The Jacuzzi at Wildflower Hall in the Himalayas overlooks the mountains; (below) Yoga sessions at Wildflower Hall are held in the sprawling gardens of the resort

Seated on a pristine white mat with the cold mountain air rustling in the statuesque cedar and spruce trees — the silence broken only by the occasional twittering of a lone bird — it’s time to let go. “Now close your eyes and lie down with your palms facing the sky. Leave yourself loose-limbed,” says the Yoga supervisor.

It’s easy to fall in line with Dinesh Gohil as he moulds his body into different asanas and softly asks you to do the same. At the end of a one-hour session, even with some tough stances thrown in, the senses feel strangely invigorated. The session ends with some evocative chanting from the Rig Veda.

My first day at the exclusive Wildflower Hall in the Himalayas — an Oberoi resort — seems to have taken off on a promising note. I am on a Yoga retreat programme but then the itinerary during my stay at the resort throws in an exotic-sounding Wild Strawberry Trail walk through the woods surrounding it.

“A Yoga retreat cannot only be about Yoga, can it?” Dheeraj Chauhan, the activity supervisor, points out. So a fulsome breakfast of fruits and cereals later I hit a forest trail at a brisk pace. The walk takes me through some wooded paths for a couple of hours and ends with an hour-long eucalyptus oil massage at the spa back at the hotel. Steam therapy, a long soak in the tub and a sumptuous dinner, and I’m ready to slip under the sheets and drift away into a pleasant slumber.

My first day at Wildflower Hall set the pace for the rest of my stay. And that’s typically what you’ll do when you make you way to a Yoga retreat for some well-deserved rejuvenation and detoxification. For, pleasure walks hand-in-hand with detoxification at resorts and boutique hotels as they promise to cleanse your system.

So all you need to do is to take off for an ultra luxurious five-star resort or hotels — like The Oberoi’s Wildflower Hall resort in Shimla and the chain’s Udaivilas in Udaipur, or the premier destination spa, Ananda in the Himalayas — and let them pamper you silly while they fix your mind, body and soul. Meanwhile, a rustic Indian experience awaits you at The Satvik Resort, a Vedic retreat in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, where you can lounge on charpoys (string cots) and give into the masseur’s touch in the Ayurvedic kutir (hut).

The Yoga regimen at Ananda in the Himalayas focuses on chakra cleansing and healing

But if you are not a hill person then there are always beach resorts that offer accommodation in treehouses or in eco-lodges. Goa’s Ashiyana Yoga Retreat Center offers such an experience. Clearly, the list of Yoga retreats is long as it is diverse in experience.

The reason for the growing popularity of Yoga retreats, says Ketaki Narain, director, corporate communications, The Oberoi Group, is the need for stressed out souls to escape from a hectic life and to be refreshed and re-energised spiritually and physically. “So you head to these tranquil retreats where all the elements — from the location to the facilities and the service — combine to offer an experience that leaves you rejuvenated,” adds Narain.

As quickly as wellness retreats are multiplying, so are their takers. As Valerie Moselle, a senior Yoga teacher from Los Angeles, who came to India seeking tranquillity, says: “One of the biggest challenges for me and my husband in India was finding peace in the bustle of this amazing country.” They discovered The Satvik Resort in Bhimtal to unwind from their hectic lifestyles. Many others like to fall back on the holistic treatments offered by these resorts to take care of disorders like migraines, hypertension, asthma or even arthritis.

Yogic treats

Yoga sessions at Devi Garh are held at daybreak

What’s the USP of these Yoga retreats? In a word: location. “They are perfectly set for a wellness holiday and you connect with nature instantly,” says Kantilal Chordia, owner of Ayurveda Yoga Retreat in Coonoor.

A guest from Seattle, US, put up at the Ayurveda Yoga Retreat (www.ayurveda.org), for instance, draws on the intense beauty of the hill country for inspiration. He says: “April in the Nilgiris is breathtaking and relaxing to boot.”

Sylvan surroundings tend to work their magic on the senses like nothing else. Like Wildflower Hall that is surrounded by cedar and pine woods that make for picture-postcard views. Its showstopper is a Jacuzzi that is planted at what seems to be the edge of the building’s façade making you wonder if you will overflow into the mountain-side.

Or take the 300-year-old fort Devi Garh, now an amazing retreat (www.deviresorts.com), just a 45-minute drive from Udaipur. It’s perfect for heritage buffs besides which it overlooks the village of Delwara that once belonged to the kingdom of Mewar.

Shreyas Retreat, a luxury Yoga boutique resort, near Bangalore

And if it is the sea you are most in sync with, head for Ashiyana Yoga Retreat (www.ashiyana-yoga-goa.com) in Goa. Located on the quiet Mandrem beach, it just has the crashing waves for company.

When you get beyond the settings, you find that the wellness programmes at each of these retreats kick off with a consultation with a resident doctor, who prescribes a dietary chart. The Yoga programme is also tailored according to the individual’s needs. “You may need one hour of Yoga twice a day or whatever else the doctor prescribes,” says B. Venkatesh, director, sales and marketing, Devi Garh.

Packages at Ananda (www.anandaspa.com) include asanas that derive from the classic Hatha Yoga and the Raja Yoga. They also focus on chakra (energy centres in the human body) cleansing and healing. It is supplemented by an array of wellness activities such as nature excursions and temple treks along with Thai and aromatherapy massages.

