Ahara: Food as Medicine Immersion Retreat

An Ayurvedic Culinary Immersion into the Art of Healing through Food

In this hands-on, heart-centered 4-night retreat, we return to the kitchen as a place of sacred medicine and daily ritual. Rooted in the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda, Nourish invites you to explore how food—when thoughtfully prepared and mindfully consumed—can become your most powerful tool for healing, vitality, and balance.

“This immersion is a great road map to becoming completely balanced!”
— Cris Z.

Your Immersion Retreat Journey

This retreat is for anyone ready to deepen their relationship with food—from practitioners and cooks to the simply curious. You’ll leave not only with recipes and skills, but with a new reverence for nourishment, a reignited digestive fire, and a heart full of inspiration.

  • Root into the Earth and Fully Arrive

    • 2:00–4:00 PM: Check-in & Herbal Welcome Tea

    • 4:30–5:30 PM: Opening Circle | Traditional Ayurvedic Fire Ceremony

    • 6:30–7:15 PM: Ayurvedic Nourishment Dinner

    • 7:30–8:30 PM: Connection Circle

  • Agni, Prana & the Sacred Science of Food

    On this first day, we lay the foundation of Ayurvedic nourishment—exploring not only what we eat, but how and why food becomes medicine. Ayurveda teaches us that true nourishment begins with awareness: of our constitution, our digestion, and the life-force within our meals. Through both lecture and experiential learning, today is about awakening your digestive fire, refining your senses, and reclaiming your kitchen as a sanctuary of healing.

    • 7:00 AM – Morning Yoga: Igniting Agni

    • 8:30 AM – Ayurvedic Breakfast

    • 10:00 AM – Morning Lecture: The Power of Agni, Prana & the 6 Tastes

    • 12:30 PM – Ayurvedic Lunch

    • 2:00 PM – Afternoon Lecture: The 8 Factors of Food Preparation & The Kitchen as Medicine Cabinet)

    • 3:30 PM – Ayurvedic Tea Break

    • 3:45 PM – Hands-On Practicum: Building Your Kitchen as Your Home Apothecary

    • 6:00 PM – Light Ayurvedic Dinner

    • 7:30 PM – Evening Meditation: Attuning to Your Inner Nature

  • Awakening the Kitchen Apothecary

    Today we enter the heart of Ayurvedic kitchen medicine—where taste meets function, and tradition becomes tangible. Through the art of crafting spice blends (masalas and choornas) and preparing healing teas and drinks, we learn to infuse every meal and moment with intention. These are the daily rituals that stoke digestive fire, restore balance, and reconnect us to nature’s pharmacy.

    From chai to churnas, we begin to understand how food truly becomes medicine—one scoop, one sip, one breath at a time.

    • 7:00 AM – Morning Yoga: Align with the Ayurvedic Clock

    • 8:30 AM – Ayurvedic Breakfast

    • 10:00 AM –Spice Alchemy – The Intelligence of Masala & Choorna

    • 12:30 PM – Ayurvedic Lunch

    • 1:30 PM –Hands -on Masala & Choorna Making

    • 3:30 PM – Ayurvedic Tea Break

    • 3:45 PM – Hands-On Practicum: Healing Drinks for Every Dosha

    • 6:00 PM – Light Ayurvedic Dinner

    • 7:30 PM – Evening Ritual: Sip & Stillness

  • Simple Meal Planning & Everyday Ayurvedic Cooking

    On our final full day together, we bring it all home—literally. Today is about translating Ayurvedic wisdom into simple, doable, and delicious practices you can carry into your everyday life. Through easy meal planning and hands-on cooking, you’ll learn how to create rhythm in your kitchen, support your digestion with the seasons, and feel inspired (not overwhelmed) when it comes to feeding yourself and your family.

    This is the bridge between sacred and practical—between retreat and real life.

    • 7:00 AM – Morning Yoga: Flow into Rhythm

    • 8:30 AM – Ayurvedic Breakfast

    • 10:00 AM Meal Planning Made Simple – Ayurvedic Wisdom for Modern Life

    • 12:30 PM – Ayurvedic Lunch

    • 1:30 PM – Hands-On Cooking Practicum: Soups, Salads, Mains & Snacks

    • 3:30 PM – Ayurvedic Tea Break

    • 3:45 PM –Hands-On Cooking Practicum: Soups, Salads, Mains & Snacks

    • 6:00 PM – Light Ayurvedic Dinner

    • 7:30 PM – Evening Meditation & Sound Bath: Nourishment from the Inside Out

  • Return & Carry the Knowing

    • 7:00–8:00 AM: Soft Gratitude Flow

    • 8:30–9:30 AM: Ayurvedic Breakfast

    • 10:00-10:30 AM: Closing Circle + Farewells

    • 11:00 AM: Check-out

    • A clear understanding of Agni, Prana, and the 6 Tastes, and how to apply them to support digestion, vitality, and emotional balance

    • Practical knowledge of the 8 factors of Ayurvedic food preparation, transforming every meal into an intentional act of nourishment

    • A personalized set of masalas and choornas crafted for seasonal and constitutional support

    • A repertoire of digestive teas and healing drinks to support daily wellness, stress relief, and immunity

    • A simplified, sustainable meal planning approach rooted in Ayurvedic principles and rhythms

    • Confidence in preparing soups, salads, mains, and snacks that are both delicious and dosha-balancing

    • A deeper connection to the kitchen as a sacred, healing space, with tools to build or refine your own home apothecary

    • A printed recipe and resource guide to carry your learning home

    • A copy of Dal Chawal Recipe Book By Sapna Punjabi

    • A renewed relationship with food—as a source of medicine, mindfulness, and joy

    • A feeling of inner peace and restoration cultivated through time spent in a serene, nurturing environment.

