{"id":2211,"date":"2026-01-01T12:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T06:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/?p=2211"},"modified":"2026-01-01T12:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T12:29:16","slug":"asanas-himalayas-field-trip-kunjapuri-temple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/asanas-himalayas-field-trip-kunjapuri-temple\/","title":{"rendered":"Asanas in the Himalayas – A Field Trip to The Kunjapuri Temple"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exploring Kunjapuri Temple: A Unique Yoga Practice Amidst Spiritual Heritage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Long before the moon recedes and the sun punctures through the horizon, a group of dedicated yogis in training is already up and ready for our day-off excursion. With mats strapped to our backs, we commence a walk through residential alleys and over Ramjula Bridge<\/strong> to a car awaiting its cargo of curious foreigners. A forty-minute drive up a winding road takes us higher with each sharp turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As some of us begin to feel car sick, we look around and realize that we are completely enveloped in clouds. The fog makes it impossible to see what lies in front of the vehicle. Both eerie and thrilling, a few of us close our eyes while the rest continue snapping pictures and giggling nervously. By 5:00 AM, we reach the end of the road and arrive at our destination\u2014the summit of Kunjapuri Temple<\/strong>. We stretch our limbs outside the truck and let our lungs adjust to the new elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Student<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Shortly thereafter, the sun rises, revealing dozens of silhouetted mountain tops lining the horizon. It\u2019s a spectacular sight. We take pictures and gaze at the morning dawn as the temple bell begins to ring. We are welcomed into a small space inside the temple, only about six feet on all sides, by a man and woman in chanting prayer. We all cram in to admire the intricate golden decorations<\/strong> and participate in their ritual. The man blesses us with a red tika on our foreheads and adorns the marking with white grains of rice. As we exit, we receive traditional parting sweets of puffed rice and sugar morsels<\/strong> in our cupped hands and exchange a friendly Namaste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sacred Yoga Practice at Uttarakhand\u2019s Shaktipeeth Temple Legends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to legend, this temple, one of the 52 Shaktipeeth<\/strong> temples in Uttarakhand, is the location where Sati\u2019s chest <\/strong>fell when her husband, Lord Shiva<\/strong>, was carrying her burned body to rest. Both eerie and peaceful, this holy site is frequented by locals and tourists alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cleared a space on the right side of the temple to lay down our mats and begin our practice. After a few chants and several asanas, we lie in Shavasana<\/strong> with our eyes closed amidst the sounds of monkeys frolicking and natives praying around us. At one point, two women circled the temple as part of their sacred ceremony, carefully walking between our resting bodies and tossing sweet offerings while singing in Sanskrit. It was one of the most unique practices I\u2019ve ever experienced. We were 1,667 meters in the air yet deeply immersed in authentic Indian culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Breathtaking<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our visit to Kunjapuri Temple<\/strong> offered a profound blend of spiritual heritage and yoga practice. The stunning sunrise, combined with the sacred rituals and serene environment, made it an unforgettable experience. For those seeking a transformative journey, incorporating elements of traditional culture with yoga practice, our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in India<\/a>, 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in India<\/a>, and 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in India<\/a> at Rishikul Yogshala<\/strong> offer the perfect opportunity. For a more holistic experience, consider our Ayurveda Retreat in India<\/a> or a Yoga Retreat in India<\/a>. Embrace the chance to deepen your practice and connect with the rich traditions of India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exploring Kunjapuri Temple: A Unique Yoga Practice Amidst Spiritual Heritage Long before the moon recedes and the sun punctures through the horizon, a group of dedicated yogis in training is already up and ready for our day-off excursion. With mats strapped to our backs, we commence a walk through residential alleys and over Ramjula Bridge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"Long before the moon recedes and the sun punctures through the horizon a\u00a0group of dedicated yogi\u2019s in training are dressed and ready with mats strapped to our backs for\u00a0our day-off excursion.\u00a0 We commence a walk through residential alleys and over Ramjula bridge to a car that awaits it\u2019s cargo of curious foreigners. A forty minute\u00a0drive\u00a0up a windy road takes us higher with each sharp turn.\n

\n\nAs some of us fall car sick, we look around and realize that we're completely covered in clouds. \u00a0 The fog has made it impossible to see what lies in front of the vehicle.\u00a0 Both parts scary and thrilling, a few of us close our eyes while the rest continue snapping pictures and giggling nervously. \u00a0By 0500 hours, we've reached the end of the road and arrived at our destination, the summit of the\u00a0Kunjapuri Temple.\u00a0 We stretch our limbs out of all sides of the truck and introduce our lungs to the new elevation.\n\n\"asanas-in-the-himalayas-img-1\"\n\n<\/div>\n
Shortly thereafter the sun comes up and dozens of silhouetted mountain tops line the horizon. \u00a0It\u2019s a spectacular sight to see.\u00a0 We take pictures and gaze at the morning dawn as\u00a0the temple bell begins to ring.<\/div>\n
We\u2019re welcomed into a small space inside the temple, only about 6 feet on all sides, by a man and women in chanting prayer. We all cram in to check out the intricate golden decorations and take part in their ritual.\u00a0 The man blesses us with a red Tika on our foreheads and adorns the marking with white grains of rice. As we crawl out we receive traditional parting sweets of puffed rice and sugar morsels in our cupped hands and exchange a friendly Namaste.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\"asanas-in-the-himalayas-img-2\"\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n\n\u00a0 The legend goes that this temple, one of 52 Shaktipeeth temples in\u00a0Uttarakhand, is the location of Sati\u2019s chest which fell when her husband Lord Shiva was carrying her burned body to rest. Both eerie and peaceful this holy site is frequented by locals and tourists alike.\n
We cleared a space on the right side of the temple to lay down our mats and begin our practice. A few chants and several asanas later we lie in shavasana with our eyes closed amidst the sounds of the monkeys frolicking and the natives praying around us.\u00a0 At one point two women lapped the temple as part of their sacred ceremony and carefully walked between our resting bodies tossing more sweet offerings as they sang in sanskrit.<\/div>\n
\u00a0It was one of the most unique practices I\u2019ve ever experienced.\u00a0 We were 1667 meters in the air yet buried deep in authentic Indian culture.<\/div>\n
\n
Written by:<\/em> Zaianna Ortiz<\/div>\n
Traveler, Business Consultant, Wellness\u00a0Coach and Founder of The Path Om<\/a>, Zaianna decided to complete her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training course at Rishikul Yogshala<\/a> in Rishikesh this fall. She hopes to use her newly deepened understanding of yoga to help others heal and discover the capabilities of their mind, body, and soul.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[528],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-and-yoga-retreats"],"modified_by":"Rishikul Yogshala","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2211"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25876,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2211\/revisions\/25876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rishikulyogshala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}