YOGA RETREATS WITH MARIA
SRI LANKA
Jewel of the Indian Ocean
Yoga Retreat at Ratnakara Villa & Retreat
March 1–10, 2026 (Sunday thru Tuesday)
The 2025 Sri Lanka Yoga Retreat was transformative!
Filled with adventure, self-discovery, growth, and connection, this extraordinary experience defied description. I'm thrilled to be organizing this special journey for a second year!
Retreats are an incredible way to take care of you, deepen your yoga practice, and explore a remarkable place that is off the beaten path. All you need to do is arrive at the airport in Colombo, and then relax and let us take care of all of the details. (Retreats are all-inclusive outside of air travel.)
I'd be honored to share this unique travel experience and my love of yoga with you. We’ll be adding more details to this page as plans evolve. Always feel free to contact me with questions.
With love, Maria
ps. Have questions? Email Maria. Ready to make it official and reserve your spot for Sri Lanka 2026? Make your deposit here!
Sri Lanka is a Deeply Special Place
Holding retreats in Sri Lanka has been something I've been dreaming about and planning for years and it's now come to fruition! This is a deeply special place for me and my family. My husband, Indra, is Sri Lankan and he and I have traveled there many times. It is dear to us. And now that we have two kiddos, they’re growing up with this same rich heritage. I cannot wait to share this special place with you.
Sri Lanka is often called the “Jewel of the Indian Ocean” as it is an incredibly beautiful and magical place. We’ll explore spiritual sites, swim in the ocean, eat amazing food, visit the rainforest, and interact with the kind and warm Sri Lankan people. And of course, drop into deep, long yoga practices daily. We’ll be situated in south Sri Lanka which has gorgeous beaches, shrines and temples, and an incredible National Park with epic wildlife.
Every moment of these retreats are crafted to nourish your mind, body, and soul. Picture waking up for a leisurely tropical morning that includes a gorgeous healthy breakfast, two hours of introspective yoga, free time or activities in the afternoon, and 45 minutes of late afternoon movement before an incredible dinner and relax time as the sun sets over the ocean.
This retreat will be the perfect blend of exploration of a beautiful country, and opportunity to be still and ground yourself. It would be such a pleasure and an honor to host you in sunny, southern Sri Lanka.
Schedule & Activities
March 1. Arrival at Colombo Airport (Bandaranaike International Airport, CMB)). A driver will meet you at the airport with your name on a sign board and bring you to our hotel.
We will convene and stay overnight in the beautiful Jetwing Beach Hotel in Negombo, not too far from the airport. We’ll get settled and showered and hopefully sleep! You may be on your own for meals that first day/evening as everyone will be arriving at different times. Happy to help with restaurant recommendations or you can eat at the hotel. Eating out in Sri Lanka is not expensive. If you are here and ready, we’ll go out for dinner as part of the retreat around 5:30 pm.
March 2. We'll eat breakfast together at the Jetwing Beach Hotel and take time to relax, swim in the pool, and get oriented.
Depart for Galle Fort at 11:00 am.
Eat lunch at The Gallery Cafe around noon.
Arrive at the lovely Galle Fort Hotel around 4:00 pm. Get settled, relax, get oriented. Dinner together at the hotel restaurant.
March 3. Breakfast, lunch, and shopping in Galle Fort. Depart for Ratnakara around 1:30 pm. Arrive at Ratnakara Retreat Center at 4:00 pm.
Dinner at Ratnakara around 6:30 pm.
March 4. Relax day at Ratnakara!
Breakfast at 8–9:00 am
Yoga from 10:00 am–noon
Lunch at 1:00 pm
Afternoon practice 5–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:30 pm
Massages available on site. Schedule with Maria. Price is around $40/hour. Will confirm closer to retreat.
March 5. Relax, explore local villages and beaches if you like. I’m happy to organize outings to beaches as well as massages.
Breakfast at 8–9:00 am
Yoga from 10:00 am–noon
Lunch at 1:00 pm
Afternoon practice 5–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:30 pm
March 6. Visit Local spiritual sights and temples in Matara.
