“You must meditate in some way?” Abhinav Trivedi asks me as we sit on the upper verandah of the Kasar Devi temple, surrounded by a man in formal shirt and trousers chanting mantras next to the Shivling; two young artists are immersed in their colouring books in a balcony below us; and a dozen eager listeners gather around a wise old guru for a few lessons on life.

Abhinav and I are letting our sweaty shirts dry and our feet get some rest after the hour-long trek that got us here. He is the General Manager at The Kumaon, a paradisiacal resort/boutique stay/hideaway/haven in the belly of the serene Almora, around 60 kms north of Nainital. He decides to help me out. “Even I don’t always follow the usual route. For me, being on a trek, in the middle of a thick forest, surrounded by trees, spotting a rare bird, that’s where I truly feel at one with the universe. That’s meditation for me,” he tells me. It gets me thinking… the feelings I feel driving from the mall to the coffee shop on weekends likely don’t count. Thankfully, the Shunyata Retreat finds me at the right time.

The Shunyata Retreat is three days of reconnecting with oneself and nature, designed by wellness brand Savikalpa Sciences with The Kumaon. It’s four days of new experiences, new friendships, new lessons, all made accessible by the ways of the old and the traditional. Savikalpa CEO and Founder and The Kumaon Co-Founder Raghav Priyadarshi gives the perfect intro to it. “You can think of it like this. A wellness retreat is like kindergarten while something like Vipasana is like the boards. This is not as kathor (torturous).” Kathor is the last thing I’d call it (with the exception of the contortion-adjacent Yin yoga poses on Day 2).

The retreat begins on the gorgeous lower terrace of The Kumaon with the golden sun setting right behind us. As 10 of us take our seats around the unlit bonfire pits, my eyes rush to the high-tea setup on the other end of the deck. It looks straight out of Bridgerton with quaint teacups and tiny cucumber sandwiches on triple-tier cake stands. But first, there’s a question for all the retreaters. ‘What does wellness mean to you?’

How simple does the question sound, yet how profound the impact of this realisation is. Someone says it’s all about being one with nature, another guest thinks it is about finding time for yourself, or simply existing in the moment. Raghav has a more holistic take. “For me, wellness is another word for peace. At all levels. Once your physical self is at peace then you realise yourself better. It helps you achieve mental clarity which in turn leads to emotional balance. Wellness is being physically, mentally, emotionally and ultimately spiritually at peace.”

So physical peace is a good place to start? Good thing that’s one of the focus areas of all our three days at the Shunyata Retreat.

On evening one, we begin our journey with Padabhyanga and Nidra Yoga, a blissful, hour-long first session setup in The Kumaon lobby/yoga room overlooking the Himalayas, now bathed in the azure tones of twilight. Beginner yogis take their spots on the yoga mats as logs of wood crackle in the fireplace. Our yoga gurus for the retreat, Riya Vyas and Sonakshi Dhamija of Sol Wellness knew just what we needed after hours spent in trains and taxis on serpentine roads of Almora: a foot massage. Sounds of relief embrace the room as everyone takes turns soaking their feet in Savikalpa’s Relief Daily Massage Oil.

“Massaging your feet, especially the soles of your foot is highly beneficial. Firstly it creates an environment of consciously slowing down and using your hands for something other than using your phone…LOL. It requires you to be involved fully in it. Secondly, all the pressure points under our feet, relieves tension and promotes recovery so much, especially when one has to stand and teach all day as a yoga teacher. All the pressure points under the feet are connected to some organ or system in the body, it improves digestion, relieves stress and has numerous benefits,” Sonakshi, co-founder of Sol Wellness says.

