Yoga in Kerala

Kerala, on India’s tropical south-west coast, is closely associated with Ayurveda. Families of traditional practitioners and long-established Ayurvedic hospitals offer everything from short wellness stays to multi-week Panchakarma programmes, often combined with daily yoga.

The weather is most comfortable from October to March. The monsoon, from June to September, is traditionally considered a good season for Ayurvedic treatment because the cool, moist air is thought to help the body respond. Backwaters, beaches and the hills of the Western Ghats make Kerala a gentle place to slow down.

Why Kerala is linked with Ayurveda

Ayurveda has been practised continuously in Kerala for many centuries, passed down through families of physicians and through a regional tradition of oil-based therapies. The state’s warm, wet climate supports a wide range of medicinal plants, and its institutions are long established: the Arya Vaidya Sala at Kottakkal, for example, was founded in 1902 by P. S. Varier and still runs hospitals and makes Ayurvedic medicines. Yoga is usually taught here as part of an Ayurvedic stay or in an ashram setting, rather than in the large teacher training schools found in northern India.

What an Ayurvedic stay involves

Programmes range from a few days of massage and rest to Panchakarma, a structured course of cleansing therapies that commonly takes two to four weeks. A stay normally begins with a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, followed by daily treatments, a prescribed diet and gentle yoga or meditation. Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine, not a substitute for conventional care: if you have a medical condition or take regular medication, speak to your own doctor before you go and tell the centre too. Ask whether treatments are supervised by a qualified Ayurvedic doctor (BAMS is the standard Indian degree) and whether the centre is an Ayurvedic hospital or a resort spa, as the two differ in approach.

Where to go

• Kovalam and the coast south of Thiruvananthapuram: long-established Ayurveda resorts by the sea
• Varkala: a cliff-top beach town north of Thiruvananthapuram with drop-in yoga classes and small schools
• Neyyar Dam: in the hills east of Thiruvananthapuram, home to the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram, founded in 1978, which runs yoga holidays and teacher training courses
• Kottakkal and central Kerala: traditional Ayurvedic hospitals focused on treatment rather than holidays
• The backwaters around Alappuzha and Kumarakom, and the hills of Munnar and Wayanad: quieter resort-style retreats

When to go

October to March is the most comfortable time for travel, though a second, lighter monsoon can bring showers in October and November. April and May are hot and humid. The main monsoon lasts from June to September. In the Malayalam calendar the month of Karkidakam, from about mid-July to mid-August, is the traditional season for Ayurvedic rejuvenation, so treatment centres stay open and can be busy even though beach weather is poor.

Getting there

Kerala has four international airports: Thiruvananthapuram in the south, Kochi in the centre, and Kozhikode and Kannur in the north. Thiruvananthapuram is the most convenient for Kovalam, Varkala and Neyyar Dam, Kochi for the backwaters and Munnar, and Kozhikode for Kottakkal. Trains run the length of the state along the coast and are a comfortable way to travel between towns. Road journeys into the hills are slow, so allow more time than the distance suggests.

Good to know before you book

• Treatment programmes often ask you to avoid alcohol, strong sun, swimming and strenuous exercise; check the rules before combining one with a beach holiday
• Ashrams follow a fixed daily timetable with early starts, simple vegetarian meals and rules on dress
• Dress modestly away from the beach, especially at temples
• Ask for the full programme, the doctor’s involvement and the refund terms in writing

Questions