    • More than just techniques, this retreat offers a shift in perspective. You’ll return home with not only Ayurvedic skills, but also a sense of rhythm, reverence, and a rekindled trust in your body’s natural intelligence.

“This deep dive into Ayurveda has transformed my life! I now feel empowered to take charge of my health and restore balance to my body. The experience has given me the confidence and tools I needed.”
— Amy B.

Meet Your Facilitators

Sapna Punjabi

Sapna Punjabi, MS, RDN, LD, is a culinary wellness specialist, registered dietitian, and Ayurvedic practitioner who brings together traditional Indian food wisdom with modern, evidence-based nutrition. Born and raised in Mumbai and now based in Dallas, she is the founder of beSPICED and the author of Dal Chawal: 85 Vegetarian Indian Recipes Combining the Power of Dal and Rice, named one of the Best Spring 2025 Cookbooks by Bon Appétit and Epicurious.

Whether in a corporate teaching kitchen at Google, the galleries of the Crow Museum of Asian Art, yoga studios, university campuses, or the gardens of the Dallas Arboretum, she brings the same grounded warmth to every space she enters, and her work has been recognized by D Magazine, Food52, Martha Stewart Living, PIX11NY, NBC Texas, and Good Morning Texas, among others.

Drawing from this rich body of work, Sapna leads immersive culinary sessions that explore Ayurvedic principles through hands-on cooking, seasonal ingredients, and the six tastes, helping participants build meals that support digestion, energy, and overall well-being without losing sight of flavor or cultural connection. Her belief is simple, real nourishment is rooted in the seasons, sustained by the earth, and expressed through food as a daily practice of care, rhythm, and healing.

Kathy Jo Stäheli

Kathy Jo Stähel, ADLC, PKT, AYT, is a NAMA-Ayurvedic Doctor Level Certified practitioner and founder of Purusha Ayurveda, bringing nearly 20 years of expertise in Panchakarma and Ayurvedic education. Trained in both the U.S. and India through Bastyr University and Kerala Ayurveda Academy, she has served as practitioner and global business manager for Kerala Ayurveda Academy and played an integral role in the National Ayurvedic Medical Association for nearly a decade, and is now chairing the Panchakarma Committee.

Kathy Jo is also an international speaker and educator, sharing authentic Ayurveda, Panchakarma wisdom, and practical healing tools with audiences around the world. She offers deeply rooted, compassionate Ayurvedic care and education to a global community.

 

Retreat Reservation Details

Our retreats take place in the peaceful desert sanctuary in the Greater Zion area, of southern Utah—where nature supports deep rest and renewal. Each offering is available on select dates with limited space.

  • All-Inclusive Retreat – $1,995 per person
    Includes:

    • Private luxury suite with king bed

    • Full retreat access

    • All course materials

    • Nourishing Ayurvedic meals daily

    • Daily Morning yoga

    • Daily Evening Meditation

    • Daily Tea and Snack Service

    • Ayurvedic Wellness Ritual Products

    • Dal Chawal Book by Sapna

    • Kitchen Spice Kit

  • Private King Suite (Couple share) –

    All-Inclusive Retreat – $ 1995 + $1295 couple add-on Total ($3290)

    Includes for Two:

    • Shared Private luxury suite with king bed

    • Full retreat access

    • All course materials

    • Nourishing Ayurvedic meals daily

    • Daily Morning yoga

    • Daily Evening Meditation

    • Daily Tea and Snack Service

    • Ayurvedic Wellness Ritual Products

    • Dal Chawal Book by Sapna

    • Kitchen Spice Kit

    Select the Couple Share add-on at checkout.

  • Throughout the retreat, our experienced facilitators and wellness experts will be available to offer personalized guidance, support, and answer any questions you may have. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced practitioner, this retreat offers a sacred space for self-care, self-discovery, and the opportunity to embark on a transformative journey towards holistic well-being.

    DATES

    October 21-25, 2026

    RESERVATIONS & CANCELLATIONS

    Our center provides an extraordinarily personal experience, accommodating only 2-4 clients concurrently. We highly recommend reserving your spot a well in advance, given the limited availability of space. Additionally, we kindly request that you familiarize yourself with our Cancellation Policy and adhere to our Recommended Etiquette Guidelines.

    ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE

    • Check-in 2 pm

    • Check-out 11 am

    TRAVEL DETAILS

    St. George Regional Airport is nearby with daily flights to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City and Dallas. Las Vegas is less than a two-hour drive and affordable door-to-door shuttle service offered every hour. (St. George Shuttle or Salt Lake Express)

    WHAT TO EXPECT FOR WEATHER

    Situated where the Mojave Desert meets the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau, this region boasts a distinct desert climate with clear skies, over 300 days of sunshine, mild winters, and warm summers. St. George lies at an elevation of 2,880 feet, rising to 10,000 feet in the neighboring Pine Valley Mountains. During winters, bring layered clothing, and for summers, opt for airy, lightweight fabrics. The majority of the year experiences temperate weather.

 
Reserve Your Spot Today!
“This retreat reawakened something ancient and wise within me. Living Ayurveda wasn’t just about food or rituals—it was about remembering how to live in rhythm with nature, with my body, and with my spirit.”
— -Scott J.