Shreyas
"I could feel the comfortable rhythm of my breath calming me. The soft breeze delicately caressed my face. The sounds of the birds twittering excitedly in their different dialects filled the air....."
About an hour away from Bangalore airport in India, lies an unobtrusive yet deluxe hotel that focuses on yoga and well being. The mantra of this retreat is unequivocal guest satisfaction and it’s hard to imagine guests leaving Shreyas discontented.
If you are truly yearning for an authentic yoga experience enhanced by outstanding service in a beautiful setting, don’t bother to look elsewhere besides Shreyas.
For yoga beginners or self-proclaimed true yogis, this is the ultimate getaway if you want to practice or perfect yoga and you want to do it in comfort and luxury
The environment at Shreyas is tranquil and laid-back. You don’t feel like you are checking into a grand opulent hotel that is ornate and majestic. You feel like you are moving into your great-uncle’s family estate.
The grounds don’t look formally landscaped with lush, manicured gardens or designed with meticulous plantings. It feels more like a home, on a rambling plot of land that has developed its own unique character with the mature trees, flowering shrubs, abundant greenery and rustic pathways.
The luxury and comfort of the retreat seamlessly blends in with the natural surroundings.
The superb service is inconspicuous yet impressive. The polite staff are always around and more than happy to oblige any request. Dressed in simple white uniforms that compliment the setting, the discreet staff greet with a pleasant smile and gracious Namaste. There is no front desk or concierge at the hotel. Every guest is welcomed into the beautiful library and you are made to feel at home right away.
You can ask any question to any staff member and they will promptly relay it to the right person.
The manager as well as the resident Ayurvedic doctor are always around and can be contacted within minutes. It truly feels like you are being cared for as a part of the family of this huge estate.
There are two beautiful styles of rooms. The tented cottages and the pool side cottages. The rooms are spacious and very comfortable.
The tented cottages are scattered about on the grounds. The bathrooms are large and comprise of three walls and open out to your own personal courtyard. I even had a lovely flowering tree in my courtyard.
The mundane task of getting ready was greatly enhanced with the breeze wafting in and the sunshine warming the large open-air shower area and toilet.
Every day there would be fresh flower petals in the earthen pan in my sunny enclosure.
My surroundings were so peaceful that the sound of the computer starting up was jarring to the ears. It was quiet and yet it wasn’t. The soft breeze ruffling the feathery leaves of the trees around me would rustle in loud whispers.
The excited medley of birdsongs filled the air with their chirpy chatter.
I was amazed to come to the realization that sitting on my verandah I couldn’t hear any sounds created by man – no shouting or loud talk, no honking, no planes droning over head, no blaring radio.
It was left to nature to entertain me with her orchestra and that suited me just fine.
Yoga is the prime reason guests seek out Shreyas. There was a large open-sided yoga pavilion nestled in the gardens. Yoga mats and cushions and tubes of mosquito repellent were neatly arranged for us before we got there.
Fresh flowers adorned the pillars all around and the faint fragrance of incense filled the air and set the mood for a blissful session of yoga.
Only the soft breeze and the cheerful chirping of the birds around us interrupted the quiet serenity. There were two daily group practices – one ushered in the dawn at 6.30am and the other at 4pm. There was one group meditation session. Depending on the package chosen, there was an individualized schedule designed for each guest that included massage appointments and one-on-one sessions with yoga and meditation experts.
There was a pristine pool with comfortable lounge chairs all around.
A large cabana style seating with cozy pillows and bolsters was an ideal spot to spend a peaceful afternoon by the pool.
The food at Shreyas was served in style on elegantly laid tables decorated with fresh flowers and fine china. The vegetarian meals were prepared with fresh vegetables collected directly from their very own garden and served with poise by the gracious staff.
The chefs never failed to amaze with the variety in the menu. In generous portions we were fed lavish meals of different cuisines all prepared with the freshest ingredients.
They would systematically keep track of each guest’s special food request or allergy. Fresh vegetable juices were served to each guest as per their dietary restrictions.
Every night we dined al-fresco under the stars.
The tables adorned with fragrant flowers and glimmering candles created a beautiful setting for our dinner.
Shreyas is very proud of its contribution to sustainability with their rainwater harvesting program and the renewal of wastewater for irrigation.
There was a large 3.5-acre agricultural garden resplendent with organically grown vegetables and fruits. I saw large, bristling jackfruits on trees, juicy and luminous gooseberry plants, fragrant frangipani trees and so much more.
I even tried out the leaf of a stevia plant and was astounded by its sweet taste. I tried fresh fennel seeds straight from the flowering plant and loved the fragrant licorice flavor.
On one end of the fertile organic garden, there was a comfortable surprise – a spacious ‘tent-house platform’ equipped with welcoming padded cushions that beckoned invitingly for the perfect lazy afternoon in the sweet solitude.
