Curated for Sincere Seekers
Tapasya
A 7-Day Sadhana for Kashi Preparation
काश्यां हि काशते काशी काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका।
Kashi shines in Kashi; Kashi illumines everything. · Adi Shankara
Kashi is the city of liberation. It was consecrated for one purpose, and it receives you in the measure that you arrive prepared.
Tapasya is a curated 7-day online preparation program for sincere seekers planning to visit Kashi, whether you travel with Sadhana Saarthi or independently. Daily yoga, meditation and sadhana, and a deep understanding of Kashi itself: its sacred temples and how to approach them, its special aartis, and the way through its lanes, so that your days in Kashi become part of your sadhana.
- 7-day online sadhana
- 7-day online sadhanaDaily live sessions and 2 weekend specials
- With us or independently
- With us or independentlyOpen to everyone preparing to visit Kashi
- Live online
- Live onlineWith a Kashi guide and a WhatsApp community
मोक्षपुरीWhy Kashi
A city built for liberation
Kashi is one of the seven cities the tradition holds as givers of moksha, and seekers have always come here to stay. It is called Avimukta, the place Shiva never leaves, and for thousands of years people have come here not only to see but to be transformed.
Its temples, its ghats, its aartis, even its cremation grounds were placed and timed with intent, as one sacred instrument.
Even a few days in Kashi can contribute immensely to your sadhana and your spiritual growth. That is why it matters to approach Kashi prepared in every way.
There were 72,000 shrines, the same as the number of nadis in the human body. The whole process is like a manifestation of a “mega human body” to make contact with a larger cosmic body.
Before you go
Kashi gives in proportion to what you bring
The must is to come a little bit prepared. If you are travelling to Kashi, at least for three months, get initiated into some simple meditative process. Meditate for some time. Make yourself a little more sensitive and come. Leave all your beliefs at home and come. Do not believe anything.
What preparation brings:
- You stand before the Jyotirlinga knowing what you stand before, even if the darshan lasts a few seconds.
- You know what each aarti is, so you can be wholly present at whichever one you attend.
- You come to Manikarnika with reverence and understanding, ready for what it teaches.
Tapasya exists for exactly this preparation: a steady daily sadhana to make you a little more sensitive, and the understanding that lets you receive Kashi fully.
साधनाEvery session
Yoga, meditation, sadhana
Each session opens with practice. The teaching on Kashi comes after, once the body is steady and the mind is quiet enough to take it in.
Classical Hatha Yoga
A steady progression of classical practices to settle the body for early mornings, long days on foot and hours of sitting in Kashi.
Meditation
Meditation practices to make you more sensitive and inwardly oriented, so the subtler dimension of Kashi can be felt.
Sadhana
A simple daily sadhana you carry into Kashi and continue there, before darshan and on the river.
All the yoga and meditation practices offered in Tapasya are practices structured by Sadhguru. Sessions follow a clear, step-by-step format, so you can build a steady sadhana across the seven days and carry it into Kashi. Yoga sessions are led by Classical Hatha Yoga Teachers, certified by Sadhguru Gurukulam.
दर्शनThe temples and ghats
Know what you stand before
For each of Kashi’s great sacred places, we go through its story and significance, and how to approach it: in what order, at what hour, with what offering, and with what inner attitude.
काल भैरव
Kaal Bhairav
The Kotwal of Kashi
The city’s guardian, and by tradition your first darshan: you ask his leave before you enter the heart of Kashi. We go through his story, what devotees offer him and why, and how to plan your darshan so you can be with him unhurried.
“Bhairava is one who takes you beyond fear. Kala Bhairava is the fear of time – not the fear of death – because time is the basis of fear.”
Sadhguru 
काशी विश्वनाथ
Kashi Vishwanath
The Jyotirlinga at the heart of the city
The sanctum the whole city is arranged around. The aartis performed there and their significance, the offerings, the practicalities of darshan today, and how to hold yourself in the moments you have before the linga.
“Above all, the heart of the city was Vishwanath.”
Sadhguru गङ्गा आरती
Ganga Aarti
Dashashwamedh at dusk, Assi at dawn
The meaning of the Ganga Aarti, at dawn and at dusk, and how to be present for it: from the steps or from the water, and how to receive it as part of your own sadhana.
“It is a beautiful atmosphere that you can enjoy, and a powerful process if you allow it to be.”
Sadhguru, on the Ganga Aarti 
मणिकर्णिका
Manikarnika
Where Kashi teaches what it is for
The great cremation ghat of Kashi. What the tradition says happens here, how to sit at the ghat with reverence, and the conduct the place asks of everyone who comes.
“I saw a fair figure with dark locks of hair whispering the supreme taraka-brahma mantra in the ear of the bodies lifting them from the funeral pyre…”
Sri Ramakrishna, on his vision at Manikarnika
And the rest of the circuit:
- Annapurna Devi
- Vishalakshi
- Sankat Mochan
- Durga Kund
- Mrityunjay Mahadev
- Sarnath
The word “Kashi” literally means to be luminous, or more particularly, a tower of light.
