Sri Lanka Yoga and Meditation Retreat

The retreat comprises (see below for further information):

Daily Yoga
Daily meditation
Pranayama practices
Insight lectures on self-realization and natural healing
accomodation
Visit temples for sunset or sunrise puja
3 Healthy and fresh Ayurvedic meals per day
Tea/coffee/fruit juices & herbal drinks
Visits to the surrounding area


Daily Yoga

We will base our practices on Hatha Yoga abhyasa, sometimes with an Ayurvedic approach. From Yogasana and pranayama to Dhyana, we will travel by the various techniques of Yoga practice, giving you the needed contact to feel and integrate what you are experiencing. By reading the group needs, we can create different and joyful practices to enhance a dosha or ayurvedic principle that might make sense for the occasion, or we can opt for an orthodox approach to Yoga. One thing is for sure: it will be intense and meaningful!

Daily meditation and pranayama practices

Start your day with Pranayama, breathing in the fresh jungle air in the auspicious morning hours, calming your mind, and entering your meditation practice smoothly. Pranayama will increase your vitality in a way you can only feel with consistent practice. Over these 12 days, you will start seeing results that define your well-being.

Insight lectures on self-realization and natural healing

At night or near tea break, we will have time to listen to some insights on self-realization and natural healing, as well as about Sri Lankan mythology and historical facts.

Visit temples for sunset or sunrise puja

Pūjā means reverence, homage, and worship. In Puja, it is offered light, flowers, water, or food to the divine to enhance the senses of the deity and bring the deity alive in this plane of existence. At sunrise and sunset, we have an auspicious time to be in contact with the spiritual world, as the veils are a bit thinner. The ceremony is a feast for the senses, becoming an immersive and overwhelming experience for those touched by spirituality and tradition.

Visits to the surrounding area:

. ORGANIC FARM

We will go for a visit and lunch at Gem River Edge (GRE) organic rice farm. It will be a great morning with a Yoga practice at the farm and bathing on the Manik Ganga River.


. LAKE TOUR - Kodigaha Wewa - Birdwatching

We will pick the sunrise or sunset and go near Yala NP, in our natural area, to walk along the precious natural lake and enjoy the incredible view to see endemic birds.


. KATARAGAMA TEMPLES

Kataragama Dēvālaya in Kataragama is a temple complex dedicated to the Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama Deviyo and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka held sacred by the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and the Vedda people. For most of the past millennia, it was a jungle shrine with hard road access that we can now reach by an all-weather road.
We can go any time every day (or almost) for the early morning puja or sunset puja.


. PERAHERA KATARAGAMA FESTIVAL

Although we do not know the exact dates yet, we assume that the opportunity to be present for these ceremonial days will happen, as this festival always occurs in the July full moon. The festival is one of the most important Hindu, Buddhist, and Vedic festivals in Sri Lanka, but not as well known as the Kandy Esala Perahera. Thousands of devotees from across the island are attracted to the holy town of Kataragama in southern Sri Lanka during these two weeks. People from all major faiths seek divine guidance during this auspicious time.

It will be a night activity that takes place after dinner.


. WEDIHITI KANDA

A small shrine dedicated to God Kataragama or Kataragama Deviyo situated on a 2500-foot-high rocky mountain. We will see the small stupa, bodhi tree, and the newly built shrines on the top of the hill. It takes about an hour to climb the mountain, but the panoramic views of the surroundings are worthwhile.


. JUNGLE BUSHWALKING

Bordering the Yala National Park, we will go for a bush/jungle walk and lake birdwatching. We will seize the occasion to observe the colors of the wild vegetation combined with the sunrise or sunset time rays.


. YALA National Park Safari

In this half day safari, we will go on jeep, starting in the early morning.
We try to do a responsible safari, far from the main track and respecting the wildlife.
The breakfast will be served on a wild beach inside the park. Bathing on this beach is prohibited! After all, we are in the middle of the jungle.


. SITHULPAWWA Rajamaha Viharaya Temple (in Yala National Park)

It's an ancient Buddhist monastery situated 18 km east of Katharagama. It is said to have been built by Kavantissa in the 2nd century BC.

We will set off early in the morning and have breakfast at a picnic area en route. From here we will go to:


. KIRINDA BEACH

Kirinda is a beautiful unspoiled beach about 20 km from the GRE.

We will slowly drive along the jungle, admiring the stunning scenery, and have a refreshing swim in the beautiful Indian Ocean. There is also a little Buddhist temple worth visiting.


. GEM RIVER waterfalls

We will take a trip to go inside a unique natural aesthetic beauty about 50km from Gem River Edge. These waterfalls are a secret enchanted place to connect your senses with Mother Nature.

We will go with the jeep, then about 30min trekking, bath in the waterfalls and lunch.



. A DAY IN ELLA

We start after breakfast from GRE, towards the mountain, driving for about a 1-hour. We will cross part of the Yala NP (block 5) and slowly start admiring a completely different landscape and weather (do not worry, it is never cold). Ella is a small charming town 1.041 meters above sea level, known as the leading tourist hub connecting all the famous tourist routes in Sri Lanka. We will try to get out of this tourist track and make you see a different view and taste one of the most delicious teas in the world.

We will visit Ravana Waterfalls, the Nine Arch Bridge, trek on Little Adams Peak, have lunch in Ella, and visit a Tea plantation.