Our 12-day Pilgrimage is an immersive opportunity to study:

• The role of maṇḍalas in Vajrayāna Buddhism and Śaiva and Śākta tantra. This includes a study of how these “deity-enthroning diagrams” connect the body and mind to energies of awakening and sacred geography.
• The initiatory power of “seeing the maṇḍala”. What this means in practice and as a form of community.
• The practice of yogic asanas, pranayamas, and mudras
• The mystical maps of subtle energy and transmissions
• The landscape of Ladakh, its history, and the esoteric traditions that flourished there, including art, images, and murals.
• Non-dual meditation practice related to space, and the sky-roaming gesture of awareness
• The teachings, songs, and stories of sky-faring Yoginīs and Siddhas

Early bird discount of $500 when you register with a deposit by December 1, 2026. Click the button below to see all the details.

Together, Nikki Costello and RetreaTours founders BJ Graf and Lauren Rathvon created The Ladakh Experience in 2015, born from a shared love for the Tibetan Plateau and a desire to introduce others to this extraordinary landscape, its spiritual traditions, and its people.

Over the years, we have welcomed yoga students, meditators, Buddhist practitioners, and curious travelers into an experience shaped by practice, pilgrimage, relationship, and the profound natural beauty of Ladakh.

In 2027, we are delighted to welcome scholar-practitioner Ben Williams, who will join Nikki in teaching The Ladakh Experience. Together, they will offer practices and teachings that deepen our encounter with the contemplative traditions, culture, and sacred landscape of the region.

Central to the journey are the relationships we have cultivated over many years with our Ladakhi friends and extended community—families, monks, artists, shopkeepers, teachers, local dogs and all who make this experience so personal and meaningful.

Each journey is limited to 15 guests, allowing us to travel with intimacy and care. If you feel drawn to join us, we encourage you to submit your application soon. We will respond within seven days with the next steps for confirming your place.

Nikki Costello is a practitioner-scholar and healing artist whose work explores the conditions that cultivate human flourishing through embodiment and contemplative practice. She is a Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher and a meditation teacher of non-dual Śaiva tantra. Nikki collaborates with people and projects that are creating new possibilities for learning, healing, and living together, building bridges between contemplative traditions, interdisciplinary research, the healing arts, and the science of human development. At the heart of her work is a simple yet radical idea: practice is not something we do, but a way of being—an invitation to participate more fully in life. She is currently a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Ben Williams is a scholar-practitioner and a historian focused on South Asian religions and Śaiva tantra. He has received extensive training in Indian philosophy, literature, and aesthetics in Sanskrit sources and completed his PhD in the Department of South Asian Studies at Harvard University. Ben is currently an Associate Professor of Hinduism at Naropa University. At Naropa, he helped create and guide an MA program in Yoga Studies that integrates academic training with contemplative practice. Ben is also the first Research Scholar-in-Residence with the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute where he offers scholarly support for the preservation, study, and translation of Śaiva and Śākta literature.