तपस्याThe program
What 7 days of Tapasya holds
Prepare your body, mind and understanding for Kashi
Daily Sadhana
- Yoga to prepare the body for early mornings, long days on foot and hours of sitting
- Guided meditation to make you more sensitive, so the subtler dimension of Kashi can be felt
- A simple sadhana you carry into Kashi and continue there
The Sacred Temples of Kashi
- The significance of Kashi’s most powerful temples: Kaal Bhairav, Kashi Vishwanath, Annapurna, Vishalakshi and more
- How to approach each one with preparation: the traditional order of darshan, offerings and conduct
- The stories that give each sanctum its place in the city
The Aartis of Kashi
- The special aartis of Kashi and the significance of each
- When each aarti is performed, so you can plan your days around them
- How to be fully present at an aarti, at the temple or on the Ganga
Finding Your Way in Kashi
- Practical tips to move through the lanes, ghats and temples of Kashi
- The Kashi guide: place names, details and map locations for every place we cover
- What to carry, what to wear, and how to pace your days
Two weekend specials
Curated for Kashi
Alongside the daily sadhana, Tapasya holds two special sessions on the weekend. Recordings of both are shared with participants.
Weekend special 1
The aartis of Kashi
From the Mangala Aarti before dawn to the Saptarishi and Shayan Aartis at Vishwanath, and the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh and Assi: what each one is, its significance, and how to be present for it.
Weekend special 2
Your Kashi, mapped
We open the Kashi guide together and plan around your own dates: which darshan on which morning, where to stay, eat and walk, how to move through the lanes, and how to pace your days so nothing is rushed.
The structure
How Tapasya runs
- Duration
- 7 days of live sessions, plus 2 weekend special sessions
- Format
- Daily 1-hour live online sessions
- Recordings
- The daily live sadhana sessions are not recorded, so please join them live. Recordings of the weekend special sessions are provided.
- Kashi guide
- Place names, details and map locations for every place we cover
- Support
- A WhatsApp community with insights about Kashi and its sacred places
- Guidance
- Led by two guides who have lived, meditated and experienced Kashi firsthand
मार्गदर्शिकाYour Kashi guide
A guide you will use
Every place we talk about, gathered in one guide you keep: what it is, why it matters, when to go, how to approach it, and a map pin that opens straight in Google Maps.
- Temples and shrines, with their stories and darshan timings
- The ghats and their aartis, and where to be for them
- Getting around: gates, lockers, boats, e-rickshaws and crowd hours
- Where to eat simply and well, close to the places you will visit
The Kashi guideकाशी
- Kaal Bhairav MandirTraditionally, the first darshan in Kashi.
- Shri Kashi Vishwanath DhamPhones are not allowed inside; plan where to leave yours.
- Dashashwamedh GhatThe evening Ganga Aarti. Come early, or join from a boat.
The Kashi circle
What we usually keep for those we travel with
Alongside the sessions you join a WhatsApp community where we share what does not fit in an hour: the insights we usually share only with the seekers we take to Kashi.
- Lesser-known shrines, and the stories behind them
- The right days and hours for particular darshans
- Festivals and special days in Kashi around your visit
- Answers to your own questions as your trip takes shape
Who guides you
Suryansh and Riya
We have lived in Kashi, meditated on its ghats and walked its lanes, many times over. Tapasya for Kashi is everything we wish someone had told us before our first visit.
Suryansh Sharma
Founder, Sadhana Saarthi
- Sadhguru Gurukulam Classical Hatha Yoga certified teacher
- NIM certified mountaineer
Riya
Co-founder, Sadhana Saarthi
- Professor, with more than ten years of teaching
- Meditator and spiritual seeker
- NIM certified mountaineer
Baba Kaal Bhairav
Siddheshwari Devi, where the Chandrakoop is
A sadhu on a lane wall
Ram Darbar in the galis
60+ seekers have practised with Sadhana Saarthi’s Tapasya since July 2026
“The Tapasya Program was God sent in my Insta feed… I feel more confident doing the Kailash yatra with the sessions… beyond gratitude to the team.”
Tapasya participant, preparing for Kailash
“Tapasya is truly beyond my expectations!”
Tapasya participant, preparing for Kailash
“I am so grateful that I came across Riya Akka and Suryansh Anna who are guiding us so well. My brother was so impressed with Anna and he was very keen to go ahead with Sadhana Saarthi only. They are indeed Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for me.”
Tapasya participant, preparing for Kailash
Who it is for
This is for you if…
- You are planning a visit to Kashi, with Sadhana Saarthi or independently, alone, with family or with a group.
- You have been to Kashi before and felt there was more to receive.
- You want your days there to deepen your sadhana.
- You are new to yoga and meditation. No experience is needed.
Kashi is calling. Arrive prepared.
सङ्कल्पःRegister & Pay
Join Tapasya
Everything you receive
- 7 days of live sessions
- 2 weekend specials, with recordings: the aartis of Kashi, and your Kashi mapped
- Daily yoga and meditation, structured by Sadhguru
- The Kashi guide, with map locations for every place
- The Kashi community on WhatsApp
Contribution
₹2,499for the full programme
No questions asked, 100% refund
If Tapasya does not meet your expectations, your full fee is refunded. To qualify, you must attend all 7 daily sessions and every weekend special session for the full duration of your batch. Outside of this, there is no refund.
Your details
🔱 Begin your preparation for Kashi today. Two minutes, then payment; we add you to the WhatsApp group the same day.
On the Kashi Yatra with Sadhana Saarthi? Tapasya is already included; there is nothing to pay.
Frequently asked questions
काश्यां हि काशते काशी काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका।सा काशी विदिता येन तेन प्राप्ता हि काशिका॥
Kashi shines in Kashi; Kashi illumines everything. Whoever has known that Kashi has truly reached Kashi.Kashi Panchakam, attributed to Adi Shankara
Begin your Tapasya
Photographs: Kashi Vishwanath: Thenerdatul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.