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Neelambari Ecotourism

Ashtangam

- a signature retreat from Neelambari

Ashtangam is a signature retreat program from Neelambari aimed at rejuvenating and rekindling the body, mind and spirit. The duration of the program is 15 days and across the program, each participant would have the opportunity to experience different facets of Indian tradition and culture in a bid to rejuvenate and rediscover themselves. The program is named Ashtangam to signify the eight different aspects that would combine to provide a transformative experience to the participants.

Ashtangam

- The eight aspects of the retreat

Yoga and Pranayama: Every morning we would start with a guided Yoga session. Personalized guidance would be given to each participant to suit their physical condition and aptitude. Each session would last about 60 - 90 minutes. Neelambari has beautiful indoor and outdoor locations suitable for the practice of Yoga. So depending on the weather and nature of practice, we would use different locations on different days. The session would focus on flexibility, posture and movements. Any ailment or degeneration would be given special attention at the individual level.

The Pranayama sessions would focus on classic breathing techniques and would involve variations depending on the level of practice of each participant. The Yoga and Pranayama practice on each day would help us become better aware of our body and the direct correlation between our breathing and mental activities.

Meditation: Every evening we will have a guided meditation session, combined with chanting and Pranayama. This session is considered as an extension of the morning Yoga and Pranayama routine. Our mind and body are inseparably linked in their energy flows. Yoga, Pranayama and meditation are all different paths for us to harness our body and mind.

Ayurveda: Everyday each participant would undergo an Ayurveda therapy session in Neelambari’s beautiful treatment rooms. The sessions would be prescribed and guided by senior Ayurveda practitioners. The sequence of procedures would vary for each guest and would be decided by the Ayurveda doctor based on one to one consultation. The objective of the Ayurveda sessions would be rejuvenation, detoxification and correction of imbalances in our body. The Ayurveda therapies and consultations would enable us to seek a better balance in our lifestyle choices.

Theater: Theater is a deeply moving cultural experience. It is also a great way for us to explore our emotions and how each of us react to different situations in our daily lives. We will use Koodiyattam, an ancient theater of Kerala (recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO) as a medium to explore emotions. There are several reasons for us to choose Koodiyattam as our medium - it is a highly structured theater art rendering it easier to explain and communicate, it is mostly a mime theater, significantly reducing language barriers. We will use the structure of this magnificent theater and explore different emotions.

Cultural Exploration: We will use our retreat for an engaging exploration of the culture of Kerala, especially its visual performing arts. Kerala has a very rich tradition of folk, classical, semi-classical and ritual art forms. We will view performances of some of these art forms. We will not be mere spectators, we will spend some time briefly understanding the evolution and nuances of each of these art forms. We will interact with the artistes and also try to understand how each of these art forms place themselves in the wider cultural fabric of Kerala and India.

Rural life exploration: Neelambari is situated in Arattupuzha, a beautiful little village in Central Kerala. In the course of Ashtangam retreat we will engage in a few sessions where we explore some aspects of the traditional village life in Kerala and how sustainability and healthy living is organically woven into such life styles. Exploring village crafts, getting familiar with some of the common herbs used in Ayurveda would be some of the topics for our rural life exploration.

Culinary exploration: We will have three participatory cooking sessions as part of the retreat, one in each week. The emphasis will be on preparing healthy, balanced vegetarian dishes that are pleasing to the palate

Objective of the program

As such the takeaways from the program would vary for each individual. However the program is designed to impart the following common benefits:

  • Seek and discover a better rhythm / tempo in our daily life through the practice of Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation
  • Seek and realize a more balanced lifestyle by understanding the basic tenets of Ayurveda
  • Seek better understanding of our emotions and the effects they have on us and others around us. Hopefully this would make us better balanced emotionally
  • Provide mesmerizing glimpses into the rich cultural heritage of Kerala. Through this give a basic introduction to the vast cultural landscape of India
  • Take a step back from the fast lane of technology driven life. Go a beat slower, take a step towards nature and appreciate the charm of slow paced life

Above all, we hope that Ashtangam would inspire you to bring positive changes in your life - within and without. If your days are guided by a slightly broader perspective and slightly deeper thoughts after Ashtangam, we would consider ourselves to have been wildly successful

Who should attend?

