8 Day Beachside Yoga & Meditation Wellness Escape in Goa, India

This retreat is run by Sarvaguna Yoga Dhaamaa, a small yoga school on Agonda Beach, one of the quieter stretches of Goa's coast. TripAdvisor has rated Agonda the number one beach in India and second in Asia, and you can feel why — it's a 3 km curve of sand with mountains at either end, no hawkers, no beach salesmen, and sunsets that people come back for year after year. The school is over the road from the sand, set back in the trees, which keeps it cool and quiet.

A typical day has two asana classes and three meditation sessions. The teaching team is the real draw here. Dr. Keshava (M.Sc., PhD in Psychology, M.Sc. in Yoga, M.A. in Sanskrit) leads the philosophy and question-and-answer sessions and is known for making dense yogic philosophy feel accessible and often funny. Mr. Shubham, an E-RYT-500+ teacher trained at Kaivalyadhama in Pune, leads the asana practice — traditional Hatha, Vinyasa and Restorative — with a disciplined but warm style. There are also guest instructors covering Ashtanga, Yin, and Yoga Anatomy across the week, so you get exposed to more than one approach.

The program topics read like a proper introduction to the inner side of yoga: daily pranayama and yogic breath work, different types of meditation, mantra chanting, neti (yogic nasal cleansing), spiritual therapy, and the yogic lifestyle and diet. A chunk of each day is given to discussion — you can bring your own questions about practice, philosophy, or life and get a straight answer. But it's not all sitting and breathing. There's a group boat trip to spot dolphins, time to explore the local area, and the school arranges excursions in the free afternoons if you want them.

What makes it different from a resort-style yoga holiday is the genuine teaching. The people who come here often arrive with some yoga behind them and leave with a much deeper sense of what the practice is for. It's a working ashram-style school with a small group, not a big retreat centre, so you're treated like a student rather than a guest — which, for the right person, is exactly the point.

What's included

- Airport pickup and drop-off (from GOI and GOX airports) - 7 nights private room accommodation - Vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the retreat (except Sunday dinner) - 2 herbal teas and coffee daily - Unlimited filtered drinking water - Daily yoga asana classes (2 per day) - Daily meditation classes (3 per day) - Daily pranayama (breathwork) classes - Mantra chanting sessions - Yogic cleansing (neti) practice - Group excursions and activities - Boat trip / dolphin spotting trip - Sarvaguna yoga kit / retreat handout - Mosquito net - Yoga mats, blocks, straps and bolsters - Pre and post retreat support from the team - WiFi connection

What's not included

- Flights cost - Visa fee - Travel insurance (highly recommended) - Personal expenses - Additional treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary - Laundry (available at an extra cost)