Whether you are an entrepreneur or a dedicated hard working employee the modern lifestyle hustle leaves absolutely no time or energy for a good wholesome self-care routine which is concerning, to say the least. These concerns when not addressed or ignored for long can manifest as depression, chronic fatigue, dreaded burnout, unwanted fat deposits, anxiety, insomnia and a toxic cocktail of other issues.
Urban lives and workplace demands becoming increasingly complex and chaotic; one often finds drawn toward activities such as unregulated consumption of energy drinks, unscheduled glutenous meals high in sugar and fat, mindless munching, binge-watching, and the likes as a respite for stress.
With remote working blurring the lines between work and leisure time, or companies making hustle culture a norm, a large population these days, either feels perpetually drained or jittery all the time. Working/finishing pending work on weekends has slowly become an acceptable idea for many.
While we have been investing money in IPOs, stocks, and even our time in finishing the latest series on OTT of our choice, we have not been investing in increasing our energy reserves. A healthy work-life balance includes a mix of wellness practices and working on developing healthy boundaries, just as a good financial portfolio includes a diverse mix of financial investments our lifestyle must include a healthy diversity of work, play and pray.
“Health is a state of the body. Wellness is a state of being.”
— J. Stanford
Sugar, carbs and excessive visual stimuli are very comforting and their delivery and access could not get better with the plethora of online content options in OTT along with 10 minutes of home delivery of lip-smacking food at any hour of the day there seems to be no shortage of it at all.
So Eat-Work-Watch-Eat-Sleep and repeat is a perfect template for wholesome living RIGHT? Sure if you are building your body to be a ticking toxic bomb.
“Life is a balance between holding on and letting go.”
— Rumi
We understand that ‘wellness practice’ might sound esoteric and difficult to many; it is anything but that. Weekend wellness retreats are a great idea to gain a sense of wellness-based approaches, lifestyle tweeks and that too while having fun in a stress fress environment. These relaxing getaways help to create pockets of energy for you besides helping you improve your approach toward life stressors.
“The Goal is to grow so strong on the inside that nothing on the outside can affect your inner wellness without your conscious permission.”
— OUI, WE
The retreats listed below are ideal for travellers short of time and can be easily taken during a weekend or a long holiday. Located in different parts of India, these retreats are priceless as they leave one with learnings, informed approaches (personalized lifestyle corrections), great locations, provide healthy meals and a positive outlook without having to break fixed deposits or plan these trips months in advance to cut down the expenditure. So, without further ado, let us look at this list of weekend wellness retreats that promise to fill your weekend with zen.
The list of Top 10 Budget Weekend Wellness Retreats in India has been sorted in increasing order of price per person per day in order to maintain utmost transparency.
Cost per day: USD 156.5 | INR 12,500
USP: Riverside location, quaint ambience and Eco-friendly environment
AyurYoga Eco Ashram, Mysuru is situated amidst the undisturbed countryside of JP Hundi near the banks of River Kabini. The eco-ashram has an organic farm spread across eight acres of land. It also has a heritage building that used to be the house of several yogis for more than fifty years. The students at the ashram are encouraged to lead a dynamic life with a peaceful heart. Though the ashram doesn’t believe in imposing rules and regulations, the guests staying here are expected to follow a series of guidelines such as observing silence between 10 pm to 10 am, staying away from electronic devices while eating and during the knowledge sessions, and abstaining from meat, eggs, smoking and alcohol.
The ashram was founded by Krishna Chaitanya. Krishna has spent more than twelve years of his life living in some of the prominent Indian ashrams viz Sivanand Ashram (Kerala) and Bihar School of Yoga (Munger) to name a few. He has more than twenty years of experience in yoga. Chaitanya believes in practising simple yoga in the cradle of mother earth. AyurYoga Eco Ashram so far has successfully conducted more than six hundred yoga teacher trainings and trained more than a thousand students across the globe.
