As many of you know, over the last five or six years, I have been thinking a lot about what writing does. Not “the pen is mightier than the sword” variety of does, but what it does inside us and between us.

I’ve been noticing how, of the hundreds of students I have worked with over the last decade and a half, only a fraction came to the page thinking about publication or even about audience— mostly, they were interested in the joy of telling a story, in the catharsis of working through a difficult moment on the page, in the community built around honest storytelling, in the pleasures of the imagination, and in the possibilities of meaning-making that writing presents.

In 2018, I decided to start equipping myself to respond better to this ask from my writing workshops; I started researching the role writing can play in healing, community, and transformation. I read extensively, and tried out these ideas in the Craft and Courage and Songs of Ourselves workshops that combined craft and healing. I also formally trained in Narrative Therapy, doing the yearlong South Asian Diploma in Narrative Practices. This January, I attended the Narrative Practices India conference, mostly to do a pre-conference workshop on “The Journey Metaphor” as a way of working through trauma with Maggie Carey, one of the stalwarts of Narrative Therapy— and while her work was mostly in a clinical therapeutic context, I immediately saw so many incredible new possibilities of the writing workshop.

Which brings me to this moment:

Anchors and Compasses: Writing towards New Horizons

Name: Anchors and Compasses: Writing Towards New Horizons — Aditi Rao
Start: 2025-10-22T16:00:00+0530
End: 2025-10-26T12:00:00+0530

A 5 Day Writing Retreat in the Himalayas

In this unique writing retreat, set in an eco-friendly retreat center in an apple orchard in the Himalayas, we obsess less over craft, edits, or publication— and more on the places that writing can take us: on its possibilities for healing, grieving, growing.

The workshop is built around Narrative Therapy concepts like rich story development, preferred stories, landscapes of identity and action, and outsider witness, but you don’t need to know any of these concepts to get everything out of the workshop. You simply need to enjoy words and images, and to bring a sense of playfulness, adventure, and the courage to show up whole.

The craft of writing will come up throughout this workshop, but it will never be for craft’s sake. At “Anchors and Compasses,” craft becomes an entry point into thinking more clearly, feeling more deeply, seeing more precisely. Our stories and poems become pathways to new knowledge. Our conversations become mirrors. Our journals record the future just as much as the past. Through it all, the solidity of the Himalayas will hold and witness us, the fires and food will nourish us, and the community we build will enable us to go deeper into our work and our world.

Over these four days, we will let metaphor, texture, and story guide us. We will meet fictional people we love and let them speak to us. We will tell stories around campfires. We will paint monsters. We will write poetry. We will light lanterns. We will go on picnics. We will walk in the mountains, in silence and in conversation. We will hum. We will sing. We will pause. We will witness.

In the process, we will discover our unique, authentic voices and visions. We will let our words and images surprise us. And we might just do some of our most powerful writing in the process.

In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in a Deodar forest, a library to read from, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.

Join us?

“I signed up for Aditi’s workshop because I wanted to grow as a writer in a beautiful setting. What I never imagined was that it would transform me as a person too. The varied writing tasks and prompts were each incredibly meaningful and drew out raw, deep, emotive work from each os us. I learned to be brave and vulnerable in the safest, most magical and supportive environment on earth. The experience will live in my heart for a lifetime.”

— Nicole Jarvis, Teacher

Dates

22 October, 2025 - 26 October, 2025

Number of Participants: 8-12

Registrations close 12th October, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest.

Costs

Accommodation for the workshop is in Swiss Tents with British Campaign Style furniture or Earthen Cottages with Queen beds, desks, window seats, and wood burning stoves. Both types of accommodation have ensuite washrooms, running hot water, and all modern amenities.

This cost includes:

7 writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days
Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 12 noon on Day 5
Field trip with picnic
Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning
Special local Himachali dinner one night
Live Music and Bonfire on one night
Basic first aid and stationery

This cost excludes:

Travel from participants’ respective cities
Additional food, alcohol etc.
Medical expenses beyond first aid, if needed
Insurance
Other Personal Expenses

I signed up for Aditi Rao’s retreat to build skill and strength. It took me that entire week to realize one couldn’t survive without the other. It’s remarkable how fresh mountain air, delicious food, and delightful company can transform you. In short, it was life-changing.

No amount of words can do justice to how fantastic this writing retreat has been for my sense of self. I’d recommend it to everyone who feels a bit lost, lucked out, or low. I’d recommend it even if you don’t feel any of those things. This isn’t a coming-of-age tale (I’m too old) or a coming-out story (I’m too late). It’s simply an anecdote about finally finding my voice and not being quite so afraid of writing anymore. And sometimes, that’s all that counts.
- Aniruddha Mahale, Author of Get Out: The Gay Man’s Guide to Coming Out and Going Out

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit from Nomad Eco-Retreat will coordinate with you to in case you need help figuring out transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi or Vande Bharat, you can comfortably make it before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Nomad after lunch and just use the extra time to settle in or go for a walk nearby.

4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks

5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone.

We then move into our first workshop exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and getting us thinking about the journeys we hope to make during this retreat.

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars.

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join us for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Baithak for our first workshop session. Each session will combine writing craft, conversations, and occasionally other art activities. They will each culminate in a writing exercise aimed at self-discovery, healing, or transformation.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to continue to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be extra thinking/ conversation/ writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen.

8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing.

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join us for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together for the nearby Deodar forests, where we will conduct the day’s session.

12:00 - 2:00: Today’s writing session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together.

2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!

4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea.

6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.

8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join us for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 1:00: We will start tying together the last few days’ worth of writing and reflections into insights and tools we can integrate into our stories and carry back with us as we leave. As always, we will write and share, and perhaps paint as well!

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of thinking/ writing/ conversation prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like..

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. During this last circle, we also focus on witnessing one another’s journeys over our three days together.

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali meal cooked by our local chefs.

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join us for one more nature meditation walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains.

9:00 - 10:00: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:00 - 11:00: We meet at 10:00 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs.

11:00 - 12:00: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance.

To Register

Please contact me to register for the event.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat.

Registrations close 12th October, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest.

Cancellation Policy

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

More than 4 weeks before Day 1: 90% refund

3 - 4 weeks before Day 1: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency; in this case, please provide us a copy of your doctor’s letter, and we will offer you a coupon for room and board for a future stay at Nomad Eco-Retreat, to be used within 6 months; we are unable to refund workshop facilitator and other fees at this point.

Trip Disclaimer

Nomad Eco Retreat sits amidst a fruit orchard, and adjacent to a Deodar Forest. We are not a hotel; we are a small farmstay, run with a whole lot of love. We work hard to keep you comfortable and provide you with all the amenities you need, but please do not expect hotel style amenities such as room service or daily housekeeping.
We will have a basic first aid kit handy, but if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in our immediate vicinity. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided onsite, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest.

If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

“Aditi’s writing retreat was cathartic and transformative. It helped me face my fears and write with candour. Aditi was a kind facilitator who went beyond her role as a mentor, ensuring each voice had its space, She nudged you when required and made sure you stood up to your fears with effortless warmth. Amit, our gracious host, ensured a comfortable stay, taking care of every major and minor need, ensuring we never ran out of chai, and making every minute memorable. I found a great community to fall back on, a place where I belong, and people to call my own.”

— Monisha Raman, Freelance Writer

Registrations close 12th October, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest.