Retreats for Me - The best wellness destinations in India

Imagine a place where you have acres of green hues spread across, birds flying, huge trees swaying and pure air that caresses you. We witnessed natural beauty on our recent collaboration with a wellness company called Retreats for Me.

Retreats for me – an Introduction

Retreats for Me is still in its infancy, yet makes up for in just about everything else. Their main focus is on wellness and detoxification and consist of a wide plethora of options throughout India.

We visited one of their centers near Dehradun for an ayurveda detox therapy for two days and loved the experience.

Naturoville – In the heart of Uttarakhand

Naturoville is a luxury haven just outside of the hustle and bustle of Dehradun. The place is perfect to enjoy the tranquil ambience of the retreat surrounded by an environment that promotes spirituality.

We met Sonal, the General Manger of the resort who comes from a background in wellness. Her passion for all things wellness is reflected throughout the resort. The clientele is Indian and foreigners both but due to Covid, there are mostly Indians who come here frequently.

The wellness retreat is becoming a haven for wellness enthusiasts who wish to detox and replenish their organs. People who are interested to heal the mind, body and soul are adviced to plan a healthy vacation at Naturoville.

How to reach there

The airport is barely half an hour from the resort. Upon arrival, you’re greeted with a welcome drink and followed by the usual check-in.

After the usual formalities there is a doctor’s appointment with the resident ayurveda doctor who checks your pulse and helps in checking the doshas or personalities.

After a proper consultation, you receive a schedule of all the treatments and activities, including the meditation and yoga class schedule. The best thing is that you can wear whatever you feel comfortable wearing during the day, including the yoga and meditation class.

Accommodation

The beauty of Naturoville is their gorgeous garden-facing rooms that are beautifully designed and decorated. The perfectly-sized rooms are both well lit and airy. Staggered across the vast open spaces, each room has either a balcony where you can enjoy a cuppa watching the birds fly and the clouds caress the sky. There are two spectacular suites that have a lounge area and a bigger space.

I had the best sleep in a long while, which I attributed to the excellent soft mattress, and the peaceful surrounding. I have never woken up feeling fresh and refreshed.

The large glass windows in the room are designed to usher in natural light and immerse you into nature’s proximity. During my stay, I started developing a deeper sense of appreciation for nature.

Staff

The staff at Naturoville is really welcoming. They ensured me and my mother was well taken care of during our stay. The staff and servers including the doctors, therapists, and chef were highly concerned about our experience.

Natural surroundings

Retreats for Me ensures their wellness retreats are surrounded by Nature as nothing can heal better than mother nature. Pure crisp air, the shrill sound of birds and squirrels brings healing properties to those in its presence. We had taken off her masks during our stay and still felt safe.

Ayurveda Centre

One of the features that puts Retreats for Me in a different league is that you can choose your wellness programme, based on your initial consultation through their website.

The wellness area is expansive and spacious, with a décor that evokes calm across all the treatment rooms. With a comprehensive selection of traditional Ayurvedic treatments, to holistic anti-ageing facials and aromatherapy, the wellness center is worth experiencing. Treatments here are an exceptional with therapies like shirodhara, abhyangam, potli. The therapists and rooms are some of the best I have experienced.

The therapy rooms are heated and offer a relaxing massage experience without any disturbance. The soothing sound of music only brings you more closely to the healing experience and helps in accentuating the healing experience.

Me and my mother were signed up for shirodhara and Abhyanga experience with a potli massage. Since the stress levels in metropolitan cities tend to build up and seep inside the muscles and joints its highly imperative to let the oils seep inside and detox the system.

Our shirodhara experience was something that I can re-live again. The warm oil gently flowing on the forehead takes away all the stress and seeps inside the hair follicles. As the oil works its magic, the therapist massages the feet and releases the pain from the legs.

I enjoyed most of the aspects on wellness, from the body composition analysis at the beginning to the wellness programme. Their yoga and meditation sessions are very helpful in being transported into a meditative state.

The best part is that all the therapists and teachers are informed of your personal goals or interests and tailor their sessions accordingly.

Yoga and meditation

We were immensely impressed with the meditation classes held in small groups. They were personalized and created keeping to impart holistic wellness.

Exercise

The best part of Retreats for Me is their focus on fitness and lifestyle. Naturoville has other activities beside yoga and meditation like cycling, zumba, aerobics. With group classes every alternative day, Naturoville gives every reason to keep you active and full of life.

They also have a fully functional gymn with all the equipments to keep you active. If you’re feeling energetic you can go for a bike ride and explore the beautiful surroundings. I loved the ride and got a chance to get closer to nature and feel more recharged.

Dining

With wellness at the heart of the Retreats For Me, it is commendable how nutrition and healing foods play an important role in their centers. Naturoville has an organic kitchen garden where they grow all the ingredients to create master recipes that fall in their menu.

They ensure all the dishes are made using natural whole foods sourced from their own organic farm. There is no alcohol or non vegetarian items keeping in mind the healing and detoxification process.

The meal plan is created after the evaluation by the doctor who contains a selection of wholesome foods. If you are on the detox programme, chances are that you will be given a juice or fruit diet coupled with sprouts and salads. Our two day cleansing process consisted of green juice in the morning along with a moong chilla. Lunch was a raagi based roti with spinach and curd. Dinner consisted of vegetable soup and grilled vegetables.

Mostly all the food items include a balanced composition of macronutrients and micronutrients. They are also created keeping in mind dairy or gluten intolerance. Special mention goes to the indoor dining space that has tables near large window panes overlooking the green cover and welcoming the warm sunshine while dining. The space is quite airy and well lit with plants at each corner to exude freshness and vibrancy.

Whilst the retreat features mostly indoor dining, you can also enjoy a nice hot meal on a sunny day when the sky is clear. The food is Indian cuisine although there are some Chinese dishes also available. The best part is you won’t find it spicy. The food is presented beautifully and is full of taste.

Recommendation

Although the entire space is beautiful, you should spend some time sitting under the huge tree that has rocks that have beautiful messages engraved on them.

Final Verdict

I would highly recommend Retreat for me to anyone looking for a wellness retreat that inspires and motivates you. Naturoville welcomes people looking for peace and relaxation and also those who are looking for a tranquil place amidst natural beauty.