Do you dream of exploring India, but find the idea of traveling alone a little intimidating? An Iyengar yoga retreat in Auroville, India, is a wonderful opportunity to take that first step. You’ll be able to explore this fascinating country while sharing the experience with other participants, in an environment that fosters self-discovery, new connections, and a sense of wonder.
An interview with Delphine Sicard*, the founder of this project.
How did you discover Auroville, and what particularly appealed to you about it?
It was my uncle who introduced me to Auroville through his stories. He had been visiting there regularly since the 1970s. Whenever I went to visit him, I would always discover beautiful objects he’d brought back from his travels. Colorful candle holders made of recycled paper, large dried tree leaves, magnificent terracotta pots, and unique lamps with plant motifs…
But what made the biggest impression on me was the way he spoke about the people he had met and, above all, about Mother, the founder of this wonderful project. When he talked about Auroville, his eyes would sparkle. There was something in his gaze that piqued my curiosity and made me want to discover this place for myself.
What were your plans when you moved there with your family?
Our main goal was to enroll our children in school there. We had visited the schools twice and were charmed by their surroundings. The open gardens, the red earth, the flower mandalas, and the emphasis placed on the arts and language learning.
We felt that a different approach to education was possible. One that was more open to the world, creativity, and life itself.
Can you tell us about the most memorable experience you’ve had in Auroville?
I particularly enjoyed my experience volunteering at the “For everyone” community kitchen.
The team included Tamil men and women, as well as Koreans, Italians, and French people… This mix of cultures was incredibly enriching. We cooked together. After that we served our dishes to the Aurovillians, who came to pick up their meals for lunch and dinner.
By pooling our efforts to prepare meals in this way, everyone was freed from the burden of grocery shopping and cooking. This allowed them to devote themselves to other activities and contribute, according to their abilities, to the city’s development.
At the helm of this wonderful adventure was Marie-Ange, an 84-year-old woman. She was deeply respected by everyone, with a remarkable life story and an extraordinary personality.
This experience touched me deeply. It was a tangible embodiment of the possibility of living and working together. Beyond differences in culture and background—in the service of a shared goal.
What has changed for you since you lived in Auroville?
For a long time, I’ve longed to go back there.
Knowing that somewhere on Earth there was a place where people were trying to live differently had left a deep impression on me. Back then, about ten years ago, certain practices seemed particularly innovative to me. For example, systematic waste sorting on a city-wide scale. The reuse of raw materials, and the production of compost to enrich the soil. Or architecture designed to promote natural ventilation.
But beyond these concrete achievements, it was certain encounters that left the deepest impression on me. I met people whose gaze had a particular depth and intensity. And who seemed capable of great concentration, their attention focused on something greater. People who had this ability to “dream bigger.”
Auroville left me with the feeling that another way of living in the world was possible. And that this aspiration could be expressed in the simplest everyday actions.
Why did you choose to organize an Iyengar yoga retreat in Auroville, India? What is particularly important to you about this opportunity?
I want to help my students discover this atmosphere of beauty. This sense of calm and this way of approaching life through yoga, in the spirit of the project championed by Mother.
I also want to introduce them to ATB (Awareness Through the Body). It’s an approach inspired by integral yoga that develops attention, perception, and body awareness.
I’d like to share with them the experience of Watsu, which allows one to experience a very deep sense of letting go in warm water.
And of course, there’s the Matrimandir and Sri Aurobindo’s ashram. These are unique places whose atmosphere is felt far more deeply than it can be described.
For me, this workshop is a way to bring together several aspects that are dear to me. The practice of Iyengar yoga, the sensory exploration of the body. The discovery of a place that has left a deep impression on me. And the joy of experiencing all of this together.
What would you like the participants to experience and discover during this yoga retreat in India, in this unique setting?
I would like them to experience Auroville with all their senses, without necessarily trying to understand or explain everything.
May they discover this place, founded on a longing for beauty, harmony, and unity. May they also lose themselves on the red-earth paths that wind through the forest. And may they marvel at a tropical flower, taking the time to smell it, observe it, and listen to it…
And may they let themselves be enveloped by the silence of the inner chamber of the Matrimandir.
I would like them to be able, each in their own way, to experience a different quality of presence: toward their bodies, toward nature, toward others, and toward themselves.
I hope they’ll leave with a little of that quality of silence and wonder. And with the feeling that other ways of living and being in the world are possible.
Delphine Sicard has been an Iyengar yoga teacher since 2007, having trained with Faeq and Corine Biria in Paris. She taught for several years at the Iyengar Yoga Center in Paris before moving to Auroville, India. There, she discovered Integral Yoga and ATB (Awareness Through the Body). This approach profoundly transformed her practice and her teaching style: less effort, more sensation, and a simple, vibrant presence. Upon her return to France, Delphine founded the Dalaya Center in Montpellier.
For more information about the yoga retreat in India
Auroville, located in southern India near Pondicherry, is an experimental city founded in 1968. The project aims to bring together people of all nationalities in a spirit of peace, human unity, and communal living. Known for its Matrimandir, its unique architecture, and its ecological projects. Auroville seeks to invent new ways of living together, transcending cultural and religious boundaries.
