10-Day Ayurveda De-Stress & Yoga Reset in Kerala

The programme runs over 10 days and 9 nights, and the actual content of your treatment is decided by the doctor after your first consultation. That consultation includes Prakriti analysis — working out whether your constitution leans Vata, Pitta or Kapha — and the daily therapies are prescribed from there. Typical treatments include Abhyangam, a full-body massage with warm herbal oils followed by a steam bath, and Shirodhara, a continuous stream of oil poured over the forehead, which is the treatment most people come for when the issue is sleep, anxiety or a mind that won't switch off. Other herbal treatments are added as needed.

Yoga runs twice a day, morning and evening, and covers asanas, pranayama and meditation. There are also daily classes on yoga philosophy and Ayurveda fundamentals, so you leave understanding why you were given the treatments you were given, and what Nidana (causes) and diet changes might help going forward. The yoga is suitable for beginners through to advanced practitioners, and the group is capped at 10 people, so instruction stays personal.

The food is sattvic vegetarian — freshly cooked breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, with herbal drinking water, tea and detox juices. Meals are designed around digestion, which matters in Ayurveda because the programme is partly about settling the gut and the nervous system. If you have specific dietary requirements, the centre asks that you mention them at booking.

What separates this from a lot of Ayurveda retreats is that it's attached to a working Ayurveda hospital with a long clinical history. The treatments are given by practitioners trained in the classical tradition, not spa therapists doing a short massage module, and doctors are on site throughout. The centre sits near Chottanikkara Bhagavathi Temple, and the included day out takes in the temple, the on-site Ayurveda Heritage Center and a boat ride through the backwaters.

Where you stay is on the same property, in Standard or Premium rooms, with AC or non-AC options. Each room has a private bathroom with a shower, toilet and hot water, plus a ceiling fan. The buildings are constructed to sit lightly in the greenery, and the setting is deliberately low-key — this is a place for sleeping well, not for a social scene. Kochi's airport and railway station are both reachable, and transfers can be arranged on request.

What's included

- Personalised Ayurveda consultation - Body constitution (Prakriti) analysis - Daily Abhyangam (rejuvenating massage and steam bath) - Shirodhara treatment - Morning and evening guided yoga sessions - Daily class on yoga philosophy and Ayurveda - Daily guided pranayama and meditation - Recommendations on Nidana, diet and yoga exercise - One-day visit to Chottanikkara Temple, the Ayurveda Heritage Center and a backwater boat ride - Yoga mat and accessories - Sattvic vegetarian breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks - Herbal drinking water, tea and detox juices - 9 nights accommodation (Premium or Standard, AC or non-AC) - Tax / GST

What's not included

- Airfare - Airport / railway pickup (arranged on request) - Travel insurance - Special tours - Personal expenses - Extra food items not included in the retreat menu - Personal shopping and non-programme travel - Ayurvedic medicines