If you’ve ever wondered what a couples retreat in Rishikesh is really about, beyond yoga poses and candlelight dinners, this personal note shares the deeper intention behind Aavya’s Valentine’s couples immersion. This retreat is designed around presence, space, connection, and shared experience, rather than romance as performance.
(A mildly personal confession)
Hi, I’m Ashish.
I’ll be one of the humans holding space during this Valentine’s couples retreat at Aavya. And before you assume I’ve cracked the code of relationships — let’s clear that up.
I haven’t.
I’m Not a Relationship Expert
I was married for 29 years. That chapter ended. Since then, life has included love, connection, confusion, freedom, companionship, and a fair amount of “huh, so this is what being human feels like again.”
So no, this retreat isn’t coming from someone who “knows how couples should be.”
It’s coming from someone who has watched. A lot.
Parents.
Friends.
Colleagues.
The couples who come through Aavya.
The single people in Rishikesh (there are many — some enlightened, some just avoiding commitment in scenic locations).
And one thing keeps showing up:
People don’t struggle because there’s no love.
They struggle because there’s no space.
No time to sit.
No time to breathe.
No time to be together without solving something, planning something, or scrolling something.
So this retreat isn’t about becoming a better couple.
It’s not about fixing your relationship.
And it’s definitely not a grand romantic production.
It’s more like pressing pause.
A few days where you can:
move together
be quiet together
touch without agenda
exist in the same space without the world demanding something
I don’t believe every relationship is meant to last forever.
But while a relationship is alive, I think it deserves moments where it can actually feel alive.
Maybe you’ll discover a softer way of being together.
Maybe you’ll argue less about dishes.
Maybe you’ll just get some good sleep and eat well.
All of that counts.
Will this retreat make your relationship perfect forever?
No.
Absolutely not.
We don’t offer lifetime warranties here.
But it might give you a few moments of real presence.
A few new ways of listening.
A little more room to breathe together.
And honestly, that’s already a lot.
— Ashish
(Host. Observer. Still figuring it out.)