A few days of walking, practising and sitting quietly in the mountains — morning yoga, evening Himalayan sound healing, and long stretches where nothing is asked of you at all.
A meditation retreat in Nepal can mean many things. Ours is a small group walking together into the Himalaya for five or six days, practising yoga each morning while the valley is still cold, sitting with the bowls each evening as the light goes, and spending the hours between simply moving through the mountains.
There is no spa, no schedule pinned to a wall, and no one keeping score of your attendance. You are not asked to be silent, to be vegetarian, to be flexible, or to believe anything. What is asked is that you walk at the group's pace and let the days be long.
The retreats are led by Yogi Ji, who is both a Yoga Alliance certified teacher and a NATHM-certified trekking guide — which matters more than it sounds. Plenty of people in Nepal can teach yoga. Fewer can teach yoga and also read the weather on a high pass and know when to turn a group around.
Everything is run in English or Nepali. You do not need to have walked in the Himalaya before, or to have practised yoga before.
Every retreat we run keeps roughly this shape, whichever mountain we are on.
Gentle hatha practice with breath, suited to thin air and cold hands. Ninety minutes at most, usually outdoors if the weather allows, and nobody is asked to do more than their body offers that morning. Beginners are genuinely welcome; no previous yoga experience is needed.
Five to seven hours on a rough uphill path, at an unhurried pace, with long stops. Porters carry the heavy loads; you carry a day pack with water, a layer and whatever you want to hand. Tea houses appear when they appear, and we stop at them.
Arrive, put your bag down, drink something hot. Read, sleep, wash, talk to the family running the lodge, or sit outside and watch cloud come up the valley. It is left empty on purpose. The emptiness is not a gap in the schedule; it is most of the point.
As the cold comes down, the bowls, tingsha and gong are played while you lie under blankets. After a day of walking at altitude it is the easiest hour of the day to rest in. The session ends in silence, which is left unbroken.
Dal bhat, mostly, and as much of it as you want. Some evenings there is puja, or the songs and dances of whichever hills we are in, shared by the people who live there. Everyone sleeps early; the walking sees to that.
The details below are kept as a record of it. We walk to Gosaikunda most years — write to us and we will tell you when the next one is set, and what it will ask of you.
Five days to the sacred alpine lakes at about 4,380 metres in Rasuwa, where Shiva is said to have struck the mountain with his trident to cool his burning throat.
We quote permits and travel separately rather than folding them into a round number, because they change from year to year and we would rather be accurate than tidy.
October and November are the clearest months and the reason our main retreat falls in Kartik. March to May is warmer, with rhododendron on the lower slopes. June to August is monsoon: green, quiet, and often clouded in, better for retreats inside the valley. December to February is cold and beautiful but high passes may hold snow.
You do not need to be an athlete and you do not need previous trekking experience. You do need to be able to walk five to seven hours on a rough uphill path on consecutive days. If you can walk briskly for two hours at home without difficulty, you will manage here.
At 4,380 m most people feel the thin air: shortness of breath, a light headache, broken sleep, less appetite. That is ordinary. A headache that will not lift, vomiting, confusion or breathlessness at rest is not, and the only correct answer is to go down. We walk slowly on purpose and will always choose your wellbeing over the schedule.
A bed, a blanket, a shared dining room with a stove, and a shared bathroom. Hot water is not always available and there is no heating in the rooms. Bring a sleeping bag rated for sub-zero nights. Electricity for charging is usually available and usually costs a little.
Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport. Come two or three days before the retreat begins if you can — it lets the flight wear off and gives time to rent anything missing. We are glad to give a sound session in those first days.
Please arrange travel and medical insurance that explicitly covers trekking to at least 5,000 metres and helicopter evacuation. This is not a formality. There is no road to Gosaikunda, and a helicopter is the only way down for someone who cannot walk.
Dal bhat twice a day, with vegetables, eggs, noodles and soup available. Vegetarian is the norm rather than a request. Tell us in advance about allergies or a strict diet and we will tell you honestly whether the lodges on that route can manage it.
If you live with a heart or lung condition, uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy, or you are pregnant, please speak with your doctor before booking and tell us what they say. Bring medicines in your day pack, not in the luggage.
A pilgrimage with yoga, meditation and sound offered along the way, for rest, calm and cultural and spiritual experience. It is not medical care, it does not treat any illness, and it is not a substitute for the treatment your doctor has given you.
If you are travelling with family or friends, or bringing a yoga group from abroad, we will shape a retreat around what you actually want — shorter days, a lower route, more sitting and less walking, or a week in one place rather than a trek at all.
Teachers bringing their own students are welcome. We can hold the sound sessions and the logistics while you keep your own teaching, or we can share the days between us. Tell us the shape you have in mind and roughly when, and we will tell you plainly whether we can do it well.
A retreat with Himalayan Wellness Foundation is five or six days walking in the Himalaya with a small group. Mornings begin with gentle yoga and breath, the middle of the day is spent walking five to seven hours at an unhurried pace, and each evening ends with a Himalayan sound healing session played on singing bowls, tingsha and gong. Accommodation is in simple mountain lodges and all meals, transport and sessions are included.
No. Beginners are welcome at every session and many guests have never attended a yoga class before. You do need reasonable walking fitness: five to seven hours on a rough uphill path on consecutive days, carrying a day pack. If you can walk briskly for two hours at home without difficulty, you will manage.
October and November give the clearest mountain views and the most settled weather, which is why our main retreat falls then. March to May is warmer with rhododendron in flower. The monsoon months of June to August are green and quiet but often clouded in, and suit retreats inside the Kathmandu valley better than high routes.
The Gosaikunda Sacred Journey is offered at NPR 40,000 for international guests, about USD 290, and NPR 25,000 for guests from Nepal. That carries food, accommodation, transport from Kathmandu, yoga clothing, porters and every session. National park permits, insurance, personal gear and flights to Nepal are separate and quoted honestly at the time.
Yes. Sessions, instructions and everything practical are given in English or Nepali, whichever the group prefers, and often both. Yogi Ji speaks both. Write to us in either.
Warm layers, a hat and gloves, a sleeping bag rated for sub-zero nights, broken-in walking boots, a day pack, a water bottle with a purification method, sunscreen and sunglasses, and any medicine you take. Yoga clothing is provided. Anything missing can be bought or rented cheaply in Thamel, and we will happily go with you.
Anything still unclear is worth asking. We would rather answer twenty questions now than have you arrive unsure.
