Forest Fasting and Fitness | Longevity Research Community, India | 1, 2 or 3 weeks
Sehatvan, Aamkhoh, Amoni, Madhya Pradesh, India
Up to 4 in group
Open Dates
Retreat Highlights
- RESEARCH, LEARNING & HEALING: Sehatvan is a research, learning and healing space, and people come here for all three objectives.
- KEY ELEMENTS: Key elements involved are - wilderness, community living, green workout and autophagy fasting.
- CARBON FOOTPRINT: We try to keep our carbon footprint to the minimum and live in a minimalistic way. We do not have urban luxuries as we see many of them themselves being causes of diseases to the individual and the planet alike. Simple, non-consumerist and minimalist living allows raw and deep immersive experiences. We do not have fans or air-conditioners.
- NATURALISTIC LIVING: Living spaces have been created by disturbing the nature to the bare minimum, all huts are made in mud, no cement or concrete has been used. Also, all the spaces are organically shaped, there is no rectangular room.
- IMPERMANENCE: Sense of permanence puts us in a dead and destructive mode; hence, the space is designed in such a way that it doesn’t let the mind ruminate for permanence. In the space one experiences spectrum of diurnal and seasonal variations.
- HERE AND NOW: The difference in the garden and wilderness is of the elements of inconvenience and uncertainly. Little inconveniences and little uncertainties help keep mind in here and now, which is vital for the healing to take place.
- GIFT ECONOMY: We are trying to operate the space in gifting mode and difference in pricing doesn’t mean difference in quality or experiences. We are open to accept people with no or little money.
- SUBSTANCE FREE AND SAFE SPACE: We wish to keep the space completely substance-free and safe. We consider caffeine also being a substance and request the participants refraining from that.
- NON-HIERARCHICAL COMMUNITY LIVING: Ours is a non-hierarchical space and we live as a community doing the chorus together. Everybody participates in cooking, cleaning, farming etc.
- LOOSELY STRUCTURED PROGRAM: We do not operate by averaging, for us everyone is distinct, and thereby, out programs are only loosely structured so as to allow each individual figure-out one\'s own rhythm.
- TECHNICAL SESSION: Enough technical and hands-on sessions are held to keep the intellectual quest satiated.
- ARTS, DANCE AND MUSIC: We encourage human interaction and also arts, dance and music. We are always happy to have artists with us.
About this Retreat
Dr Vipin Gupta is 56-year-old and is M. Pharm, Ph D. After sending over 2 decades in Pharma academia and industry he resolved to look into health with a completely different perspective and founded self-healing space ‘Sehatvan’. He is also a co-founder of a research publishing company ‘Inventi’.
While in pharmaceuticals, he worked for a number of organizations including Banner Pharmacaps (India, Netherlands, USA), Himalaya Drug Co (Bangalore) and Auburn University (USA). He supervised 6 doctoral scholars, served as a resource person for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm and published over 50 research papers.
As of now he is confident that almost all lifestyle diseases could be reversed by fine-tuning body’s self-healing mechanism. He is actively working on reversing biological age and figuring out the linkage in health, happiness and wholeness.
He publishes his views health and happiness on Sehatvan’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Sehatvan/videos
He is also active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrVBGupta
Body-Mind Coach, Madhur Anand, is Founder of Moodforest and Co-founder of Sehatvan. He is a Visiting Scholar at Amsterdam University (Research Institute of Child Development & Education) and is carrying out 'Green Mind Study' investigating the impact of wilderness on human cognition and wellbeing under supervision of Prof. Geertjan Overbeek. On the basis of the preliminary outcomes of the study he has developed 'Bio-Happiness Module'. More about his thoughts on this are published on Sehatvan's and Moodforest's YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/@Sehatvan/videos and https://www.youtube.com/@moodforest he is also active on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhur-anand/
Madhur holds MA in Clinical Psychology and BA (Hons.) in Organizational Psychology and he has also participated in Khoji Program at Swaraj University (Youth Leadership and Green Entrepreneurship). In Aug 2023 he spoke about his idea of Bio-Happiness at an AI conference convened in Luxembourg.
Details of this retreat
Sedentary and indoor living and addictive industrial food is destroying human health, it is the biggest cause of the most of the modern diseases ranging from cardiac issues to diabetes to obesity to autoimmunity and much more. There is no life in isolation, and going back to the nature is going back to the life.
Modern living is disturbing homeostatic in many ways e.g., altering gene-switching, distressing circadian rhythm, diminishing microbiome, acidifying blood pH, compromising sleep quality, accelerating biological aging, and overall, reducing the health-span.
