SWAN AYURVED · ASSAGAO, Goa

Ayurveda & Panchakarma
as it is

A residential Ayurveda RETREAT CENTER built around the classical and traditional methods of creating a space for healing and rejuvenation. Supported with traditional classical hatha yoga held alongside as the rythm of the day. A residental retreat center run on the princpals of an ashram where healing and learning is supported by the envrionment. The founders are the teachers. The day itself is the practice the practice is its own authority. What we offer is what was passed to us examined, kept whole, kept honest.

Founder-led
Resident Teachers, Therapists and Doctors
Assagao, Goa · Since 2012

Five millennia of practice.
Who would presume to revise it?

We do not change it, We do not rearrange it.
We hand it to you, the way it was handed to us.
The kitchen, the oils, the hands  Ayurveda practised daily at SWAN औषधि

Made by hand,
made every day.

The food . The oils. The décoctions. The herbal water. This the part of the rituals done daily , quitely, this is not advertised, this is not described it is done, every day, by the people who live on these grounds.The morning starts early, waking up with the sounds of birds, this is how the healing journey begins .

औषधि SWAN AYURVEDA ASSAGAO · GOA
THE WORK AND THE WAY

Ayurveda mends; yoga keeps the pace.

Ayurveda is what we do the diagnosis, the medicines, the treatments, the food. It is the work itself. Yoga is what we live around the work the breath, the silence, the discipline of the day. The two were always meant to run together. Here, we keep the traditional methodes pf healing alive.

THE WORK · OUR PRINCIPAL PRACTICE

Ayurveda आयुर्वेद

The science of life read through the pulse, mended through herbs, food, oils, breath, and the season you happen to be in. The body, set back to its own pace. This is what guests primarily come to us for.

Treats: digestion, immunity, joints, sleep, skin, hormonal imbalance, post-illness recovery etc.
THE WAY · HELD ALONGSIDE

Yoga योग

The discipline that holds the day in place asana, breath, mantras, fire rituals, spiritual singing, stillness woven into the same hours as your treatment. Yoga is taught here in full, but for most guests it is part of how the work is done, not the work itself.

Practices: asana, pranayama, shatkarma, yoga nidra, mantra, kirtan, havan, study.
THE PRINCIPAL WORK प्रधान कर्म

Panchakarma
the long mending.

Five classical actions, prescribed by our physicians and carried out by experienced theapists over fourteen, twenty-one, or twenty-eight days. The oils are prepared, the herbs are measured, the meals are carefully prepared freshas per for your constitution. This is what most guests come to us for and the work we know best.

I.Vamanatherapeutic emesis II.Virechanapurgation III.Bastimedicated enema IV.Nasyanasal therapy V.Raktamokshanablood purification
पञ्चकर्म Doctor-led · Residential
Panchakarma  oils, herbs, and the hands that prepare them पञ्चकर्म

त्रिदोष The three
doshas.

From the five elements arise three governing currents. They run through every breath, every meal, every turn of the year inside you. To see them moving inside yourself is where Ayurveda begins.

I.

Vata

वात Air · Space
Quality
Dry, light, cold, mobile, subtle.The wind that carries everything.
Sites
Colon, hips, ears, bones, nervous system.
In Balance
Creativity, quick perception, joyful vitality.
In Excess
Anxiety, dryness, restlessness, irregular digestion.
II.

Pitta

पित्त Fire · Water
Quality
Hot, sharp, light, penetrating, oily.The fire that transforms.
Sites
Small intestine, liver, blood, skin, eyes.
In Balance
Clarity, courage, focused ambition, strong digestion.
In Excess
Irritability, inflammation, acidity, overheating.
III.

Kapha

कफ Earth · Water
Quality
Heavy, slow, cool, oily, stable.The earth that holds form.
Sites
Lungs, stomach, lymph, joints, immunity.
In Balance
Calm endurance, compassion, strong immunity.
In Excess
Sluggishness, congestion, attachment, weight gain.

