Shankara Ayurveda Spa At The Art Of Living Retreat Center

Live with Purpose, Joy and Confidence

The practice of Sahaj Samadhi brings all of these qualities into our daily experience, resulting in increased energy, clarity, and most importantly, deep inner peace.

Meditation can be learned by anyone, regardless of culture or background. You do not have to be Chinese to eat Chinese food, and similarly you do not need to follow any creed or religion to find a calm and happy mind through meditation.

When the mind races, how do you catch it? When we run after the mind, often it runs faster. The mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy. When the mind is at calm and at ease, it is helpful and productive. When the mind is troubled, even in the most beautiful place with the best conditions, it can be miserable.

We support you on your yoga retreat with nourishing, tasty food, some of it sourced right from our organic garden. Our chef Raju focuses on making your food taste right and feel light afterwards so that you can continue your practice with ease.

Trained instructors are here to assist you every step of the way. Immersed in the practice of meditation, they are skilled in sharing concrete techniques that have proven to generate meditative states without much effort.

Often, we work so much and then just fall asleep to work again the next morning. Where is real rest? Meditation provides just that – real rest. The rest we find in meditation is deeper than sleep. In meditation, our consciousness is both aware and relaxed at the same time.

Just like playing the flute or cooking, meditation is a skill that can be learnt. It is the art of allowing our mind to rest deeply. Unlike playing the flute, it odes not take a long time to learn and delivers profound results rather quickly – peace of mind, the ability to let go of the past, and more ease in difficult situations.

The Panchakarma retreat, which includes gentle yoga, diet, and specialized treatments, helps the body remove toxins. Our age-old, time-tested Panchakarma treatment methods help you revitalize so that regardless of how you’ve been feeling, you can quickly bounce back to balance with a cleanse that is so powerful that it has recommended as the seasonal cleanse for year-round health for ages.

Restore Yourself with Ayurvedic Living , Revive Your Energy and Serenity , Rediscover Your Wellness , Time-tested, authentic Panchakarma treatment for health and happiness, regardless of age

Black Bean Salad

Rosemary Polenta Cakes

Braised Zucchini

House Salad

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Greens from our Garden

Braised Parsnips

Pumpkin Soup

Bean and Lentil Cakes with Fresh Fennel and Cranberry Compote

Waldorf Salad

Honey-Dill Glazed Carrots

Chickpea Stew

House Salad

Zucchini Soup

Avocado and Couscous Salad

Apple and Potato Bisque with Fennel Compote

Warm Tuscan Bread Salad with Sundried Tomato Pesto & Parmesan

Apple & Potato Bisque with Fennel Compote

Sauted Mixed Vegetables

Warm Tuscan Bread Salad with Sundried Tomato Pesto and Parmesan

Coconut Mango Rice with Cilantro & Fennel & Raisin Compote

Coconut Mango Rice with Cilantro and Fennel and Raisin Compote

Salad Bar

House Salad

Mung Bean and Rice Pilaf

Roasted Roots Salad with Apple

Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Kale and Orzo Salad

Sweet Potato and Sage Soup

Semolina Cakes with Apple Mint Chutney and Mango SaUce

Hummus & Tabbouleh with Pita Chips

Hummus and Tabbouleh with Pita Chips

Northern Rosemary White Bean Soup

Brazed Cabbage

2 night Stay in Spa Room, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 2 Spa Treatment (50-60 min each), Daily Progressive Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

2 night Stay in Spa Hotel Room, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, Couples massage treatment, Daily Progressive Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

2 night stay in Spa Room, Daily healthy and delicious meals provided, 1 spa treatment per person (50-60 min each), Daily progressive meditation and yoga, Free wifi

2 night Stay in Spa Room, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 1 Spa Treatment per Person (50-60min each), Daily Progressive Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

2 night stay in Spa room, Daily healthy and delicious meals provided, 2 pottery classes, 1 spa treatment per person (50-60 min each), Free wifi

3 nights and 4 days in Spa room, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 5 Ayurveda Treatments, customized to your needs, Daily Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

3 nights & 4 days in Spa room, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 5 Ayurveda Treatments, customized to your needs, Daily Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

8 nights & 9 days, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 3 Ayurveda Treatments, customized to your needs, Daily Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

8 nights and 9 days, Daily Healthy and Delicious Meals Provided, 3 Ayurveda Treatments, customized to your needs, Daily Meditation and Yoga, Free Wi-Fi

Eyebrow Waxing

A deeper, pressured massage that focuses on muscle pain and tension. 

