Sanskriti Rishikesh

About us

Set in the legendary foothills of the Himalayas beside the sacred Ganges — the most spiritually rich region of India’s ancient history — “Sanskriti Vedic Retreat” is a unique place where you can experience the coming together of the finest ancient Indian traditions: Ayurveda, yoga, meditation and spirituality.

Withdraw into its magnificent setting, beside the peaceful and majestic Ganges. Experience the blissful, calm atmosphere of the Himalayas. This place holds an energy that can quieten your mind, draw it away from worldly bustle and help you recover from the effects of stress and a demanding way of life, through a combination of yoga, Ayurveda, holistic treatment, nourishing food and meditation. It will reconnect you and make you feel at one with the world. Sanskriti offers you inner peace and lets you feel your unity with the spirit of the holy Ganges and with mystical nature.

Sanskriti Vedic Retreat is one of the finest centres in Rishikesh, with an added touch of service, style and elegance that blends quietly into the holistic natural surroundings to deepen the sense of calm. It is a retreat about joyful living and spirituality.

Come and experience it: rejuvenate, heal and transform your body and mind through Ayurveda, yoga and meditation, taste wholly organic vegan food and breathe the fresh air at some of the most beautiful places in Rishikesh. Sanskriti offers you the perfect balance of spirituality and health, and strives to create a union between body, mind and soul that will give you a perfect sense of calm and happiness.

We know how demanding modern life can be, because we live it too, and we know how important it is to have time to recharge. As we look to the future, these core principles guide what we do. Authentic principles lie at the heart of these traditions, and Sanskriti sincerely strives to preserve their innermost meaning while bringing them to you in a practical form.

The Sanskriti building stands next to the Sivananda Ashram and is built on the rooftop where Swami Sivananda himself meditated. Sanskriti is therefore not only filled with the high vibration of Swami Sivananda’s energy, but also has a stunning view of the Ganges and the ashrams that line both banks of the river, as well as of the Ram Jhula suspension bridge, its main crossing point.

All the premises are kept to world standards of cleanliness and were designed to ensure a perfectly harmonious flow of energy throughout the building.

Sanskriti Rishikesh invites its guests to experience the blissful, calm atmosphere of the Himalayas through a combination of yoga, Ayurveda, holistic treatment, nourishing food and meditation. The Ganges and the mystical natural surroundings allow every guest to go deeper within.

Services of the Sanskriti Ayurvedic centre

This place holds a powerful energy that can quieten the mind, draw it away from worldly concerns and help you recover from the effects of a demanding way of life. Thanks to an individually designed programme of Ayurvedic treatments and Panchakarma, every guest of Sanskriti Rishikesh can find proper relaxation and healing from the many chronic conditions and allergies that trouble them.

Services:

• At the Sanskriti Ayurvedic centre, wellness and therapeutic treatments take place in a serene and peaceful atmosphere under the professional guidance of a doctor. Guests who are interested in combining Ayurvedic treatments with yoga and meditation will particularly enjoy it here.
• Spa treatments, inspired by the ancient ethics of Ayurveda and modern beauty needs, offer relaxation and unrivalled body care, and rejuvenate and renew the body.
• Massage treatments help to keep the skin healthily radiant, tone the muscles, strengthen the immune system, relax and relieve stress.
• Cosmetic treatments and facial care leave the skin young, radiant and healthy.

All body treatments are carried out by experienced therapists using Ayurvedic products made from natural herbs, shrubs and trees found in the wild in this region.

Ayurveda and spa

Ayurveda literally means the science of life. Ayur means “life” and Veda means “science”. It draws on all the forces of nature and helps a person heal and live a healthy life. The two main guiding principles of Ayurveda are that mind and body are inseparably linked with nature, and that nothing has greater power to heal and transform the body than the mind. Freedom from illness depends on expanding our awareness and bringing the body into perfect balance with nature. Today Ayurveda competes even with the most advanced medical sciences, offering effective natural remedies for various conditions that have no side effects and take the person’s way of life into account. It is quickly becoming a world leader in integrated treatment for health, offering solutions to the stress that accumulates in our daily lives.

Here at our Ayurvedic spa centre we offer you wellness and therapeutic treatments in a serene and peaceful atmosphere beside the mighty Ganges. We offer true Ayurvedic treatments in their traditional, pure form under the professional guidance of our doctor. We welcome guests who are interested in combining Ayurvedic treatments with yoga and meditation.

Spa

Reconnect and discover the real meaning of indulgence, enjoyment and rejuvenation with our magnificent spa treatments. Inspired by the ancient ethics of Ayurveda and modern beauty needs, our spa treatments offer you unrivalled body care and relaxation, and rejuvenate and renew the body.

