Your contribution helps cover essential travel, accommodations, and training expenses at these ashrams, allowing Emily to fully immerse herself in this life-changing journey. In return, you’ll benefit from exclusive insights, advanced teachings, and new classes that Emily will develop from her profound spiritual experiences—giving you the chance to be part of something truly meaningful and transformative.

By giving, you're not only supporting a highly respected teacher but also gaining access to her enriched offerings, workshops, and teachings that will be available in-person and online to donors and students alike—helping you deepen your own practice while empowering Emily to continue sharing her transformative work.

By supporting, you're helping Emily Hughes, a Senior Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500+) with nearly a decade of experience, as she embarks on a transformative pilgrimage back to India for her 50th birthday. You’re not just supporting her journey, but becoming a part of it, fueling a ripple effect of growth, healing, and inspiration that can uplift your own life and practice.

Kochi, a historic coastal city shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, invites the seeker into a quiet reverence that lives beneath its vibrant surface. Along the Malabar Coast, the timeless rhythm of the Chinese Fishing Nets moves with the tides like a living meditation. Fort Kochi’s atmospheric streets carry the legacy of devotion in many forms. The Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest active synagogue in India, stands as a testament to enduring faith. Nearby, St. Francis Church and centuries-old temples reflect a sacred convergence where cultures and spiritual lineages met and flourished side by side. To walk here is to enter into the soul of an interwoven past, where the sacred still lingers in every stone and every sea breeze.

Munnar, nestled in the Western Ghats and blanketed in endless hills of tea, brings a breath of fresh, cooling air to both body and mind. The mountain mist rolls over emerald slopes like a prayer shawl, softening the edges of thought and encouraging deep stillness. Here, the silence of nature speaks clearly, and meditation becomes a natural response to the landscape. The high-altitude air is both invigorating and grounding, ideal for inner work and quiet study.

Further inland lies Thekkady and the surrounding Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, where dense forests and still waters create a living temple of the natural world. Home to elephants, wild boars, birds, and medicinal plants, this protected space pulses with the rhythms of untouched nature. Walking among these ancient trees or drifting across the lake by boat brings a sense of deep interconnectedness and humility. It is a place of reverence, where the wild becomes the guru and presence itself becomes the practice.

Together, these places offer a journey through Kerala’s many layers, cultural, ecological, and spiritual, each revealing the sacred through a different lens. Movement through these lands mirrors the inner pilgrimage, from the busy to the quiet, from the known to the mysterious, from the outer landscape to the heart within.

Kalady, the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya, is a site of profound spiritual resonance. On the banks of the Periyar River, where the young Shankara once walked and bathed, the air still carries the quiet hum of sacred inquiry. Here, Advaita Vedanta took root in a boy sage who would go on to shape the spiritual fabric of India. Visiting Kalady is an act of remembrance, a chance to stand at the source of a powerful stream of wisdom and feel the living pulse of nonduality in the temples, shrines, and stories that continue to echo through this sacred land.

Thrissur, often called the cultural capital of Kerala, radiates a vibrant energy rooted in devotion, music, and ritual. The great Vadakkunnathan Temple stands at its heart, a towering presence dedicated to Lord Shiva. The pulse of drumming, the scent of camphor and sandalwood, and the layered traditions of temple arts speak to a city that reveres both spirit and culture. It is a place where the sacred is not hidden away but alive in the rhythm of daily life. Here, devotion is celebration and celebration is prayer.

In Vadakkencherry, I return to the heart of my practice and the home of my teacher, Vinod, and his family. Their school, Swarupa Yoga Shala, is both a refuge and a wellspring. This time in India with my teachers is a sacred return to the source, a chance to drink deeply from the timeless waters of yoga, Vedanta, and Ayurveda. It is a journey of devotion and service, long awaited and deeply cherished. In the shared silence of early morning sadhana, in the warmth of meals prepared with love, in the laughter, tears, and teachings that arise naturally in community, I find the essence of this path. My teachers have shaped me with gentleness and unwavering clarity, guiding me again and again toward the inner light.

Together, Kalady, Thrissur, and Vadakkencherry form a constellation of lineage and living tradition. These places offer not just teachings, but transmission, not just knowledge, but direct experience. To walk among them is to be gathered back into the lap of something ancient, vast, and unshakably true.

Amritapuri, the ashram of beloved humanitarian and spiritual leader Amma, rests between the Arabian Sea and the backwaters of Kerala, a living embodiment of devotion, seva (selfless service), and divine love. Here, the sacred meets the everyday as thousands from around the world gather to meditate, chant, serve, and receive Amma’s darshan. The atmosphere is imbued with bhakti, where every action becomes a form of worship and remembrance.

Just south lies Monroe Island, a quiet network of waterways and palm-fringed islets that feel suspended in time. It is here that Ayuryoga BLISS, the home of my teacher Sanjay and his family, offers a peaceful refuge for healing and learning. Rooted in deep lineage and tradition, this sacred space is where I will stay for Panchakarma, a process of deep purification and restoration. Surrounded by nature and guided with care, the rhythms of island life create space for inner alignment and quiet transformation.

Sambodh Ashram in Kollam, rooted in the teachings of His Holiness Swami Bodhananda Saraswati, offers a bridge between contemplative silence and practical Vedanta. It is a great privilege to visit one of his Indian ashrams, as I have been blessed to sit with Swamiji many times at the Sambodh Center for Human Excellence in Kalamazoo. Tucked among Kerala’s coastal hills, this center invites study, stillness, and the exploration of Self through satsang, disciplined inquiry, and meditative presence. It is a place where timeless teachings are lived, not just learned.

Together, these places form a triad of grace: devotion, stillness, and wisdom, each one offering its own doorway into the heart of the sacred.

Coimbatore, a city at the foothills of the Western Ghats, hums with a quiet energy that invites contemplation and reverence. Its streets, lined with temples and bustling markets, carry a rhythm that is both alive and grounding, a reflection of South India’s enduring spiritual pulse. Here, everyday life and devotion flow together, offering glimpses of sacred continuity in each interaction and in every corner.

Beyond the city lies the Isha Yoga Centre, founded by Sadhguru, a sanctuary perched in verdant hills where the air is fragrant with possibility and stillness. The centre’s spaces, designed to cultivate inner focus and outward harmony, encourage deep immersion into yoga, meditation, and reflection. Rolling gardens, quiet pathways, and sacred shrines create an environment where practice becomes prayer and presence becomes a way of life.

Under the guidance of my teacher, Vinod Kumar-Rajan, this pilgrimage becomes more than travel—it is a journey inward, a chance to explore the roots of practice and the depths of devotion. Each breath, each step, and each moment of contemplation offers a doorway into the inner landscape, as the outer environment supports stillness, clarity, and connection.

This pilgrimage celebrates fifty years of life with intention, seeking not only to witness the sacred in the world but to cultivate the sacred within. It is a journey of gratitude, study, and transformation, where the rhythms of South India meet the rhythms of the heart.