Yoga · History · 9 min
A Short History of Yoga: From Patanjali to the United Nations
How a set of Indian practices travelled from ancient texts and ashrams to a UN day, a UNESCO listing and a world record on Rajpath.
Inner Journeys
Yoga, meditation and wellness, where they began.
Practical, sourced guides to the practices India gave the world, and to the places where you can learn them without the marketing gloss.
Yoga
Where the practice comes from, how to choose a teacher or ashram, and what a first class or a first month really involves.
Yoga · Mysuru · 8 min
Ashtanga Yoga in Mysuru: How Mysore-Style Practice Works
What Mysore-style Ashtanga actually is, how the Mysuru institute grew, and what to check before planning a month of practice there.
Yoga · Field guide · 8 min
How to Choose a Yoga Retreat in India
Ashram, studio retreat or teacher training? A practical guide to matching the setting, the teacher and the schedule to what you actually want.
Yoga · Rishikesh · 8 min
Yoga in Rishikesh: A First-Timer's Guide
What to expect from ashrams, classes and the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh, and how to avoid the tourist-trap version.
Yoga · Explainer · 9 min
Yoga Styles Explained: Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Yin and More
A plain-language guide to the main yoga styles, where each comes from, who it suits and what to be careful about.
Meditation
Vipassana, silent retreats and the research on what meditation does and does not do, with the places in India to learn it.
Meditation · Research · 8 min
Does Meditation Work for Anxiety and Depression? What the Research Says
A landmark review of 47 trials found moderate evidence of small to moderate benefits for anxiety, depression and pain, but no edge over other treatments.
Meditation · Field guide · 8 min
Silent Retreats in India: What to Expect and Who Should Skip Them
How silent retreats work in India, how to prepare, what the days feel like and the people who should talk to a professional first.
Meditation · Explainer · 9 min
Types of Meditation Compared: Vipassana, Zen, TM and Mindfulness
What you actually do in each major style of meditation, how long it takes, who teaches it and which suits which person.
Meditation · Explainer · 9 min
What Is Vipassana? The 10-Day Course, Explained
What Vipassana means, how the standard 10-day silent course is structured day by day, and who it suits.
Meditation · Places · 9 min
Where to Meditate in India: Eight Places, by Tradition
Bodh Gaya, Igatpuri, Dharamshala, Rishikesh and four more places, grouped by tradition, with what each is known for and who it suits.
Wellness
Breathing, Ayurveda, mental health and the business of wellness travel, covered with sources and plain safety notes.
Wellness · Field guide · 8 min
Ashram Stay in India: Etiquette Rules and a Packing List
What is expected of guests at an Indian ashram, from dress and silence to seva and donations, and what to pack for a simple, early-rising week.
Wellness · Kerala · 9 min
Ayurveda in Kerala: What to Ask Before You Book a Panchakarma Stay
How Kerala's Ayurveda stays work, what Panchakarma involves, how the state classifies centres and the questions that separate good clinics from spa-style packages.
Wellness · Data · 7 min
India's Wellness Travel Boom: What the Numbers Show
Global wellness trips reached 819 million in 2022 and most were domestic. What the Global Wellness Institute's figures say, and what they cannot tell you about India.
Wellness · Explainer · 8 min
Mental Health and Retreats: What a Week Away Can and Cannot Do
About one in ten Indian adults had a mental disorder in the national survey, and most were untreated. What yoga and meditation retreats can offer, and where they stop.
Wellness · Breathwork · 9 min
Pranayama for Beginners: Five Techniques and Who Should Avoid Them
Five gentle breathing practices from the yoga tradition, how to do them, how long to practise and the people who should check with a doctor first.
By the numbers
What the evidence says, and what it does not.
Every figure comes from a published source that we link in the story. Where the evidence is thin, we say so.
47
randomised trials in a landmark meditation review
3,515 participants, JAMA Internal Medicine
88%
of the world's wellness trips in 2022 were domestic
819.4 million trips in all
35,985
people in one yoga session at Rajpath on the first International Day of Yoga
84 nationalities; 20% above the previous record
How we cover this
Reported, sourced and careful with health claims.
- We cite the study, the survey or the institution behind every claim, and we say how strong the evidence is.
- These guides are journalism, not medical advice. Stories that touch the body or the mind carry a health note.
- We credit the traditions and teachers a practice comes from, and we avoid promising cures.
- Psychedelic and plant-medicine retreats are outside our scope.
- Spotted a mistake? Every story has a corrections form and a dated corrections log. Start withthe history of yoga.