Refreshed by the massage and the sweet surrender of Nidra Yoga (supplemented by a couple snores from here and there in the room), we retreat to our rooms, still curious about the unusual names assigned to them. ‘Artola’, ‘Kasar’, ‘Bintola’ read the copper keys to the rooms. We soon realised that these were names of villages in Almora. Quite apt for how well The Kumaon keeps… well, the Kumaon… in its heart. The rooms all overlook snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas from expansive windows. Every morning, sunshine on the mountains is the first thing you see and sounds of rosefinches the first thing you hear. Until Juno, the hotel’s hero dog, shuts them up with an effective barking session.

***

We kickstart our next two days with the one thing I dreaded the most when I first got my hands on the retreat schedule; Jal Neti. We take out the Jal Neti pots from the goodie bags and head to the terrace once again in the golden glow of the sun that now rests just a little above the peaks. Riya, also co-founder at Sol Wellness, expertly teaches us the steps to follow to put a stream of water into one nostril and let it out from the other. A few would rather scale the said peaks but we persevere, even the most scaredy of us. Instant nods of approval follow: “This was so easy! I feel so light in my head already.”

Yoga sessions form the the skeletal base of our mornings and evenings. Giving it necessary flesh are picnics at unbelievably surreal sunset points, treks through quaint villages and to hilltop temples, journaling classes where realisations about life are made, and stargazing sessions that help you (me) live the lifelong dream of seeing the Betelgeuse. On a more macro level, it shows us just how one with the universe we truly are. Nothing humbles you more than the awe of seeing a nebula with your own eyes. “It slapped,” tells us our ‘obsessed’ GenZ retreater Khooshi Sud (23).

But does packing all of this into two days get overwhelming? “It was just the right flow. It was planned very very well,” says satisfied retreater and latest Jal Neti fan, Kanika Gupta (43).

Giving us the fuel to keep up with all these adventures in the wild and in the yoga room was an army of talented chefs in The Kumaon’s kitchen, led by Head Chef Naveen Adhikari. A cosy, familiar breakfast is followed by inviting thalis for lunch. Kumaoni Raita, Lai ka Saag, and flavours fresh from the region fill up your plate and heart. Dinner is a luxe affair with five-course meals for a perfect end to an eventful day.

“Curating the perfect menu for the retreat wasn’t just about flavours—it was about creating a journey through food, one that aligned with the retreat’s purpose: renewal, balance, and inner power. Every dish was chosen with care, not only for its nourishment but for its symbolism and ability to ground the guests in the present moment,” Naveen tells us.

A sound healing session on the terrace was among the highlights. Birds sing, trees rustle right above you as Riya shows the healing power of sound through simple bowls filled with water. “Today more than ever, practices like sound healing feel essential. It allows the nervous system to slow down, the heart to soften, and the mind to find stillness,” Riya tells us.

You sink deeper and deeper into the earth with every breath and every gong when a chilly breeze escapes from the Himalayas and sends shivers down your arms. Did the mountains also ‘breathe out?’

***

I Googled quite a bit about the meaning of Shunyata before I made my way to Almora. It got a variety of responses: ‘emptiness’, ‘independent existence’, ‘void’. Each left me more confused than the other.

Raghav throws twin lights on the choice of name. The first reason is more about simple nomenclature. His phytomedicine company is called Savikalpa Sciences and even the legal name for The Kumaon is Savikalpa Hospitality, making it a common thread. Additionally, Shunyata is the name of the medicines manufactured at Savikalpa Sciences. Therefore, naming the retreat Shunyata is an effort to ‘meld’ together Savikalpa Sciences and Savikalpa Hospitality (The Kumaon).

The second version is more philosophical. “It is the experience of Nirvana. As per our ancient philosophies, the ultimate objective of an individual is to remove yourself from the physical world, be liberated. When it comes to how I choose to brand some of our different efforts, it is to build a connect with Indian systems of living and wisdom. Our effort at Savikalpa is to enable people to live their best lives, and become the best version of themselves, by helping them overcome their physical ailments.”

Checks out. I do believe the best version of me would take care of her health, would go easy on her body and mind, be kind in every moment of every day and make friends without envy. That’s very close to my three days at Shunyata Retreat.

***

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