Key difference in living and non-living beings is of self-repair capacity. This capacity is analogues to reproduction, which enables any living being reproduce, like wise repair. Prolonged fasting in a forested area is an ancient time-tested method of restoring self-repair capacity and bringing back the homeostasis.
Sehatvan is a space created in the most natural manner, it has at its best avoided all unnatural things – rectangular shapes, cement-concrete structure, etc. The space is organically built using straw, mud and bamboo.
This retreat at Sehatvan enables participants detox and rejuvenate. It also enables reversal of most lifestyle diseases, and the biological age itself. You can find more details about it at our websites www.sehatvan.in and on our media pages.
The retreat is loosely structured to let each participant figure-out her/his own rhythm. Typically, it comprises of 3 phases: 1) strengthening, 2) fasting and 3) re-strengthening. Ideal duration for this retreat is 5 weeks with 3 weeks of fast and 1 week of strengthening and restrengthening. However, those not able to come for this long may come for 1 or 2 weeks also. If you are coming for one week you can expect 2 days of strengthening, 3 days of fasting and 2 days of restrengthening.
Modern living is disturbing homeostatic in many ways e.g., altering gene-switching, distressing circadian rhythm, diminishing microbiome, acidifying blood pH, compromising sleep quality, accelerating biological aging, and overall, reducing the health-span.
Key difference in living and non-living beings is of self-repair capacity. This capacity is analogues to reproduction, which enables any living being reproduce, like wise repair. Prolonged fasting in a forested area is an ancient time-tested method of restoring self-repair capacity and bringing back the homeostasis.
Sehatvan is a space created in the most natural manner, it has at its best avoided all unnatural things – rectangular shapes, cement-concrete structure, etc. The space is organically built using straw, mud and bamboo.
This retreat at Sehatvan enables participants detox and rejuvenate. It also enables reversal of most lifestyle diseases, and the biological age itself. You can find more details about it at our websites www.sehatvan.in and on our media pages.
The retreat is loosely structured to let each participant figure-out her/his own rhythm. Typically, it comprises of 3 phases: 1) strengthening, 2) fasting and 3) re-strengthening. Ideal duration for this retreat is 5 weeks with 3 weeks of fast and 1 week of strengthening and restrengthening. However, those not able to come for this long may come for 1 or 2 weeks also. If you are coming for one week you can expect 2 days of strengthening, 3 days of fasting and 2 days of restrengthening.
Schedule
OVERALL STRUCTURE: Human connection, connection with the nature and elements, green workouts, forest hiking, and dietary and fasting experimentation are the key things this space is aimed at. The space is rugged and promotes raw experiences. Day structure is loosely held so as to allow each participant groove into one’s own rhythm.
DAILY DIARY AND HEALTH CHECKS: Each participant is given a fill-able daily diary to record various observations; and they are supposed to have a one-to-one check with the facilitator every day. Various psychological and physiological checks are performed depending upon the modules opted, and, as and when needed. We also recommend the participants keeping their doctor in the loop for medical advises, alternatively, need-based tele-medical consultation is organized.
SLEEP: We consider sleep being one of the most vital elements for repair and rejuvenation; and hence, recommend people going to sleep by 9 pm and waking-up when they could without needing to put the alarm. Participants are also encouraged to take a brief nap during the day.
MEALS: Most people will begin their day with a green juice freshly made by themselves from the herbs growing in the campus. Breakfast happens at 9 am, lunch at 1 pm and dinner at 7:30 pm. Meal timings do change subjecting to individual needs and the weather.
SUN BATHING: We recommend participants going for sun bathing for a few minutes to an hour once or twice a day. Ideal sun-bathing timing ranges between 10 am and 4 pm; however, it subjects to the weather. We have spaces where participants can go fully naked and sun bath.
MUD BATHING: We have a mud pool for mud bathing as well as swimming. The pond goes dry during April to June and in that period a different mud bathing arrangement is made. The frequency of mud bathing depends upon individual conditions; however, swimming could be opted at pleasure.
FOREST BATHING: Participants are supposed to go on a guided forest walk on most days. Walks usually happens early in the morning or in the afternoons depending upon the season and the weather and may last for an hour to several hours.
TECHNICAL SESSIONS: Technical sessions are organized on daily basis either in the forest itself during the walk or at around 4 pm inside the campus. The sessions impart deep knowledge around the forefronts of boosting the health and reversing diseases and the biological age.
