Milky Way Dorm
Women only · 4 beds · outside washroom for this dorm only
₹47,000per bed
A Residential Yoga Retreat
The Slow Winter
A six-night residential retreat at The Lazy and Slow, Jana, Himachal Pradesh. We open under the Geminids and close in the longest nights of the year.
December 13 to 19, 2026
Booking open · 12 seats
The Retreat
Six nights in the mountains, in the quietest month of the year.
Every morning begins with yoga. Evening yoga and meditation are led by Yashashree Kale. The hours between belong to the fire, the forest, the sauna and the cold.
Your stay, set-menu meals and scheduled sessions are included.
Opening night · December 13
We begin under the Geminids.
The strongest meteor shower of the year peaks the night we arrive. Blankets and kahwa on the terrace after dinner. Clear skies willing.
Your Facilitator
Yashashree Kale
@hipsteryasha
Yashashree has taught yoga for over seven years, trained in Sivananda's classical hatha tradition, and also teaches vinyasa, yin and Animal Flow. She keeps her groups small. That is where the real connection happens, and the bonds formed on a retreat like this one tend to last.
She is vegan and a devoted lover of animals; she co-founded Guardian of the Purr, a pet-sitting company for cats, dogs and every creature that deserves good care. Keeping this retreat vegan is personal to her. Everyone is welcome, but if you are vegan, this one is truly yours.
Hope to see you there.
The Itinerary
A week, with room to breathe.
Indicative. Days may shuffle with mountain weather.
Day 1
Sun Dec 13
Arrivals from 2 pm. Settle in by the stove. Evening pranayama and upper body release. Welcome dinner at the long table, then the terrace in blankets for the Geminids.
Day 2
Mon Dec 14
Morning yoga. Candle making with soy wax, pine and cedar from around the property. Sauna and cold plunge through the afternoon. After dinner, a cacao ceremony with creative writing, ending with a letter to yourself, sealed until the last night.
Day 3
Tue Dec 15
Morning hike through the deodar forest with a picnic lunch on the trail. A free afternoon, or the optional trip down to Naggar for the castle and the Roerich gallery (at cost). Evening meditation.
Day 4
Wed Dec 16
Morning yoga. A painting afternoon by the long windows, no skill needed. Evening trataka by candlelight. Candlelit dinner.
Day 5
Thu Dec 17
Morning yoga. If the roads are open, an afternoon safari, an open-vehicle ride higher up the valley. Evening meditation, and the terrace left free for stargazing.
Day 6
Fri Dec 18
Morning yoga. Himachali cooking class. Closing circle and a farewell Himachali Dham. Then the longest night: the fire release ritual around the bonfire closes the retreat, with the candles you made lit and your letters opened.
Day 7
Sat Dec 19
Closing yoga. A slow brunch. Checkout by 11 am.
Every morning begins here.
Day Six · The Longest Night
Light, in the darkest week of the year.
Three nights before the solstice, the retreat closes with the fire release ritual around the bonfire. The candles you made are lit and the letters are opened. It is the last thing we do together.
By Hand
Candles one day, paint the next.
Candles poured with soy wax, pine and cedar from around the property, and a painting afternoon by the long windows.
No skill needed. Everything you make goes home with you.
Cacao and creative writing
On Day 2, the cacao ceremony is paired with creative writing. We end with a letter to yourself, sealed until the last night.
Wood-Fired Sauna
Heat, while the valley freezes.
Sessions run through the afternoons. Cedar warmth and a window full of forest, used at your own gentle pace.
The Cold Plunge
In December, the water is close to ice.
Step out of the sauna and into the stone pool on the orchard terrace. Take it, or don't. The afternoon is yours.
Under the Stars
On clear evenings, stay outside a little longer.
On Day Five, evening meditation is followed by a terrace left free for stargazing.
The Forest
A morning through the deodar, lunch on the trail.
Curated hikes lead out from the property into the cedar forest. Unhurried, with a picnic carried along.
Days out
Naggar is optional, at cost. A short drive down the valley to the old castle and the Roerich gallery.
The safari is an open-vehicle ride higher up the valley, when the roads are open.
We can't promise snow. If it comes, it changes everything. If it doesn't, the valley is still at its quietest.
The Long Table
Every meal, gathered at one table.
