This stay was part of the same year-end break.
After spending the 30th night at Chukki Mane, we checked out on the 31st and headed towards Yoga Dhaama.

Yoga Dhaama is primarily known as a yoga and wellness retreat, but they also have an Airbnb setup — and what caught my attention was its location right beside a small tributary of the Kaveri River. It was a complete last-minute decision. Options were few, the year was ending, and this one looked promising enough on Airbnb. I booked it without overthinking.

A Detour to the Falls (or What Was Left of Them)

On the way from Chukki Mane to Yoga Dhaama, we made a small detour to visit Shivanasamudra Barachukki Falls.
It was December, and the falls were almost dry. There wasn’t much to see, so we didn’t spend much time there and moved on.

By the time we reached Yoga Dhaama, it was past 2 pm.

Getting There: Surprisingly Close, Yet Far from the Noise

Yoga Dhaama is barely 2–3 minutes off the Mysore highway, close to Srirangapatna. And yet, once you enter the property, the highway disappears completely.

The place is extremely peaceful and tranquil, with very well-maintained landscaping. Even before entering the rooms, you can tell this is a space designed to slow you down. A quick Google search will show you plenty of pictures — and in reality, it looks just as good, if not better.

We had booked three rooms, all of them located right beside the river.

Rooms by the River & A Little Island

Right in front of our rooms was a small island, separated by a narrow stretch of water and connected by a slender little bridge. That island became my favourite spot almost instantly.

I spent long stretches of time there — just sitting quietly, watching the water, birds, and small movements in nature that you usually miss when you’re in a hurry. At first, as expected, everything flies away when you arrive. But if you sit still long enough, nature forgets about you.

Birds returned. Fish movements became visible.

At one point, a mongoose suddenly popped up in the water right in front of me. Both of us were equally startled. We froze for a second, acknowledged each other’s existence, and the mongoose vanished just as suddenly. Moments like these kept happening.

Food: A Big Miss in an Otherwise Lovely Stay

We had informed them in advance that we would have lunch there. Unfortunately, lunch turned out to be the most disappointing part of the stay.

What was served at 200 rs per thali:

  • Rice
  • Chapati
  • One mixed vegetable sabji
  • Sambar
  • Curd

That was it.

Not only was it extremely basic, it was below basic, especially for the price. To make things worse, the curd was stale, which is something you rarely encounter.

We immediately decided that we would not be having dinner or breakfast at the property.

Thankfully, the location makes this decision easy.

New Year’s Eve: Escaping the Madness

After lunch, we rested in the rooms and spent more time by the river. In the evening, my parents chose to stay back, while we stepped out — it was the 31st night after all.

We visited the Payana Car Museum (I’ve written a separate post on this), spent a good amount of time there, and then headed to Poojari’s Fishland for dinner.

Good food, no chaos, and then back to Yoga Dhaama.

The night was silent, calm, and deeply peaceful. While Bangalore was busy celebrating in its own loud ways, we were sitting far away from all of that — and I was genuinely grateful for it.

New Year Morning: Stillness, Fog & Kriya by the River

I woke up early the next morning and went straight to the island. Sitting there, I did my Shambhavi Kriya, surrounded by water, birds, and early-morning stillness.

It was slightly foggy, and the sun took its time to appear. But when it finally did, the light on the river was beautiful. That’s when nature truly came alive — birds moving around freely, small animals appearing and disappearing, the water gently responding to everything.

  • by the river kaveri

Later, my daughter woke up and joined me. She came to the island, played around, explored, and spent time there with me — a simple, quiet New Year morning that felt far more meaningful than any countdown party.

Skipping Breakfast & Heading Back

Breakfast was again quoted at around ₹100 per head, with bisibele bath and boondi on the menu. Given our lunch experience the previous day, we decided to skip it.

We packed up and left around 10:30–11 am. Just after hitting the highway, we stopped at Saravana Bhavan, had a proper breakfast, and then continued our drive back to Bangalore.

Final Thoughts

Yoga Dhaama is a place of beautiful surroundings, exceptional tranquility, and a stunning riverside setting. If you value silence, slow mornings, and being close to nature, it delivers that effortlessly.

However, the food is a serious letdown, and it’s best to plan your meals outside the property — which is thankfully easy due to its highway proximity.

For us, it turned out to be a perfectly imperfect New Year’s escape — calm, grounded, and refreshingly away from the noise.