- Ayurveda: Your Wellness Solution for Every Season
- Mindful Wellness During the Festive Season: A Guide to Staying Balanced and Energized
- Yoga by the Sea
- Kumbakonam: A Journey Through History, Spirituality, and Culture
- Celebrate Onam Sustainably at Niraamaya Retreats Across Kerala
- Witness the Spectacular Neelakurinji Bloom: A Once-in-12-Years
- Nourish Your Body This Monsoon with Karkidaka Kanji
- Unlock Better Sleep and Reduced Pain with This Simple Ayurvedic
- Yoga Nidra for Sleep: How to Practice It in a Retreat Setting
- Monsoon Magic: Discover Kerala's Infinity Pool Retreats
- Inspiring Wellness Journeys for Couples Yoga Everywhere!
- Ragi Puttu: A Nutritious Indian Breakfast Delight!
- Journey Through Kannur: Perfect Monsoon Getaways
- Monsoon Wellness
- Ayurvedic Guide to Summer Wellness
- Top 10 Ayurvedic Foods for Summer Health
- Living the Water Conservation Way
- Why you need a Ayurvedic solace in Kerala ?
- Beyond the Room: How Niraamaya Champions Local Experiences
- A Tale of Two Indian Spots for Valentine's Day
- Unlock a Stress-Free Life: 6 Reasons to Choose Wellness Retreats
- From Ayurveda to Modern Medicine: Hibiscus Across the Globe
- The Ayurvedic Wellness : 7 Tips to Transform Your Health
- A Year of Self-Care: The Ultimate Guide to Rejuvenation Holidays
- Experience the Hornbill Festival: A Cultural Marvel
- How Nature-Friendly Rooms Enhance Sleep Quality
- Wellness Through Design
- Beyond the Boardroom: A Guide to Corporate Wellness Success!
- Kannur: A Wellness Oasis in Kerala
- No-Fire Cooking: A Sustainable and Delicious Culinary
- A Diwali Trip Guide to Kerala
- Ghee, An Ayurvedic Superfood for Auspiciousness and Nourishment
- Unlocking the power of Better Sleep: A Path to Wellness
- Pomegranate Juice: 10 Health Benefits of the Red Pearl Fruit
- The Ayurveda Way: 10 Power Foods for Diabetes
- Roar for Tigers: The world needs more species!
- Experience Niraamaya Retreats Private Residencies At Least Once!
- Why India Is Our New Favorite Place for Medical Tourism
- 5 Reasons to Visit Niraamaya Retreats in Monsoon
- Complete Guide to Surviving Monsoon Depression with Niraamaya
- Embrace the Healing Power of Karkidaka Chikitsa
- Embracing the Kaleidoscope of Love
- Discover the World of Teas and Tisanes
- The Jackfruit Biryani Phenomenon: Why Everyone is Talking About
- From Limiting Beliefs to Limitless Possibilities
- From Chaos to Calm: Celebrating Stress Management Month
- Small Steps, Big Impact: Celebrating Earth Day at Niraamaya Well
- Make a Splash this Summer in Niraamaya’s Private Pool Villas
- Niraamaya Wellness Retreats’ Mussels Ulathiyathu
- Locally Sourced, Freshly Prepared: Exploring Zero-Mile Cuisine a
- Finding Your Zen: Ayurvedic Techniques for a Calmer Mind
- From Farm to Table: Embracing the Slow Food Movement
- Spice Up Your Seafood with Niraamaya's Squid Pepper Recipe
- Plan your next Wellness-cation with Niraamaya Retreats
- Navigating the World of Ayurveda
- Bitter but oh-so-good: Pavakka Thoran
- Unleash Your Inner Wellness Warrior
- The Ultimate Relationship Booster
- Uncovering India's Gems: A Zodiac-Based Guide - Part 2
- Uncovering India's Gems: A Zodiac-Based Guide
- Top Destinations to Visit in 2023 with your Partner
- Safety First: A Guide to Solo Travel for Women
- The Secret to Niraamaya’s Signature Travancore Fish Curry
- Capture the Holiday Magic With Niraamaya's Festive Offerings
- The Ultimate Guide on how to end the year in style at Seychelles
- Athirappilly 101: A beginner's guide on how to have an unforgett
- 7 Reasons Why Stress Management is the Key to a Healthier Life
- Check out the Health Benefits of these 10 Ayurvedic Herbs
- Start Your Wellbeing Journey with These 6 Simple Tips!
