shakaizen
Yoga & Meditation Retreats In India
Private yoga and meditation retreats in India, grounded in the classical teachings and scriptures—free from new age influence—to help you cultivate a practice that truly integrates body, breath, and mind.
India is where these teachings originated. Not the yoga of studios and Instagram, but the practices codified in the Yoga Sutras, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita—asana as preparation for meditation, pranayama as control of vital energy, dhyana as sustained concentration leading to insight. What the West encountered in the 20th century and commercialized was already a dilution of what had been transmitted for millennia in exactly the terrain where Shakaizen operates.
The Himalayas have served as testing ground for contemplative practice for thousands of years. The altitude, the remoteness, the physical demands—these aren’t obstacles to practice, they’re conditions that reveal what sea-level comfort obscures. Breathing becomes deliberate when air thins. Attention sharpens when distraction is removed by geography. The body’s limitations become obvious when every movement requires negotiation with elevation.
Shakaizen operates in three Himalayan locations, each offering distinct terrain for practice
Authentic
Retreats that do not involve new age pseudo practices, focusing solely on the classical teachings of yoga to ensure an authentic experience.
Intimate
Retreats limited to a maximum of 4 persons, ensuring personalized attention and a more meaningful experience.
Pragmatic
A pragmatic approach, with an emphasis on learning through observation, reflection, critical thinking and practical applications.
Experience
Yoga and meditation retreats led by a highly experienced teacher who bring a wealth of knowledge and real life experience.
Manali
Manali (2,000m) — The accessible entry point. Moderate altitude that teaches breath work without overwhelming the unprepared. Named for Manu, the Vedic progenitor of humanity, and positioned on the ancient route the Pandavas took during their Mahabharata exile. The valley carries mythological weight and offers year-round access. Ideal for first Himalayan practice or as acclimatization before ascending higher.
Dharamshala
Dharamshala (1,400-1,800m) — Where Tibetan Buddhism transplanted after 1959’s exile, creating a living convergence of Hindu and Buddhist contemplative traditions. The Dalai Lama’s seat-in-exile means active monasteries, meditation lineages still being transmitted, philosophical rigor tested in real time. Lower elevation, accessible terrain, but depth that rivals higher altitudes.
Leh
Leh (3,500m) — The extreme. High-altitude terrain where breath becomes the central practice because survival demands it. Ancient Buddhist monasteries, Silk Road history, landscape stripped to rock and sky. Seasonal access only (May-October), requires acclimatization, filters for serious practitioners willing to work at the edge of capacity. This is where practice becomes unavoidable rather than optional.
What practicing in India actually means
This isn’t Ubud. Infrastructure is basic. Accommodations are simple—clean, functional, often with local families rather than hotels. Roads fail. Power cuts happen. Internet is unreliable. Altitude sickness is real. Bureaucracy is Byzantine. The culture doesn’t cater to Western comfort expectations.
The friction is part of what makes practice here different from sanitized Western versions. You negotiate with reality as it is, not as wellness marketing promised it would be.
India’s spiritual tourism industry has become its own dilution—ashrams that function as hotels, “authentic” programs designed for foreigners who want experience without difficulty, yoga teacher trainings based on American standards that certify hundreds while teaching little.
Shakaizen doesn’t operate in that ecosystem. No fixed establishment, group courses, or certificates. Private transmission in remote locations for practitioners willing to meet the teachings without buffering.
who is this for:
Practitioners seeking yoga where it originated, willing to negotiate with infrastructure limitations, altitude, cultural differences, and the reality that authentic practice in India looks nothing like the commercialized version exported to the West.Â
Those ready to work with discomfort as teacher rather than obstacle. Those who understand that the Himalayas earned their reputation as spiritual terrain not through marketing but through millennia of practitioners discovering what altitude and remoteness reveal.
Who this isn't for:
Those expecting Western amenities, predictable logistics, or resort-style comfort. Those unwilling to adapt to Indian bureaucracy, infrastructure gaps, or cultural norms that don’t prioritize foreign convenience. Those seeking yoga tourism rather than transmission.
India is where these teachings come from. Shakaizen returns them to that context—not perfectly, not comfortably, but honestly.