Jacket
  • Hat
  • Sweater(s)
  • Long-sleeved shirt
  • Long pants
  • Socks
  • Slippers
  • Sleeping bag or blanket (optional)
• A bathing suit, sarong, and beach towel (optional)
• Light, comfortable, modest clothing for use in Mazunte
• Snacks and treats
• Special items for your altar (a picture of Ramana Maharshi, incense, etc.)
• Additional cushions (The school will provide 1 big cushion and 1 small one. Each room has at least two pillows on the bed, which you can use during meditation.)

Note that you are responsible for bringing everything that you will need for the duration of the retreat. Although our on-site Karma Yogi will be there to support you in case of emergency, they will not shop for specialty items. So, please carefully think through your needs and pack accordingly.

Please make every effort to anticipate your needs and bring enough supplies for all 49 days of the retreat. If you forget something essential, you may write a note to the on-site Karma Yogi, and they will do their best to help you. When requesting that they purchase items for you, please be sure to include money with your note.

Entering a retreat is not escaping from the world and its challenges, but a longing of your being to dive deeper in silence. During a long-term retreat, you may experience highs and lows. The first few days or weeks may be the most challenging, as you need to adapt to new conditions, and you start facing some limiting patterns and fears. But once the mind relaxes and tastes the first drops of the Heart’s nectar, your experience will become more and more simple, light, joyful, and fulfilling. To deepen in Self-Inquiry, have the aspiration and determination to follow the guidelines and do your sadhana (spiritual practice) wholeheartedly.