Soul Fest: The Winter Edition

Soul Fest: The Winter Edition is a three-day yoga retreat at Viveda Wellness Resort in Nashik, Maharashtra, held at the close of the year. It brings together Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Pranayama, meditation, Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and Yoga Nidra, and it suits both people with an established practice and those returning to yoga after time away. The pace is deliberately unhurried, with room for rest between sessions.

What to Expect

The weekend moves between effort and ease. Movement sessions in Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Flow focus on letting the body move with the breath rather than simply working through a sequence. Gentler practices follow: Pranayama and meditation, Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and Yoga Nidra, offered as ways to release, restore and become more present.

Friday begins with an Opening Circle at 5:30 PM, followed by Sandhya Aarti at 6:30 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM. At 9:00 PM comes Sound Healing, offered on the opening evening only.

Saturday starts with Pranayama and Meditation at 7:45 AM and Yoga at 8:15 AM, then a Satvik breakfast. The late morning is open for rest, massage or a temple trip. After a Satvik lunch at 1:00 PM, a Chakra and Ayurveda workshop begins at 2:30 PM, exploring the link between traditional Ayurvedic wisdom and the subtle dimensions of wellbeing. Yin Yoga and Qi Gong follow at 5:00 PM, then dinner at 7:00 PM and Yoga Nidra at 8:15 PM. Lights out is at 10:00 PM.

Sunday opens at 6:30 AM with a cleansing Kriya, a traditional purification practice. Pranayama, meditation and yoga follow at 7:30 AM, then breakfast at 9:30 AM and a Closing Circle at 10:00 AM.

The Setting

Viveda Wellness Resort sits at Beze Village on Trimbak Road, Nashik, amid peaceful natural surroundings. Between sessions you can walk through the gardens, spend time outdoors, have a massage, or find a quiet corner and do nothing for a while. The retreat is paced so that you can move when you want to move, rest when you want to rest, and simply be when you need to.

Meals are Satvik: simple, wholesome vegetarian food served as breakfast, lunch and dinner, planned to suit the rhythm of the practices. The scheduled temple visit takes you out of the resort and into Nashik's spiritual landscape.

Before You Go

No particular level of experience is described as necessary. The sessions are open to those with a regular practice and those coming back to yoga after a break. The programme includes the yoga and wellness sessions, the Chakra and Ayurveda workshop, the cleansing Kriya, Sound Healing on the first night, Satvik meals, and the temple trip. Massage is available during the rest period on Saturday.