We invite you to Kannur — a quiet, untouched stretch of India's Malabar coast, where the Arabian Sea meets ancient ritual, and where the rhythm of the tides becomes your own. This is Kerala away from the well-known trail: fewer crowds, older traditions, a slower unfolding of each day.
This retreat is an invitation to slow down, to breathe, and to rediscover the parts of yourself the world's noise has covered — guided by the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Through art, movement, sound, and presence, you will explore your inner world against the backdrop of one of India's most understated coastlines.
This is not a sightseeing trip. Not a yoga retreat. Not an art course. It is a journey about everything — and, most of all, about you.
Kannur sits on India's Malabar coast, in Kerala's north — a part of the state that feels worlds away from the backwaters and beach towns further south. This is a land of old forts, handloom weaving, and Theyyam — a centuries-old ritual dance performance, part worship and part living theatre, still practiced in villages along this coast much as it always has been.
The sea here is quieter too. Long stretches of coastline remain undeveloped, framed by cliffs and coconut groves rather than resorts. It is a place that rewards stillness — where the pace of the day is set by the tide, not the clock.
Tucked into a stretch of quiet greenery, Shoreline Beach Resort sits between two waters — a long, clean beach at its front, and calm backwaters just behind. The sun rises over the backwaters and sets over the Arabian Sea, so the light here shifts direction through the day without you ever needing to move.
The property is built in a traditional Indian style: four air-conditioned rooms face the sea, and three air-conditioned cottages look out over the backwaters — each with modern comforts built quietly into a design that still feels rooted in place. A wide, covered terrace stretches out toward the sea, the natural gathering point for meals, quiet sit-outs, and morning yoga.
This is the finest stretch of seafront in Kannur: clear water, an unspoiled shoreline, and a genuine sense of privacy. Thick coconut lagoons line the property, and the kitchen's cooking is worth the trip on its own. It's a rare thing, to have a beach and a backwater this beautiful, this close together — rarer still, to have both mostly to yourself.
Meals here are cooked by Sambu — your host, and, without exaggeration, a chef good enough to earn a Michelin star if anyone were handing them out along this stretch of coast. Expect traditional northern Kerala delicacies, fish pulled fresh from the sea that same morning, and the most delicious lassis you'll have anywhere, India included.
And then there's toddy — the local palm wine, tapped fresh from the coconut trees by a man who's spent fifty years climbing them. It's lightly fermented and barely there in the morning, just a faint tingle on the tongue — but left to itself through the heat of the day, by evening it turns into something properly invigorating: fizzy, alive, with roughly the kick of a beer. Worth trying at least once, purely for the story it comes with.
Local Excursions
Isabelle Heili leads you into intuitive creation, where art becomes mirror, release, and revelation. Her workshops invite you to express, explore, and meet your own inner landscape through color, form, and imagination.
Download The Art Program — Kannur
Traveler, essayist, translator, and yoga and meditation teacher trained across India and Europe. Her yoga is gentle, fluid, and deeply grounding — practice that builds strength and flexibility, inside and out.
Download Yoga for Balance
Includes airport transfers (Kannur Airport), accommodation, breakfast and dinner, workshops, and two excursions.
Excludes visa fees, flights and travel insurance.
We're happy to assist with flight options, both to India and domestically within the country.
Booking: A 50% deposit secures your place. If you need to cancel, your spot is refundable once another participant takes it. Please note the program may shift slightly due to weather or other circumstances beyond our control.