Happy MoonYoga & Wellness
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Aldona · North Goa

Five slow days of yoga, breath and stillness in a Goan village.

Residential yoga & wellness retreats at Happy Moon Homestay, built on a one-year yoga diploma and shared openly as it is learned.

Register interest See the 5-day programme

Diploma in progress · First retreat dates to be announced

1 · Yama how we treat others Eight petals, eight limbs of yoga. Hover or tap one; press it to read more.
Begin

Yoga Sūtra 1.2 · where most yoga study begins

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः

yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

“Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind.”

  • cittathe mind
  • vṛttiits movements, like waves
  • nirodhaḥstilled

A restless mind is water in the wind: the moon still shines on it, but no clear reflection forms. Every practice on this site, from a steady seat to a slow breath, is a way of letting the water settle.

From class: the first definition of yoga · see it on the map

Touch the water, then watch it settle
Green coconut and banana trees seen from a homestay window

The journey

Learn it properly. Share it openly. Then host it.

I’m Ulhas. With my wife Anuja I run Happy Moon Homestay in Aldona. I’m now a year-long student of yoga, and this site is where that year becomes something useful for you.

A student studying at a desk in the early morning beside a rolled yoga mat

Learn

A one-year yoga diploma in four subjects: yoga practical, yoga philosophy, human anatomy and yoga theory.

A student sharing an open book with neighbours under a banyan tree

Share

Every module turns into plain-language notes in the open library below, free to read.

A white and yellow homestay among coconut palms welcoming guests with yoga mats

Host

Five-day residential retreats at our homestay for guests from across India.

Draft programme

The 5-day retreat

One theme a day, practised early, explained simply and lived quietly. Small groups, home-cooked food, and a village that goes to sleep early.

Guests arriving at a Goan village homestay and gathering in an opening circle around a lamp

Arrive

Settle in and slow down. We open with the prayer to Patañjali, set an intention for the week, and end the day with the Pasaydan, a prayer for the well-being of all.

From class: the opening prayer · the Pasaydan

Guests with yoga mats waving goodbye to the host family at the homestay gate

Carry it home

A short personal practice to take home, built on the golden rule: same time, same place, same direction, starting with five minutes a day. Then a closing circle before you leave.

From class: the golden rule · equanimity off the mat

A day’s rhythm

Scroll, and the sun moves through the day.

  1. Wake, warm water, quiet morning
  2. Prāṇāyāma and āsana on the terrace
  3. Breakfast
  4. Theory circle: philosophy, anatomy or breath
  5. Lunch and rest
  6. Gentle practice or a village walk
  7. Evening meditation
  8. Dinner, then lights down early

What the retreat is built around

  • Your room at Happy Moon Homestay for the retreat
  • Home-cooked meals from the host family’s kitchen
  • Two practice sessions a day, suitable for beginners
  • Daily theory circle drawn from the diploma notes
  • Walks to Corjuem Fort and along the village roads
  • A take-home practice plan written for you

This is a working draft. Dates, final schedule and pricing will be shared with everyone who registers interest, before anything is booked.

The open library

Start with the eight limbs

Patañjali’s Aṣṭāṅga, the eight limbs of yoga, is the map most yoga study begins with. The path runs from how we treat the world to complete absorption. Scroll, and it lights up limb by limb.

  1. Outer practice
  2. A village scene of kindness: water for a traveller, care for ants, honest change returned
    1

    Yama

    Restraints

    How we treat others: non-harm, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, non-grasping.

    See its connections
  3. A home at dawn: sweeping, drawing a rangoli, reading scripture and offering a flower
    2

    Niyama

    Observances

    How we treat ourselves: cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study, surrender.

    See its connections
  5. A practitioner breathing slowly on the ghats of Varanasi at sunrise
    4

    Prāṇāyāma

    Breath regulation

    Lengthening and refining the breath to steady the energy of body and mind.

    See its connections
  6. Inner practice
  7. A tortoise drawing in its limbs beside a meditator undisturbed by a busy market
    5

    Pratyāhāra

    Sense withdrawal

    Drawing attention in from the senses, the bridge between outer and inner work.

    See its connections
  8. A practitioner gazing steadily at a single diya flame in a dim room
    6

    Dhāraṇā

    Concentration

    Holding the mind on a single point, such as the breath, a sound or an image.

