15 Day Elemental Yoga and Dance Retreat in Embogama, Sri Lanka
Wellness Retreat in Sri Lanka
Have an adventure of a lifetime! Journeying to the jungles of remote Sri Lanka, experience the magic of Ulpotha. It is the perfect place to reconnect with nature at it's best: monkeys playing happily in the trees on the way to the earthen yoga shala, countless birds in flight and song, endless music from frogs and cicadas to lull you to sleep after daily yoga, dance, meditation, and massage, or trips to some of the fascinating sites of Sri Lanka. It will truly be an unforgettable experience in an ancient landscape!
Meet the instructors
Highlights
- Pranayama - ancient breathing practices to calm your overstimulated minds
- Asana - the practice of specific yoga postures to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body
- Meditation - to expand your awareness and cultivate loving compassion for yourself and others
- Dance - to bring celebration, joy, and community connection
- Kirtan songs, another huge limb of Bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion
- Yin and Restorative yoga sessions
- Nurture, rejuvenate, and release your nervous system from unnecessary tension
- 14 nights accommodation with a yoga-friendly breakfast and two sumptuous vegetarian meals
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Yoga styles
14 days with instruction in English
Accommodation
There are 11 charming adobe guest huts at Ulpotha, all of which are built using traditional wattle and daub, with comfortable beds, voluminous mosquito nets, cupboards, fresh water, and towels, and they will offer you a sarong to wear and take home.
Open and airy by design, the huts will offer you coziness and protection whilst being at one with nature. Each hut is hand-painted twice a year using natural colored clays. Much use has been made of clay, stone, wood, pottery, and fabrics that reflect traditional village practices and aesthetics.
With one or two exceptions, Ulpotha adheres to the Sri Lankan village tradition of keeping toilet / loo spaces separate from living spaces. The enchanting showers are open to the stars, and the toilets are comfortable and modern.
All the huts at Ulpotha are allocated on a twin share basis.
Program
Malaika’s Elemental Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda (ISHTA) yoga classes will provide a blend of ancient and contemporary teachings to cater to your individual needs.
Focusing on flow, alignment, body awareness, and expansion to cultivate grace, she will encourage you to respect and listen to your own body using a holistic approach to yoga as a way of being. Her teachings are suitable for beginners and intermediate levels, and dance will be a crucial part of this workshop.
What to expect
Together with Ulpotha's amazingly friendly staff and optional daily Ayurvedic treatments, massages, and hikes into the surrounding mountains, this promises to be the reset you need to return happily and rested to your everyday life. It will help you face any challenges with greater lightness of being, armed with practical tools to maintain a more fluid body. After all, humans are 85% water!
Malaika offers Elemental ISHTA yoga, a flowing practice that draws from Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda. The first week will explore yoga through the five elements, while the second week will focus on chakras.
Every other afternoon, you will join her 5Elements Dance Activation, which are free, ecstatic dance sessions that embody yoga philosophy in movement. Classes will also include pranayama, meditation, and visualization, creating a balance between strength, alignment, and spiritual connection. This retreat will be joyful, grounding, and suitable for all levels.
- Asana to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body
- Dance to reconnect the mind, body, and spirit
- Meditation to celebrate the gift of life!
A typical day at Ulpotha:
- 07:00 - 07:30: Tea and fruit
- 07:30 - 09:00: Yoga
- 09:00 - 09:30: Breakfast
- 09:45 - 12:30: Massages / Ayurveda / swimming / relaxing
- 12:30 - 13:30: Lunch
- 14:00 - 16:00: Massages / Ayurveda / swimming / relaxing
- 16:00 - 17:00: Tea and snacks
- 17:00 - 18:30 Yoga / meditation / sunset walks
- 19:00 - 20:00: Dinner
Instructors
Malaika MaVeena Darville
Malaika dedicated herself to create sacred space in ritual and ceremony to help restoring balance to people's distorted civilized culture. She is a qualified ISHTA yoga teacher, water dance practitioner, African dance performer and teacher, as well as the creator of 5 Elements Dance Activation—a shamanic dynamic meditation dance journey embodying the five cardinal elements namely earth, water, fire, air, and spirit. She has been facilitating groups for more than 25 years in India, Australia, Africa, China, USA, Costa Rica, Europe, and Egypt.