What you already know is good enough. From here, the work is only to go more deep to recognise these three movements in your own body, and to live in a way that keeps them in conversation.

पञ्चकोश विवेक The five sheaths.

Ayurveda does not stop at the skin. The seers drew a person in five concentric layers from the food that becomes flesh, inward to the quiet bliss beneath every thought. Scroll inward.

Lord Dhanwantri, the divine physician
Shankhaconch · primordial sound
Chakrawheel · cosmic order
Amritapot of immortality
Aushadhihealing herbs
The Four Sacred Objects Lord Dhanwantri श्री धन्वन्तरि
The Divine Physician

From whom Ayurveda began.

धन्वन्तरि

From the churning of the cosmic ocean Dhanwantri rose, holding the kalasha of amrita the pot of immortality. His arrival marked the beginning of Ayurveda, the science entrusted to heal all beings.

In four hands he bears the four gifts: the conch of primordial sound, the wheel of cosmic order, the pot of nectar, and the living herbs of the earth. These are the four pillars of every healing tradition that followed.

At SWAN, every therapy is offered in remembrance of this lineage. The work is not ours we only keep the door open.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन्वन्तरये
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye
The Healing Invocation · Offered Daily
The Principal Work · Panchakarma at SWAN

Come to mend.

Panchakarma is the principal work at SWAN a long, residential, doctor-led course of healing. Around it run shorter Ayurveda stays, day consultations, and a separate ladder for those who come to study. Most guests arrive to be mended; some return to learn.

The oils, herbs, and hands of Panchakarma पञ्चकर्म
Principal Program
Panchakarma · Therapy

The Panchakarma

पञ्चकर्म

Our principal work. The classical five-action purification, arranged in consultation with our physicians. Two to four weeks of daily therapies, prescribed herbs, prescribed food, prescribed rest with one quiet aim: returning the body to its own intelligence.

Doctor-led · Personalised · Residential
14days
First Step
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21days
Deep Renewal
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28days
Total Reset
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shorter stays

Ayurveda · 1–2 weeks

आयुर्वेद चिकित्सा

Focused Ayurvedic treatment for guests who cannot stay the full Panchakarma course. Prescribed therapies, diet, and rest kept simple, kept honest.

drop in

Day Consultations

परामर्श

A single appointment pulse diagnosis and a written protocol for residents of Goa and for short-stay visitors.

if you wish to study

Ayurveda · Basic Course

आयुर्वेद परिचय

A thirteen-day residential introduction doshas, food, herbs, the basics of treatment and massage. For those with no prior study, and a foundation for those who may go further. Ten seats per course.

for recovery

Therapeutic Yoga

चिकित्सा योग

For guests returning from stress, illness, surgery, or long fatigue. Taught carefully, kept gentle, supervised day to day.

The Order of the Day

The day itself is the practice.

At SWAN, the schedule is the medicine. Each block holds early waking, breath, cleansing, asana, food, study, rest, song. Not a programme. A way of living, kept for you while you are with us.

5:30AM
Brahmamuhurta & Rising
ब्रह्ममुहूर्त
The hour before sunrise the most auspicious time for waking the body.
6:006:45AM
Meditation
7:309:00AM
Asana & Pranayama
आसन · प्राणायाम
Hatha asana sequencing followed by breath regulation.
9:30AM
Sattvic Breakfast
सात्त्विक आहार
Light, warm, easily digested eaten in silence.
10:00AM
Ayurvedic Therapies
चिकित्सा
Abhyanga, Shirodhara, Pizhichil as prescribed by the physician.
11:3012:30PM
Yoga Nidra / Yoga Philosophy / Happiness Analysis
1:00PM
Midday Meal & Rest
मध्याह्न भोजन
The largest meal, taken at the height of digestive fire.
2:00PM
Ayurvedic Therapies
चिकित्सा
Abhyanga, Shirodhara, Pizhichil as prescribed by the physician.
3:305:30PM
Asana & Pranayama
आसन · प्राणायाम
6:30PM
Light Supper & Silence
मौन
Simple food, then silence held until morning practice.
The same schedule is kept whether you stay for one week or three months. Repetition is the teacher.
10
Hours Practice
3
Sattvic Meals
Silence Held
The Therapies

The hands of Ayurveda.