Three plant-based meals a day, plus chai, coffee, kahwa and fresh juices. A set vegan menu of home cooking, eaten together.
On the last evening, a farewell Himachali Dham before the closing fire release ritual.
The Fire
The fire release ritual, on the last night.
At The Slow Harvest this was the night that broke people open. Strangers around a fire, writing down what they are ready to put down, and letting it burn. This time, it is how the retreat ends.
The Stay
Twelve guests, one property.
This edition is capped at twelve. Two dormitories and three private rooms, handcrafted in the local kath-kuni style of stone and timber.
Every room and dorm has its own dedicated private washroom, never shared with another room or dorm. Twilight Room and Sunflower Dorm have attached indoor washrooms. Moonhouse, Sunroom and Milky Way Dorm have private washrooms outside their rooms.
For December, every bed is heated and every room has a heater. The outside washrooms are a short walk under the trees, on purpose.
In December, keep a warm layer by the door.
The Stay
The Dormitories
A bed of your own in good company. Prices are per person for six nights, all-inclusive.
Sunflower Dorm
6 beds · attached indoor washroom exclusively for this dorm
₹50,000per bed
The Stay
The Private Rooms
Three timber rooms, each with a double bed, a heated bed and its own view of the forest.
Moonhouse
A-frame · private balcony
Private washroom outside
Sunroom
Corner windows · morning light
Private washroom outside
Twilight Room
Kath-kuni stone and timber
Attached private indoor washroom
Tariff · Per Person, Six Nights, All-Inclusive
Moonhouse or Sunroom, two sharing
Private washroom outside
₹57,000
Twilight Room, two sharing
Attached private indoor washroom
₹60,000
Single occupancy
Private washroom outside
₹80,000
Single occupancy, Twilight
Attached private indoor washroom
₹85,000
What's Included
The week, taken care of.
Included
- Six nights with heated beds and room heaters
- Three plant-based meals a day plus chai, coffee, kahwa and fresh juices
- Daily yoga and meditation with Yashashree, plus pranayama and upper body release, the cacao ceremony with creative writing, trataka, and the closing fire release ritual
- Candle making and painting with materials
- Himachali cooking class
- Farewell Himachali Dham
- Forest hikes
- Safari, roads permitting
- Sauna and cold plunge
- Geminids night and stargazing
- All taxes
Not included
- Travel to Jana
- The Naggar trip, optional and at cost
- Personal expenses
- Medical costs
- Alcohol
- Food or drinks outside the set menu
Getting Here
The last stretch, into the mountains.
The Lazy and Slow sits in Jana village, above Naggar in the Kullu valley.
By air
Bhuntar Airport (Kullu), roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by road, depending on conditions.
By road
Overnight Volvo from Delhi or Chandigarh toward Manali. Alight at Patlikuhl, then a 40-minute taxi via Naggar.
We're happy to help arrange a taxi from Bhuntar or Patlikuhl. Write to us after booking.
In December, snow can slow the roads and the walk up. We share a winter arrival plan with every guest after booking.
Terms & Conditions
Before you reserve your seat.
- A seat is held with a 50% advance. The balance is due by November 20, 2026.
- Full refund if you cancel within 7 days of booking. After those 7 days, there is no refund.
- The retreat runs at a minimum group size. If we cancel, you get a full refund.
- Travel is each guest's responsibility.
- All levels welcome. Tell us about injuries, medical conditions or pregnancy in advance. Jana is at about 7,200 feet and December nights go below freezing.
- Sauna and cold plunge at your own discretion. Skip them with heart or blood pressure conditions.
- Outdoor activities, the safari and stargazing depend on weather. Snow is never guaranteed.
- Set plant-based menu. Tell us about dietary needs before booking.
- Quiet hours after 10:30 pm.
- Guests take part at their own risk.
From the last retreat
The Slow Harvest, in moments.
Tap a photo to look a little closer.
What guests said
Words from The Slow Harvest.
“It's my third day and I am still looking at the pictures from the past week. I am missing myself the most.”
“I came not expecting much, except maybe a space to breath and just be. I came back missing all of it, missing the big table, all of you while eating dinner by myself tonight. My jacket still smells of the bonfire, the smoke, the sunset, a little bit of Jana.”
“We may have come together as strangers, but we're leaving with a little piece of each other.”
Mine, the queen of The Lazy and Slow.