These are professionals who host and facilitate your journeys, they are here to make your journey a rich experience of learning and enjoying!

Hosts:

Joanne Osborn

Joanne started practicing Yoga in 1998 in order to combat debilitating fibromyalgia, a painful condition where the muscles of the body calcify thus radically restricting the movement of the body. Along with diet and acupuncture, yoga has been the most integral part of managing her disease.

While making a miraculous recovery from the disease and in order to share her love and appreciation for the incredible benefits of yoga, Joanne began teaching in October of 2001. She completed her 200 hour certification with Samatva Yoga founder Karen Prior, and completed her 500 hour certification with the Himalayan Institute in Allahabad, India.

Joanne is registered through Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 instructor, which is a prestigious certification for those instructors who are able to offer yoga training to aspiring yoga teachers. Additionally, Joanne has pre-and post-natal training through Mamaste Yoga, three children’s yoga certifications, Thai Yoga training and Reiki certification.


In addition to yoga, Joanne’s greatest loves are spending time with her family and travel, especially in India!

 

Arjun (jan)- Introduction to Mantra Sadhana in India

Growing up in Belgium Arjun found himself always attracted to the mysterious and hidden sides of life and existence. Twelve years ago he embarked on a journey that lead him to spend much of his time living and studying in India.
It is in there that he found the ancient wisdom living through time honored rituals and long lineages with initiatiatory traditions. It is to these traditions that he has dedicated his life of study, practice and teaching.
On his exploration through the jungle of the ancient traditions of Veda and Tantrik Hinduism he has studied with some of the Sub-continent’s finest teachers. The sons and senior disciples of Master EK in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, trained him in Vedic and Tantrik ritual, mantra recitation and Jyotish (Vedic astrology). At present he studies sanskrit with Pandit Vagisha Shastri, and Trika Tantra with Dr. Mark Dyczkowski. Arjun teachs mantra and perform rituals in India and Belgium. You may contact him at: arjunajan@ilikajourneys.com

Christina Sell - Anusara Yoga and Trika in India 1.26.08-2.09.08
Christina Sell has been practicing yoga since 1991. She is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor. Anusara Yoga is a unique method of hatha yoga which integrates biomechanical principles of alignment with the celebration of the heart and spirit. Developed by John Friend in 1996, Anusara Yoga offers a dynamic synthesis of asana technique, yoga philosophy, and good company.
Christina is the author of Yoga From the Inside Out- Making Peace with Your Body Through Yoga. She studies ongoingly with John Friend and master teachers from all traditions. Her active teaching schedule includes local, national and international classes and workshops in asana, teacher training and principles of dharmic living.
Christina lives in San Marcos, Texas with her husband, Kelly, their two retired greyhounds and four cats. She and her furry family enjoy long walks, bicycle rides, dinner parties with friends and hanging out on the river.
www.christinasell.com

Tracy Firsching - Hawaii, June 06 -13th 2009
Tracy is a long time yoga practitioner teacher and advanced massage therapist. She began practicing yoga and meditation in 1984 in London where she graduated from the London College of Massage. Tracy studied Kundalini Yoga with Yogi Bhajan, Classical Hatha Yoga with Gary Kraftsow, and participated in extended meditation retreats in various monestaries and retreat centers. Tracy had the honor of sitting with his holiness the Dalai Llama, and the Karmapa in Dharamsala. These were profound experiences guided and molded her practice and teaching, but she emphasizes that no experience is more powerful or more important than sincere, individual meditation practice and the truth that is revealed from within. Tracy is a Registered Yoga Teacher, Registered Massage Therapist, and holds advanced certification from the Neuro-Muscular Therapy Institute. She has nearly 2000 hours of training in therapeutic health fields. Tracy's massage training spans 20 years, and began in London in 1987. She has nearly 2000 hours of training. www.austinmassage.org

Dr. Jennifer Moody - Crete, Greece Date TBA

 

 

 

 

Hosts have the professional knowledge regarding the trip focus (yoga, history, archeology, mantra, etc)

Tour Facilitators are the travel professionals who coordinate the logistics and operational aspects of the trips.

Sunit Tiwari

Sunit has been in the India travel business for over 15 year and will make sure that your journey through India is safe, healthy and as comfortable as possible. He will share with you local customs, etiquette, and a perspective that you could only get from someone well versed in Indian as well as Western culture. He is native to Varanasi, where he and his brothers run a sucessful travel and tour business that has offices in India and Australia. You are in the best hands with Sunit and his family!

Genevieve Gilbreath - Ilika trips coordinatior and tour host on select tours.

Anusara Yoga and Trika in India 1.26.08-2.09.08
Genevieve Gilbreath has been studying and practicing yoga for over 15 years. Her exploration of yogic paths has settled into the flow of Trika (Kashmir Shaivism). Trika is a highly refined form of the inner practices of yoga. It is a monistic form of philosophy that embraces many means to recognizing the divine within. The last few years Genevieve has been living, studying and teaching in Varanasi, India. She will use her experience and knowledge of history and culture to enrich your understanding of this timeless country and help with adjusting to India!