Do you crave to completely unwind and relax?

An Ayurvedic Retreat in Sri Lanka might be just what you need.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of a retreat, I think expensive. However, the beauty of Nature Lanka Ayurvedic Resort , is that it offers high quality treatment packages at an affordable price.

Nature Lanka is an all inclusive Ayurvedic Retreat. It has a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, with 4 or 6 ayurvedic treatments a day.

Where is Nature Lanka?

Nature Lanka, Ayurvedic Resort is situated on the palm fringed serene south coast of Sri Lanka.

It is the epitome of peace and tranquillity. Overlooking the shimmering waters of the Indian Ocean and set in tropical gardens, the resort combines the pure pleasure of being immersed in nature with daily ayurvedic treatments.

My Ayurvedic story

I first visited Nature Lanka in January 2024 for just a week for my 50th birthday. It felt like the right thing to do. Life had been throwing me some real challenges. My relationship had come to a sudden end and a chronic neurological condition had emerged overnight, that doctors could find no diagnosis for, other than stress. An ayurvedic retreat therefore seemed like a good idea.

The retreat was everything I imagined, and so much more. I loved it so much, that I decided to return January 2025, with a friend, for 3 weeks and surrender to the full Panchakarma treatment program.

It was a combination of bliss, grounding, slowing right down and a further step in my emotional healing.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient holistic treatment method with its origins in India and Sri Lanka. It combines the use of herbal medicine, therapeutic treatments such as massage, practices such as meditation and yoga and a specially tailored ayurvedic diet

According to Ayurvedic science, each of us has a distinct pattern of energy, called ‘doshas’. There are three doshas – Vatha, Pitta and Kapha. It is when these doshas become out of balance that illness occurs.

The aim of ayurveda is to return the body to balance by eliminating toxins.

I personally feel, that whether you believe in the dosha types or not, the principals of Ayurvedic living offer a way for a healthy, balanced, calm life.

Who is Ayurveda for?

Ayurveda is for everyone, whether you are simply looking to relax and detox or you are seeking help with a specific health condition.

During my stay at Nature Lanka, guests had come from all over the world for a variety of reasons. The age range of clients was between 18 and 87, with many of the older guests having returned numerous times. There was one gentleman, aged 83 on his ninth visit!

The retreat offers a 25% discount for returning guests.

What is Panchakarma?

Ayurvedic Panchakarma is a complete cleansing and rejuvenating process for the body, mind and soul. It generally requires 2-3 weeks for the whole process. It consists of three stages: preparing the body to be cleansed, cleansing therapies and then revitalising treatments.

75% of guests at Nature Lanka opt for Panchakarma. It is often sought by clients without health conditions to completely detox, and as a preventative measure against disease.

What Happens at Nature Lanka Ayurvedic Resort?

Initial Consultation with Ayurvedic Doctors

On arrival all guests undergo an initial consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. This is to review your general state of health, your diet and your overall purpose for visiting the retreat. They will confirm your dosha type and then plan your treatment schedule and any herbal medications.

Throughout your time at Nature Lanka, you will have update consultations every 3-4 days, to check progress and amend treatments if necessary. The doctors are also available during meal times and throughout the day for queries.

The doctors are very lovely and will answer all your questions.

Your Treatment Schedule

A daily personalised treatment schedule is planned for you. This is given to you the day before. Depending on the programme you have opted for, you will either receive four treatments a day, or six. Treatments are planned for either the morning or afternoon.

Herbal Medications

If the doctors have prescribed herbal medicines, you will receive these each day at meal times.

You are also given a flask of herbal tea, in line with your dosha type, to drink throughout the day.

Ayurvedic Meals

Ayurvedic meals form part of the treatment process and are highly nutritious, they take into account your dosha and are designed to balance and heal the body. A typical meal will consist of a light soup, a selection of curries and a fruit plate.

Often during meal times, one of the doctors will bring a basket with the ingredients used to explain the benefits.

Typical meals: a herbal soup, breakfast chickpeas and fruit bread, a selection of curries

A lot of the herbs used in the cooking are picked straight from the garden. Here I grabbed a photo with the chef picking avocado leaves to make soup. I found the variety of leaves, herbs and vegetables used fascinating. I didn’t know you could eat avocado leaves!

Pure Relaxation

The rest of your time is taken up with relaxing! This is your chance to do nothing and simply be.

You can go for long walks by the ocean on a mostly deserted beach, laze in a hammock, read a book by the swimming pool, sip a king coconut and engage in a meditation programme. Yoga is also on offer, which I didn’t do as I have my own online yoga teacher. However, I did use the outside yoga space overlooking the ocean to do my yoga which was magical.

About Nature Lanka Resort

Accommodation for all budgets

Nature Lanka offers a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, from garden view rooms to sea facing cabanas.

Rooms are rustic and simple, but provide all you need to be comfortable. Each room has a terrace for lounging.

The sound of the sea can be heard whilst you lay in bed at night, which is such a soothing way to fall asleep and the sound of birds greets you at first light.

