Kaua'i Chant Retreats

There is a non-refundable $250 administrative fee. Participants will receive a 50% refund of remaining tuition if requested 30 days or more before the course. No refunds will be issued less than 30 days in advance.  Submission of your payment indicates your acceptance of the cancellation policy.

Daily Schedule:

Sunday April 27th after 4PM is checkin, short practice and introduction and a shared meal together.

Starting Monday April 28th our schedule has A days and B days, which alternate (see below).

We'll have one adventure/beach day together. 

Checkout May 3rd late morning after a Heart of Sound practice (if the group desires).

Schedule A:

Silent personal time, breakfast and beverages on your own
8:30-10:30 Heart of Sound Practice (DON'T MISS THIS!)

11:00 - 12:30 Circle w/Anandra for Q&A, sharing experiences

12:30 Lunch together

Afternoons for island enjoyment, massage, personal study, etc.

Weather depending, some may choose to gather for a casual, optional beach time, outdoor activity, or sunset.

Dinner on your own.
(Mung or kitchari leftovers.)

Alternate days, Schedule B:

Silent personal time, breakfast and beverages on your own
8:45 Arrive to temple
Silent personal fire ritual, Ganesha welcoming
9:00 Enter temple grounds, Dakshinamurthy welcoming
9:05 Enter Iraivan temple, sit silently for puja
9:45 Silent / Soft voice Jāpa of Om Namah Sivaya during service break
(OR Chant leadership opportunity for TT trainees)
10:15 Culmination of pūja in vision of Natraj, receive prasadam
10:30 - 12:00 Free time on monastery grounds, seva, or return home (possibility to sit and chant in rudraksha forest or by lily ponds/waterfall/new temple)

11:30 Lunch is available for self-service

Free time for hiking, beach time, massage, etc.

2 - 4 Chant Experiences led by Anandra and others

4:30 Warm soup or kitchari available for self-service (take away if you wish)

OR
5 - 7 Chant Experiences led by Anandra and others

7:30 Dinner together

Schedule Notes:
Each participant is assigned 1 hour of kitchen or common space duties per day.

Private mentorship or voice coaching sessions may be scheduled with Anandra, or Ayurveda consultations with Michele, during breaks.

We reserve the right to adjust the schedule and substitute chant leaders to best serve everyone’s needs and capacities.

Kama'aina folks attending to their normal life duties are encouraged to attend the 8:30-10:30 AM "A Day" Heart of Sound sessions as their top priority, and the other sessions as much as they're able to. Those are consistently the most precious moments of our time together. :)

Yes and no.

Our primary purpose of gathering is to enjoy our practices together.

There is a training element, as multiple levels of teacher trainees will be present and growing their skills.

However, no foundational lectures or basic skills classes will be offered during this retreat. The core curriculum for the Heart of Sound training is much more effectively offered online, where trainees can absorb at their own pace.

If you review the schedule above, you'll find several opportunities to nerd out with fellow trainees.

If you're currently enrolled in the (online) teacher training, this will be an extraordinary delight!

If you wish to get teacher training level content and count attendance hours towards your certification, please enroll in the Online Teacher Training now and get a head start before arriving to Kaua'i. 

Package deals are available to buy both the retreat & the teacher training together, saving you $$$!

We'd recommend getting to at least Phase 8 of the Self-Study Map for the 200hr program before arriving. At a minimum, please get through Module 4 of the Sacred Sanskrit Sounds course.

Yes, absolutely! We would love to have you attend the retreat only. You will have lots of free time in the schedule to enjoy the vibrant island of Kaua'i.

Included with your retreat purchase is our Sanskrit Mantra 101 online course ($199 value).

When you purchase the retreat you'll automatically be granted access to the course. After your purchase, look out for an email with your login link or login to your Heart of Sound account to access it.

Please complete this course before our time together to get the most out of our practices.

April 27
4 PM Afternoon arrival (island/friend rate rental cars available)
Dinner together

April 28 - May 2
5 full days of retreat schedule, alternating A & B, with one adventure/beach day together

May 3
10 AM Morning checkout / departure

YES!

One of Anandra's other hidden talents (aside from cheesy mantra jokes) is travel hacking.

She pays for all of her travel (hotels, cars, flights) using miles and points, and if you're able to get a US-based credit card and you're the type who pays their bills in full every month, check it out!

Are you still paying out of pocket for travel?

You might want to get empowered and check out her blog post: Travel Hacking Genius: Fly Free to our Kaua'i or India Retreat!

This is not a gimmick or a pyramid scheme - it's a reference to the best travel credit cards that you can earn points for free travel on, and an easy way to do it.

And if you use the links in the blog post, Anandra will get a few points for referring you and turning you on to the possibilities of free travel for the rest of your life. Your welcome & thank you!

Lodging Options & Recommendations (All Budgets)

The chant sessions, classes, & shared meals will be held at a private location 2 miles from Kīlauea town. (Address not published for privacy reasons; directions will be sent 1 week prior to the retreat.)

Lodging is not provided, because of the diversity of our retreat guests as well as everyone's wise tendency to arrive early and stay late to enjoy pure vacation time on Kaua'i, we don't attempt to arrange a shared rental house. You'll need to decide where you want to stay, but there are plenty of options as Kaua'i is a tourist destination.

Look at Kīlauea town on the map as your point of reference when determining how far away your potential lodging is.

High range $500-$800/night++:
Any of the Princeville hotels (Westin, 1 Hotel, etc.) would be a very scenic 15-minute drive to our spot.

