like this and the air fresh and fragrancedby the mélange of perfumes from theherbs growing all around you. Occasion-ally, you might also hear the distantstrains of prayers and chants being recit-ed at the prayer hall — another daily ritu-al that the employees of the resort practice.

This can only be followed by a leisure-ly swim in the infinity pool as champablooms loosen themselves from trees and

fall all around you, as you float around im-bibing in all this mesmerising beauty. Asthe sun slowly set that evening and weprepared to leave, it dawned on us thatShreyas is the kind of place you can comeback to again, and again, and again. Leav-ing with a bag of warm, freshly-bakedcookies and a few bottles of cold water, aswe left we realised that this was a homeaway from home and all this luxury wasaimed at just one amazing, soothing goal— the ultimate happiness of the mind, thesoul and the body.Be at Shreyas Retreat, Santoshima Farm,Gollahalli Gate, Nelamangala or visitwww.relaischateaux.com /shreyas orwww.shreyasretreat.com and emailrc-india@relaischateaux.com or call +911244309400

romal.singh@dnaindia.net

L Romal M Singh

YOU step out of your vehicle onto lushgreen lawns, the smell of flowers per-fuming every breath of fresh air youbreathe in. The alarming quiet, espe-cially for frayed nerves is suddenlysoothing and the world around youlights up. A smile erupts on your faceas you see two kurta-pyjama clad menapproach you, warmth and positive-energy exuding, almost emitting asummery-bright aura around them —and you know you are going to lovethis place already.

The welcomeSoon you’re entrenched into the sim-ple but refreshing aarati ritual beingperformed in your honour. You aregarlanded with a chain of fragrantblooms and your forehead smearedwith kumkum, before a small-brightflame is circled in front of you to wardoff all evil that has attached itself toyou through the journey.

Once cleansed, you are escorted tothe library and lounge area, where aZen-like energy pervades. If you’dasked for a meal as you arrived, andwe recommend you do, in no time,once washed and changed, you are

welcomed into the dining room andserved a meal that will stay with youas one of the best memories from thisall-indulgent quick getaway.

We arrived at night and so after ascrumptious dinner with a pure-vege-tarian set-menu presented and cookedto perfection, we retired. The food wasnourishing — home-grown vegetables,cooked in mild spices and oils pairedwith warm broths, crunchy salads anddesserts that herald the finesse ofhealthy Indian cooking. This was culi-nary heaven.

Day 1After a night of sound sleep, we wokeup to loud bird-calls and a cool breeze-caressing the whole 25acre property.Our room opened out into the all-weather infinity pool with four roomsaround it. The glistening clear waterwas tempting, but had to be painfully

ignored as other appointments crowd-ed our schedule. First up, an introduc-tory class in yoga!

We are yoga virgins and have nevereven thought of assuming those pos-tures and poses at any point in ourlives. Shreyas Retreat, a property un-der the Relais & Chateaux group is,however, being marketed as a whole-some wellness resort and a yoga resortand this claim rings loud in every ac-tivity that the resort organises and of-fers. All employees in the resort prac-tice yoga and every morning, one getsto indulge in a display of the yoga ses-sion at the open air practice space —beautiful and energising. We were ob-viously invited to a session and nowproudly stand as young yoga novices.If you are however already into yoga,

then you’ve found your dream destina-tion as the staff and trainers at the re-sort will work out a session suited toyour needs.

Yoga done, we moved onto the nextmust-do, the meditation. Several struc-tures have been built around the prop-erty, where one can indulge in somepeaceful, quiet and insightful medita-tion. The general silence and serenityon the property only adds to the expe-rience. The resort also organises med-itation walks — an indulgence youmust give into.

Stretched and calmed in the mind,the only thing left was a massage andwhile Shreyas offers you a wholerange of massages, facials and com-bined therapies, the ayurvedic mas-sages are administered only after a

thorough check-up, where the besttreatment is ascertained for the client.We, therefore, decided to go in for a Ba-linese full-body massage followed byan hour-long steam and the effect wassimply mind-blowing. Following thatup with a home-theatre experience,watching a favourite, seemed the bestway to end the day.

Day 2Day two began with a walk in thesprawling gardens on one end of theproperty, followed by a breakfastserved in one of the many thatchedtree-houses located convenientlyacross the property. Sit back, relax onthe mattresses and cushions, read abook or watch a train go by — this isthe life. The breeze is constant in areas

T hisT his

Straight out of afantasy, this yogaand health resorttucked away on theoutskirts ofNelamangala,45km away fromBangalore —Shreyas Retreatis the perfectdestination for thatwholesomerelaxation getaway— for the mind, thesoul and the body

Other healthresortsSSOOUUKKYYAA — an InternationalHolistic Centre and Resort,Soukya Road,Samethanahalli, WhitefieldCCaallll 28017000 or visitwwwwww..ssoouukkyyaa..ccoommAAYYUURRVVEEDDAAGGRRAAMM — Heritage Wellness Centre,Hemandanahalli,Samethanahalli Post,WhitefieldCCaallll 65651090 or visitwwwwww..aayyuurrvveeddaaggrraamm..ccoomm

soothing sanctuarysoothing sanctuary

Pics: Sanjay MD

GREEN AND BEAUTIFUL:The 25acre property that

makes up Shreyas Retreat is a haven for

green-lovers

A scene from the Ramayana The meditation hall

The performance theatre Beach chairs lined-up

The ayurvedic massage centreA yoga session in progress

A pool of lilies

The welcome

The yoga session hall

The ambient garden

A home-grown greek salad

A double bedroom suite

A view of the pool

6epaper.dnaindia.com

Bangalore, Friday, August 3, 2012SEEBUYDOGO+