Immersion Retreats
A different way of living, even for a few days, can change the direction of a life.
Time away can be genuinely restorative. But too often, the relief of a few days apart from ordinary life fades when you return to it.
A traditional Rishi Ashram approaches this differently. Rather than offering a temporary escape, it explores the conditions through which human life naturally becomes healthy and fulfilling. Whatever brought you here, the purpose is to discover patterns of living that continue supporting your life long after you return home.
Shodhana, the main guest cabin at Sat Manav.
See where you’ll stay →
Nourishing meals, beautifully prepared according to traditional yogic principles.
Pradakshina walking meditation through the forest.
The Rhythm
A rhythm refined through generations
For the duration of your stay, you step into a rhythm that has been refined through generations of yogic practice. Days unfold through Yoga, meditation, silence, nourishing food, time in nature, meaningful work, and practical instruction—not curated as separate experiences, but woven together as one rhythm.
Attention settles. The nervous system regulates. The unnecessary complexity of modern life gradually falls away.
What You'll Practice
Guidance, practice, and the rhythm of Ashram life
Each day begins with practical instruction in Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, and the deeper principles of Yogic practice. The day concludes with instruction in Dhyāna (meditation), followed by an hour of group meditation.
Between these practices, guests join the natural rhythm of Ashram life—shared meals, community seva (service), and time for personal practice, reflection, study, walking, or rest.
Rather than filling every hour, the retreat provides a foundation for practice and the time to authentically experience it.
The Hamsa, our strawbale Yoga Shala (hall).
Where each day begins with Sadhana.
Our cedar log Lingam Temple.
Each day closes with traditional ceremony and Dhyan, meditation.
Breath
The way we breathe quietly shapes the way we experience each day.
Most people never learn that a few simple changes in breathing can calm the nervous system within minutes. You'll learn traditional practices that help steady attention, reduce stress, and become practical tools you can return to long after you leave the Ashram.
Sleep
Deep sleep is not an accident. It is the natural result of the way we live.
A quieter environment, nourishing food, regular movement, reduced stimulation, and evening meditation create the conditions in which truly restorative sleep can return.
Silence
Many of us have forgotten what quiet actually sounds like.
Silence gives the mind relief from the constant pull of information, conversation, and response. As that pressure begins to fall away, attention becomes clearer, the inner pace slows, and a steadiness emerges that is nearly impossible to find in the noise of life.
Seva
The quality of our attention matters just as much as the task before us.
Whether preparing meals, tending gardens, splitting firewood, or maintaining trails, ordinary work becomes an opportunity to practice steadiness, care, and presence.
Movement & Alignment
The body is always adapting to the life we ask it to live.
Traditional Āsana is practiced not for performance, but to restore balance, improve structural health, and create greater ease in movement, breathing, and meditation. The sequence is simple enough to become part of everyday life.
Food
Every meal is an opportunity to build the body through which you experience your life.
Meals are prepared according to traditional yogic principles and explained before they are served, helping you understand how food influences energy, attention, digestion, sleep, and long-term health.
Nature
For most of human history, nature was not somewhere we visited. It was where we lived.
Time in the forest becomes more than recreation. Walking meditation and daily life outdoors restore a relationship with the natural world that has shaped human life from the beginning.
Meditation
Meditation begins long before you sit down.
Movement, breath, food, silence, and the rhythm of the day gradually prepare the body and mind for stillness, making meditation feel less like something you force and more like something you enter.
However Long You Stay
Each enters the same rhythm
Our most common retreat is a weekend. Some people come for a day. Others stay longer. Some return year after year. A few devote their lives to this way of living. Each enters the same Ashram and participates in the same rhythm.
There is no version of the Ashram created for guests. You are welcomed into life as it is lived here.
A retreat lived alongside residents and returning guests.
Caring for the land is part of the shared rhythm of Ashram life.
Sacred images and spaces are woven throughout daily life at the Ashram.
Plan Your Stay
Duration
Choose Your Length of Stay
Stay for a few days, a week, or longer.
Single-day immersion is also available.
Availability
Retreats Offered Throughout the Year
There are no preset retreat dates. Choose the dates you would like to come, and we will confirm availability based on guest accommodations.
Admission
By Application
Maximum 4 guests
Select your preferred arrival date and length of stay when you apply.
Accommodations
Quiet guest rooms in our cabin set among the forest, streams, and mountain paths of the Ashram.
