Almost everyone who thinks about traveling to India to attend a yoga retreat or training asks some version of the same three questions: what do I pack, what's the weather actually like, and what happens if I've never been to India before. Here's the honest, specific version of what I tell people.
What to pack
December in Rishikesh is better than most people expect. Daytime temperatures sit around 19–22°C with clear skies and almost no rain — genuinely pleasant for outdoor practice. Nights are a different story, dropping to 7–10°C, and mornings before the sun is fully up can feel colder than the number suggests. Layers are the whole strategy: a warm base layer or two, a proper jacket for the early excursions, and something you can peel off once the sun is up.
Beyond that: comfortable shoes you don't mind getting a little dusty — some of the excursions involve uneven ground and stairs. Modest clothing that covers your shoulders and knees for temple visits, including the evening we spend at Ganga Aarti. A reusable water bottle. Any personal medication you take regularly, since it's not always easy to source the exact brand locally. Beyond that, keep it simple — you're here to practice.
What to expect on the ground
We're a few steps from the Ganga, in a property we take over entirely for the group — comfortable and authentic rather than resort.
Most people fly into Delhi and connect to Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport, about 45 minutes from Rishikesh, though a taxi or train from Delhi (roughly six hours) works too if you'd rather see more of the country on the way in. We send a detailed travel guide once you're booked, so you're not figuring out logistics alone.
You don't need to be an advanced practitioner. You need to come with curiosity.
Who this is actually for
This retreat is built for practitioners and certified teachers, but no worries if you never did a training before — we will support you in the practice, and it's a retreat, not a yoga competition. You don't need to be advanced, but absolute beginners might find parts of the week genuinely challenging. If you're not sure where you fall, ask us before you apply — we'd rather tell you honestly than have you arrive and struggle through it.
Everything else — the day-by-day schedule, what's included, the excursions to Ganga Aarti, Kunjapuri Temple and Devprayag — is on the retreat page itself, but the packing and logistics questions are the ones people actually email us about, so hopefully this saves you the wait.