I loved waking up with the birds and heading down to the beach, to watch the sun rise over the ocean. A daily reminder, that each day is new and one to be approached with fresh eyes and an openness to receive what it offers.

The Ayurvedic Treatments

Nature Lanka Resort provides an extensive range of ayurvedic treatments. Many of these may be familiar to you, but there may be others that aren’t. I was quite amazed by the range of treatments conducted. They can be divided into external and internal treatments.

External Treatments

External treatments include: body massages, intensive body massage, two person body massage, head, neck and shoulder massages, facial treatments, herbal baths, sauna, herbal steam baths, body scrubs with herbal powders, shirodhara, shiro pichu and pinda sweda, thapa sweda, nasal steam inhalation, and many more.

I’m not going to give a full breakdown of what all these treatments are, but suffice to say I found most of the treatments incredibly relaxing.

My favourites were:

Shiro dhara

I loved shiro dhara. Medicated oil is drizzled continuously on your forehead for 30 minutes. It is deeply relaxing and has a very meditative quality. It is thought to calm the nervous system and stimulate the third eye area.

Herbal steam bath

It may look strange and old fashioned, and I was a little wary at first but I grew to love the steam bath. Enclosed in steam and herbs, sweat drips from your pores and there’s nothing to do but give in to the heat.

Full body massage

I had a massage every single day for three weeks! Can you imagine that? Often it was a full body, sometimes it was just legs or head, neck and shoulders. What a luxury!

thapa sweda

Another of my favourite treatments was Thapa Sweda. Muslin bags filled with sand are heated over herbs and pounded into the body. Great for tired muscles.

Shiro Pichu

Again, looks a bit weird but with Shiro Pichu, one sits whilst medicated heated oil gradually absorbs into your head.

Sauna

I didn’t go in this traditional sauna, but I thought it looked pretty cool so included it as a photo!

Internal treatments

Are you ready for it?

An important element of Ayurveda, particularly with Panchakarma, is the process of therapeutic purgation. In other words, treatments to the digestive system to make you empty out your bowels (a lot!). Doesn’t sound pretty I know, but apparently these treatments are the king of ayurvedic treatments and if you think about it, all the latest research points to gut health being at the foundation of a healthy body. You can’t have a balanced healthy body, if your digestive system isn’t happy. Having a healthy gut microbiome is essential for your immune system and maintaining balanced emotions.

I underwent two internal treatments during my 3 week stay:

Purgation

Your digestive system is prepared three days in a row with a shot of early morning ghee, followed by a herbal liquid on the 4th day which has the effect of clearing your bowels in a rather spectacular fashion.

On your ‘special’ purgation day, you don’t leave your room/terrace until you’re ready to. The Ayurvedic Doctors visit and check your blood pressure etc every hour or so, until you’ve balanced out.

Breakfast and lunch are served to your room, along with juices and a king coconut, so you don’t have to worry about venturing up to the dining area.

Everyone has different purgation experiences, some are short and only require a few trips to the toilet, and others seem to have rather more, and last longer!

…and yes, sharing purgation experiences was a somewhat fascinating back to basics topic of conversation at the retreat, and offered up a great deal of laughter and getting to know people quickly! There’s nothing quite like toilet humour for bonding.

Vasti Karma (or fondly referred to as bottom karma by my friend and I)

Vasti karma is a medicated oil enema. It is used to detoxify and bio-purify your bowels. Unlike the purgation above, it works quite quickly and is over within an hour or so.

Friends who have had colonic irrigation were quite concerned about vasti karma, as they commented that water colonic irrigation could be quite painful. However, bottom karma (sorry), is not painful at all and you are hardly aware of the oil being inserted.

The treatment is given in your room by the Ayurvedic Doctor.

There are many benefits of this treatment. As well as being purifying, it’s used to treat a whole host of symptoms including back ache, arthritis and the common cold. In fact, I was prescribed it five days in a row to treat my neurological symptoms!! Yes, you should have seen my face, when I was told that! Don’t worry I don’t have pictures…but suffice to say, I became quite blasé about the whole process!

If the thought of purgation and karma for your derriere sounds a little too much, don’t worry you can opt out! It’s not mandatory but most people I spoke to found it to be beneficial, with many reporting feeling lighter and with more energy following treatments.

The Therapists & Surrendering to Being Cared For

The Ayurvedic therapists are just so lovely and caring. From the second you enter the treatment centre, you are looked after in the sweetest manner.

I believe that there’s a part in all of us, a part that goes back to childhood, that is crying out to let go completely, to be put in someone else’s hands – to be cared for, without needing to give anything back.

This craving to surrender to being cared for is something I discovered in full when I visited hammams in Morocco, earlier on in the year. You can read about these experiences here. I didn’t know how much I needed it, until I experienced it. I believe in part it was a consequence of breaking up with my partner and feeling a lack of confidence in my body, but I also felt it went deeper, to a more visceral elemental yearning that perhaps had been there for years.