Treatments are prescribed only after a consultation with our physicians. What follows is here for your understanding not as a menu to pick from. Your protocol is written for you.

I.

Abhyanga

अभ्यङ्ग
A full-body warm-oil massage performed by two therapists in synchronised rhythm. Mobilises the lymphatic system and prepares the tissues for deeper therapies.
60 min
II.

Shirodhara

शिरोधारा
A continuous stream of warm medicated oil poured upon the third eye. For deep nervous-system rest, sleep imbalance, and overactive thought.
45 min
III.

Panchakarma

पञ्चकर्म
The full five-action purification vamana, virechana, basti, nasya, raktamokshana. Conducted in stages, over weeks, under physician supervision.
14–28 d
IV.

Navarakizhi

नवरकीझि
Warm boluses of medicated rice rhythmically applied. Nourishes depleted tissues; supports recovery from long illness.
60 min
V.

Nasya

नस्य
Medicated oils delivered through the nasal passage the gateway to the head. For sinus, migraine, and clarity of thought.
30 min
VI.

Marma Chikitsa

मर्म चिकित्सा
Pressure upon the 107 vital points where body, breath, and consciousness meet. The body's own subtle energy, awakened.
75 min
Rare in Goa

Why people Return.

Ayurveda is not a service. Panchakarma is not a package.

They are living traditions that require the right conditions to unfold. Healing is not created by a single treatment, a therapist, or a physician. It emerges from an ecosystem from the people, the place, the rhythms of the day, the food, the practices, and the intention with which they are offered.

For over two decades, SWAN has been quietly cultivating those conditions.

Founded and guided by practitioners of Ayurveda and Yoga, SWAN was created as a place where healing and learning exist side by side. Nestled within the tropical landscape of Goa, it is a space where ancient knowledge is not merely taught, but lived.

I.

A Community of Therapists

The therapists at SWAN are not temporary staff or visiting practitioners. They are part of the living fabric of the retreat. Trained in traditional Ayurvedic therapies and Panchakarma procedures, they work closely with guests throughout their stay, developing a deep understanding of each individual's process. Healing is built through consistency, care, and daily attention qualities that can only arise when practitioner and guest share the journey together

II.

Experienced Ayurvedic Physicians

Every Panchakarma and therapeutic program begins with careful assessment and continues under the guidance of experienced Ayurvedic doctors.

Your constitution, imbalances, lifestyle, health history, and therapeutic response are continuously observed throughout your stay. Treatments are refined as needed, ensuring that Ayurveda remains what it was always intended to be a personalized system of medicine rather than a standardized protocol.

III.

Food as Medicine

In Ayurveda, the kitchen is an extension of the treatment room.

Meals are prepared according to Ayurvedic principles, taking into account constitution, digestive capacity, season, and the stage of treatment. Freshly prepared each day, the food is simple, nourishing, and designed to support the healing process.

Every meal becomes part of the therapy.

IV.

A Place Created for Healing and Learning

SWAN was not built as a resort and later adapted for wellness.

It was conceived from the beginning as a place dedicated to the study and practice of Ayurveda and Yoga.

Guests often arrive seeking healing and leave with something more an understanding of themselves, their habits, their bodies, and the principles that support long-term wellbeing. Learning becomes a natural part of the healing process.

V.

Yoga and Ayurveda Under One Roof

Traditionally, Yoga and Ayurveda were never separate disciplines.

