Being one with Vana

‘And into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul’. John Muir’s words come alive each time we venture into nature, but what if, nature came to us instead? While there is no substitute for the immersive experience that nature offers, being in Vana is a close second. Literally translating to ‘forest’, Vana is a world of wellness that works in sync with the natural world in a way that you both absorb, and merge into it. I went with the expectation of a wellness retreat experience for it checked all the right boxes; ayurvedic consultations, massage treatments, clean eating. What I didn’t expect though, was a transformative experience deep rooted in ancient science.

Entering the world of Vana after crossing the bustle of Dehradun feels like crossing through the Narnia door; over twenty acres of sal interspersed with green stretches of magnolia, natural arches of bamboo, spurts of mango and lychee, birdsong, and an immaculate world of white past the pavilion. I’m escorted to my room and handed my all-white dress for my time here, with a quick reiteration of the rubrics; no phones in public spaces, limited photography, quiet afternoon hours. Luckily, I’m past my twenties and have been to retreats before, so I don’t feel like a flailing fish outside water. The deal is sweetened by little touches like personalized notes, and quite literally, by a jar of walnut cookies on the vestibule table. I pick an early evening raag therapy session from the mindfully curated calendar of diverse activities to begin my Vana journey with, and head out looking for the Bodhi tree. I’m surprised to find myself not under a natural one, but an astonishing replica fashioned from metal scrap. Unable to close my eyes as per the flautist’s request, the tree’s branches snaking across the ceiling hold me in a hypnotic sway. I have never been this enraptured by an artificial tree, but such is the power of the architecture of Vana that the lines between interior and exterior are beautifully blurred.

The sustainability story of Vana and its design ethos go beyond rainwater harvesting and solar lights. Entire trees were carefully dug out and replanted for the construction clearance, worn down linen is upcycled into durries, and motion sensors ensure that lighting and heating are only in use when guests are in their room. The attention to detail is admirable, and the belief in wellness that trickles down right from the founders and the doctors to the admin and staff, even more so. It is perhaps this approach that lends Vana a quality that elevates it from being a mere luxury retreat to a transformative space.

My consultation throws up the current imbalances in my body, based on which a personalized wellness path is drawn up for me. I begin with Ayurvedic cleansing, and move on to Sowa Rigpa, Tibetan healing I have never tried before. Dunked in a herbal bath with the resonance of a singing bowl in my ears and a lush wall of green outside the glass wall, I cannot help but feel the healing begin, without even knowing what fissures in my soul need it. Sessions in reflexology and acupuncture elevate it even further, when the therapists know exactly what parts of the outer body sync with inner organs, and where the mind needs mending. It almost feels like magic, but ask the doctor, and it is pure science drawn from traditional learning that has been with us all along. I’ve never been one for sit-down meditations, but for the first time, I am able to understand it through tratak, a fascinating flame meditation, and find the perfect marriage of thought and movement in the Buddhist ‘walking meditation’. I finish with a mind-blowing pulse reading session by one of India’s leading practitioners in the art, and leave feeling that somebody tipped the doctor off about my innermost thoughts! And after nourishing the mind, it’s time to nurture the body.

Gastronomy is the last element around which a visit to a wellness retreat is planned, but at Vana, the cuisine could very well be its biggest draw. Tapping into the basic principles of wellness, the food is organic and wholesome, the grains mill-ground and the sweeteners natural, and (be warned) the portions small! I was initially confounded by the quantity, but it was only because I didn’t realize I had been eating wrong my whole life, including bolting my meals. The biggest myth that Vana breaks about health food is that it is boring; every dish here is a piece of art, right from delicate flavours to ingenious presentations. The cherry on the cake is its sustainability; the global cuisine on my plate, be it ravioli in pumpkin velouté, cauliflower risotto, or the hazelnut pot de crème, has all been whipped up from local ingredients without airfreighting anything. Every bite is incendiary— there is no meal here that doesn’t satiate all my senses.

On my last morning, I lounge in my forest suite balcony sipping caffeine-free tea, where true to its name, the dense canopy and the sunlight dripping through it make the room and the forest one. En route the exit, I make a pit-stop at my favourite natural cubby-hole in the bamboo grove where no passer-by can spot me, and take a few moments to accept the gifts of beauty and calm one last time. Somehow, despite my on-and-off relationship with wellness, this time round it feels like a seed of permanence has been sown. I know that though I have left Vana behind, I carry the forest within.

The all-new 3-day wellness package by Vana is an ideal start to sample its many journeys. The stunning Forest Suite with a private jacuzzi is perfect for couples, while the larger casas that are also pet-friendly, work best for families.