Yoga, meditation and doing very little in Nepal
Retreats, courses and quiet places, in a town full of signs offering all three. We don't run any of it. This is how to tell the good from the packaged.
By the Lakeshore team · 6 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Pokhara has a great many yoga signs and far fewer serious teachers, and from the street they're hard to tell apart. Several of the larger Nepali operators sell yoga treks as a whole product line. We sell none, so treat this as a map.
Nepal's own contemplative traditions are Buddhist and Hindu practice, which is different from the studio yoga most visitors are looking for, and the two overlap less than the marketing suggests. This is what you'll find.
Drop-in classes and short courses
Lakeside has plenty, mostly hatha and vinyasa aimed at travellers, lasting anything from an hour to a week. Quality varies enormously, and the reliable test is to take one class before you sign up for a course.
Ask where the teacher trained and how long they've been teaching. A good teacher answers happily, and a packaged operation points you to a brochure.
Prices are low by western standards, which cuts both ways. Classes are cheap to try, and also cheap to run with not much behind them.
Residential retreats
Several sit on the ridges around Pokhara. They're quiet, with mountain views and a schedule of practice, meals and silence, and they range from serious to very commercial.
Check the daily schedule before you book, and check whether silence is expected, because joining a silent retreat by accident is a mistake you'll remember. For Buddhist practice, monasteries in the Kathmandu valley run structured courses of a week or longer. They're serious, with early starts, strict schedules and no phones, and they aren't a spa.
Yoga treks, and where they work
Several operators sell treks with yoga sessions attached, usually in the morning and evening at the lodges. It's a legitimate product and people enjoy it.
The limits are space and cold. A lodge dining room at 3,000 m in November isn't a studio, and an outdoor session at dawn will be a short one.
We think the lower, gentler routes suit it far better than the high ones, places like Ghandruk, Sikles and the Royal Trek. If someone sells you yoga at Annapurna Base Camp, ask where exactly the session happens.
Doing nothing, which is underrated
If what you want is rest more than instruction, Nepal is very good at that, and you don't need a package for it.
Try Bandipur, a car-free street on a ridge, for two days with no schedule. Or Begnas, with a lake, a boat and fish for lunch. At a village homestay in Sikles the household sets the shape of the day, not 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 just that instead.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Do you run yoga retreats?
No. Several larger Nepali operators do, and we'll point you to what exists instead of putting together something we aren't equipped to run.
Can I combine yoga with a trek you run?
We can build a gentle, low-altitude route with time and space for morning practice, such as Ghandruk, Sikles or the Royal Trek. We don't provide a teacher. Send us your dates.
Are meditation courses in monasteries open to visitors?
Many are, usually with a minimum stay and a strict schedule. They're a serious commitment, not a drop-in, and best arranged in advance.
Is there anywhere quiet in Lakeside?
The northern end past the main strip, and the far shore. The centre stays lively until eleven, which is the price of having the restaurants.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether World Peace Pagoda Loop is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830