8-Day Buddhist Monastery Yoga & Meditation Retreat in Nepal

Days one and two happen at a yoga academy in Kathmandu. You check in at 2pm, have herbal tea, then a 5:15pm session that mixes Bhakti yoga (prayer and chanting), spinal asanas, Suryanamaskar, yoga nidra, mudra and meditation. Dinner is at 7pm and lights out at 10. Day two starts at 6am with Ushapan (drinking water first thing), Jala Neti (nasal cleansing), then 1h45m of yoga and pranayama before breakfast. After that a guide and car take you to three major Kathmandu sights — usually Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath — and you're back for 5:30pm meditation.

On day three, after the morning yoga block, you transfer to Pharping. This is where Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) is said to have attained enlightenment, and Tibetan Buddhists consider the hills here as holy as Bodhgaya. The monastery sits in the Shivapuri jungle area near Nagi Gumba, and the nuns there — the 'Ani' in red saris and yellow shirts — run the place. After lunch you begin the monastery schedule: silence and exploration 3-4pm, monastery puja 4-5pm, silence again 5-6pm, meditation 6-7pm, dinner 7-8pm, then silent sitting in the meditation room until 9. Sleep at 9:30.

Days four, five and six are the core. Wake at 5am, puja at 5:30, tea at 6:30, Jala Neti at 7, then traditional Hatha and Ashtanga yoga from 7:30 to 8:45. Breakfast 9-10, Dhamma talk 10-11, lunch 1-2, silence 3-4, monastery 4-5, silence 5-6, meditation 6-7, dinner 7-8, silent sitting 8-9, sleep 9:30. One of these days is a full silence practice day; another includes a silent hike. The schedule doesn't vary much, which is the point — you're living the monks' day, not observing it.

Day seven you return to the academy after morning puja and yoga. Lunch and rest, then a relaxation therapy session (massage, Sirodhara or steam — the therapy schedule puts this on day 7) at 2:30, free time for shopping or self-exploration 3-5pm, group tea at 5, a closing meditation, dinner, and a farewell talk. Day eight is departure after the morning yoga block and breakfast, with checkout at 2pm. Airport pickup is included at the start; airport departure is not.

What sets this apart from a standard Nepal yoga retreat is the access. You're not visiting a monastery for an afternoon — you're sleeping, eating and praying there for three days, and the retreat is run by Himalayan Yoga Academy, a Kathmandu school that has been placing students in monastic settings for years. The trade-off is real: the food is simple monastery food, the rooms are basic, and there's no pool or spa. If you want a comfortable resort week, this isn't it. If you want to know what a Buddhist nun's Tuesday actually looks like, it is.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation (Himalayan Yoga Academy and monastery) - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) throughout - Use of yoga mats - Kathmandu sightseeing with guide and car - Hot water and Wi-Fi at the academy - Hike to the cave - Airport pickup on arrival - Transportation between Kathmandu and the monastery (both ways) - Monastery fees - Yoga, meditation and all session fees - One relaxation therapy session (massage, Sirodhara or steam)

What's not included

- International flight tickets - Airport departure transfer - Travel insurance - Sightseeing entry tickets - Additional therapy sessions - Personal expenses and tips - Visa fees