Review: Returning to Myself at Six Senses Vana: A Retreat Where Silence Becomes Healing

Six Senses Vana is not a place you visit; it is a place you surrender to. Nestled in the quiet embrace of Dehradun’s forests, the retreat feels like stepping out of the world and into a sanctuary shaped by ancient wisdom, stillness, and a kind of human warmth that is rare today. I went to Vana with one intention — to switch off, but what I found was far more profound.

The moment you arrive, the phone is tucked away and time slows instantly. You begin to breathe differently. Without screens, without noise, the mind settles like calm water. What surprised me even more was the people who hold this space together. Every team member, no matter where you meet them, at the wellness center, the dining area, or a quiet pathway knows your name. They greet you with a soft, sincere “Namaste”, palms pressed gently at their heart, treating you not as a guest but as a soul they recognise. It is grounding in a way that no luxury service can ever replicate.

Vana attracts a unique community — people who return multiple times a year because this is their sanctuary, their reset button, their safe space. At community tables, where meals feel almost like rituals, you hear stories of what brought each person here: burnout, healing, curiosity, heartbreak, reinvention. Conversations unfold slowly, honestly, without performance. And perhaps the most liberating aspect of Vana is how completely it dissolves the superficial. Everyone wears the same simple, soft Vana attire; everyone walks around with herbal oils in their hair after treatments; no one cares what you look like, what you’re wearing, or where you’re from. There is no comparison, no judgement, no visual hierarchy — just people arriving as equals, shedding layers they didn’t even know they were carrying. In that equality, connection becomes effortless.

The therapies themselves form a kind of inner pilgrimage. A Swedish massage opens the body gently, calming the nervous system and preparing it for deeper work. Ekanga Patra Pinda Svedana with Kaiuzhichil wraps you in warm herbal compresses dipped in medicated oils, pressed along vital marma points until tension dissolves and the body feels grounded and held. Tibetan healing follows with Ku Nye and Drugso — rhythmic strokes, herbal oils, and warm compresses working through physical blockages and emotional residue, leaving you lighter in ways you can’t fully articulate. Sound healing becomes a moment of surrender as singing bowls, gongs, and bells send vibrations through your body like waves of release, balancing what words cannot reach. The 24K Gold Facial surprises you with how emotionally uplifting it is — a ritual that brightens not just the skin but the spirit. And then comes Five Elements Acupuncture, a quiet, precise recalibration of your inner alignment, using points chosen to balance energy, immunity, and emotional flow. You leave each therapy not just relaxed, but reorganised from within.

A significant part of Vana’s healing also lies in its culinary philosophy, which is as intentional as its therapies. During the day, lunch is served buffet-style, but not in the indulgent way we associate with hotel dining. Vana follows strict wellness principles — they do not let you mix certain proteins, ensuring the body digests food optimally. Everything is balanced, thoughtful, prepared with minimal salt, and rooted in the understanding that food should energise, not overwhelm. You are given herbal teas recommended specifically for you by Dr. Jaya — blends that support digestion, sleep, detoxification, or hormonal balance depending on your needs.

At night, dinner shifts to an elegant à la carte experience where you can choose from a menu that changes daily. And the best part: not a single dish repeats for an entire month. Every evening feels like a new exploration of mindful cuisine, flavours that are subtle yet deeply satisfying. The retreat also grows a large portion of its own produce, ensuring everything you eat is fresh, seasonal, nutritious, and directly connected to the land around you.

The cooking and learning sessions add another layer to the experience — workshops on the art of healthy snacking, crafting bread through slow fermentation, making dough for fresh pasta, and learning the purity of cleansing juices. These sessions are less about recipes and more about relationships — with food, with nourishment, with intention. They teach you simplicity. They teach you respect for ingredients. They teach you that mindful cooking can be a form of meditation.

Days at Vana flow in a rhythm that feels like nature itself — yoga at sunrise, mindful walks, meditative silences, workshops on healing foods, classical music sessions, and conversations that gently deepen your self-awareness. Meals are nutritious, seasonal, intentional. Nights are quiet, star-filled, grounding. And through it all, something inside you starts to soften. Vana slowly removes the weight of your usual life, layer by layer, until you meet a version of yourself you had forgotten existed — calm, present, unguarded.

When it was time to leave, I was extremely overwhelmed and I didn’t want to return to the to noise, to screens, to the rush of living. Vana had held me so gently that stepping out felt like leaving a dream I wasn’t ready to wake up from. But that, perhaps, is its greatest gift: it reminds you of who you are beneath the noise. It teaches you a new way of being — slower, kinder, clearer — and that memory stays with you long after you’ve left its gates.

A memory of peace you can return to whenever the world becomes too loud. Six Senses Vana is not just a retreat. It is a homecoming — one that stays with you long after you leave, whispering you back whenever you forget to slow down.

_{Also Read:
Review: This new resort in Udaipur brings a contemporary flair to Rajasthani design
Sleep Vacations in India: Here’s Why Travellers Are Choosing Sleep Retreats in Search for Good Sleep
Silent Meditation Retreats: A Journey into the Stillness of Mind and Clarity of thought}