Wellness and Ayurveda

Few of the experiences that should not be missed

1. Pamper yourself by visiting the best luxury spas in the country that offer you with a host of therapies and massages. Some of the well known Spas are Wildflower hall in Shimla, Ananda Resort in himalayas, Golden Palms near bangalore and Banyan Tree in Udaipur.

2. Rejuvenate yourself by visiting lovely resorts in Kerala backwaters and discover the amazing range of traditional Ayurvedic therapies and massages. Some famous Ayurvedic centres in Kerala that provide ayurvedic therapies are Keraleeyam, Kairai and Kumarakom lake resort.

3. Have a completely natural therapy (no chemicals, pristine and natural surroundings) by visiting renowned naturopathy centres in India. Get treated the nature way. Some important centres include Jindal health Farms near bangalore, The satvik resort in Bhimtal and Quiet healing centre in Aurville.

4. Learn Yoga by enrolling to Yoga Courses – an experience that will not only be beneficial but offer a whole new perspective on life. Some renowned Yoga learning centres include Krishnamacharaya Yoga Mandiram near Chennai and Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh

5. Visit the world renowned Osho International Centre in Pune and experience the new self by doing meditation courses.

Ayurveda: The word Ayurveda is a combination of two Sanskrit words "Ayus" meaning 'life' and "Veda" meaning 'science', thus ayurveda literally means the 'science of life'. Derived from the Vedas, the Hindu's divine book of knowledge, it is a system propounded, practiced and perfected by saints and rishis.

Unlike other medicinal systems, Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living than treatment of diseases. The main concept of Ayurveda is that it personalizes the healing process. Unlike other traditional medicinal systems, Ayurveda is more focused on simple and logical therapies. It is in fact a set of practical and simple guidelines for long life and good health.

Some of the most renowned Ayurvedic centres are mentined below:

Keraleeyam: Keraleeyam is situated in Alapuzzha, Kerala which is also known for its backwaters. The location of the resort provides a perfect environ for natural rejuvenation which is considered to be an integral part of ayurveda treatments. Keraleeyam is run by the SD group which has been in this field for more than 60 years. While many hotels/ resorts in India offer Ayurveda as an “extra”, here Ayurveda is not a value addition but the main focus. It offers a host of traditional ayurveda therapies. For leisure, backwaters and beaches are located close by (Not more than 10 Kms away form the resort)

Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort: It is situated in Palakkad district in Kerala and is 160 Km from Ernakulam. It is a venture of KV Ramesh, who comes from a family of traditional Ayurvedic physicans. The resort won the SpaAsia crystal award for the best Ayurvedic centre in Asia-Pacific. Kairali Ayurveda has been accorded the “Green Leaf Classification” for ayurvedic centres of a certain standard by government of Kerala. It offers range of ayurvedic packages and treatments. For best results people are advised to stay here atleast for a period of 10 days.

Kumarakom Lake resort: Kumarakom Lake Resort is a heritage resort right on the vembanad lake spread over 25 acres of land and overlooking the magical backwaters. In monsoon this place looks like heaven and is considered to be the best time to visit for Ayurveda treatment. It has been nominated as one of the top five luxury hotels in India in 2004 by Incredible India and is called the place for “holiday pamper” by the Wall Street Journal. It provides host of traditional ayurveda therapies and hoses excellent infrastructure in terms of swimming pools, gymnasium, etc.

Somatheeram: It is situated at a comfortable 21 Km from Thiruvanthapuram and 9 Km from internationally renowned Kovalam Beach. Begun in 1985, it is possibly the earliest beach resort in India. It spreads across 15 acres of tree laden hilly slopes, with terraced gardens, traditionally styled wooden and stone cottages. It has been awarded the “Best Ayurveda centre” title by Government of Kerala seven times. The resort grows its own 600 varieties of medicinal herbs and makes in-house ayurveda medicines. Apart from this it has traditional restaurant which makes 250 Ayurvedic dishes in consultation with the in-house doctors. Apart from traditional therapies, it also provides Yoga lessons. Going through these lessons, in the back-drop of pristine beach is truly a rejuvenating experience.

AyurvedaGram: It is located in Whitefield, Bangalore and is 17 Km from airport. It is rated as one of the country’s best spas and is an Ayurvedic village. It is spread across 12 acres of land and the premises has Yoga and meditation centre, residential cottages and a vegetarian restaurant. When you arrive in AyurvedaGram you undergo a detailed examination by a resident medical doctor and on the basis of this further treatments are offered. It offers host of ayurveda treatments and Yoga lessons.

