Delhi: 7-Day Rishikesh Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation Tour

Seven days where the practice comes from

Rishikesh sits on the Ganges where it leaves the Himalaya, and it has been a place of meditation for centuries and a place of yoga schools since the Beatles came to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in 1968. A week is long enough for the practice to stop being a novelty.

Arrival in Haridwar

Transfer to Rishikesh, 25 km upstream, and time to settle.

If your first evening allows, the Ganga Aarti at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar is worth seeing — thousands of lamps set on the water and carried downstream, with the crowd on both banks singing.

The yoga

Daily practice, typically twice a day. Asana taught at a pace that allows alignment rather than difficulty, and pranayama — breath control, which the tradition treats as more important than the postures and which most Western yoga leaves out.

Expect anulom vilom, kapalbhati and bhramari, each explained rather than simply demonstrated.

The meditation

Guided, usually from breath awareness toward mantra. Twenty minutes is considerably longer than it sounds at first and much shorter by day five.

The Ayurveda

A consultation first, then treatments chosen for you rather than from a menu — usually abhyanga, warm medicated oil worked in long strokes by one or two therapists, and possibly shirodhara, oil poured in a steady stream on the forehead.

Same-sex therapists as standard. Declare pregnancy, injuries, recent surgery or blood pressure before you start; several practices are contraindicated.

The town

Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, the suspension footbridges. Parmarth Niketan for the evening aarti on the ghat. The abandoned Beatles ashram, now covered in murals.

Practical

Rishikesh is entirely vegetarian and alcohol-free within the municipal limits. Enforced.

Accommodation is included. Bring clothes you can sit cross-legged in, and expect early mornings.