My experience at a Yoga Retreat in Almora, Uttarakhand

During the first week of October, I attended a seven day yoga retreat called the Life in Samatva yoga retreat with one of my close friends, Avani. The retreat was at a place called Almora in the state of Uttarakhand in India. It wasn’t what I had imagined. The yoga asanas taught were very different from what i had done before yet helpful. The retreat was a glimpse into Iyengar Yoga where props are used to do the posture with ease as well as to be able to hold the posture for a longer time. It was my first time doing the asanas with props even though I have been practicing yoga for a long time. I found the practice to be helpful and have been continuing to do some of the asanas ever since the retreat. 

There was a schedule sent to us via email and WhatsApp before the first day of the retreat. Each day was filled with some other activities or the other. The day usually started with asana and pranayama practice and ended with nature walks or bonfires. In between, each of the participants undertook sessions of ayurvedic therapies, dry needling, body alignment and an astrology session. These sessions were designed in a way to get a deeper and better insight into ourselves. Out of these, I liked the body alignment session the best. It opened up my body and made me more energized and relaxed.

Kasar Devi Temple, Almora, Uttarakhand

As a part of the schedule, we also visited nearby temples. We went to Kasar Devi, Katarmal Temple and Jageshwar temple though the transportation cost for the latter two was additional. The morning hike to Kasar Devi Temple to see the sunset was enjoyed by all and the most memorable thing from the retreat. It made getting up at 4 in the morning worthwhile! 

The yoga instructor at the retreat helping a participant do a head stand with props.

The property called AYURVAID Kalmatia where we were staying  was on the hill and each person had a cottage to themselves which was superb. My friend and I had a cottage to ourselves. It was a lovely English style cottage with amenities of a five star hotel- hair dryer, heater, slippers, towels, toiletries, tea kettle, tea bags, etc. The property, earlier a five star resort, has been converted to an ayurvedic center. It has breathtaking views of the Himalayas surrounded by lush greenery and flowers. I loved staying at the property. It was the highlight of the retreat for me.

Inside one of the cottages at the retreat

Being an ayurvedic and healing center, the food that was served at the property was freshly made simple vegetarian food. It was average tasting with lentils, vegetables and rice everyday with an addition to soups for dinner. Though ragi roti mixed with a little whole wheat was also served. On  some days we even got dessert for dinner which included apple crumble, moong dal halwa, and sooji halwa. I was dairy free and gluten free during the retreat so I could easily have the food that was served though some soups  were made in butter and ghee. This did have an impact on me since I would rush to the loo after every meal but I didn’t mind it cause it made me feel light and energetic as it flushed out the toxins from my body.

A simple Indian vegetarian meal

We even had a cooking class where the head chef of the property showed us how to make pumpkin soup, carrot soup, ragi cookies and buttermilk. I thought the carrot soup and the pumpkin soup tasted the same though I preferred the pumpkin soup to the carrot soup. There was a slight difference in taste. The cooking class was more a demonstration rather than a class since we didn’t get any recipes of the dishes, though we could take notes, but not photos. 

Participants at the Yoga Retreat

While at the retreat, I could not really feel the warmth or any positivity that one feels during a yoga retreat since the schedule wasn’t followed properly on days and some sessions of asanas and pranayama were missed due to the hectic schedule.Though the other participants were all nice people and we tried to make most out of the retreat. The rainy weather also attributed to the change in schedule of the activities.

Overall, the retreat gave me a chance to experience a new form of asana practice in Yoga and meet some wonderful people whom I connected with and would like to stay in touch with for a lifetime.