Melkote Yoga
Immersion
February 1–8, 2027 · with Sri M. A. Alwar and Andrew Eppler
Eight days inside an ancient temple village — practicing, studying, and encountering the living heritage behind the yoga you love.
Where the tradition behind Ashtanga yoga is still alive.
Melkote is a sacred temple village an hour from Mysore where the philosophical and devotional roots of yoga have been kept alive for over a thousand years. It is the place that most deeply shaped Sri Krishnamacharya's teaching — the same tradition that gave Ashtanga yoga to the world.
This immersion is an invitation to spend eight days there — practicing āsana and prāṇāyāma inside a thousand-year-old temple, chanting at sunrise on the sacred hill, walking with scholars through places most visitors never find, and beginning to understand firsthand where the practice actually came from.
All levels of experience are welcome. You don't need to know anything about Indian philosophy to come. You just need to want to understand your practice more deeply.
Melkote · Karnataka
Eight days of practice, teaching, and sacred place.
The week has a natural shape. Mornings are for the body and for chanting. Afternoons belong to Alwar Swami and the temples. Evenings are quiet.
Sunrise chanting on the sacred hill
Each morning before dawn we walk up to the Yoga Narasimhan Temple to greet the sunrise. Sri Yatindra — Alwar Swami's nephew and disciple — leads us in mantra chanting as the light comes over Melkote. It is a powerful way to begin the day.
Āsana and prāṇāyāma inside the Kalyani Temple
From the hill we move to the Kalyani Temple — built in the time of Rāmānuja — for two hours of āsana, prāṇāyāma, mudrā, and meditation. The practice takes on a different quality in this setting. You feel the context of what you are doing.
Afternoons with Alwar Swami in the temples
Each afternoon we walk with Alwar Swami through the temples and sacred places of Melkote that most visitors never find. We take part in the rituals, hear the stories, and receive explanations of the history and philosophy behind each place from a scholar who grew up inside this tradition.
Evening chanting with Dr. Vidyā Alwar
Each evening Dr. Vidyā Alwar — Alwar Swami's wife, a Sanskrit scholar in her own right — leads a short mantra chanting session. A quiet and beautiful close to the day before dinner is served. Please send a portrait of Vidyā to place here.
◈ Professional photography is offered to all participants during the retreat. You will leave with beautiful images of your time in Melkote.
The shape of each day.
The rhythm is steady but unhurried. Days begin in darkness and end in chanting. There is time to rest, to wander, to simply be in the place.
Timings may shift with the rhythm of the week. Check-in at SV Comforts Hotel begins at noon on February 1st; we meet at 3 PM for our first outing together.
Melkote has been a center of yoga and Vedāntic learning for over a thousand years.
An ancient temple village an hour and twenty minutes from Mysore, Melkote has been patronized by the Royal Family of Mysore for over four hundred years. It carries an unbroken tradition of scholarship, temple worship, and practice.
Sri Krishnamacharya — whose teaching gave rise to most of what we now call modern yoga — was formed by this place and this tradition. To come to Melkote is to encounter that background directly: not through books, but through a place still alive with it.
spiritual practice
patronage
Two primary guides. One assisting.
The access this immersion offers is possible because of relationships built over many years of genuine study.
Dr. M. A. Alwar
Alwar Swami · Scholar, Ācārya, and keeper of a living tradition
Alwar Swami is the son of the legendary Sri Lakshmithathacharya Swami and carries an extraordinarily rare inheritance — an unbroken line of transmission in which the knowledge of this tradition has passed from father to eldest son for generations. He has studied its philosophy, rituals, and sacred texts since childhood, not as an academic pursuit but as a way of life. He grew up in Melkote. He knows every temple, every sacred pond, every story and ceremony with the intimacy of someone for whom this is not the past but the present. When he moves through these places, ancient knowledge becomes directly accessible. To spend eight days in his company is a genuine privilege.
Andrew Eppler
Founder, Mysore Yoga Traditions
Andrew has practiced and taught Ashtanga Yoga for over thirty years, spending much of that time returning to Mysore to study with the teachers and scholars who shaped his understanding. His long-standing connection with Alwar Swami — built through genuine study and mutual respect — is what makes this immersion possible. He will be with you every step of the way, on the mat each morning and beside you in the temples each afternoon.
Sri Yatindra
Disciple and nephew of Alwar Swami
Sri Yatindra leads our sunrise chanting sessions at the Yoga Narasimhan Temple each morning. He is himself in deep traditional training and his presence adds immeasurably to the experience of the week.
Food prepared as offering, then served as meal.
Accommodation is at SV Comforts Hotel in Melkote — clean, comfortable, and well situated for the week. Two meals are provided each day, along with afternoon tea.
The food is prasāda — offered to the divine before it is served — prepared by Sri Ramapriya and Sri Rangapriya, pujāris of the Cheluva Narayana temple whose family arrived in Melkote in the 12th century. For them, cooking is a sacred act, and it shows in every meal.
All meals are vegetarian. Vegan and gluten-free options available on request.
We help you plan every step.
Getting There
Most students arrive through Bengaluru International Airport (BLR). We recommend taking a taxi directly to Melkote rather than connecting onward after a long flight, and we can arrange reliable drivers for the hour-and-twenty-minute journey through Karnataka.
Visas
Required for most nationalities. Begin the process well in advance and we will guide you through it from the moment you decide to come.
Arriving Early
If you'd like to arrive early and rest before the immersion begins, extra nights of accommodation can be arranged in both Mysore and Melkote. Just let us know.
Health & Packing
Bring any medications, supplements, or vitamins you take regularly. Wifi is available at the hotel. We're happy to answer any questions about health, safety, and what to expect.
Pricing & Registration
February 1–8, 2027. Includes all teachings, accommodation, meals, and ground transportation within Melkote.
$1,500 after October 1st
Reserve Your PlaceReserve your place now with a deposit. The remaining balance is due before the immersion begins.
Reserve with Deposit
Joining from Mysore for the day? Meet us at 3 PM, join Alwar Swami's afternoon outing, and stay for evening dinner.
Reserve a Day Pass
Conference Attendees
20% discount for attendees of the Mysore Yoga Conference. Mention your conference registration when you sign up.
Indian Citizens
A 50% discount is available for Indian citizens. Please enquire for details.
200hr Trainees
The Melkote Immersion is included in full for participants of the MYT 200hr Ashtanga Immersion.
What happens in Melkote is difficult to describe to someone who has not been there. The temples, the teachings, the food, the dawn chanting on the sacred hill — it settles into you in a way that is hard to explain and impossible to forget. We have watched it change people. Spots are limited and this immersion fills quietly, without much fanfare. If you feel called, now is the time.
— Andrew Eppler
Glimpses of the week.