Everyone’s skin is different. For that reason, we customize all of our facial treatments for your skin type, using our signature Shankara product line.

A light-to-medium massage that works to alleviate stress and minor pain. 

Stiff joints are bathed in warm medicated oil. This treatment also includes a massage to the affected area. *Katti Basti – Lower Back Choose from the following:*Greeva Basti – Neck and Shoulders*Janu Basti – Knees

Karna Purna is the exquisite process of treating the ear by introducing warm sesame oil gently and slowly into the ear canal. This treatment is an effective way of calming the nervous system and is highly recommended to help settle the nervous system after traveling.

Nasal therapy is a traditional and very effective way of cleansing and clearing the airways and sinus cavities. The process of administering medicated oils into the nasal cavity relieves Kapha and excess Vata in the head and neck areas.   Highly recommended for headaches, allergies, and other head, neck, ear, and throat problems. 

Assisted stretching and massage combine in one of the most relaxing and therapeutic massages ever created.

Gain insights into your health and personal constitution from the perspective of the ancient science of Ayurveda. The consultation includes a pulse assessment, a non-invasive, precise method of analysis.

A delightful combination of exfoliation, moisturizing, and massage for your hands and feet followed by an energizing scalp massage to replenish you physically and emotionally.

One of the world’s oldest massage therapy techniques, warm oil is rhythmically massaged into your body, loosening toxins, relaxing the nervous system, and providing profound rest, nourishment, and rejuvenation.

Regarded by Sri Sri as the most restorative treatment for the body and mind, Marma stimulates specific energy points that rejuvenate the vital organs of the body, settle the nervous system, and pacify the doshas. The Marma facial treatment is included.

Netra Tarpana is the act of bathing the eyes in ghee (clarified butter). It nourishes, strengthens, and helps to detoxify the eyes – relieving tiredness, excess fiery emotions, and improving eyesight. It is highly recommended for people who regularly work on computers, operate machinery, drive for long periods, or anyone who is currently suffering from tired, aching, and sore eyes. 

Herbal powders are massaged into the body, increasing circulation and revitalizing the skin. This invigorating full-body treatment leaves the skin glowing, and supports overall detoxification.

Because of the profound effects it has upon the consciousness, it has often been called “Bliss Therapy.” Shirodhara is a continuous pouring of warm oil in a slow steady stream on the forehead that helps to pacify the subtle aspects of the doshas: nourishing the nervous system, promoting relaxation and tranquility, and improving mental clarity and comprehension. When done in a series, it can help with various neurological and mental imbalances as well. Its benefits are greatly enhanced if they follow a therapeutic massage or Abhyanga, when the body is already relaxed and in a very receptive state. 

This is an ancient practice in which hot basalt stones are placed on core centers of your body for a deep massage that promotes healing and longevity by releasing tension and connecting the flow of prana (vital energy) throughout the body. This balances the physical body, stimulating the circulatory system, softening muscles, helping to release toxins, and relieving pain and muscle spasms. And, it also affects the subtler, emotional body, inducing a state of deep relaxation. 

Combine the Abhyanga and Shirodhara treatments for deeper relaxation.

We support you on your yoga retreat vacation with nourishing, tasty food, some of it sourced right from our organic garden. Our chef Raju focuses on making your food taste right and feel light afterwards so that you can continue your practice with ease.

People come for yoga retreat vacations to restore balance; to energize their lives; to deepen their practice; or even to begin a new practice.

Expert faculty trained in their discipline draw many practitioners to the yoga retreats. The land itself is an attraction. We are situated on 380 acres of forest on top of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. The silence and view are breath-taking. Witnessing all the natural beauty that surrounds the yoga retreat center, you can easily fall into rhythm with nature.