Finding the perfect yoga retreat space in India

Finding the perfect yoga retreat space in India

We ran our first Yoga retreat in India three years ago; our main aim was to provide our clients with an authentic India experience. But finding the perfect yoga retreat space in India was a journey, and after a few major learning curves we would love to share our story to others looking to embark on this journey.

Many retreats are hosted at retreat centres away from the hustle and bustle of real life. Though I certainly see the value of such an experience, I would think it as shame to travel all the way to India and not, at least somewhat, immerse oneself in the culture, people and landscape of this beautiful land. For this reason, we carefully chose a location that would allow our clients to immerse themselves in Yoga and the country itself. Our criteria were as follows:

  • A place within easy walking distance to shops (shacks), cafes, restaurants and local attractions (close to the hustle and bustle of everyday life)
  • A relatively safe place where our clients (women especially) felt safe to go out on their own
  • A good standard of accommodation, yet simple and in keeping with Indian tradition (nothing too posh or over the top)
  • An authentic, preferably outdoor Yoga Shala
  • The availability of local Indian teachers to teach some of our client yoga classes
  • Positioned near the beach
  • Preferably with a swimming pool
  • Breakfast/brunch accommodation only, as we planned to venture out as a group in the evenings to experience different restaurants and cuisines

After lengthy research, I eventually found the almost perfect accommodation (a big colonial house/hotel) via Airbnb in Varkala, Kerala. I felt very nervous organizing a retreat with the hotel, based on just conversations via messenger and email. We therefore made the decision to go two weeks early, so that we could make sure that everything we needed was in place for the clients (and have a little holiday).

The house was perfect! It was huge, simple, near the beach, shops, restaurants and cafes. It had a pool and an outdoor Yoga Shala. However, we soon discovered that many things we had been promised were not in place (typical for India!). We needed the initial two weeks to literally nag the staff daily to get it all ready. This preparation time was very hard and frustrating at times and we felt that the male managers often did not take us (women) seriously.

The most pressing issue was that the Yoga Shala did not have a floor! Or rather it was just a dirt floor full of broken glass and cigarette ends (parties!!). The hotel management had promised us a cow dung floor, which initially we panicked about as we thought it would stink! But after doing some research we realized that this was like a concrete floor, but better and traditional for an authentic Yoga Shala. The floor was finished the day our students arrived! We had been near breaking point, often thinking during the two weeks that we would have to find somewhere else altogether.

We greeted our students with bright smiles at our almost perfect retreat home that we had worked so hard to put in place, with little beads of sweat trickling at the back of our necks. What followed was the best two-week yoga retreat we could have imagined. Our dream to offer an authentic India experience had worked.

  • Our clients loved the outdoor Yoga Shala. We could hear birds, the sea, and distant chanting. People would walk by doing their daily chores (including moving their herds of cows along)
  • We managed to source some Indian teachers locally and took our students to practice with them. One of the Yoga Shalas we used overlooked the beach from the great cliff top at Varkala – how amazing!
  • We ate out in different restaurants, enjoying the local cuisine, good conversation and good company
  • We organized visits to temples and boat trips for our clients
  • People felt relaxed enough to venture out to the local shacks to buy wonderful goods to take home
  • We were like a big family where everyone looked after everyone else

We did continue to have some minor problems with the hotel as well as dealing with some issues that a couple of clients experienced, but overall it was a huge success and definitely worth all of the hard work we put in!

We went back to the same place earlier this year with another amazing group and had another an amazing experience.

For our next retreat we will be going to Kovalam, also in Kerala. We used the same criteria as before and found a lovely hotel right on the beach with a rooftop Yoga Shala. This time around, we actually visited the hotel and carefully inspected the facilities. I feel so much happier having done this. We also developed a good working relationship and personal connection with the manager and are in regular contact with him.

The hotel is right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Lighthouse Beach, Kovalam. The rooms are big and most have sea views. The roof top Yoga Shala is at the back of the hotel with a view over the jungle. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face and warm feeling inside.

We will offer our usual combo of Ashtanga and Hatha yoga classes in the morning and are now working to source Indian teachers for the afternoon sessions. There are plenty of choices for going out to eat in the evenings.

Our retreat is particularly welcoming for people who want to travel to India, but don’t have a companion to accompany them and feel concerned about travelling on their own. We always have a few lone travelers and our retreat works very well for them, as they can comfortably choose to do things with the group or do things on their own and usually make great new friends.

After Kovalam we are thinking of Northern India or Nepal.

It is such a great way to introduce these wonderful countries to our students where they can practise Yoga in an environment that is part of the history of this ancient practice.

To find more about Eliane’s latest retreat visit The Secret Space website.

 

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