At SWAN, asana, pranayama, meditation, Yoga Nidra, cleansing practices, and Ayurvedic therapies are woven into a single integrated experience. Each supports the other, creating a comprehensive approach to health that addresses body, breath, mind, and awareness.

Healing becomes deeper when these traditions work together.

VI.

The Healing Intelligence of Nature

Surrounded by the tropical beauty of Goa, SWAN offers a setting that naturally supports restoration.

Palm trees sway in the breeze. Birds announce the morning. The pace of life slows. The nervous system begins to soften.

Our eco-conscious cottages and open natural spaces allow guests to reconnect with rhythms often forgotten in modern life. In such an environment, rest ceases to be an activity and becomes a state of being.

VII.

A Tradition That Is Lived

What makes SWAN unique is not a building, a treatment, or a program.

It is the continuity of practice.

The physicians practice Ayurveda. The teachers practice Yoga. The therapists live the work they offer. The retreat itself has been shaped around these principles for many years.

Guests often tell us that what they remember most is not any single therapy, but the feeling of being in a place where the teachings are alive.

That is why people return.

Not for a holiday.

Not for an escape.

But for the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in a way of living that restores balance, cultivates awareness, and reminds them of what health truly feels like.

Letters · From Guests & Students

Wonderful place, wonderful staff. We were taken such good care of clean, nourishing food, and a team that genuinely cares. We left feeling we had been returned to ourselves.

Peter M. Guest · TripAdvisor
The Stay · One Day Here

A place to mend and to study.

We are a residence, not a hotel. The day is ordered around practice, treatment, and quiet. Our intention is uncomplicated give the body, the breath, and the attention what they need, and step out of the way.

I.

Woken by the valley

No alarm. The morning arrives through an open window, in birdsong.

II.

A vegetarian kitchen

Clean, fresh, cooked for the person and, where called for, to a physician's note. What you eat is part of what heals you.

III.

Rooms built for quiet

Simple, clean, eco-built. They support what is being done; they ask nothing of you.

IV.

An accompanied arrival

From the airport through the lanes of Assagao to our gate, with someone from the house to meet you. You never have to find us alone.

V.

A room of one's own

Single occupancy. Mornings open in silence; evenings close the same way.

VI.

An international table

You share meals and practice with guests from across the world mostly Europe and from India. The conversation is easy; the pretension is absent.

VII.

Mantra in the background

Chanting moves through the temples all day. After a few days, it stops registering as sound and starts registering as something else.

VIII.

Healing past the body

The body is the entry. Many guests find themselves lighter in places they had not planned to visit.

Mend · Study · Return
Visit · Write · Apply

In the green
centre of Goa.

A residential school of yoga and Ayurveda in the village of Assagao, North Goa run the way an ashram is run, but without the title. The day is slow. The food is grown nearby. The teachers live on the property. The door is open to guests and students alike.

Phone+91 8007 360 677
AddressAssagao, Bardez, Goa 403507
StatusRegistered Non-profit Organisation
We read every note ourselves and reply within two working days.
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः

"May all beings be at ease.
Come, sit. Study. Mend."

Write to Us
The other Goa  green, quiet, older than the postcards गोवा The Goa beneath the postcard
Goa · The Other Side

More than beach
and party.

Long before Goa became a postcard, it was one of India's older spiritual coasts a stretch of land that received its earliest saints, monks, and seekers, and gave back temples, mantras, and a way of mending the body.

Assagao sits inland, away from the noise. The earth here is older, the soil deeper, the lanes quieter. This is the Goa that does not photograph well and the Goa that has always been here.

To the visitor who comes only for the coast, Goa shows one face. To the visitor who comes to mend and to study, it shows another.

Earliest saints Older India Healing past the body
Yatra  the wilder corners of Goa, beyond the tour-bus route यात्रा Places to Visit
Rest Days · Around Assagao

Where to wander.

On the days you don't have a session, you may want to step out. Not toward the tour-buses. These are the corners of Goa we point to when guests ask us quietly, in the kitchen where would you go?

