Five Best Yoga Retreats near Haridwar

India is the county mostly known to the western world for its scenic natural beauty, ever emerging popularity, poverty and its rich cultural diversities and most importantly its spiritual richness. Each and every year thousands of foreign tourists gather at various places which are elaborately famous as spiritual quest-quenchers. But it would be half truth if we say that India is the spiritual paradise for the foreign people, almost all the religious and spiritual Indians feel proud to have their roots in the land where the holy Ganges has been flowing for the time immemorial. India is truly the heaven for those who seek the spiritual expedition. India has been providing the world so many paths to discover both the inner and the outer self of human being in various subliminal yet powerful ways since the very ancient period.

One of the most sought-after and well-practiced manners to satiate the spiritual thirst and to make one’s own body perceive the positivity through some physical activities. These physical activities are called Yoga. It is a Sanskrit word which literally means ‘to add’ or ‘to join’ but figuratively it could be meant ‘to put your mind, body and soul to the positive use’. As we can say, India is the birth-place of Yoga and Yogic practices. The earliest use of Yoga goes long back to the earlier days of Buddhism; but almost at the same time the written account of Yogic practice was flourished in Hinduism also during around 400 CE. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra was the pioneer Yoga manual which is still considered the mother of all Yoga sutras.


Uttarakhand comprises the best places for learning and practising Yoga with proper meditation techniques in India. Haridwar, being one of the most popular religious and pious places in India, is home for almost all the spiritual practices. Every year lakhs of Indian foreign tourists gather in Haridwar and the surrounding areas not only to visit the great Hindu religious place but also for the natural beauty of the place and its sheer attraction for the spiritual motivation the place has been offering since very long. There are countless Yoga Peeth or the retreats and training schools near Haridwar. Some of best retreats in India are in Rishikesh, the unofficial Yoga capital of India which 18 kms far from the city and takes hardly 20 minutes to reach the serene hilltop, an ideal place to concentrate and uplift the mind, body and soul through the spiritual journey. We shall here try to sort out five of the best Yoga retreats near Haridwar.

Parmartha Niketan

Parmarth Niketan, the largest ashram in Rishikesh is one of the best places to learn, practice Yoga and meditation. During the 1940s, a saint from Uttar Pradesh Swami Shukdevanand would come to Rishikesh for meditation on the bank of holy Ganges. Gradually his many disciples and other prominent saints started coming to the place and the place became a hub of philosophical and spiritual uplift. The ashram now offers several Yoga courses for all types of people, from the beginners to the professional teachers. They offer the Yoga program that serves the ancient Indian traditional yoga discipline, the legacy of thousands of years. Currently the Ashram has more than 1000 yoga students.

Address: Yoga & Meditation Section, Parmarth Niketan, P. O. Swagashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand- 249304, India
Phone No.: +91 135 2434302
Email: parmarth@parmarth.com
Yoga Courses Link: https://www.parmarth.com/y_courses.php

Omkarananda Ganga Sadan

Omkarananda Ganga Sadan is a guest house of the renowned Omkarananda Ashram Himalayas situated in Rishikesh. There is a good Yoga centre naming Patanjali Yoga Kendra which is conducted by the Yoga Guru Shri Paramhamsa Omkaranana Saraswati. This institution offers various Yoga training programs for various age groups. The famous Yoga Guru Yogacharya B. K. S. Iyengar takes classes in the Sadan.

Address: Omkarananda Ganga Sadan, Patanjali Yoga Kendra, Near TaxiStand, Muni-ki-rreti, P. O. Shivanandanagar- 249192, District- Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India
Phone No.: +91 135 2430763
Email: info@iyengaryoga.in

Sivananda Ashram

In 1936, a yogi named Swami Sivananda came to Rishikesh to find the motto of life. He, therefore, found a building on his own and started living a life of purity, divinity, integrity and nobility through the yogic practice and charitable works. The building eventually became the hub of divine life and the building was named the Divine Life Society. Today, the society is one of the biggest and most popular names of Yoga learning and practicing centres in India. The Ashram situated on the lap of the river Ganges teaches Yogasanas to numerous people who need a balanced mind, body and soul and want to enhance the quality of life by various modes of empowerment, purification and salvation. The Divine Life Society offers various Yoga training and practicing courses for all types of people.

Address: The Diving Life Society, Rishikesh, P. O. Shivanandanagar- 249192, Uttarakhand, India
Phone No.: +91 135 2430040
Email: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org

Yoga Niketan

Situated in the Mun-ki-reti, Rishikesh, the Yoga Niketan was established by Swami Yogeshwarananda Paramhamsa. He was keen in reviving the ancient Indian Yogic system that once largely prevailed in the Indian philosophical practice and to give it a new course. Swami Yogeshwarananda Paramhams is the only Indian yoga guru who has been granted the honorable Honorary President of International League of Yoga under the UNESCO. Here in the Yoga Niketan the aspiring Yoga students get Yoga education based on the ancient Patanjali Yoga Shastra. The minimum stay requirement for the course is 15 days an the mode of learning is Hindi and English.

Address: Yoga Niketan, Muni-ki-reti, P. O. Shivanand Nagar, Rishikesh – 249192
Uttarakhand, India
Phone No.: +91 135 2430227
Email: info@yoganiketanashram.org

Sadhana Mandir

A stone’s throw away from Haridwar, Rishikesh being a place of serene and scenic beauty on the lap of Himalayas is the ideal home for Yoga retreats in India. Among uncountable retreats, Sadhana Mandir is a place where people can find their inner selves through Yoga and meditation. The retreat centre was established by Swami Rama in 1966. The environment of the Mandir is so spiritually elevating and close to the nature’s own mystic charm that one can indulge upon the luxury of spiritual uplift and storing up both the physical and mental strength. The Ashram has all types of accommodation - single, double and dormitory. Rooms are spacious and comfortable for a spiritual journey. The vegetarian foods offered by the Ashram are delectable.

Address: Sadhana Mandir, Ramnagar, P. O. Pashulok, Rishikesh- 249203, Uttarakhand, India
Phone No.: +91 135 2431693
Email: mailbox@sadhanamandir.org

Also Read: Yoga Centres in Haridwar