Body treatments and massage help to keep a healthy glow, tone the muscles, strengthen the system, relax and relieve stress. Cosmetic treatments and facial care not only give the skin a glow but also leave it young and healthy.

Ayurvedic treatment programmes

Sanskriti offers you genuine Ayurvedic treatment programmes for wellness, detoxification, rejuvenation or the treatment of illness. Sanskriti’s Ayurvedic treatment programmes work at the level of body, mind and spirit. A combination of external body treatments, internal detoxification therapy, herbal medicines, dietary and lifestyle regimes, and yoga and meditation will be prescribed — unique to each person and individually put together by our highly qualified Ayurvedic doctors according to your body-mind constitution. All body treatments are carried out by experienced therapists under the guidance of our doctors, using Ayurvedic products all derived from natural herbs, shrubs and trees found mainly in the wild.

What will I need to do during my programme?

Optimal healing at the level of body, mind and spirit is achieved by following the authentic principles of Ayurveda. Your programme will consist of a series of one or more treatments, but in order to gain the full benefit of your programme you will need to:

Commit to the period and programme of treatment, and to following the prescribed dietary and lifestyle regimes before, during and for the specified period after the treatment programme.

What kinds of treatment are there?

Shirodhara

Medicated oils, milk or buttermilk are poured in a continuous stream onto the forehead for 45 minutes to an hour. Shirodhara relieves fatigue, improves memory, vitality and sleep patterns, and is helpful in treating stress, depression, insomnia, migraine, conditions of the nose, neuropathy, spondylitis, paraplegia and other neurological disorders.

Sirovasti

Medicated oil is applied to the head and body, then poured into a cylindrical cap fitted on the patient’s head. The oil is left for about 45 minutes and then drained. The head, neck and shoulders are then gently rubbed with the oil. The treatment is helpful for conditions of the eyes, nose and ears, chronic headaches, facial paralysis, spondylitis and insomnia. It also improves vision, memory and mental capacity, and helps with skin conditions and headaches.

Shirolepa

Medicated oil is applied to the head and body. Herbal pastes and medicinal herbs are then applied to the head and covered with a green plantain leaf. The paste is removed and the oil wiped away. Shirolepa improves vision, treats headaches and insomnia, and is used in the treatment of stress, anxiety, depression and other psychological conditions.

Nasyam

The face, shoulders and chest are massaged with herbal oil, after which herbal extracts or oil are instilled into the nostrils. The area around the nose, the chest, the palms and the feet are then vigorously massaged. Nasya is used in the treatment of sinusitis, allergies, headaches, migraine, rhinitis and other nasal infections.

Pizhichil

Warm medicated oil is poured over the body by dipping pieces of clean cloth in herbal oil and squeezing them onto the skin. The oil is then gently rubbed into the body and removed by wiping with a dry towel or with a warm water bath. It is used in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lumbago, sciatica, hemiplegia, neuropathy and other neurological disorders.

Navarakizhi

Warm medicated rice pouches are applied to the whole body or to particular parts of it to induce sweating. The treatment is used for musculoskeletal conditions, paralysis, sciatica, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Udvartana

Herbal powders combined with oil or ghee are applied to the body. Udvartana is used to reduce excess fat, to smooth and cleanse the skin, and to firm the limbs.

Patra Pinda Sweda (Elakizhi)

Warm bundles of medicinal leaves prepared in neem or castor oil are used to massage the body. This treatment is effective for pain, swelling and sports injuries.

Churna Pinda Sweda (Podikizhi)

The whole body or particular parts of it are made to sweat by the application of medicinal poultices warmed in herbal oil. This treatment is effective in reducing heaviness of the body and limbs and in treating obesity.

Panchakarma (five procedures of biological cleansing)

This is a series of 5 physiological procedures of internal cleansing to remove toxins. Panchakarma lasts at least 2 weeks, and the following procedures are carried out:

1. Vamana
2. Virechana
3. Vasti
4. Nasya
5. Rakta Mokshana

Why Panchakarma?

Panchakarma is beneficial for treating chronic conditions, weight loss, increasing vitality, rejuvenation and relieving stress. Before these procedures the body must be prepared, and once they are complete an after-treatment regime must be followed to allow the body to adjust to its new state — which is also the ideal time to take the Ayurvedic elixirs that rejuvenate the body and slow ageing. With the toxins cleared from the body’s organs and channels, the body becomes more alert, energised and clear, and can make more of these benefits than ever before.

All treatments are paid for separately and are not included in the price of accommodation.