Early breakfast at 7:30 am. Depart for Matara 8:30 am. Visit Matara market, Buddhist stupa, and Jez-Look Batiks. Back to Matara for lunch at 1:30 pm.
Afternoon restorative practice with breath and meditation 4-6:00 pm. Dinner 6:30 pm.
March 7. Option to visit either Sinharaja National Park or Yala National Park. Or you can stay at the retreat center and relax. We will organize in the months before we go.
March 8. Option to visit Tangalle Bay for lunch on the beach. The Turtle Landing Restaurant has incredible fresh caught seafood! Delicious food, beautiful beach, about an hour from retreat center.
Dinner at Ratnakara
March 9. Relax day at Ratnakara
Breakfast at 8–9:00 am
Yoga from 10:00 am–noon
Lunch at 1:00 pm
Afternoon practice 5–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:30 pm
I’m happy to organize outings to local beaches or massages at Ratnakara.
March 10. Breakfast at Ratnakara then depart around 11:00 am. Stop in Colombo for lunch at Galle Face Hotel and walk along the beachfront.
Arrive at Jetwing Beach Hotel in Negombo. We’ll have dinner out or at the hotel and have a good sleep before leaving.
March 11. Departure. Breakfast together, we can stay at the hotel until check out. From here we can provide transportation to the train station or arrange transport to the airport. We'll help with transit if you are staying to explore Sri Lanka. We're happy to help you do some planning if you’d like to travel post-retreat. I have lots of suggestions of places to visit.
Costs & Registration
Single Occupancy $5000
Double Occupancy $3500
Triple Occupancy $3200
Payment plan available at no extra cost. $500 deposit holds your spot. Have questions? Email Maria.
About Ratnakara
This exclusive five-bedroom villa is nestled in the jungle above a small cove on the very southernmost tip of Sri Lanka. Ratnakara means “creator of gems” in Sanskrit and that’s exactly what we’ll do on this trip – create magical memories and gems of the heart that you’ll carry with you always. Check out the Ratnakara amenities and photo gallery.
Rooms at Ratnakara
Amethyst
The largest of Ratnakara’s rooms, Amethyst is a ground floor bedroom suite that leads off from the main downstairs sitting room. It is furnished with two king-sized double beds. The room is light and airy with its own private and secluded garden and a large private terrace overlooking the green lush land to the side and front of the villa, through which you can see the ocean in the sandy bay below. There’s a walk-through dressing room that leads into a large walk-through bathroom with a freestanding bath and an outside rain-shower beyond.
Amber
This first floor double bedroom suite with high wood-paneled ceilings is accessed from a large open-sided shala. A walk-through dressing room leads to a walk-through bathroom with a freestanding bath looking out to the jungle. Beyond is an outside rainforest-shower. Amber is furnished with two king-sized double beds as standard. There’s also a private balcony with views looking to the green lush land in front of the villa, through which you can see the secluded bay underneath the house.
Garnet
The entrance to this first floor double bedroom suite is through the upstairs open-sided shala. This spacious room has high wood-paneled ceilings and a walk-through dressing room leading to a large shower room. Garnet is furnished with two king-sized double beds. The large balcony overlooks the swimming pool area and beyond to the jungle and the ocean crashing on the beach below the house.
Sapphire
Entrance to this first floor double bedroom with high paneled ceilings is from a large open landing. Sapphire is a spacious, light-filled, en-suite bedroom overlooking the lily pond and with views inland over a clearing to paddy fields and the jungle beyond. It is furnished with two king-sized double beds but can be configured as a double plus twin singles. Sapphire has interconnecting doors with our triple room, Emerald, which when opened make the two rooms an ideal suite for families or friends.
Emerald
Emerald is a triple-bedded, en-suite first-floor room entered from a large landing overlooking the lily pond. This bright, spacious room with an outside rainforest shower has views to the herb garden and onto the lily pond. It is furnished with three single beds as standard, perfect for children. Emerald has interconnecting doors with the double room, Sapphire, which when opened make a lovely suite for families or friends.
YOGA RETREATS WITH MARIA
SRI LANKA
Jewel of the Indian Ocean