    See its connections
  9. A yogi meditating beside an unbroken stream of golden oil poured from a brass vessel
    7

    Dhyāna

    Meditation

    Concentration that has become an unbroken, effortless flow.

    See its connections
  10. A meditator on a Himalayan ridge whose outline dissolves into the sky
    8

    Samādhi

    Absorption

    Complete absorption, where the sense of separation between meditator and object falls away.

    See its connections

Yoga philosophy · Pañcakośa

Five layers of you

The Taittirīya Upaniṣad describes a person as five sheaths, from the body you can see to a bliss you can only live. Each layer has its own practice. Hover or tap a ring.

Five concentric rings: annamaya on the outside, then prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya, and ānandamaya at the centre
  1. Annamaya kośaThe physical body, made of the food we eat.Practice: cleansing kriyās, warm-up and āsanas
  2. Prāṇamaya kośaThe energy sheath of prāṇa, the bridge between body and mind.Practice: prāṇāyāma, mudrās and bandhas
  3. Manomaya kośaThe mental sheath of thinking, feeling and emotion.Practice: dhāraṇā, dhyāna, chanting or japa
  4. Vijñānamaya kośaThe sheath of higher thinking and intuition.Practice: svādhyāya, reading the scriptures and reflecting on them
  5. Ānandamaya kośaThe sheath of bliss, beyond body, mind and intellect.Practice: niṣkāma karma, sevā and surrender

From class: the five kośas in practice · Bhṛgu’s search, layer by layer · see it on the map

The concept map

How it all connects

Every idea, practice and body system from the class notes, linked to the others. Pick any box to see what it connects to and where it is taught. The map grows with each new class.

How these are counted: ideas are boxes on the map, connections are lines, “taught in class” is the share of solid lines, classes are notes pages, and sources are the Indian websites cited on dashed lines.

    On a small screen, scroll the map sideways.

    What I am studying

    My yoga certification syllabus, unit by unit

    I am studying for a yoga certification, and these are my notes on its full syllabus: philosophy and the old texts, warm-ups and Sūrya Namaskāra, the cleansing kriyās, breath, meditation, the body, teaching, food and yoga for wellness. Each unit is explained simply, with animations that show how the practice works.

    Read the syllabus notes
    1. 1Foundations of yoga
    2. 2Aṣṭāṅga, the four paths and Haṭha
    3. 3Warm-ups, Sūrya Namaskāra and āsana
    4. 4Ṣaṭkarma, the six cleansing practices
    5. 5Prāṇāyāma, bandha and mudrā
    6. 6Relaxation and meditation
    7. 7The human body and yoga
    8. 8Yoga education and teaching skills
    9. 9Food and daily rhythm
    10. 10Yoga for wellness

    Diploma notes

    Four subjects, published as I study them

    Class notes

    Studies

    Happy Moon Homestay, a three-storey white and yellow house surrounded by palms Shared balcony with patterned tiles looking out over trees The laterite walls of Corjuem Fort with a dirt path through green grass

    Where you’ll stay

    Happy Moon Homestay, Aldona

    A family-run home in Corjuem, Aldona, among paddy fields and coconut groves beside the Mapusa river, away from the beach crowds of North Goa.

    • 4.9 ★on Google, 130+ reviews
    • Superhoston Airbnb
    • ~40 minfrom Mopa airport (GOX)
    • ~20 minfrom Thivim railway station
    Visit homestayingoa.com

    Questions

    Before you ask

    When is the first retreat?

    The programme is being shaped alongside a one-year yoga diploma. Dates will go first to everyone who registers interest.

    Do I need any yoga experience?

    No. The programme is being designed for complete beginners and regular practitioners alike, with simpler and stronger options in every session.

    How much will it cost?

    Pricing will be shared along with the dates. Registering interest is free and commits you to nothing.

    How do I get to Aldona?

    Mopa airport (GOX) is about 40 minutes away and the host can arrange a pickup. Thivim railway station is about 20 minutes away.

    What will we eat?

    Home-cooked meals from the host family’s kitchen. Tell us about any dietary needs when you register.

    Is the library medical advice?

    No. These are a student’s study notes, shared for learning. Talk to your doctor before starting a new practice, especially if you are pregnant, injured or managing a health condition.

    A new day

    Be among the first guests

    Send a WhatsApp message to register interest. You’ll hear about dates and pricing before they are announced anywhere else.

    Register on WhatsApp