Help Me Answer the Call: A Yoga Nidra Pilgrimage to India

Help Me Answer the Call: A Yoga Nidra Pilgrimage to India

Since my 40 days of rest that began my Yoga Nidra training in 2023, I have understood something profound—I have been sharing Nidra with people for lifetimes. A deep knowing tells me that part of my journey before this lifetime was in India. At first, I acknowledged it as a beautiful thought and carried on with training and life. But over the past year, the call home—to India—has been growing stronger, louder, and undeniable.

Just before Christmas, I came across a Yoga Nidra pilgrimage to India. My heart skipped a beat. The pull was immediate and powerful. I knew I needed to go.

The Journey So Far

Life has been a rollercoaster. In September, I was made redundant from my beautiful charity role. I worked tirelessly for 14 years to build the charity and community both as a volunteer and a an employee for a few years and the charity sector is on its knees. The lack of consistent funding and mental toll of not being able to bring in another member of staff to support the growing needs of the gorgeous community meant a sudden stop to my employment.

I have been building my Yoga Nidra community and freelance work, pouring my heart into creating spaces for deep rest and healing. Leaving full-time work has been challenging for my mental health, finances and asked a lot of my family, but I am emerging from that difficult chapter.

Through my Nidra practice, I have now shared rest with over 200 people, witnessing incredible transformations. And yet, in my own nidra practice, when I ask what is calling me forward, I hear only one thing:

India, India, India.

Then, something magical happened.

My dear friend Lorraine, after listening to me share this longing, disappeared for a moment and returned holding a Shiva Lingam stone—a sacred stone from the Narmada River, said to originate from a meteorite. These stones are unearthed only once a year by the sacred hands of local people. Each has a signature line running through it, a reminder of the journey it carries.

Since carrying this stone, the call has only intensified. None of this makes logical sense. But I know it in my bones, in my heart, in my soul.

Why I Need Your Support

I have given my all to community work and have nothing left but my peace and my desire to share my peace through nidra. This pilgrimage will give a depth to my practice andy ability to share that will be off the charts energetically. The organisers of the pilgrimage have kindly offered me a huge discount to help me get there, but flights are expensive, and I need to travel from Heathrow. Flying from Manchester would add multiple transfers through the Middle East—some requiring extra visas that I simply don’t have time to obtain.

The pilgrimage begins on February 18th, meaning I need to leave on February 16th to arrive in time. My incredible husband has taken time off work to look after my gorgeous son and daughter—there unwavering support for my adventures never ceases to amaze me, and I will be eternally grateful.

I wouldn’t be creating this page if it weren’t for the amazing women at Heartbranded in Macclesfield, who held space for me this week as I broke down in tears, overwhelmed by this calling but unsure how to make it happen. They shared my tears, immediately donated to help me go, and encouraged me to reach out for support.

A Gift of Gratitude

For anyone who donates, I want to offer something in return—a free spot at one of my Nap Clubs or whatever magic offering is birthed from my time by the river, connecting with Mother India.

I don’t know exactly what awaits me there. But I do know that this journey is bigger than me. It is a remembering, a homecoming, and a step deeper into the work I am here to do.

If you feel called to support me in any way—through a donation, sharing this page, or simply sending love—I will be forever grateful.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for holding space for my dreams.

With deep gratitude,

Sam