The centre believes in giving an equal focus to the philosophical and spiritual aspects of yoga. The teachings here are non-religious, and based on the synthesis of the best learnings from the vision across cultures. The ashram’s yoga retreats are capped to a batch size of ten and the participants are strongly advised to follow a digital detox during their stay. Barring that, the ashram doesn’t have many stringent rules. Besides their yoga immersion program, the ashram is involved in multiple local community building measures such as organizing medical camps, book donation drives, free Ayurveda consolations for the villagers and more. It should be noted that using personal electronic devices is discouraged in this location.
The 3 Day Budget Weekend Wellness Ayurveda Treatment Package in Mysore by AyurYoga Eco Ashram includes
COST: USD 313 | INR 25,000
Cost per day: USD 156.5 | INR 12,500
USP: Surrounded by hills and lakes
At just a 25 minutes drive from the Bengaluru International Airport, Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat, is an ideal wellness destination to relax, particularly if you live in and around the Garden City.
Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat offers you a dreamlike atmosphere with a hill on three sides and a lake on the other, all while blending state-of-the-art design standards with ancient traditions and culture. The centre is co-founded by wellness coach cum author Dr Mruthyunjaya Swamy.
Three different room types are available to you at Shathayu Retreat, all of which are designed in a modern yet cozy manner to blend in with the surrounding landscape. Incorporating tradition and culture to create 20+ rooms, a yoga hall, an amphitheater, a medicinal garden, and a spiritual garden for guests to enjoy their wellness, Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat, has many Ayurvedic and Naturopathic treatments, one can sign up for to unwind themselves.
All therapies, here, adhere to the traditional methods of treatment but have been appropriately innovated for maximum efficacy as well as comfort. They are designed based on individual and disease specificity. By combining the ideas of modern biomedicine and traditional Ayurvedic knowledge in a scientific way, Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat has created new methods of evaluating health. The Shathayu Retreat's concept revolves around "Optimum Healthcare" in order to build the kind of healthy society that we all aspire to, as expressed in the retreat's slogan, "HEAL TOGETHER LIVE FULLER." It should be noted that the property doesn’t allow guests below eighteen years of age.
The 3 Days Budget Weekend Wellness Retreat in Bangalore by Shathayu Ayurveda Yoga Retreat Bengaluru, India includes
COST: USD 313 | INR 25,000
Cost per day: USD 137.5 | INR 11,000
USP: Private beach access, heritage property
Situated in the quiet, breathtakingly beautiful Temple Town of Guruvayoor, Kerala, Kunnathur Mana Heritage Resort, offers a distinctive Ayurveda experience to its visitors from all over India and the world. Kunnathur Mana Heritage Resort, is different from other resorts that have sprung up in the vicinity, over the time, as it only employs skilled professionals from Keralan families of traditional ayurvedic practitioners. The heritage resort is a joint venture between Nisha Shelly and Mr. PK Shelly. One of the rare ancestral homes with rich history, Kunnathur Mana Heritage Resort, was the erstwhile centre of “Eliyangad Swaroopam” - a part of the Cochin royal family.
For visitors to benefit fully from their stay, in addition to Ayurveda, other pertinent healing sciences such as Yoga, Meditation, Naturopathy, etc. are also made available. A wide variety of anti-ageing treatments are also available for one to select from. Ayurvedic diet plans are tailored to each visitor's needs during their visit. Additionally, there are organized specific Ayurvedic cooking classes for those who are interested in the practice.
A wide range of additional sightseeing options, including beaches, backwaters, elephant camps, temples, art, and culture, is available along with first-rate amenities in an ideal location.
The 3 Days Budget Weekend Wellness Retreat in Kerala by Kunnathur Mana Heritage Resort Kerala includes
Cost per day: USD 137.5 | INR 11,000
USP: Ayurveda Beach Resort
Krishnatheeram Ayur Holy Beach Resort in Varkala, Kerala is an abode to breathtaking vistas ranging from laterite cliffs hugging the shores of the Arabian Sea to lush green scenery in its vicinity. Haraka, the Ayurveda centre at the resort is a green leaf certified centre with experienced therapists and authentic treatments in tow. All the treatments at Krishnatheeram (including Panchakarma) are bespoke in nature. A day here is flexible with fixed time for daily yoga sessions, and meals.