Preparing for Your Stay
What to bring, seasonal weather, off-grid living, and practical details for your visit.
Retreat Prices
Inclusive of all meals, accommodation, and daily group events.
Day Immersion ~ $195
One full day: 8:30 a.m. — 8:30 p.m.
For those who want to experience a day within the rhythm of Ashram life.
Tenting available May-September, free of charge.
Short Stay ~ $550
2 nights
A fuller immersion with time to settle into the rhythm of practice, meals, silence, and shared life.
Week Long Stay ~ $1,250
6 nights
A longer stay for those entering more fully into the rhythm and practices of Ashram life.
Stays beyond one week may be arranged individually.
Financial circumstances need not be the sole reason someone is unable to attend. Those who require a different arrangement may speak with us during the application process.
What begins here can shape the way you live for the rest of your life.
While You Are Here
Additional Experiences
The retreat itself is complete as offered. For those who wish, additional experiences may be arranged individually during your application.
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Practice & Traditional Instruction
Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, and Dhyāna are taught throughout the retreat. Private sessions provide additional time for individual questions, direct instruction, and more focused study.
Private Āsana Instruction
Work individually with a teacher to give greater attention to particular Āsanas, principles, or questions arising from the morning teachings. 45 minutes. $50Private Prāṇāyāma Instruction
Receive focused instruction in the purpose, proper application, and progressive use of specific Prāṇāyāma (Yogic breathing) practices. 45 minutes. $50Private Dhyāna Instruction
Bring greater attention to the inner discipline of Dhyāna (meditation), with time to address individual questions and the obstacles that arise as the mind becomes still. 45 minutes. $50The Spine: Health & Longevity
The health of the spine affects the functioning of the entire body and our capacity to remain strong, mobile, and vital throughout life. Learn practical principles and practices for preserving spinal health and addressing the patterns that contribute to acute and chronic spinal problems. 60 minutes. $75Yoga Nidrā
A practical exploration of Yogic psychology centered on the formation of Saṅkalpa (deep resolve) and the use of Yoga Nidrā to work with the deeper patterns of mind. The initial two-hour session establishes the foundation for a process continued through subsequent sessions. $150 / 2-hour initial sessionJyotiṣa — Vedic Astrology
Jyotiṣa is the traditional Indian science of understanding the patterns and influences revealed through the circumstances of birth. An individual reading offers insight into these patterns and their expression through your life, tendencies, relationships, and development. $120
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Traditional Sauna
Used as a practice of deep purification and rejuvenation, the sauna brings sustained heat to the body, supporting circulation, cleansing, and the restoration of vitality. Private session, up to 90 minutes. $75Abhyanga Therapeutic Massage
Abhyanga is a traditional practice of oilation used to nourish and condition the body through the systematic application of warm oil and therapeutic massage. More than muscular bodywork, the practice works with the tissues, circulation, and processes of elimination as part of maintaining the health and longevity of the whole body. 90 minutes. $125Natural Health Consultation
Meet individually with an Ashram healer to consider your health through a whole-person understanding of the body and its natural functioning. Together, you will look at constitution, diet, daily rhythm, movement, rest, and other influences on health to identify practical changes that support greater balance and vitality. 90 minutes. $150Plant-Based Cooking
Enter the Ashram kitchen for practical instruction in the preparation of simple, nourishing plant-based food. More than learning individual recipes, the session considers food as part of Yogic life—from the selection and combination of ingredients to preparation, simplicity, and the relationship between how we eat and how we live. 2 hours. $120
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Henna Tattoo
Henna is an ancient form of temporary body art traditionally used throughout India for celebration, beauty, and sacred occasion. Receive an individually created design using natural henna during your stay. $75/hrSacred Tattoo Consultation
For those considering permanent sacred tattoo work, this individual consultation begins the process of developing a design whose imagery, symbolism, and placement carry personal and spiritual significance. Starting at $150/hr
Additional experiences are scheduled during your application process, around the daily rhythm of the Ashram and are subject to availability.
Our Process
Three steps, and you're welcomed in
1. Read
Orient yourself with our
Guest Guidelines.
2. Apply
Tell us who you are and why you think we have what you are looking for.
3. Interview
A resident follows up directly to confirm dates and answer questions
“Such a special place—so healing, quiet, and beautiful with the most kind and intelligent people you’ll meet.”