Bill Free is the founder of Pure Presence Productions LLC, a platform for thought leaders, wisdom teachers, and facilitators from nonduality, science, philosophy, and the arts to promote the expansion, understanding, and direct experience of awareness for beings around the world to awaken to their true identity. He loves and shares the teachings of A Course in Miracles with the understanding and integration of nonduality through the Direct Path and sees the Course as a series of practices which through daily devotion will gradually refine and purify the mind of the seeming separate self until it recognizes itSelf and dissolves into the heart of Awareness and awakens to the I Am Presence. Bill offers talks, self-inquiry guided meditations, book studies, guided tours to India, and masterclass workshops to help others discover realized awareness for themselves.

Venkatesh N. Deshpande (Desh) joined the Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning (RMCL) in 2010 and is the Treasurer of RMCL and the President of the Research Centre in Bangalore. His spiritual journey started in 1977 with Transcendental Meditation. He was blessed in the spiritual path by Sadhus and Saints of The Divine Life Society (Sivananda Ashram), Rishikesh. His Guru is Swami Chidananda Saraswathi of Sivananda ashram. Desh is very active in daily Satsangs and is a regular speaker in domestic and international seminars and workshops. He has dedicated his last 13 years to the pursuit of Self-Knowledge in the teaching of Ramana Maharishi and Advaita. Additionally, Desh has 30 years of experience in the Engineering and IT Industry.

We will have several sessions with Desh at Yogiville in addition to Ramanashram tour, Girivalum (a 14 km walk around the sacred mountain Arunachala) and back to Yogiville for debrief, meditation, chanting and our retreat schedule. 

Pradeep Krishnappa is a local Bangalorean with extensive work and travel experience in India. He has led dozens of groups across India on transformational journeys and is an ambassador of the culture, practices, traditions, spirituality and history of India. Pradeep loves the town of Thiruvannamalai and is the operational brains behind each retreat, ensuring that all the travel logistics fall into place. Pradeep’s favorite experience is doing the 14 KM walk around the holy Arunachala hill, dotted with temples, ashrams and meditation centers early at 4 am in the morning.