The resort also believes in the six-taste theory of Ayurveda. As per the Shad Rasa or six taste theory, every meal served should cater to all the six taste buds (rasas) of an individual. These rasas are Madhura Rasa (sweet), Amla Rasa (sour), Lavana Rasa (salty), Tikta Rasa (bitter), Kashaya Rasa ( Astringent), and Ushna Rasa (Sharp taste.)
The resort during the course of your stay offers accommodation options in the form of cottages with sea view or cottages with herbal garden view. Besides that it also has an infinity sea pool to melt your stress and worries away. This property doesn’t allow guests below eighteen years of age.
The 3 Day Budget Weekend Wellness Retreat in Kerala by Krishnatheeram Ayurveda Beach Resort Kerala includes
Cost per day: USD 137.5 | INR 11,000
USP: Ayurveda Beach Retreat
Somatheeram's sister company, Manaltheeram Ayurveda Beach Village, offers the same amenities and services. With its complex of air-conditioned Kerala homes and thatched huts overlooking the ocean, Manaltheeram allows you to experience authentic Ayurvedic treatments, as you live in a village setting. A swimming pool in the shape of an oyster blends into the ocean, offering a captivating view of the sun setting.
Mr. Baby Mathew founded Somatheeram, "The World's First Ayurveda Resort," in 1985 with the novel concept of a "Ayurveda Hospital in a Resort Ambience." Today, his resort has grown by leaps and bounds. Many travelers come here on backpacking trips in search of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, which they invariably find.
The 3 Days Budget Weekend Wellness Retreat in Kerala by Manaltheeram Ayurveda Beach Village Kerala, India includes
Cost per day: USD 113 | INR 9,000
USP: Health Resort on the outskirts of New Delhi
Situated in the Mansurpur hamlet on the outskirts of Delhi, Namaste Dwaar is a forty-one-room health resort built on the multi-disciplinary principles of Ayurveda, yoga, acupressure, and naturopathy. The wellness resort offers a series of short-term, mid-term, and long-term residential experiences that range from 3 to 28 days. The duration of visits at Namaste Dwaar can be categorized as per individuals’ requirements in terms of wellness goals they want to accomplish such as diabetes management, PCOS management, sports injury management, spinal care, and more. The wellness center was founded by Arvind Rathi, owner, Namaste Holidays, with the purpose to provide personalized treatments rooted in ancient Indian wisdom.
Namaste Dwaar’s end goal is to cure one’s body, mind, and spirit from within, rather than providing a quick fix. This wellness haven, for the same, utilizes lesser-known secrets from the extensive world of Ayurveda, yoga, and naturopathy. Namaste Dwaar’s one-of-a-kind approach to wellness integrates the best of ancient Eastern healing traditions and western medical research breakthroughs to give one a wellness experience like no other. Their weekend detox package includes therapies such as Abhyangam, Podikizhi and Udwarthanam to erase toxins from the body. The guests get to enjoy this invaluable experience amidst the verdant farmlands of Uttar Pradesh – a region famous for its juicy sugarcanes and more.
Speaking of the amenities, the resort has numerous amenities ranging from airy treatment rooms, a swimming pool, an Ayurveda lobby, and a lovely yoga hall. Your everyday life here will begin on an auspicious note with a morning puja. This will be followed by several wellness programs that are intended to help you detox on a fundamental level. The resort places a special emphasis on food. Their culinary approach is hence based on the visitor’s bodily constitution type and vitality, medical history, and health objectives so as to minimize their doshas as much as possible. Apart from that, whatever you eat here is freshly sourced from the farms as per the organic concept of farm-to-table.
The 3 Day Budget Weekend Wellness Retreat near New Delhi by Healing Desa Namaste Dwaar Mansurpur, India includes
COST: USD 226 | INR 18,000