Mandrem, North Goa
Location
About This Retreat
Benefits of Our Transformative Hatha Yoga Retreat
- Physical Opening: Deep Hatha Yoga builds flexibility, strength, and mobility beyond what short retreats can offer.
- Nervous System Regulation: Breathwork and periods of silence help reduce stress, improve sleep, and support nervous system healing.
- Philosophical Grounding: Explore the wisdom of yoga through daily Satsang, self-inquiry, and mindful reflection.
- Community Connection: Shared practice fosters meaningful connections and a supportive retreat community.
- A Practice to Carry Home: Learn a simple, sustainable daily yoga routine to support long-term wellbeing.
- Direct Experience of Transformation: Experience lasting inner change through pranayama, meditation, and integrated mind-body practices.
Highlights
- Transformative Hatha Yoga is designed for practitioners who sense that yoga has more to offer than they have yet found.
- Experienced practitioners who want to go deeper than a class or workshop allows.
- Yoga teachers and therapists seeking a retreat that practices what it teaches.
- Professionals feeling disconnected from their body or inner life.
- Seekers drawn to the classical roots of Hatha Yoga, breath, stillness, philosophy, and physical practice held together.
- Anyone who has tried retreats that felt pleasant but not transformative.
- Guests who are ready to sit in silence, be present to discomfort, and allow something to shift.
- This is not a holiday with yoga classes. It is a six-day immersion where every element, practice, silence, meals, sound, inquiry, and community, serves a single purpose: bringing the guest home to their own body.
Day by day
Morning
Morning sit, Hatha yoga, pranayama, breakfast
Midday
Satsang, philosophical inquiry, lunch, bodywork rotations
Afternoon
Extended rest, sound immersion, sharing circle, free time
Evening
Restorative yoga, Kirtan, chanting, dinners
Night
Yoga Nidra, evening sessions, silence, simple presence
Free Time
Bodywork, beach walks, journalling, unstructured rest
What’s included
- Daily morning collective sitting, every day throughout the program
- Daily Satsang, philosophical inquiry session rooted in the Sri Aurobindo lineage
- Daily Satsang, philosophical inquiry session rooted in the Sri Aurobindo lineage
- Daily morning silence, from wake-up through breakfast, every day
- One therapeutic bodywork session per guest, scheduled across Days 2, 3, and 4
- Sound immersion session, Day 3 afternoon, 105 minutes
- Sharing circle, Day 4 afternoon, 90 minutes
- Restorative practice, Day 4 afternoon following the sharing circle
- Home practice teaching, Day 5 morning Satsang, structured transmission of a daily practice to carry home
- Kirtan, Day 5 evening, 2 hours
- Closing circle, Day 6 morning
- All meals, brunch and dinner daily, sattvic vegetarian, Ayurvedic-informed
- Opening and closing ceremonies
Not included
- Flights and airport transfers
- Visa and travel insurance
- Additional Soma Cove spa and wellness therapies beyond the included bodywork session
- Private yoga sessions outside the program
- Laundry services
- Personal expenses
- Room upgrades or additional nights
- Food and beverages outside the program menu
Frequently asked questions
What level of yoga experience do I need?
The program is designed for serious seekers rather than beginners. Some regular yoga experience is helpful. You do not need to be advanced, but you should be comfortable on a mat and willing to practice twice daily for six days. If you are uncertain whether this is the right program for you, contact us before booking.
Is this a silent retreat?
It is not a full silent retreat. Silence is practiced from each evening through breakfast every morning. Conversation is open from mid-morning onward. The silence is a practice, not a rule.
What is Satsang?
Satsang is a structured inquiry session held each morning after breakfast. The teacher offers a reading or a question drawn from classical yoga philosophy. The group sits with it together. There are no correct answers and no requirement to speak. It is a space for honest inner inquiry rather than intellectual discussion.
Who was Sri Aurobindo and why is his teaching relevant to this program?
Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, yogi, and poet who spent forty years in Pondicherry developing what he called Integral Yoga, a practice that treats the body not as an obstacle to spiritual life but as its primary vehicle. His central teaching, that the physical body is the ground of transformation, not something to be transcended, is the philosophical spine of this program. You do not need to study his work in advance. It will be introduced gently and directly across the week.
Do I have to participate in everything?
The morning sitting, morning hatha, and breakfast silence are the foundational structure of each day. The Satsang, afternoon sessions, and evening practices are held as important parts of the arc but are not policed. If your body needs rest on a particular afternoon, rest. This program trusts the guest to know themselves.
What happens in the sound session?
On Day 3 afternoon the group lies down in the yoga hall for 105 minutes of sound immersion, gong, singing bowls, chimes, and voice. There is no instruction during the session. There is no debrief or sharing circle immediately afterward. The session ends in silence and the guests are encouraged to carry that silence into the evening. Many guests describe this as the most memorable session of the program.
What is the sharing circle?
On Day 4 afternoon the group gathers in a circle with a talking piece, a stone that passes from person to person. When you hold the stone you may speak or simply hold it and pass it on. There is no obligation to share. The only guideline is that when someone holds the stone, everyone else listens without responding. The circle closes with three collective breaths and the candle blown out together.
What is Kirtan?
Kirtan is call-and-response devotional chanting, an ancient practice from the Bhakti yoga tradition. The teacher or musician offers a mantra and the group sings it back. No Sanskrit knowledge is required. No musical ability is required. The practice is accessible to everyone and builds naturally across two hours from quiet and slow to warm and full, then back into stillness. Many guests who expected to find it awkward find it to be the most connecting experience of the program.
Can I book additional Soma Cove sessions?
Yes. One therapeutic bodywork session is included in the program. Additional Ayurvedic therapies, sound sessions, and thermal contrast experiences are available to book separately through Soma Cove.
What are the meals like?
All meals are sattvic, vegetarian, and Ayurvedic-informed, meaning they are chosen and prepared with the nervous system and digestive system in mind. Morning meals are light. Midday is the main meal. Evenings are simple and easy to digest. The kitchen supports the practice.
What should I bring?
Comfortable yoga clothing for twice-daily practice. A light layer for early mornings and evenings. A journal. An open mind. Yoga mats and props are provided by Nalanda.
What is the cancellation policy?
Over 60 days before arrival: full refund minus transaction fees. 30 to 60 days: 50% refund. Under 30 days or no show: no refund. Rescheduling is available subject to availability.
Where is Nalanda Retreat?
Nalanda Retreat is located on Mandrem Beach, North Goa, one of the quietest and most unspoiled stretches of coastline in Goa, far enough from the crowds to hold genuine silence, close enough to explore the region during free time.
