Tucked in the Himalayan foothills, Swara is more than a retreat. It is a living experiment in sustainable living, rooted in simplicity, slowness and stewardship.
Here, we share our ongoing journey through yoga, philosophy, and the study of Sanskrit, not as perfected practices, but as evolving inquiries into presence and purpose.
Swara also welcomes educators, artists, and creators. Whether you are hosting a retreat or workshop or simply seeking space to explore and express, Swara offers a collaborative home for meaningful work.
This is a place for reflection and renewal where ideas take root, conversations deepen, and personal growth unfolds in rhythm with the land.
If you’re seeking repose from the noise and rush of everyday life, Swara offers a tranquil sanctuary to slow down, breathe deep, and begin again.
The retreat opens to sweeping views of the snowcapped Annapurna range. Here, the days unfold gently with trails to wander, mountains to climb and glimpses of rural Nepali life that move at the pace of the land.
Perched at 1,500 metres above sea level, Swara lies along a 17km route from Pokhara, a journey that winds through changing terrain and leads toward the Mardi Himal, Machhapuchhre, and Annapurna base camps.
A Place Built by Learners, for Learning
We are lifelong learners. Curious, questioning, and always evolving.
As students, practitioners, and teachers, we built this retreat with our hearts, heads, and hands, shaping a space quite literally from the soil it stands on. Swara is not just a destination, but a living space for learning, unlearning, and relearning.
We are drawn to the big questions — the ones that don’t yield easy answers, but invite deeper reflection.
Through the practice of yoga, and in the spirit of exploration, dialogue, and inquiry, we seek to honour tradition while engaging with the world as it is. Our hope is to cultivate a living practice, one that bridges the timeless and the contemporary.
Swara reverberates where the cycle of dawn and dusk becomes a sphere of music and the sun is said to be humming the wheel of the world.
–Jaiminiya Brahmana Upanishad –
Built from the Earth, in Respect of It
At Swara, we believe that how we build is as important as what we build.
Rooted in our commitment to sustainability, we chose to work with rammed earth, a method that uses raw materials of clay, gravel, sand, and water, compacted by hand into formwork. It’s a slow, deliberate process, shaped by patience and intention.
The result is a structure that is both ecological and enduring. Our thick, breathable walls are naturally load-bearing and thermally efficient, holding warmth through the winter and staying cool through the summer. Each wall carries the imprint of the land it rose from, forming a space that is not only functional but alive with texture and story
Yoga, Philosophy & Sanskrit
Ganesh Upadhyay is open to tailor your yoga practice to your needs and requirements. This may include asanas, philosophy, sanskrit, chanting or pranayama.
Your stay at Swara will include lodging, nourishing foods to support your practice, and yoga.
Stargazing & StoryTelling
Stargazing is an act of connection, grounding us in the vastness of the cosmos while kindling wonder about our place within it. Free from light pollution and in quiet stillness, our clear nightsky offers planets, stars, moons, constellations and meteor showers. It is a humbling experience, a reminder that we are but a speck of dust in this universe.
Let’s Explore the Mighty Plant Kingdom
We invite you into our kitchen to learn about the utility and flavours of herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, pulses and lentils in the culinary world of the plant kingdom. Let us reap their goodness, versatility and healing compounds so that we can use them best to nourish and enrich our meals.
Please write to us for more information, group rates and long-stays.
We strive to foster collaborations and are open to mutual exchanges of ideas, experiences and perspectives. Should there be a spark or a possibility within your sphere, do get in touch. The delight would be ours.
For enquiries and reservations,
write to:
enquire@swararetreat.com
Join and contribute to our
Swara Retreat Facebook Group
for discussions, workshops, events.