7-Day Yoga & Healing Retreat in the Hills of Nagarjun, Nepal

The daily schedule is built around the traditional eight limbs rather than a fitness-style class. Mornings start early with asana practice — the sequence changes day to day but covers standing postures, forward folds, twists, backbends and inversions, with modifications offered for anyone who can't get into the full expression. Pranayama, bandhas and mudras follow, then guided meditation. Breakfast is served after practice, and it's a simple vegetarian spread: dal, rice, seasonal vegetables, roti, fruit and tea.

After breakfast there's a philosophy lesson or mantra chanting session. The philosophy block is where the retreat differs from a standard drop-in yoga holiday — you spend time on the Yoga Sutras, the koshas, the gunas, and what the cleansing practices (kriyas) actually do, rather than just being told to breathe. Mid-morning there's a moderate exercise session, often a walk or light strength work, then lunch. Afternoons are the treatment slots: over the week you'll have a full-body massage, a shirodhara session (warm oil poured steadily onto the forehead), a Reiki treatment and a reflexology session, all included in the price. On at least one afternoon the group hikes into the surrounding forest and does a yoga session outdoors.

Evenings are deliberately low-key. Herbal tea, music listening, sometimes a short prayer or chanting session, then meditation before bed. Lights tend to go out early because the mornings start early. The whole point is to get your sleep back on track — the retreat is specifically set up to help with anxiety, insomnia, restlessness and hormonal imbalance, and the combination of early rising, no screens, clean food and daily bodywork does a lot of the work.

What makes this different from a beach yoga week is the setting and the teacher. You're in Nepal, on a forested hill above Kathmandu, studying with a swami who trained in the Himalayan tradition and teaches philosophy as seriously as he teaches postures. The sightseeing element means you also get out into the valley — stupas, temples, old Newari towns — rather than spending all seven days inside one compound. It's a good fit if you want a genuine yoga study week with some culture attached, and a poor fit if you want a resort holiday with one class a day.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation at Yogi Prapti - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Drinking water throughout the stay - Daily yoga sessions: asana, pranayama, bandhas, mudras - Guided meditation - Cleansing (kriya) practices - Prayer and mantra chanting - Moderate exercise sessions - Theoretical and philosophical lessons - Full-body massage - Shirodhara oil treatment - Reiki healing session - Reflexology session - Hiking yoga in the Nagarjun forest - Evening music listening sessions - Herbal tea

What's not included

- International flights - Travel insurance - Nepal visa costs - Airport transfers - Personal expenses - Additional treatments beyond the four included sessions - Souvenirs and shopping