Yoga, meditation and doing very little: what is actually here

Retreats, courses and quiet places, in a town full of signs offering all three. We do not run any of it — here is how to tell the good from the packaged.

By Dawa Gurung · 6 min read · Updated 1 August 2026

Pokhara has a great many yoga signs and a smaller number of serious teachers, and from the street they are hard to tell apart. Several of the larger Nepali operators sell yoga treks as a whole product line; we sell none, so this is a map rather than a pitch.

It is also worth saying plainly that Nepal's own contemplative traditions are Buddhist and Hindu practice rather than the studio yoga most visitors are looking for, and the two overlap less than the marketing suggests. Here is what exists.

Drop-in classes and short courses

Lakeside has plenty, mostly hatha and vinyasa aimed at travellers, from an hour to a week. Quality varies enormously and the reliable filter is to take one class before committing to a course.

Ask where the teacher trained and how long they have taught. A good teacher answers happily; a packaged operation deflects to a brochure.

Prices are low by western standards, which cuts both ways — it is cheap to try and cheap to run without much behind it.

Residential retreats

Several sit on the ridges around Pokhara — quiet, with mountain views and a schedule of practice, meals and silence. They range from serious to distinctly commercial.

Check the daily schedule before booking, and check whether silence is expected, because a silent retreat entered by accident is a memorable mistake. For Buddhist practice specifically, monasteries in the Kathmandu valley run structured courses of a week upward. These are the real thing — early starts, strict schedules, no phones — and they are not a spa.

Yoga treks, honestly

Several operators sell trekking with yoga sessions attached, usually morning and evening at the lodges. It is a legitimate product and people enjoy it.

The practical constraint is space and cold. A lodge dining room at 3,000 m in November is not a studio, and an outdoor session at dawn is a short one.

Our view is that the lower, gentler routes suit it far better than the high ones — Ghandruk, Sikles, the Royal Trek. If someone is selling you yoga at Annapurna Base Camp, ask where exactly the session happens.

Doing nothing, which is underrated

If what you actually want is rest rather than instruction, Nepal is very good at it and you do not need a package.

Bandipur — a car-free street on a ridge, two days, no schedule. Begnas — a lake, a boat, and fish for lunch. A village homestay at Sikles where the day is structured by the household rather than by you. A week in Pokhara with morning walks, afternoons on the lake and no itinerary is a legitimate holiday, and several of our clients have arrived planning a trek and done exactly this instead.

Walk it with us

Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.

World Peace Pagoda LoopHalf day · 1,113 mRs 3,900 · See dates →Bandipur Overnight Escape2 days · incl. hotelRs 20,000 · See dates →Sikles Gurung Heritage Trek4 days · 2,000 mRs 40,100 · See dates →Pokhara Highlights Day TourFull day · private carRs 9,200 · See dates →

Questions we get asked

Do you run yoga retreats?

No. Several larger Nepali operators do and we will point you at what exists rather than assembling something we are not equipped to run.

Can I combine yoga with a trek you run?

We can build gentle low-altitude routes with the time and the space for a morning practice — Ghandruk, Sikles, the Royal Trek. We do not provide a teacher.

Are meditation courses in monasteries open to visitors?

Many are, usually with a minimum stay and a strict schedule. They are a serious commitment rather than a drop-in and are best arranged in advance.

Is there anywhere quiet in Lakeside?

The northern end past the main strip, and the far shore. The centre is lively until eleven, which is the trade-off for the restaurants.