Mid range $150-$500/night:
Any AirBnb or VRBO in Princeville, Kīlauea, Moloa'a or Anahola areas would be a very scenic 5 to 15-minute drive to our spot.

Kapa'a also has many affordable lodging options but it's a 30-45 minute drive depending on traffic.

Mid-Low range $25-75/night:
Glamping at the privately-run Kumu Camp in Anahola would be a 15-minute drive to our spot. (advance reservations required! showers, wifi, shared kitchen, lifeguards at nearby public Anahola beach park 9-5). Car camping is also allowed at Kumu camp, if you want to rent a van and camp.

Low range $10/night:
Camping at the state campground Anini beach park would be a 10-minute drive. Anahola beach park is also great and is a 15-minute drive. (dnlr.hawaii.gov permits required! cold showers, toilet facilities, picnic tables, lifeguards 9-5)

NOTE: Read the camping permit website carefully. Most parks close for one day per week for cleaning; it may change between the time you read this and your arrival. As of now, for instance, Anini is closed every Wednesday from 10 am to Thursday at 12 noon, so you'd need to move your campsite to Anahola for that one night or split your week into two spots.

Connect with others for sharing
After you register, you'll get access to a shared document where you can connect with other guests to share lodging and/or rental cars. Beyond providing this connection space, HOS staff will not facilitate sharing.

Yes. You need a car on Kaua'i, and/or an agreement to share a car with other retreat participants. Please arrange this in advance; it will not be possible for you to reach our retreat spot without a car! Carpooling is also necessary to/from the retreat location, so we highly recommend connecting with other retreat guests to share lodging & cars. 

After you register, you'll get access to a shared document where you can connect with other guests to share lodging and/or rental cars. Beyond providing this connection space, HOS staff will not facilitate sharing.

See the daily schedule for details. 8 meals are provided in the retreat price (and leftovers are welcome to be shared).

Menu:
Shared meals provided are based on Indian family recipes to support a gentle cleanse. Ingredients are gluten free, vegan, as local as possible, and designed for enjoyment and digestibility. (Ghee will be provided as an optional addition for non-vegans.)

Main meals:
Kitchari with garden veggies
Mung bean soup with pureed greens

Beverages:
Lemongrass ginger tulsi tea
Hibiscus punch
Mango lassi
Blue goddess antioxidant tea

Dinnertime simple whole food sweets:
Blue coconut milk cardamom kheer
Dates and soaked almonds
Banana “ice cream”

Meals not provided are entirely your choice; continue with the gentle cleanse theme or eat whatever you want. (No meat or fish preparation in the house, please.)

Bring your own breakfast and morning beverages.

Optional digestive herbs to be taken at bedtime (for those wanting to augment the cleanse factor) will be provided for purchase.

Yes, a very limited number of Kaua'i local prices are available to those willing to help with the event, and/or provide accommodation and transport to retreat guests.

Please inquire at [email protected] for 3 different kama'aina options.

Please follow this link for guidelines on Temple dress code.

Health Consideration Agreement:
We hope that COVID numbers will be low at the time of the retreat and we can enjoy singing freely without covering our mouths and noses.

We will consistently err on the side of caution, meeting or exceeding current official government guidelines and recommendations from leading epidemiologists to protect the vulnerable among us.

There are 3 levels of Covid consideration we have to mention:

1. NATIONAL: Each nation's (and each airline's) travel policies are your sole responsibility to navigate. (Vaccination, masking, immigration, visas, etc.)
2. LODGING: Any lodging place you book may have different requirements and it's your responsibility to navigate.
   
   (In other words, whether or not you're allowed to travel, admitted into the country, or able to check in to your lodging is your responsibility.)
3. RETREAT: Our Heart of Sound retreat house/teaching space  + temple visits/any other outings requires another set of group agreements (below) because we're in an intimate sound space together, singing!
   
   There will be some ventilation in most settings but not enough to consider ourselves protected if a participant has an active infection and sings their aerosol droplets into the room.
   
   It's a risk we're willing to take IF everyone abides by the precautions as needed.

In order to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, we'll consistently err on the side of caution. The retreat can only meet its potential if everyone remains healthy! If serious illness is spreading, it puts a huge damper on our time together.

HOS Community Health Agreements

1. We have no interest in debating the efficacy of standard public health measures such as vaccinations or masks.
2. We also have no wish to police your personal health choices.
3. Please respect others’ choices to wear a mask at any time they wish.
4. We request that everyone be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 according to the latest definition by the WHO or American Centers for Disease Control (or your own government's equivalent agency) at the time of the retreat.
5. Whether or not you're vaccinated, by registering for the Kaua'i Retreat you confirm you are willing to employ any and all of the safety measures we deem necessary at the time, including:

   -Take a rapid test daily each morning before practice
   -Wear a mask in the retreat house and temple if community spread is high
   -Wear a mask around other retreat participants, in your room with your roommate, and in the retreat house at all times, if you feel the slightest bit sick.
   -Stay in our retreat bubble and mask up when in close contact with people outside our bubble
   -Take meals “to go” and eat outdoors or in your room if risk is high
   -Remove yourself from the practices altogether if you are feeling ill or have virus symptoms (fever, cough, sneezing, etc.)

6. Please bring your own supply of the latest, most accurate rapid tests available at your time of travel (1 for each day of classes) and remedies for covid/flu as recommended by your doctors and wellness practitioners.