The Shreyas Retreat specialises in Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa asanas

The Shreyas Retreat (www.shreyasretreat.com) near Bangalore combines hours of silence along with normal Hatha Yoga classes while for the experienced, there are Ashtanga Vinyasa sessions. The retreat is eco-friendly and advocates solar heating, rainwater harvesting and organic gardening. Guests are encouraged to practice a spot of Karma Yoga that entails them to work with a selfless attitude. “They learn about social responsibility by helping out in the organic garden, cooking and serving food to local children,’’ says Balaji N, chief operating officer, Shreyas Retreat.

Ayurveda and Yoga walk hand-in-hand at the Ayurveda Yoga Retreat in Coonoor. The Chordia family-run retreat that lies in the middle of a sprawling tea plantation, stresses on being non-commercial. “Every street in Kerala has dime-a-dozen Yoga-shalas, which are very commercial. That is exactly what we are not,” says Chordia.

The Ashiyana Yoga Retreat in Goa inbuilds long walks and chat sessions into its wellness package

The resort has something very traditional on its menus. Says Chordia: “After an authentic, traditional Ayurvedic treatment, one is asked not to take a bath. We do somewhat the same here, the difference being that the guest is given a herbal powder bath after which a bath is not advised for the next few hours.”

Meanwhile, therapeutic Yogic detoxifying cleansing techniques are the focus at The Satvik Resort in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, where the founder Yogi, Pulak Ranjan Shukla, also teaches Yogic postures and meditation to treat chronic diseases.

Other than Yoga

And there’s more to these wellness holidays than just the cleansing routines. Sessions of meditations and massages are interspersed with adventurous activities to add more zing to the day. And the best part is that they are included in the cost of the packages.

“A Yoga holiday leaves you completely flexible with your time,” says Chris Nelson, the founder of Goa’s Ashiyana Yoga Retreat Centre. The fun element comes in the form of ‘barefoot boogie’ (letting yourself go in dance), walks and impromptu chat-sessions with other guests.

At Wildflower Hall (www.wildflowerhall.com), besides sessions of Yoga, you can take off for hikes through little-known paths, go mountain biking through forests, raft on the rapids in Tattapani (that’s a short drive away), or opt for horse-riding around the bends in the mountains (with gourmet picnic hampers thrown in).

The Ayurveda Yoga Retreat’s complimentary trips include tours of its tea plantation, a 100-year old antique steam- engine train ride and rounds of an eucalyptus oil factory and a tiger sanctuary.

Meanwhile, a whole array is on offer at Udaivilas. Take culinary classes from the chef or pick up the art of miniature painting. Heritage outings to nearby palaces, shikara rides and dinners on floating platforms or pontoons anchored in the middle of the famous Lake Pichola are pitched in for extra measure.

What's cooking

The Satvik Resort, a Vedic retreat near Bhimtal, offers panoramic views of the Karkotak mountains and the Gargi river ; (above) Detoxifying Yogic cleansing techniques are the focus at the resort

Now what’s cooking in the kitchens of these resorts as you adopt the Yoga-massage-adventure way of life? You can expect ‘eco-meals’ tossed up with organic veggies that are freshly plucked from the resorts’ gardens. Detoxifying with vegetarian food is the mantra at most resorts and alcohol/ cigarettes are strictly off-limits.

For instance, at the Ayurveda Yoga Retreat, guests are made to down homemade herbal roots decoctions as well as fruit juices. Lentil soups and vegetable dishes cooked without oil are their speciality. Even the mineral water they serve is from the resort’s own source.

No juices are churned out at The Satvik Resort. “We provide fruits instead of juices because eating them whole is the healthier option,” says founder Pulak Ranjan Shukla, who with the help of his wife, dishes out delicious vegetarian food in Mahabhoj Thalis at the resort.

Meanwhile, the Shreyas Retreat goes beyond Indian fare to bring in a taste of authentic vegetarian Mexican, Italian and North American cuisine. Some set themselves apart by offering non-vegetarian meals such as the Ashiyana Yoga Retreat where the kitchen offers chicken and fresh fish twice a week. A juice bar is a highlight and it features mint, lemon, strawberry and mint lassis. Devi Garh’s spa menu is sprinkled liberally with lobsters and lamb dishes that also happen to be low-calorie.

Dig deep into those pockets

The Ayurveda Yoga Retreat near Coonoor is a family-run centre that customises the meals, the herbal decoctions and even the herbal powder baths for its guests

The packages at these retreats don’t come cheap, but as alternatives to conventional medicine they score high on the cards. A package for five nights at Wildflower Hall in a Premier Garden View Room is priced at Rs 86,000 per person on single occupancy until September 30.

The Ananda Yoga five-night and six-day package costs between Rs 95,900 and Rs 2,01,600 per couple for a double room. Valid from May to September, the cost varies depending on the kind of room (villa or suite) you opt for.

And while the three-night and four-day packages at Shreyas offer garden/poolside cottages cost between Rs 29,415 and Rs 48,325 (from now to September), at Devi Garh you can expect to pay a whopper of Rs 1,36,597 to Rs 2,18,555 for a 14-night and 15-day customised package.

If this is far too steep for you, never despair, for at the other end of the spectrum there are Yoga centres in holy places like Rishikesh. For instance, Parmarth Niketan in the heart of Rishikesh, brings together different streams of Yoga such as Shinto Yoga and Power Yoga, and the room rates are Rs 335 for single occupancy and Rs 840 for double occupancy.

There’s also Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram located in the forests just outside Trivandrum. The school offers a two-week long structured Yoga vacation. You just have to shell out just Rs 550 to Rs 630 for a twin room and Rs 380 to Rs 470 per head for dormitory/tent-style lodging.

So from luxury to budget, now that you have them all, here’s to a holistic health passage.