Surrender and Let Go - A Journey Through North India
- Theresa Samworth
- Apr 28
- 3 min read
This March, I set off on a soul-stirring adventure through North India with my yoga sister Beccy and eight courageous women. Our mission: to experience the raw, spiritual heart of India, to embrace its vibrant chaos and deep-rooted wisdom, and to weave in the yogic practices that have shaped my life so profoundly.
India is not for the faint of heart.
It’s wild. Loud. Unpredictable.
It challenges you, shakes you, strips you of your need for control and presents you with one invitation after another: surrender.
This isn’t England. Health and safety are loose concepts here. Time is elastic. Plans? Laughable, really. But that’s the magic. The unexpected isn’t a side effect of travel in India—it is the experience. And the true practice is how we respond when things don’t go to plan.
Can you be still in the storm?
Can you trust, even when everything seems to be unraveling?
Can you let go of needing to know what’s next?
As a self-confessed control freak, India stretches me. It forces me to soften, to breathe through discomfort, to surrender again and again. And just when I think I’ve cracked it, another lesson appears.
This retreat took months of planning—lists, spreadsheets, emails galore. But the truth is, India doesn’t care about your spreadsheet. It moves to its own rhythm. So I learned (again) to loosen my grip and allow space for divine timing.
The challenges came in waves. A lost purse (miraculously returned the next day), a monkey snatching a bag, my guide leaving due to a family emergency, sickness, minibus breakdown, It felt like the universe was testing me at every turn. But this time, I didn’t resist. I breathed, I adapted, and I let go. Somehow, Plan B—or C—always appeared.
And through it all, the magic
Sitting on the temple floor with thousands of pilgrims at the Golden Temple.
Dancing at the border ceremony with joyful Indian women.
Leading meditations in sacred gardens and ancient temples nestled high in the Himalayas.
The wild, fiery beauty of a Tantric fire puja (where yes, I truly thought my eyebrows might not survive).
And hiking to remote temples high in the Himalayas… where the air is thin, the silence sacred, and every step feels like a prayer.
Witnessing the brave few swimming in the Ganges
The retreat group being taught by my own teacher in Rishikesh.
Cocktails in the Playboy building in Chandigagh (I swear it’s true!).
So many unexpected moments of laughter, awe, and deep connection.
Despite the heat, dust, cold nights, long drives, and—yes—some dodgy toilets, something beautiful happened for each of us. Some fell in love with India. Others found clarity in realising it wasn’t for them—but in doing so, they rediscovered their gratitude for home and community. All of it was sacred. All of it was real.
As I look back now, I feel immense gratitude—and a little pride. We did something brave. Something beautiful. And I already can’t wait to do it again.
The 2026 retreat is calling, and yes—I’ll tweak a few things to make it more comfortable. But the essence remains: I’ll go in with humility, with open hands, with trust. Because that’s what India asks of us. That’s what India gives us.
And if your soul feels stirred… I still have a few spots left.
Come journey with me. Let go. Surrender. And see what unfolds.
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