Yoga and ayurveda in Ulpotha, Sri Lanka

Being in an beautiful and peaceful setting, Ulpotha is the ideal venue for practicing Yoga in the relaxed manner unique to Ulpotha. Here Yoga can be appreciated for what it is meant to be, a means to seemingly effortlessly finding peace and a meditative inner calm without any of the dogma that can so often get in the way of the best of intentions.
The property is a beautiful private hideaway open to guests for part of the year; a place of total peace, where you can experience the warm, generous and gentle hospitality Sri Lankans love to offer. In this sense, Ulpotha is neither a Yoga Retreat nor a hotel - and neither does it aspire to be one or the other. It is simply a great place to be..
This oasis of tranquility is a traditional working village cradled on one side by low mountains and a lotus ringed lake, and on the other by emerald green paddy fields. The bio-diversity of Ulpotha is extraordinary, with flora, fauna and bird life of dazzling variety. Animal life is equally varied, with even wild (but gentle) elephants visiting from time to time.
Guests who come to Ulpotha will find a natural sanctuary of exceptional beauty, where the main activity is simply relaxing in its remarkable atmosphere of peace and calm while indulging in feasts of exquisite organic cuisine. Alternatively, there are many intriguing sites of cultural interest to visit in the immediate vicinity, many of which are completely off the usual tourist-beaten path.
For those who wish to couple their Yoga with something other than the above, there are a number of Ayurveda therapies available, all of which are administered by Ulpotha’s acclaimed resident doctor. The revenues generated by the therapies that are administered to Ulpotha’s visiting guests help subsidize the free Ayurveda Clinic run for the benefit of surrounding villages.
"Ulpotha remains for me the most beautiful spot in this whole complex world that I am lucky enough to travel around." - Travel Editor, Harpers & Queen.

Accommodation
At the centre of the village is the Walauwwa, the traditional main house now restored around a central stone courtyeard with an ancient well. The adjoining Ambalama, an open sided pavilion, provides a covered sitting area with mats, cushions, and beautiful views towards the surrounding hills and which is where meals are served. Accommodation is provided in exquisitely but simply detailed wattle and daub huts. These are built using traditional methods and materials, and consist of open sleeping/living areas covered with a pitched roof of thatched palm fronds. Each accommodates two people.
Much use has been made of clay, stone, wood, pottery and fabrics which reflect traditional village aesthetics. By design there is no electricity and life is lived by the rhythm of the day.
Though the loos [toilets] are modern and clean and the showers are open-air, they are not en-suite in keeping with traditional village practice.
Though there is no electricity, light is provided by flares, lamps and lanterns, lending Ulpotha an ethereal quality at night. Similarly there are no fridges either, since they were deemed by one of the founders of Ulpotha as little more than a means of eating un-fresh food.
Community
In Ulpotha, the villagers who live and work there are part and parcel of the experience enjoyed by guests. Though they have deliberately not been given any training in any aspect of hotel-type training, they are gracious and hospitable.
Ulpotha is largely run by the villagers themselves.
Meals
Local village life is based on a vegetarian tradition, with the staple diet centered on highly nutritious strains of red rice. Meals are cooked in clay pots over open fires and are produced from the organic drops grown in Ulpotha. Vegetables, yams and melons fill the gardens, along with mature banana, mango, papaya, jack and breadfruit trees.
All meals are cooked in the indigenous style featuring rice, curries, salads, buffalo curd, local savouries and sweets and, of course, fruits.
Facilities
An open-air, teak-floor Yoga Shala – with bird song and gentle caressing breezes - provides an almost perfect venue for the practice of Yoga.
There is a treatment centre where one can have complete Ayurveda treatments administered by Ulpotha’s resident doctor
In addition, one can go for walks in the mountains, swim in the lake, bird watch, have massages and herbal steam baths or go on excursions to some of the many intriguing cultural sites that surround Ulpotha. Alternatively, one can do what Ulpotha is most amenable to – relax and hang out in one of the many hammocks and hanging beds that dot Ulpotha.

For more information, see www.ulpotha.com