Spas :Spas in India are aimed at providing luxury Ayurveda, hydropathy, yoga and host of other therapies at one place. Apart from expertise in the above mentioned domains they also possess excellent infrastructure in terms of restaurants, gymnasiums, ergonomically designed massage chairs, saunas, Jacuzzis, swimming pools and leisure options.

Here is a list of renowned spas in India

Ananda (Narendranagar, Uttarakhand) : Ananda is amongst the highest rated luxury destinations in the world and is ranked the number one spa in the world by Conde Nast Traveller in 2005, as well as chosen as one of the best spas in the world, over the year, by Tatler, Sunday Times and Spa Management journal. The spa features an extensive selection of therapies in its 21 treatment rooms. There are Hydropathy facilities, a beauty institute, an outdoor swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms, a gymnasium and even a golf course. It also has luxury villas and Ayurveda treatment rooms.

Banyan Tree Spa, Udaivilas: (Udaipur) Banyan Tree is one of the leading names in the luxury Spa business. It has been rated 14th among the “best spas in the world” by Conde Nast Traveller and won the Harper Abroad Travel Supplement. It offers traditional Ayurveda therapies, spa-experience packages, yoga and pranayam lessons, body massages and host of other traditional therapies. All the therapists are all trained at the Banyan Tree Academy in Phuket, Thailand.

Taj Spa, Taj Fisherman’s Cove: Taj Spa is situated near covelong beach, Chennai and is one of the best in the country. Taj Spa is known for its signature treatments which include the invigorating ‘Jivaniya’, the detoxifying ‘Shudhikara’, the balancing ‘Sama’ and the powerful wrestlers’ massage Pehelwan Maalish. Apart from this there are host of India therapies like ‘Pada Mardana foot massage’, ‘Sammardana Massage’, ‘Champi Head massage’ and host of Aromatherapy treatments. There are traditional Ayrvedic treatments as well.

Golden Palms (Bangalore): The golden palm built in Spanish hacienda style, is set on 8 acres of lush landscaped gardens, a few Kms. away from the main city of Bangalore and is considered one of the best in the country. It has Jogging tracks, a giant lagoon like swimming pool, snooker table, tennis and squash courts. It has a well maintained gymnasium. There are six excellent restaurants and bars serving healthy cuisine. It offers host of signature therapies like ‘Javanese Mandi Lulur’, Solah Shringar etc. It offers ayurveda treatment and yoga lessons.

Vedic Village (Kolkata): Vedic Village is situated on 125 acres of fertile land, dotted with natural lakes and cluster of trees. The Sanjeeva Spa at the Vedic Village provides a range of non-allopathic treatment options including Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Wellness, yoga and homeopathy. Some of the treatments offered are Vedic Glow, which is the most sought after because it gives you a feel of every treatment under the wellness category, Vedic Healing which is a fantastic amalgamation of many treatments and is a one day package. Apart from this there is Cellulite Breakdown treatment, acupressure massage, yoga and host of Ayurveda therapies.

Wildflower Hall, Shimla: It is situated at 8,250 feet in the magnificent Himalayas, Wildflower Hall is a fairytale luxury resort set in 22 acres of virgin woods of pine and cedar. It is one of the most luxurious resorts in India and rated amongst best in the world. It provides Ayurvada therapies, has a world class infrastructure which includes gymnasium, indoor swimming pools and Yoga lessons and meditation faculities. The views from the rooms are amazing and exotic and the environment provides for excellent rejuvenation. With tranquil views through lush green cedar and pine forests, the Spa Pavilions offer stressed out guests a peaceful haven in which to re-vitalise themselves both inside and out

Yoga and Naturopathy

Yoga has been practiced in India for centuries as a way of freeing the mind, body & spirit. Literally, Yoga is to stop the mind from wandering. In recent years, yoga has also become extremely popular in the west, inspiring increasing numbers of people to come and study yoga in India in traditional setting. There are many yoga centers in India, providing everything from in depth courses to flexible drop-in classes.

Krishnamacharaya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai: It was established at a time when yoga was practiced by very few people and now it has become the centre of excellence for yoga and is renowned the world over. It is considered to be one of the best centres in India for Yoga. KYM stresses on the importance of personal attention and hence all the courses are tailor-made to ones needs and are one-to-one. It does not have its own accommodation facilities but as it is centrally located in Chennai finding an accommodation is not a problem. KYM has 48 instructors and all of them are well trained in teaching yoga.

Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh: The ashram is equipped with 1000 rooms on its 8 acre campus. It is situated in pristine and beautiful mountain setting of lower Himalayas in this holy town of Rishikesh. It runs an extensive program of beginner yoga, teacher training courses and Vedic heritage and spirituality. Daily classes are also open to visitors

Apart from this there are other renowned centres for Yoga learning in India they include Patanjali Yogpeeth in Hardwar, Uttarakhand, Sivananda Ashram in Madurai, Yog ganga centre in Dehra Dun, Atma Vikas Centre/ Asthanga Institute in Mysore and many more. The best time to visit to most of these ashrams is Nov-March when the atmosphere is cool. Most of these ashrams have their own basic accommodation.

Naturaopathy:

Naturopathy operates on the philosophy of having no surgery and no medicines, simply harnessing the power of nature to heal the body and keep it fit. The power of nature refers to air; water, sun and food that is as close to its natural form as possible. A correct diet is the foundation of Naturopathy. Exercise is also a important component. Diet and exercises are supplemented by massages, physical therapies, giving the patient vital energy from sunlight or giving the patient the nourishing and healing qualities of the earth.

There are many centres in India that provide naturopathy offerings. Some of the renowned ones are Quiet healing centre in Aurville, Jindal Health Farm in Bangalore, Sunrise Naturopathy in Jaipur, Soukya in Bangalore, The Satvik Resort in Bhimtal, Kalmatia Sangam in Almora and many many more.

Meditation

Dhammagiri Vipassana Centre: Vipassana, India’s ancient technique in meditation is taught in this Ashram. It is situated just 128 Kms north east of Mumbai in a small town of Igatpuri and is easily accessible. The ambience, tranquility and the systems that work with western efficiency while following India’s cultural simplicity are all conducive to the inner harmony that a participant seeks. Vipassana is a 10 day course and the participant is not allowed to talk to anybody from the outside world. He is not allowed to use cellphones or laptops. Reading, music and the usage of any form of electronic gadgets is not allowed. It teaches you a host of meditation techniques which would really transform your concentration at the end of the course.

Osho Resort, Pune: Osho international resort is set within a lush green 40 acre campus. It has pyramidal structures, tropical gardens, marble pathways and a fantastic ambience. Apart from this it has a giant swimming pool, gymnasium, sauna, jacuzzi and other facilities. Some signature meditations that one may undergo at Osho are Dynamic Kundalini, Nadabrahma, Chakra Sounds, Devavani, Gourishankar, Mandala and Whirling. There are large open and closed auditoriums which are pleasantly designed and ensure that the participants get maximum satisfaction. There are many accommodation options in the vicinity of the Ashram which is located in up-market Koregaon Park in Pune

Apart from these there are ashrams like Auroville and Art of living ashram in Bangalore. The accommodation is basic in all the Ashrams and the food vegetarian.

Mentioned below are sample India wellness and Ayurveda packages. To customise these packages as per your interests or to receive a completely unique tailor-made itinerary for your cultural trip, please contact us.

Wellness and Ayurveda

We offer Luxury wellness and ayurveda tours designed exactly as per your interests and expectations. The journeys are private and tailormade, designed by our experts who have personally travelled to each and every destination of India. We focus on each and every nuance of your trip, right from the content represented on the website to interaction with you to selection of Hotels, guides and vehicles to service.

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The guides and tour managers have been handpicked by us and all of them are government approved. These guides have expert knowledge about local culture and history and are best-in-class. The transport options have been selected and are best in the industry. Each of the vehicles meets the transport safety standards, and is in top condition. The chauffeurs speak good English and are government approved as well.

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As we are present in this industry for long we share a fabulous relationship with all the hotels and other tour partners. This enables us to deliver better service to you, make last minute changes and offer the tour at a competitive price

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We take care of all the bookings/ coordination/ follow-up required to make the tour progress smoothly. So the moment you enter India, we take complete care of you. This will help you and your family members to enjoy your holidays peacefully. Apart from the above the above mentioned facts we also provide a 24 Hour touch point during your tour who you can get in touch with during your tour if you face any hassles. This ensures that your trip is safe, comfortable and hassle free.