Human Development Organisation for Business & Community Impact
Format
In-Person Event
Dates
21 September - 1 October, 2025
(During the Indian Festival of Navratri)
Location
Goa, India
Core Faculty
Margot Esther Borden, PhD
&
Preeti D’mello, MSc, PCC
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OVERVIEW
In our modern, externally-focused world, many people seek meaning in the fast-paced chaos. This is where the myth embedded in Eastern wisdom traditions provides a way for us to understand our way of being and becoming in the world. Hinduism, as a tradition, has been interpreted as yoga, tantra and other easily visited aspects. The foundation of the Vedas, the Hindu scripture of reference for Vedic practitioners, is to convey the truth of who we are. These deeper dimensions of knowledge and wisdom, the innermost revelations of the ancient rishis, are often neglected.
This 11-day intensive retreat is an invitation to self-initiation into Vedic practices through the ancient sacred festival of Navratri. Each day, participants will have an opportunity to learn and journey into the Vedic culture, philosophy, psychology, and spiritual practices in relation to the nine goddesses that manifest during Navratri.
Through exercises, lectures, meditation at ancient Hindu temples, traditional rituals, offerings, somatic journeying, psychospiritual healing and development, writing as a ritual to the Divine Feminine™, and Vedic Astrology, each participant will discover their unique journey of alignment with the Divine Feminine.
Purna Pilgrimage to India
A Journey Through Grace and Strength into Our Whole Selves
This course is for pilgrims seeking to:
● Explore the oldest wisdom schools of India.
● Delve into Eastern wisdom through its diverse philosophical, spiritual, and mystical traditions and practices.
● Access and embody their feminine and masculine dimensions and aspects.
● Explore the portals that allow deep, inner exploration, creating space, and finding and aligning to the divine feminine. We aspire to uncover, clear, clean, and align and connect within ourselves.
● Develop a deeper understanding of ‘Sanatana Dharma’, Vedanta and Hinduism and dispel appropriated forms of the philosophies.
● Heed their deep, sincere desire and courage to develop consciously through an in-depth process of intentional transformation.
Course design
Learning &
Experience
Structure
11-day in-person learning and experience structure (Location: Goa, India):
The participants will experience lectures, rituals and prayers to invoke each day’s deity. Visits to ancient temples of ‘Shiva’, ‘Vishnu’ and ‘Durga’, chanting mantras, somatic practices, personalized Vedic astrology readings, writing ritual and dream integration will facilitate the journey.
Learning objectives
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Learn and personalize a framework of engaging with the Divine as a living, universal force.
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Explore the basic and practical principles of divine living (dharma).
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Learning to read the everyday metaphors of our lives as a conduit of wisdom.
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Understand how to live according to the roles and responsibilities of our current context (varna).
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Adventure into the mystical dimensions of ‘Advaita Vedanta’ and ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
Learning outcomes
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Understanding: Embodied understanding and creative assimilation of your personalised learnings.
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Reflection: Life overview establishing a framework for the future.
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Introspection: Embracing metaphors and mystical experiences and perceptions within our daily, practical lives.
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Action: Creating a life design
Core faculty
Margot Esther Borden, PhD
Margot’s discovery of yoga, Indian philosophy, and meditation at the age of 12 sparked her passion for India. She was initiated into Kriya Yoga by Paramahamsa Hariharananda, in 1988. Her study of the Sri Aurobindo’s inform her exploration of consciousness in its physical, vital, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions. Her search has involved both research and direct experience of many psychological and spiritual traditions, experiential therapies, meditation and yogic techniques.
Margot completed her breathwork training in Paris in 1986 and her Master of Arts in Humanistic Psychology at the University of Durham in the UK in 1997. She completed her Ph.D. of Philosophy in Wisdom Studies at Ubiquity University, focusing on Women’s Spirituality. Margot is the author of Psychology in the Light of the East (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and co-author/co-editor of Spirituality and Business, Exploring Possibilities for a New Management Paradigm (Springer, 2010)
Margot is an integral psychotherapist, coach, author, international public speaker, and seminar facilitator. After 30 years of following the path of Kriya Yoga, she lived in India for 11 years. Her client base is in Europe, the USA, and India.
Preeti D’mello, MSc, PCC
Preeti is a Vedic practitioner from the Nath tradition in the lineage of Maha Avatar Babaji and was initiated to Kriya by Sri M. Her study of Sanatan Dharma and Vedic traditions guide her life and work with a focus on human consciousness and fulfillment. She is a direct disciple of Shri Shivabala Yogi and came under his tutelage at 12, learning meditation and observation as a transformative process. Preeti is a disciple of Maa Samvidananda Saraswati and studies the Bhagavad Gita under her guidance.
Preeti is an organizational psychologist, a professional certified coach, and a facilitator. She authentically and intentionally integrates the wisdom of the East and West. She is a PhD student at the Wisdom School at Ubiquity University. Her 35 years of work and education have provided her with a rich pathway to change, consciousness, and upliftment through knowledge and direct experience. She has had the privilege of leading an affinity group of 2,20,000 women with attention to leveraging gender intelligence and owning their feminine consciousness with intention.
Preeti is the co-founder and President of The Fulfillment Institute, an organization focused on pursuing fulfillment and excellence in Coach Education.