Anyone looking for an authentic rejuvenation of body and mind would benefit from this program. The retreat would be especially stimulating if arts and culture interests you. The program is designed for adults, at least 15 years of age Accompanying children are allowed however they should be of an independent age. Basic health and mobility is expected. However we would be very happy to make the program accessible even if you are facing challenges on these fronts. Please contact us directly and we will positively consider if and how you could be accommodated in the program.

Summary schedule

  • 2023 Ed1 - April 01 to April 15
  • 2023 Ed2 - May 05 to May 19

Day 1 : Registration, orientation and consultations. There will be separate consultations for Ayurveda and Yoga. Personalized Ayurveda procedures and yoga practices for each participant would be charted based on these consultations. A brief orientation discussion with a QA session would be held involving all the participants at the end of the consultations.
2.00 pm All participants are required to check in by 2.00 pm so that we have adequate time to complete all the consultations and orientation on Day 1 itself.

Day 2 - 15: The main retreat program would run for two weeks from Day 2 to 15 (both days inclusive). Each day would follow roughly the same schedule as follows:
7.00 am Morning Yoga session would run from this time. Sessions would last 60 to 90 minutes. Breakfast would be served for an hour after the end of the Yoga session. Participants would finish the Yoga session and then breakfast by about 9.30 am.
10.30 am to 4.30 pm Personalized Ayurveda sessions would run from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
12.30 pm to 2.30 pm. Evening tea would be served from 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm. This schedule would allow all participants to comfortably have their Ayurveda procedures allowing for sufficient time between their meals and treatment.
5.00 pm to 7.00 pm Evening session would be held from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm. This will be a continuous session involving one of the auxiliary programs (theater exploration, cultural performance, rural life exploration or cooking session) followed by the evening Pranayama, meditation and chanting.
7.15 pm Dinner would be served shortly after the evening session.

Day 16: Breakfast would be served at 8.00. There will be a short farewell and feedback session after breakfast. Guests would check out after the feedback session. Staying back for lunch and late check out would be optional.

Notes:

A maximum of 16 participants would be allowed in a retreat program. This is to ensure that each participant receives personal attention during the sessions. We hope this would also allow for better interaction and bonding among the participants and hosts.

Optional add ons like astrology consultations, naturopathy sessions, village craft sessions etc can be arranged for interested participants. These would be bespoke arrangements and charged extra.

Pricing

EUR 1990/- on double occupancy basis

EUR 2490/- on single occupancy basis

Advance payments, cancellation and rescheduling

Do not worry, all of us are humans. If there are factors beyond your control, we will be very supportive with refund or rescheduling as needed. Summary terms are as follows:

  • - Free cancellation up to 7 days before the commencement of the program.
  • - If you need to cancel with less than 7 days to go, you can reschedule to a future edition. We will charge a processing fee of EUR 100 for this.

The above cancellation terms are available only for the 2023 April and May editions of Ashtangam. For future editions, we may revise the cancellation polcy.

Have more questions? Please refer FAQs here.

Or contact Sreeni (+91 9400525150 / sreeni@neelambari.co.in) or Ajan (+34 638 05 89 39 / ajanyogi@gmail.com). We will be happy to help you.

Testimonials

" Sreeni and Meera made our stay at Neelambari feel more like visiting close relatives than staying at a resort. They made every effort to make us feel welcomed, comfortable and happy. Sreeni was very kind to take us on multiple occasions to the local music and dance festival with him aswell as organising day trips around the area to keep us entertained and excited. Meera spoilt us rotten with a desgistation of delicious local dishes for every meal! We were there for 7 days and not one meal was a repeat from the other and much of the produce was grown on the property or region. She even gave us a cooking lesson so hopefully we can recreate some of the meals at home. The resort itself is a work of art, literally! It feels like it has been part of the landscape for centuries. That being said the accommodation was luxurious and has all the comforts and percs you would expect from a 5 star resort. We had booked in for daily yoga and Ayurveda treatment, our Yogi and and Dr were really great and our daily routine left us invigorated and relaxed. I would stay at Neelambari again in a heartbeat. "

SREENI@NEELAMBARI.CO.IN
094005 25150
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