- Express yourself via the Art of Journaling
- Leverage cutting-edge tech for advanced wellness
- Boost your post-COVID recovery with Niraamaya
- Make A Positive Change With Our Simple Summer Swaps
- Five tips to help you maintain good health during summer
- 5 Must-Do Wellness Tips In 2022
- Vegan vs. plant-based food: All you need to know
- Retreat into the picturesque hills to take a luxurious break
- Our tips to tackle Technostress
- Functional Medicine: The holistic and natural approach
- 8 Ways to Overcome Stress at Work
- The Rasayana Therapy – Relax and Rejuve Program
- Yoga packages at Niraamaya Wellness Retreats
- Why you must visit Vizhinjam
- 10 ways to enjoy the Niraamaya Retreats as a family
- Dishes you just can’t give a miss at Niraamaya’s Backwaters
- The Art of Now
- How Ayurveda keeps your skin glowing
- Experience the power and beauty of southwest monsoons
- Feel the perfect harmony of earth’s elements
- How to experience the magic
- Nine gingery health benefits
- This Goa Will Fill Up Your Soul!
- Thiruvananthapuram: Top attractions
- Hotel Rooms Just Got 10% Cheaper With GST Rate Cut
- Food Traditions: The Onam Sadhya
- Niraamaya Spa wins the prestigious Luxury Ayurveda Spa Award
- Niraamaya Retreat’s Executive Weight Loss Program
- Photogallery: The luxury suites at Niraamaya Surya Samuda
- Best of the backwaters
- How Panchakarma will help deep cleanse your body
- And we have scored big once again!
- Luxury By Design
- Niraamaya Retreats wins Best Hospitality Architecture Award 2019
- Gourmet offerings at Niraamaya Retreats Backwaters & Beyond
- Creating Sustainable Livelihoods
- Healing Wellness Breaks at Niraamaya Backwaters & Beyond
- 10 reasons why Ghee is known as India’s very own super-food
- Cuisine with a wellness soul
- Kerala’s culinary traditions come alive at Niraamaya Retreats
- The Golden Spice
- Finding Shangri-La
- Everything you want to know about Yoga’s origin and evolution
- All Things Wild and Beautiful
- Tropical Paradise in God’s Own Country
- Healing Holidays for the Mind, Body and Spirit
- Floating over a forest canopy in a verdant green oasis
- A superlative spa, set amidst a lush forest
- An ancient village with horn houses and terraced fields
- Niraamaya Retreats: A unique blend of luxury hospitality
- Cruising Lake Placid
- Why Ayurveda could be your miracle cure?
- An ode to Kerala’s Tharavadus
- Lakeside Luxury at Niraamaya Retreats – Backwaters & Beyond
- Breaking through with ONV’s Leadership Retreats
- Ayurveda: When all you have are three days (or five)!
- Kovalam adjudged ‘India’s Best Wellness Retreat’
- Wellness in Nature: It Heals, Restores and Revives
- Changing Wellness Trends of 2021
- Ghee, An Ayurvedic Superfood for Auspiciousness, Nourishment, an
Yoga as a form of exercise has taken the world by storm. Niraamaya Retreats 7-and-14-night packages will introduce you to this ancient practice of harmonizing body, mind, and soul in ways that go beyond just the physical.
