Yoga, Ayurvedic Detox & Wellbeing Escape in North Goa — Mandrem Beach

The day here runs on a simple rhythm. Morning yoga is 8:00–10:00am in one of the five shalas, which are open-sided and look out over the hills and paddy fields. Teachers change through the season, so you might get a strong vinyasa class one week and a slower, more restorative teacher the next; there are usually at least two teachers on site each week. Brunch follows at 10:00–11:00. After that, nothing is scheduled until 4pm, which is the point — people read in the gardens, walk the ten minutes to Mandrem Beach village for a coffee, swim, or book a treatment at the spa. The afternoon class runs 16:00–18:00 and is gentler than the morning. Dinner is 19:00–20:00, and evening activities (kirtan, guided meditation, yoga nidra, sound bath, sometimes classical Indian music) run 20:15–21:15, with one night off a week, usually Friday or Saturday.

What separates this from a typical Goa yoga retreat is the setting and the scale. It is not a hotel with a yoga room bolted on: it is a purpose-built centre where the accommodation ranges from a round adobe garden room to a two-storey Lake House that sleeps three, plus wooden Balinese-style eco lodges, a tree house perched 3.5m above a well, and suites with carved Rajasthani furniture and bathtubs. Several rooms sit directly over the Mandrem river. The spa is built around Goa's first natural swimming pool, self-cleaning and chlorine-free, with a hammam and five treatment rooms. Meals, classes and most evening activities are included in the Yoga Holiday rate, so the only extras you're likely to pay for are spa treatments, private classes and airport transfers.

The kitchen is a big part of why people return. Two chefs, Rathi and Tek, cook a fusion of Indian, Nepalese, Thai and European food, sourced locally and often organic. Brunch might be fresh fruit, muesli, porridge, curd, coconut milk, in-house breads, guacamole, sprouted lentils, idli with sambar and a fresh juice. A typical dinner is a leafy salad with avocado, beetroot, pomegranate and seeds, local rice, channa daal, a vegetable curry, spinach pie and a stir-fry, finished with the chocolate balls that regulars talk about. There's no eating late — dinner ends at 8pm and the next meal is 14 hours later, which is deliberate.

The Deep Dive version of the holiday is for people who want the yoga to go deeper. You get at least one massage treatment every day on top of the twice-daily classes, plus private pranayama and meditation sessions and a pranayama session first thing in the morning before the 8:30am dynamic class. Between classes and treatments there's still time for the beach, local markets, the spice farms, Dudhsagar Waterfall or the old Goan churches, which reception can arrange.

The detox programmes are a separate, clinical-feeling option. They begin with a consultation with Dr. Yamuna after you arrive, and she tailors the plan. Virechana is a 7-day programme using medicated purgation therapy to clear the gastro-intestinal tract; Basti is a 7-day herbal enema treatment considered the mother of all Panchakarma therapies and works on all three doshas through the colon; Vamana is a 10-day programme with medicated emesis, best suited to people with dominant Kapha dosha; and a 12-day Virechana and Basti combination goes deepest. All include a light, simple personalised diet alongside the Ayurvedic treatments, and all are priced as a supplement to the Yoga Holiday rate.

Location-wise, Mandrem sits in the quieter north of Goa, about an hour from the airport. Ashiyana is deliberately unsigned from the main road — guests arrive either through the back car park or on foot from the beach side. It's a two-minute walk to a long, wide stretch of beach with small bars and boutiques, and Mandrem village has more cafes and market stalls. If you want nightlife and busy beach clubs, this is the wrong end of Goa; if you want a quiet river, coconut palms, and a yoga class with the shutters open, it's hard to beat.

What's included

- Accommodation at Ashiyana Goa (room type depends on the category booked) - Two buffet meals daily: brunch (10:00–11:00) and dinner (19:00–20:00) - Two daily yoga classes (morning 8:00–10:00, afternoon 16:00–18:00) - Most evening activities: kirtan, guided meditation, yoga nidra, sound bath, yoga philosophy - Workshops when scheduled during your stay - Access to Ashiyana gardens, pools and rest areas - Filtered water, masala chai, ginger lemon and herbal teas throughout the day - On the Deep Dive option: at least one massage treatment daily plus private pranayama and meditation sessions

What's not included

- Flights to and from Goa - Airport transfers (can be arranged at extra cost) - Travel insurance - Additional spa treatments and massages beyond those included in your package - Private 1-to-1 yoga, meditation and pranayama sessions (unless booked on Deep Dive) - Panchakarma detox programmes (charged as a supplement to the Yoga Holiday rate) - Excursions, cultural activities and dolphin trips - Personal expenses, drinks and non-residential guest meals