Eva Thomas
Ever since Eva was a young girl, growing up in Germany, she was utterly passionate about movement and dancing. She danced not just with her body but with her whole spirit and became interested in traditional healing methods from a young age. Through her love of helping people to heal themselves she completed all 7 levels of Ka Huna massage and bodywork training at High Spirits Institute in Australia and has been working as a Ka Huna body worker since 2010. She has established various massage sanctuaries in Australia and Germany and now works from her home in Mullumbimby.
Retreat location
Ulpotha is designed in a traditional Sri Lankan village from 2,500 years ago, complete with an Ayurvedic clinic in the center of the village, and all the food is grown organically around the surrounding area, including the endangered local red rice. It is a place where time stands still, allowing you to drop the stress of everyday life and go deep within while connecting to nature, culture, and each other.
These Elemental Yoga Retreats to be held at Ulpotha will truly be an unforgettable experience.
This Yoga Retreat is vegetarian-friendly
Click to see more vegetarian-friendly Yoga Retreats
Food
Included per day are a yoga-friendly breakfast and two sumptuous vegetarian meals, plus snacks, juices, and teas.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
Things to do (optional)
Pick-up transfer
Ulpotha will meet you at the airport / Colombo, or anywhere else in Sri Lanka you wish to (inquire for rates). Should there be other guests arriving from the same town at the same time, they will split the cost of the vehicle and offer you a credit to use at their shop or for extra massages.
If not prepaid, the transfer cost should be paid on arrival to Nirosha at Ulpotha. There are three variants available.
Drop-off transfer
Ulpotha will drop you off at the airport / Colombo, or anywhere else in Sri Lanka you wish to (inquire for rates). Should there be other guests leaving at the same time and heading to the same destination, they will split the cost of the vehicle and offer you a credit to use at their shop or for extra massages.
If not prepaid, the transfer cost should be paid on arrival to Nirosha at Ulpotha. There are three variants available.
Spa treatments
Indulge in a free massage per week from one of the visiting therapists (included in the price).
Additional massages
Ayurveda treatments - three days - Santhushti (happiness) - from 250 USD / person
Have a soothing Ayurvedic treatment designed to uplift your mood, calm the mind, and restore emotional balance. Gentle oils and rhythmic strokes help dissolve tension, leaving you with a deep sense of ease, lightness, and inner happiness.
Ayurveda treatments - five days - Ashinsanaya (benediction) - from 375 USD / person
This will be nurturing, blessing-like therapy that will reconnect you with a feeling of grace and protection. Using traditional herbal oils, this treatment will support healing, renewal, and a soft, peaceful state of being - like receiving a quiet benediction for the body and spirit.
Ayurveda treatments - seven days - Sanasuma (satisfaction) - from 500 USD / person
This will be a grounding and deeply comforting treatment focused on releasing stress while enhancing overall well-being. Warm herbal oils melt away physical and mental strain, inviting a rich sense of contentment and complete satisfaction throughout the body.
Ayurveda treatments - 10 days - Namskaraya (salutation) - from 750 USD / person
This will be revitalizing Ayurvedic experience that honors the body through cleansing strokes and harmonizing oils. This treatment will restore flow, boost circulation, and leave you feeling refreshed, balanced, and ready to greet life with clarity and strength.
What's included
- Yoga classes twice daily (no yoga on Thursday afternoons and Sunday mornings)
- Indulge in a free massage per week from one of the visiting therapists
- Transport for one excursion (half or full day) per week to nearby cultural heritage sites (entrance fees not included)
- 14 nights accommodation on a twin-sharing basis in comfortable, beautifully designed adobe huts open to the surrounding nature
- A yoga-friendly breakfast and two sumptuous vegetarian meals, plus snacks, juices, and teas
What's not included
- Airfare
- Airport transfers
- Entrance fees to cultural heritage sites
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Transfer not provided
Bandaranaike International Airport
82 km away from your destination
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
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