Unlike how the West views yoga as an effective exercise form, yoga in India is viewed as much as a meditation technique that sets you on a spiritual journey, as it is an effective exercise. In Patanjali yoga: there are eight limbs or practices of yoga: Yama (honesty, truth), Niyamas (contentment or self-study), asanas (the exercise form), pranayama (Prana means vital force, Yama means to control, practiced through breathing), pratyahara (withdrawn of senses from external stimulation), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (the final stage, integration of all senses).
Unlike how the West views yoga as an effective exercise form, yoga in India is viewed as much as a meditation technique that sets you on a spiritual journey, as it is an effective exercise. In Patanjali yoga: there are eight limbs or practices of yoga: Yama (honesty, truth), Niyamas (contentment or self-study), asanas (the exercise form), pranayama (Prana means vital force, Yama means to control, practiced through breathing), pratyahara (withdrawn of senses from external stimulation), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (the final stage, integration of all senses).
Niraamaya’s yoga programme
Guru Ayappan, who leads the yoga programme at Niraamaya, reveals that in Indian culture, the final journey towards Samadhi is the real purpose of yoga. However, the world has confined itself to asanas and a smaller degree, pranayama. At Niraamaya, the yoga programme straddles aspects beyond pure exercise and includes within the ambit asanas, meditation or Dharana and Dhyana, Pranayama and yoga Nidra (yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping).
Both the 7-and-14-day aspects include each of these practices. Every morning, from the edge of the rugged cliff on which Niraamaya Retreats Surya Samudra, Kovalam is located, Guru Narayana Ayappan will gently lead you through the smooth movements of yoga or the asanas. The sessions are held on the striking open-air wooden podium with columns salvaged from old homes in Kerala, which stands perched above the beach and is surrounded by the magical views of the sea and the palm-strewn Kovalam coastline.
The Sunrise Session includes Surya Namaskaar or sun salutations. Guru Ayappan guides guests through the basics of yoga practice. The rest of the practices – such as personalised pranayama and meditation sessions follow through the day, besides more yoga sessions.
In most of the Niraamaya Retreats, the yoga classes are conducted in areas that help guests integrate with their surroundings and nature. You could also Guru Ayappan (or any other yoga guru at any of the several Niraamaya retreats) to dig deep into the history of yoga if you so desire.
In most of the Niraamaya Retreats, the yoga classes are conducted in areas that help guests integrate with their surroundings and nature. You could also Guru Ayappan (or any other yoga guru at any of the several Niraamaya retreats) to dig deep into the history of yoga if you so desire.
They will tell you that the word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word Yuj. “The roots of Yoga can be traced back to the Vedic texts written in India,” says Guru Ayappan. “Till now, it was said that yoga is about 10,000 years old. But new research shows it could be older; it could be traced back to the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization. Yoga is considered one of the six Indian philosophies, each of which takes you to higher planes of spiritual growth.”
While the aphorisms of yoga and its ethical-spiritual beliefs have remained constant at the core for centuries, its practice has evolved to keep up with shifting personal goalposts to do with fitness and mental health. One of the reasons why this ancient practice of breath control, asanas or yoga poses and meditation has survived the vicissitudes of time is because of the flexibility with which it adapts to contemporary times. As Guru Ayappan says, “Yoga is not a static science. It keeps growing, it keeps evolving.”
While the aphorisms of yoga and its ethical-spiritual beliefs have remained constant at the core for centuries, its practice has evolved to keep up with shifting personal goalposts to do with fitness and mental health. One of the reasons why this ancient practice of breath control, asanas or yoga poses and meditation has survived the vicissitudes of time is because of the flexibility with which it adapts to contemporary times. As Guru Ayappan says, “Yoga is not a static science. It keeps growing, it keeps evolving.”
The other parts of the package
The Yoga package at Niraamaya Retreats also includes a spot of Ayurveda. A 30-minute personal Ayurveda consultation, followed by therapies such as Shirodhara (a distressing oil therapy) and Abhyangasnana (warm body oil massage to stimulate circulation) is part of the Yoga Package.