Sitaram Retreats: Ayurveda, Panchakarma & Mindful Healing In Kerala
From the tropical seaside setting of Thalikulam to the serene hills of Munnar, Sitaram Retreats offer deeply intentional spaces for Panchakarma, hormonal balance, and emotional renewal. Dr. Vignesh Devraj, Founder and Chief Physician of Sitaram Retreats, talks to us about redefining Ayurveda for the modern wellness traveller while honouring a 104-year family legacy. He also reveals how mindful eating, personalised care, and guest education form the pillars of their approach—empowering individuals to take charge of their health long after they leave. Drawing on Sitaram’s vast clinical network and in-house pharmacy, the retreats combine authenticity, precision, and nature for truly transformative healing.
Sitaram has a remarkable 104-year legacy in Ayurveda. How have you balanced that deep-rooted tradition with the evolving needs of today's wellness travellers?
Sitaram's 104-year legacy anchors us, but we evolve by listening deeply. Today's guests seek more than tradition; they seek relevance, personalisation, and care that resonates with their lives. At Sitaram, ancient knowledge is applied with sensitivity to today's context. We adapt without diluting, ensuring that our guests feel both held by tradition and seen in the present.
With two contrasting retreats, beachside in Thalikulam and hillside in Munnar, how do the settings influence the kind of healing experiences you offer at each?
Our two retreats, by the sea in Thalikulam and amidst the hills of Munnar, were chosen with deep intention. The tropical seaside climate is ideal for intense Panchakarma, ensuring ease throughout intensive treatments, while Munnar's high-altitude stillness, on the other hand, invites deep reflection and emotional renewal. The energy of the mountains help with the grounding and calming the nervous system, and are perfect for treatments focussing on menopause, hormonal imbalances and weight loss.
Panchakarma is central to your approach. What sets your method apart, especially when it comes to customisation and long-term efficacy?
At Sitaram, Panchakarma is never one-size-fits-all. A multidisciplinary team aligns around the person, not the protocol. We create spaces where individuals feel safe to share not just their symptoms, but their stories too. Our multidisciplinary team of doctors, yoga therapists, nutritionists, pharmacists, and chefs work together, not in silos. Each member contributes to understanding the person, not just the problem. It's this collaborative, deeply human approach that allows true transformation to take place, gently, sustainably, and from within.
Your retreats focus not just on treatments but education. How do you help guests become active participants in their own healing during and after their stay?
Healing isn't passive. At Sitaram, guests learn the 'why' behind every practice, from food to movement to mindset. Through open dialogues and learning, we equip them to become stewards of their own health, long after the retreat ends. We intentionally design learning opportunities to help guests understand the foundational principles of Ayurveda, yoga, nutrition, and emotional well-being. These are not lectures but lived experiences. Doctors are approachable, conversations are encouraged, and self-reflection is gently guided. We believe education is empowerment, and we equip guests with tools and insights to continue their healing well beyond the retreat. The real shift happens when guests start asking the right questions to themselves.
Meals at Sitaram Retreats are dosha-aligned and never served buffet-style. Why is this kind of mindful eating essential to the Ayurvedic healing process?
Buffets numb awareness. Ayurveda sharpens it. Food is at the heart of healing, and at Sitaram, we treat every meal as medicine. That's why we don't serve buffets. Instead, meals are tailored to the guest's dosha, served mindfully, and timed according to digestive rhythms. Many guests rediscover hunger not as a habit, but as a body signal. They begin to notice how food feels, not just how it tastes. This reconnection with their own body's cues becomes a mindful eating practice, aimed to retrain and empower our guests to listen to their bodies. Food becomes medicine, not just fuel. This mindful reconnection often becomes their most powerful takeaway.
Dr Vignesh, you come from a long lineage of Ayurvedic practitioners. How does your personal journey shape your vision for Sitaram's future in wellness tourism?
Sitaram Retreats were born from my own need of searching for a place where the precision of a vaidya and the healing presence of nature co-exist. My personal Panchakarma experience at my father's clinic was the turning point. I saw the power of authentic Ayurveda, but also the limitations of existing hospitals. I realised that the hotel chains that offer Ayurveda dilute it into spa treatments; whereas many hospitals forget the need for nature, comfort and care. That contrast inspired the vision for Sitaram Retreats, where the healing guidance (kaipunya) of an experienced Ayurvedic doctor (Vaidya) and the healing presence of nature co-exist. We created a space where people feel held, understood, and gently transformed, not just clinically treated.
With over 480 clinics and an R&D-backed pharmacy, Sitaram has a strong clinical foundation. How does this institutional depth enhance the guest experience at the retreats?
Sitaram is not just a retreat in silo, but a healing ecosystem. This deep institutional framework gives us more than credibility, it gives us insight. We continuously exchange knowledge with our network of doctors, innovate formulations, and personalise treatments based on collective clinical wisdom. Every formulation, every protocol is tried, tested, and trusted. This deep institutional wisdom allows us to confidently personalise care, ensuring both safety and sustained impact. Because we manufacture our own medicines, we have complete control over quality and authenticity as well.