COMMUNITY WORK: Each participant is supposed to take part in community works such as cooking, cleaning and farming. Those unwell, or on fast, are not required discharging any community task.
PRIVATE TIME/ TECHNOLOGY TIME: In the afternoons between 2 to 4 PM is private time and during this period participants can use their devices and discharge their online-work tasks; however, it is recommended that the participants either go for full digital detox or keep the use of technology at the minimum. This is also the timing for charging phones, laptops etc. Sehatvan is solar powered and has just little battery back-up to suffice the night lighting.
CIRCLES: Depending upon the availability of time community gathers in circle for playing non-competitive games, having sharing, arts, music and dance etc.
DAILY DIARY AND HEALTH CHECKS: Each participant is given a fill-able daily diary to record various observations; and they are supposed to have a one-to-one check with the facilitator every day. Various psychological and physiological checks are performed depending upon the modules opted, and, as and when needed. We also recommend the participants keeping their doctor in the loop for medical advises, alternatively, need-based tele-medical consultation is organized.
SLEEP: We consider sleep being one of the most vital elements for repair and rejuvenation; and hence, recommend people going to sleep by 9 pm and waking-up when they could without needing to put the alarm. Participants are also encouraged to take a brief nap during the day.
MEALS: Most people will begin their day with a green juice freshly made by themselves from the herbs growing in the campus. Breakfast happens at 9 am, lunch at 1 pm and dinner at 7:30 pm. Meal timings do change subjecting to individual needs and the weather.
SUN BATHING: We recommend participants going for sun bathing for a few minutes to an hour once or twice a day. Ideal sun-bathing timing ranges between 10 am and 4 pm; however, it subjects to the weather. We have spaces where participants can go fully naked and sun bath.
MUD BATHING: We have a mud pool for mud bathing as well as swimming. The pond goes dry during April to June and in that period a different mud bathing arrangement is made. The frequency of mud bathing depends upon individual conditions; however, swimming could be opted at pleasure.
FOREST BATHING: Participants are supposed to go on a guided forest walk on most days. Walks usually happens early in the morning or in the afternoons depending upon the season and the weather and may last for an hour to several hours.
TECHNICAL SESSIONS: Technical sessions are organized on daily basis either in the forest itself during the walk or at around 4 pm inside the campus. The sessions impart deep knowledge around the forefronts of boosting the health and reversing diseases and the biological age.
COMMUNITY WORK: Each participant is supposed to take part in community works such as cooking, cleaning and farming. Those unwell, or on fast, are not required discharging any community task.
PRIVATE TIME/ TECHNOLOGY TIME: In the afternoons between 2 to 4 PM is private time and during this period participants can use their devices and discharge their online-work tasks; however, it is recommended that the participants either go for full digital detox or keep the use of technology at the minimum. This is also the timing for charging phones, laptops etc. Sehatvan is solar powered and has just little battery back-up to suffice the night lighting.
CIRCLES: Depending upon the availability of time community gathers in circle for playing non-competitive games, having sharing, arts, music and dance etc.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Sehatvan, Sehatvan, Aamkhoh, Amoni, Madhya Pradesh, India
Directions
We are about 20 kilometers from Bhopal airport and Bhopal railway station. The airport mostly operates domestic flights. Nearest international airports are Mumbai and New Delhi. Ola, Uber and local cabs will bring you here. Location of Sehatvan is traceable on Google map.
Accommodation
Participants stay in shared or private mud dorms or houses. Toilets are common and rooms have no fans or air-conditioners. Kitchen is having a common fridge. Participants are supposed to bring their own towels, sheets are provided; however, users are required to wash them while leaving. It is possible to sleep outside also on wooden beds or in tents. We have tents available with us; however, it’s a good idea carrying your own sleeping bag or at least the liner.
Regular program price per week
Program price with volunteering (available for only those with no existing medication or disease condition)
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Sehatvan is located at the periphery of a forest system with rich biodiversity, flora and fauna. The spaces are organically designed and aren’t rectangular in shape. No cement or concrete has been used in construction. All the structure are made in mud, grass and bamboo. Electricity is through solar panels. There is a nearby water spring and rivulet. There is a mud pool and ample sun baking spaces.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Some fruits and veggies grow in our campus and we recommend participants eating them anytime. Sehatvan’s community kitchen is a popular place for culinary experimentation and chitchatting.
What's Included
- Program module
- Food and stay
What's Not Included
- Travel expenses and Insurances are not included.
