Eagles soared high above, the garden was abundant with Persimonnes, flaming orange lobelia crept up the walls, and the Kathmandu Valley stretched out in layers of mist and mountains. Breakfast in the eye of Everest, hikes through local villages, daily practice of breathing techniques and yoga, delicious vegetarian food – dal bhat, momos, vegetables straight from the garden, pancakes, homemade breads and plenty of tea. After a year of hardwork, saving money and holiday, this was the joy of my yoga retreat in Nepal.
Our day began at 7am for an hour of breathing (I thought I knew how to breathe but seems I’ve been doing it wrong all these years); then we stopped for a herbal tea break, before an hour and a half of yoga. On the first morning as I struggled through the relentless asanas my main thought was ‘when the fuck is this going to end’. The Nepali style of yoga seemed more vigorous, less reflective with no time for adjustments – masculine yoga as one of the volunteer teachers described it. But, by the end of the nine days, I’d got into the rhythm and London had flowed out of me (almost literally). This was partly down to the ritual of Shankhaprakshalana, a three-hour digestive cleansing involving a series of asanas and numerous cups of salty warm water. I will spare you the details but just say, a nearby toilet is essential. It cleans you out completely – from the inside out. It might not sound appealing but I felt completely rejuvenated by the experience.
The Nepal Yoga Academy is on the hillside just past Telkot on the road to Nagarkot. The road is unpaved, and the bus winds up the hillside precariously on the rocky, dusty surface. The location is magical – a beautiful white building overlooking the Kathmandu Valley. At dusk it seemed to sink into shades of blue with mist and smoke and the sounds of music drifting thought the evening air.
At Nagarkot there is a charming cafe with a balcony on the cliff edge – perfect for watching the sunrise over the Himalayas. Everest appears as a jagged little peak, and with a nice irony, it is the smallest one visible. From here you can do a long trek back down to Telkot through local villages and past the paddy fields. The ancient city of Bhaktapur is also shortish bus journey down the valley.
This was a perfect location to a yoga retreat – albeit with other westerners. The Nepali style of yoga was quite different to my usual practice and as much as I would like to keep an open mind about different approaches, I wasn’t altogether sold on it.