Perched up on this comfy hideout, one felt completely isolated from the cares of the world. The tweeting of the birds and swishing of the palm trees was all that you had for company.
Shreyas is actively involved with community service in the local village and they have incorporated this outreach program into a fulfilling activity for the guests. Those that chose to get involved started off the morning by getting down and dirty in the vegetable garden plucking the ripe vegetables with the gentle guidance of 2-3 staff members.
Not having gardened before, I was quite fascinated to learn the different techniques of pulling out plump beets and plucking bunches of tender spinach, and understanding which greens were ready to be harvested. After this satisfactory foray into getting one with nature, the staff served us fresh watermelon juice, water and provided wet towels to refresh us.
We then took the fresh-picked produce to the kitchen and began to cut the vegetables. They laid out a plastic padded sheet on the floor and everything was neatly organized for us to get started.
The vegetables were then taken in by the chefs to be prepared into delicious curries and stews and I marveled at the efficiency of the cooks as they effortlessly stirred huge vats of simmering sauces. Once the food was cooked and packed into the jeep, we set forth to visit the orphanage that Shreyas had practically adopted and was sustaining them with food and groceries and other funding.
The orphanage was in one corner of the village. A nice sized three-story home that had been built with the generous donations of Shreyas’s owner and guests. The lady who ran it was humble and kind, and was eager to show us around. I was immediately impressed by the clean and spotless surroundings.
Besides the sleeping quarters, there were large rooms for prayers and yoga (with their own instructor provided by Shreyas ).
There was a balcony with arrangements to wash and dry the clothes, a large spacious dining hall where the kids had eagerly sat down in organized lines waiting patiently for their food. Even the kitchen was clean and the stainless-steel pots and pans gleamed brightly.
Ladled with buckets of food, we went down the line doling out rice, curry and vegetables to the kids. Before they began to eat, they prayed and sang hymns in sincere unity and rhythm.
They ate with enthusiasm but not greed. Many of them refused a second helping giving a good indication that they were well fed and nourished on a regular basis. They ate in silence only occasionally whispering to each other.
They were quite fascinated by us especially my friend Vivienne who was also a guest of Shreyas and had come with me on this excursion.
Vivienne was statuesque and beautiful and they were quite enamored by her. They started at her with large, inquisitive eyes as she ladled out food on their plates.
Like all of us, they were very excited when the dessert was served. Vivienne and I had stopped at the local corner store to pick up chocolates and cookies for the kids. When we handed out the chocolate to them, each kid solemnly thanked us one by one, very proud of their comfortable pronunciation of ‘thank you’ or ‘thanks’. We tried to chat with them a little. Some of the girls were more forthcoming. One of the girls came up to us and said, “Nice to meet you’ and then ran away giggling.
We took pictures with them and encouraged them to stay in school and go to college and be good children and then with enthusiastic waves from the grinning children we left to head back. As we dodged hurtling buses, wildly zigzagging auto rickshaws, speeding two-wheelers and were bombarded with the over zealous honking, we were happy to get back to our serene cocoon at Shreyas but the memory of the outing really did stay in our hearts. It was a gratifying day to interact with the children who had been provided a safe and secure haven by Shreyas
As a part of my program I was also offered a cooking class and when I reached the kitchen where the demonstration was going to take place, I was impressed by the professional appliances, the spotless conditions, and the organization of the ingredients all ready to be put together to create delectable dishes.
Cooking class…. Chef Mani Vannan and Chef Vinod greeted me warmly and were all excited to share their culinary skills with me. I was thrilled to be able to request the recipes I wanted to learn and I opted for the famous South Indian curries that were popular around Bangalore.
The chefs were courteous, professional, friendly and eager to share the tricks of their cooking prowess. After we (they) finished cooking, we sampled the foods and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.
Shreyas was a complete mind-body experience. The excellent yoga instruction was fulfilling and uplifting. Just before dawn every morning I would walk through the softly fading night and settle down on the mat trying to energize my sleepy body and mind. The leaves of the trees would still be smudged with the dusky darkness.
As we would complete one session of the yoga and open our eyes, I could see the world gradually illuminating with dawn’s feathery-light brushstrokes. Slowly the diluted milky rays of a sleepy sun tried to lazily lighten up the sky. Watching the night sky systematically unveil its smoky veil and reveal a brighter world was a beautiful accompaniment to our yoga practice every morning.
In this beautiful setting all of my senses were elevated to a new level of tranquility. Slowly the image of each leaf and branch would become clear and bright in the early morning sunshine.
Looking up at the coconut laden palm trees soar towards the cloudless soft-blue sky, I felt the peace and tranquility bathe me in its gentle warmth and my heart smiled.
