म दस दिनको ध्यान शिविरका लागि आएको हुँ
I am here for a ten-day meditation retreat
Ma das dinko dhyān shibirkā lāgi āeko hu̱
For wellness travelers
Nepali for yoga, meditation, and sound healing
Pokhara is one of the world's denser concentrations of yoga shalas, sound healing studios, and Ayurveda spas. Kathmandu's Boudha and Kopan ridge host serious Buddhist meditation retreats. The English you'll find at the front desks is fluent — the warmth at the inner door is in Nepali. These phrases unlock the second register.
Featured dialogue: booking a singing bowl session in Thamel
The shoes-off threshold, the cash-only register, the beginner-bowl selection. A complete real-world conversation with audio on every line — the way the visit actually goes when you walk up the narrow stairs above a Thamel bookshop.
Read the dialogueKopan Monastery: the Buddhist retreat eligibility note
Kopan Monastery, on the ridge above Boudhanath, is one of the world's most respected centers for Tibetan Buddhist study. Its public courses (the November month-long lamrim retreat is the famous one) are open to anyone — drop-ins, students, returning practitioners. Its private retreats require prior Buddhist refuge, taken with a qualified teacher elsewhere.
If you're not sure which kind of retreat you're booking, ask. The Kopan office in Boudha responds to email; the on-site office staff is patient with first-time Western inquirers. "Guru" is not a casual honorific in this tradition — wait for invitation before using it for any teacher.
Ashram meal rules
Most serious yoga and meditation ashrams in Nepal follow sattvic principles — pure, calming foods that support the practice. Onion and garlic (considered rajasic, stimulating to the mind) are excluded by default. Eggs vary. Tea is usually offered without milk; chiya with milk is sometimes available at the dining hall. If you have additional dietary needs — vegan, gluten-free, allergies — be specific at intake, not at the table.
Spiritual and wellness phrases
The Nepali you need at retreat arrivals, ashram dining halls, sound-healing studios, and Ayurveda spas. Tap any card for full pronunciation and cultural context.
ध्यान कक्ष कहाँ छ?
Where is the meditation hall?
Dhyān kakṣa kahā̱ chha?
बिहानको अभ्यास कति बजे सुरु हुन्छ?
What time does morning practice begin?
Bihānko abhyās kati baje suru hunchha?
कृपया सुरुवातीको लागि एउटा सिङ्गिङ बाउल देखाउनुहोस्
Please show me a singing bowl for a beginner
Kripayā suruwātīko lāgi euṭā singing bowl dekhāunuhos
साउन्ड हिलिङ सत्र कति लामो हुन्छ?
How long is the sound healing session?
Sound healing satra kati lāmo hunchha?
मलाई साठी मिनेटको आयुर्वेद मसाज बुक गर्नुपर्यो
I would like to book a sixty-minute Ayurveda massage
Malāī sāṭhī minetko Āyurved massage book garnuparyo
म शाकाहारी हुँ — अण्डा, प्याज, र लसुन नखाने
I am vegetarian — no eggs, no onion, no garlic
Ma shākāhārī hu̱ — aṇḍā, pyāj, ra lasun nakhāne
कृपया बिस्तारै बोल्नुहोस् — म सिक्दैछु
Please speak slowly — I am learning
Kripayā bistārai bolnuhos — ma sikdaichhu
मलाई मौनता चाहिन्छ — म ध्यान अवधिमा छु
I need silence — I am in a retreat period
Malāī maunatā chāhinchha — ma dhyān avadhimā chhu