I.

The jungle

Forest

Trails into the Western Ghats banyan canopy, bird-call, monsoon-fed streams. The Goa most visitors never reach.

II.

Lakshmi Narsimha Temple, Ponda

Temple

A Vaishnav shrine set against a lotus-pond and a forested hill. Old stone, old chants quieter than the famous temples, and the better for it.

III.

Panjim churches

Heritage

The white-stepped Church of Immaculate Conception above the Latin Quarter. Portuguese tiles, narrow lanes, an afternoon that asks for nothing.

IV.

Quiet beaches of the north

Coast

Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem softer beaches, less-walked. Best at first light. Not for parties.

The Companion Practice · Held Alongside

Yoga, alongside
the work.

Ayurveda is the work; yoga is what holds the day around it the early waking, the breath, the stillness that keep the body open while the treatment does its part. We teach it as the rishis taught it, complete and unmodernised. For Panchakarma guests it is the supporting practice; for a smaller number who return to study it, it becomes a discipline of its own. Either way, what you arrive with is enough.

I.

Asana

आसन

Postures held with attention. Body learning stillness, then strength, then surrender.

II.

Pranayama

प्राणायाम

Breath under conscious control. The bridge between body and mind lengthened, refined, and drawn inward.

III.

Yoga Nidra

योगनिद्रा

Conscious sleep. The practice of resting awake a rest deeper than sleep, lighter than thought.

IV.

Havan & Kirtan

हवन · कीर्तन

The fire offering and the singing of names. Practice that turns the day into a ceremony.

V.

Mantra Chanting

मन्त्र

Repeated sound that holds the practitioner. The oldest medicine, and the simplest.

Therapeutic Yoga gentle, classical sequencing for those recovering from illness, stress, or long convalescence is offered daily under teacher supervision.
Founder & Resident Teachers
Before You Write

Things people ask us.

No. In truth, beginners are who we work with most. What you arrive with is enough; we'll start there. The classes are graded, the teachers stay with you, and what you do next is decided session by session.
Authority sits with the practice, not with a single figure at the top. We borrow what an ashram does well discipline, simplicity, study, service and leave the rest. The founders teach. The teachers are residents. What is taught is the tradition itself, not someone's reading of it.
Most stays run fourteen, twenty-one, or twenty-eight days the physician decides which length suits you after the first consultation. Shorter visits of one to two weeks are also available for guests who want treatment without the full Panchakarma.
A thirteen-day residential introduction for those with no prior study. You learn the principles doshas, the body in Ayurvedic terms, food, herbs and get hands-on with basic treatments and massage. Ten seats per course. A foundation for everyday practice at home, and for those who may go further into the science.
Vegetarian and vegan. Clean, fresh, cooked for each person. For Panchakarma guests, every plate matches the physician's note for your constitution and stage of treatment. The kitchen is part of what heals you.
Guests are usually between twenty-five and fifty, travelling on their own, from across India and the world most often from Europe. People who came to mend and to study, not to be entertained. The conversation around meals is easy; the formality is not.
We are not a beach property. We are inland, in Assagao, in the green centre of north Goa. The state itself is more than its coast temples, saints, spice country, quiet villages and our hosts will tell you where to find the parts worth finding.
Goa has two airports Dabolim (GOI) and Manohar International (GOX). We arrange an accompanied arrival and an accompanied drop for every guest. Finding us on your own is not part of the plan.
Non-profit · A door for those who can give

Will you help us reach
the children?

SWAN is a non-profit. A share of every program and every donation we receive goes toward the schooling and daily well-being of children in and around Goa who would not otherwise have the access. If you would like to give, the door is open.

Begin where the work begins.

A residential school of Ayurveda and the yoga that runs alongside it. Founder-led, non-profit, run the way an ashram is run, minus the title. Come to mend first; what you find here, in time, you may also come back to study. The door is open.

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हरिः ॐ · Assagao · Goa