Sivananda Yoga Vacation in India: Two Weeks of Daily Yoga at a Traditional Kerala Ashram

The daily rhythm at Dhanwantari Ashram doesn't change much, and that's the point. You wake at 5.30am, sit for morning satsang at 6am — group meditation, mantra chanting, then a reading or short talk — have tea at 7.30am, and get on the mat at 8am for a 90-minute asana and pranayama class. Classes are split into beginner and intermediate, so if you've never done a sun salutation in your life you'll be shown one slowly, and if you've been practising for years you won't be stuck watching a demonstration of downward dog. The morning class introduces postures; the afternoon class at 3.30pm works on the ones you were shown that morning.

Brunch is at 10am, and it's a proper South Indian vegetarian meal — rice, sambar, vegetable curries, dal, cooked fresh with seasonal local produce. There's no caffeine and nothing heavily spiced. The second and last meal is dinner at 6pm, also vegetarian. In between you'll do an hour of karma yoga around 11am, which usually means helping in the kitchen or the garden, then there's an optional asana coaching session at 12.30pm where you can ask a teacher to look at a specific posture, and a lecture at 2pm on topics like yogic diet, philosophy or emotional wellbeing. Evening satsang is at 8pm — more meditation and chanting, then a talk, a cultural programme or a spiritual film — and lights are out at 10.30pm.

The Dhanwantari Ashram sits at Neyyar Dam, about 30km from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. It's green, humid and quiet, built around a small lake, with peacocks wandering the grounds. Accommodation is deliberately simple: tents with shared bathrooms, dorms, twin-share rooms with common bathrooms, private singles, and twin-share rooms with air conditioning. You can pick the level of comfort you want and pay accordingly, from INR 560 (about €6) a night for a tent up to INR 1,700 (about €18) for an AC twin. Christmas week costs a bit more.

The teachers are trained in the Sivananda tradition, and the whole programme is built on Swami Vishnudevananda's Five Points of Yoga — proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, positive thinking and meditation. Many of the guests are there to test the water before committing to the month-long Teachers' Training Course.

What sets it apart from a Western yoga retreat is the price and the format. You are not paying for a spa, a private chef or a sunset cocktail. You're paying roughly €12–23 a night for a room, two meals, four hours of yoga and meditation a day, and a fixed schedule that removes every decision from your day. It suits people who want structure, not people who want a menu of optional extras.

What's included

- Overnight accommodation (tent, dorm, twin, single or AC room depending on the rate chosen) - Two vegetarian meals daily (brunch at 10:00, dinner at 18:00) - Morning and afternoon tea - Twice-daily asana and pranayama classes (beginner and intermediate streams) - Morning and evening satsang: group meditation, chanting and talks - Daily yoga lecture or talk - Optional asana coaching session with teachers - Karma yoga (selfless service) session each morning - Use of the ashram grounds and meditation halls

What's not included

- Flights to and from India - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Personal expenses and laundry - Additional meals or snacks outside the two daily meals - Ayurvedic treatments and massages - Teachers' Training Course or other paid courses - Transport between ashrams