In the quiet hush of the treatment rooms, the therapists look after you in a way that nurtures this deep need. From the untying of your gown, wrapping you in a sarong, guiding you gently where to sit or lay, carrying out the treatments and then to finish; if you have long hair, tying it up for you, helping you back into your gown and guiding you out of the centre.

It is, for me, not only in the treatments themselves, but in these small acts, that mirror the acts of our parents from long ago, that enable the nervous system to relax completely.

Day after day, for three weeks, I gave myself to this soothing. Silence and stillness eased through me, and a sense of spaciousness lifted any crowding thoughts.

The Treatment Rooms

Imagine the sound of the ocean and the singing of tropical birds in the distance, naturally lit wooden treatment cabins, and looking up to see rows upon rows of trailing drying herbs hanging from the rafters…

The treatment rooms at Nature Lanka Resort aren’t whitewashed candle lit sterile rooms, with music playing found in many spas. If you’re after 5 star luxury, Nature Lanka isn’t for you. Nature Lanka offers something different. Authentic rustic Sri Lankan cabins in tune with nature, that wrap you in warmth and relaxation.

The photo here shows the treatment centre with the individual cabins. Herbs dry from the rafters. To the side you can see a bath which is used for herbal baths.

The Nature Lanka Staff

The staff at Nature Lanka are all incredibly lovely, from the doctors to the manager, all the staff are there to support you. They are very approachable, friendly and responsive to client needs.

How much does it cost?

Prices vary depending on the type of room you pick. I opted for the cheapest – a garden view room.

For three weeks I paid about £1800, with a 25% discount as a returning guest. When you consider this includes everything – accommodation, all food and drinks, 4 ayurvedic treatments a day and meditation classes, I think it’s very good value for money, especially as you don’t really need to spend any other money during the time you are there.

The retreat also offers discounts for guests introduced by a friend and seasonal discounts, for example at the time of writing this they are offering an 18% discount.

Excursions

If you’d like to explore the surrounding area, excursions can be arranged to places such as:

• Yala National Park
• Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary
• Rekawa Lagoon
• Bundala National Park

However, I think most people, myself included leave the exploring to either before or after the retreat.

What did I gain from being at an Ayurvedic Retreat?

Simply Being

I loved my time at Nature Lanka. Before you go, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like to have nothing to do for three weeks other than have treatments and relax. During, the first couple of days my friend and I were a little overwhelmed by the fact that it really was all we had to do. No work, no outside distraction, no popping to the shop or a café…just simply caring for ourselves – mind, body and soul.

However, we both relaxed and surrendered completely to the therapeutic process quickly. We allowed ourselves to simply be in the moment and allowed our emotions to flow as they needed to. We had a few tears, we had pure serenity, moments of clarity and we had moments of pure hilarity (as you can imagine – bottom karma…).

Towards the end of the retreat, my friend radiated immense joy, for no other reason than she felt it happy. It was not because something had happened externally in her life situation, it was simply joy from within. For myself, I gradually, felt earthed and a deep calm that I had not felt for a long time.

I felt immensely grateful.

Caring for myself in full

I cannot remember any other time in my life, where from the moment I woke up, until the moment I fell asleep, I gave myself over to caring for myself in every way possible.

Imagine a day where you awake to the sound of tropical birds and waves crashing, stroll five minutes to the beach to watch the sunrise, perhaps do some yoga, eat specially prepared nutritious meals, receive beautiful treatments and spend the rest of your time relaxing…

I even detoxed from coffee naturally! Anyone who knows me, knows that I love coffee and whilst I thought I might attempt to stop having a morning coffee, I didn’t expect my body to just simply not fancy it! I swapped coffee for a cup of hot water first thing in the morning. Honestly, it worried me slightly – what if this was the end of coffee for me? But I needn’t have worried, I soon found a coffee shop the day after I left and my love of coffee returned. But it was good to know, I could stop if I wanted to.

Did I get bored?

No I didn’t. I wrapped myself up in this gift I gave to myself. I revelled in simplicity. I felt my senses become more finely tuned, each sparkling with a freshness that had been dampened down by the perpetual noise of life.

My ears picked out the varying sounds of nature and learnt the patterns of the day through bird song, my taste buds picked up subtle flavours in delicately spiced soups. I walked barefoot feeling the ground holding me up and through muddy puddles, feeling the squelch of mud when the tropical rains fell. I took the time to smell the sweetest frangipani flowers fallen from spindly trees and breathed in deeply the salty sea air. And my body, that was thanking me from being touched, stroked and massaged every day felt the gentle waft of a breeze grazing my skin as a pleasure to be savoured.

My overall opinion of Nature Lanka

A place of tranquillity, that immerses you in the natural environment, with the ocean on your doorstep.

Highly professional Ayurvedic treatments carried out by lovely therapists.

A space where you are given time to simply be.

Delicious freshly cooked highly nutritious food.

Thoughtful, caring, friendly staff.

Is Nature Lanka good for solo travellers?

Yes, definitely! The first time I went, I was alone and many people go on their own.

Discover more about Nature Lanka here.

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