Six Senses Vana sits on 21 acres between Dehradun and the hill station of Mussoorie, with forest along one side of the estate. We recommend it as a stress retreat in the Himalayan foothills. This post covers what a stay is like, and how to keep its effects once you are home.
Vana gives every guest two short notes, one on life at the retreat and one on life after it. We have drawn on both, and on what a guest we sent there in May told us. For the other places we recommend in the country, see our wellness retreats in India.
Where Vana sits
The city has crept closer over the years, yet inside the walls you walk pebbled paths between orchards, stone walls and bamboo. Monkeys, birds and butterflies share the grounds with the guests. Most guests fly into Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport, and the return transfer is included in the programme.
A day at Vana
Guests at Vana are called Vanavasis (forest dwellers). Every day includes yoga, at least one form of meditation, Raag therapy (healing through Indian classical ragas) and music offerings. Each week adds DIY sessions at the Alchemy Bar, cooking lessons, treks, fitness classes and talks with the team.
Private treatments and consultations fill the hours around the group sessions, and the retreat keeps daily quiet hours. Its calendar follows the seasons, the phases of the moon and Indian festivals, marked with music, prayer and food. Pujas (Hindu prayer rituals) take place through the month, whether or not guests attend.
Phones are not allowed in shared spaces. You can use them in your room, the business centre or the bar, which keeps the retreat quiet for everyone.
Our guest in May stayed six nights on a high-intensity personalised programme, with many treatments and consultations. Reflexology, TCM and physiotherapy were the sessions they liked most, and Raag therapy came close behind. They spent long hours at the Alchemy Bar, joined some Om chanting and loved the one trek they did.
The first days can feel low
Vana tells guests plainly that the start of a stay can feel low. You may feel worse before you feel better. The body lets go of the tiredness it has carried, now that it is somewhere safe and cared for. On longer stays, anxiety or irritation can surface too, and the team treats it as part of the process.
Our guest lives a healthy life and did not feel low. They did feel the mind go quiet and the rhythm slow down, and they were tired by the evening. So they slept a great deal, rested, and spent time simply sitting, without even a book.
Leave the first days of your stay free of anything you must get done. If the dip comes, sleep and let it pass. We can talk you through what to expect before you go.
Going home
Vana sends guests home with a page of advice on easing back into ordinary life. These are the points worth keeping:
- Ease back slowly. Take items off your to-do list, leave time to rest, and give yourself an hour of something calm before an early bed.
- Eat dinner early and light. Two to four hours before sleep, low in protein, fat and spice, with cooked food made from fresh, seasonal ingredients.
- Drink warm water. Warm or at room temperature, kept in glass, ceramic or steel rather than plastic.
- Start the day with yoga. If you practised at Vana, do 3 to 12 sun salutations and some pranayama (breathing exercises) each morning.
- Oil your skin. Self-abhyanga (oil self-massage) with organic oils suited to your skin type, or a little oil after bathing.
- Make tea a ritual. Sip your favourite drink slowly, with attention and pleasure.
- Keep one wellbeing activity per day. Choose something you enjoy, so that you keep doing it.
- Write it down. Journaling helps you notice how you feel, and Vana reminds guests that every feeling counts, from joy to sadness.
Our guest kept one change above the rest: more yoga, more often. It sounds very simple, and it became a routine that suits them, along with taking time to sit and observe.
If you travel on in India
Many guests add a few days in India after their stay. Vana advises well-cooked hot food, no street food, raw food only where you trust the kitchen, and sealed bottled water from a known brand. Avoid crowded and polluted places where you can.
If the change of scene stirs strong emotions, Vana suggests letting them come and watching them pass. We can plan the days after Vana so they keep the calm you built.
Who Vana suits
Vana suits you if you need rest from stress, burnout or poor sleep, or want time for your emotional wellbeing. It is also the gentlest way we know into Ayurveda and yoga if neither is familiar to you.
It does not suit you if you do not want to be in India, if Ayurveda does not appeal, or if you are in a hurry. Vana creates the conditions, then lets body and mind take their time, without forcing progress.
How long to stay and what it costs
Vana prices per night by room, with the programme included. Each room has tiers by programme intensity, and longer stays bring a lower nightly rate. From ₹557,550 for 7 nights, programme included, with GST at 18% added.
The programmes run from 3 nights (Stress Relief Hiking) to 21 nights (Ayurveda Panchakarma). Detox, Sleep, Yoga and Tibetan Medicine take 5 or 7 nights, and Ayurveda 14 or 17. Five nights is the shortest stay we recommend for a programme to show results, and for a first Ayurveda stay we suggest 14.
You can read more on our Six Senses Vana page. We can suggest a programme and a length for your goals.
