Nestled at the foot of the Himalayas beneath the gaze of the Annapurna range,
Swara is more than a retreat. It is a living experiment in sustainable living,
rooted in stillness, simplicity and stewardship.
We share our ongoing journey through yoga, philosophy and Vedanta,
not as perfected practices, but as evolving inquiries into presence and purpose.
Swara welcomes thinkers, seekers, pathfinders. Whether you are hosting
a retreat or workshop or simply seeking space to explore and express, we offer 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 onto sweeping views of the snow-capped Annapurna range.
Days unfold gently here, with quiet trails to wander, mountains to climb,
and intimate encounters with rural Nepali life that moves 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.
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 includes asana, philosophy, Sanskrit, chanting and pranayama.
Your stay at Swara will include lodging, nourishing meals 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.
Write to us for more information, group rates and long-stays.
Email: enquire@swararetreat.com
