The school runs residential retreats in Kerala, programmes for hotels and campuses, and one-day intensives, and it has taught in Bengaluru and in France. Every one of them is listed with where and when it ran. What none of those listings tell you is what the days feel like.

The shape of a day

You get up early. Not punishingly early, but earlier than you would choose: the first practice runs at sunrise because that is when the air at Kovalam is still cool and the beach is still quiet. This is the part people dread in advance and stop noticing by the third morning.

Practice, then breakfast. Then a long middle to the day that is mostly yours, with something taught in it: breath work, philosophy, a workshop on a family of postures. Then a second, softer practice in the evening, and an early night that arrives without being negotiated.

Two practices a day sounds like a lot. It is less than it sounds, because the evening session is quieter than the morning one by design, and because there is nothing else asking for your attention.

The bit nobody warns you about

Day two is usually the hard one. Not physically. The first day is novelty, the third day onward is rhythm, and in between there is a stretch where the absence of the usual distractions is quite loud. Everyone who has been on a retreat recognises this and almost no retreat website mentions it.

It passes. The thing on the other side of it is the reason people come back.

Who comes

A wider range than you would guess. Complete beginners who booked because a friend did. People who practise daily at home and want a week of being corrected. A steady number of people in their sixties, which the school’s reviews will tell you if this page does not.

Groups are mixed by level and the teaching accommodates that, which is standard in classical hatha: everyone works the same sequence and the depth differs.

What to pack for Kerala

  • More light clothing than you think, and something with sleeves. Kerala is humid, and you will practise twice a day.
  • A mat if you are attached to yours. Retreats generally provide them.
  • Insect repellent. This is the single most forgotten item.
  • Something to write in. Most people end up wanting one and very few pack one.
  • Any medication you take, and a note of anything a doctor has told you about movement. Give that note to the teacher on the first day.

Before you book anything

Take a class first, if you can. A retreat is a concentrated version of a school’s teaching, and a week is a long time to discover you do not get on with how somebody teaches. The school runs classes at Kovalam and live online all year, Monday to Saturday.

Retreat dates are not published on a calendar here. Message the school on WhatsApp and you will be told when the next one runs and what it involves.