Pick Retreats began when someone who rarely stopped finally did.
For more than a decade, Lijo Isac rarely took his foot off the accelerator.
Beginning his career in 2007, he went on to work in some of India’s fastest-growing technology companies, including Paytm, BYJU'S and Practo, as well as high growth startups that were later acquired by companies such as Flipkart and Reliance.
These were exciting years.
They were also intense.
Products to build. Teams to grow. Targets to meet. Problems that couldn't wait until Monday.
Like many people working in high-growth companies, Lijo became accustomed to moving constantly from one challenge to the next.
From 2007 until COVID, there was hardly a real pause.
Then, during the COVID years, something changed.
He went on a retreat.
And that experience eventually became Pick Retreats.
The Retreat That Started It All
Sometimes you don't realise how fast you're moving until you stop.
During COVID, Lijo spent time at Prakriti Shakti , a holistic wellness retreat in Kerala.
For perhaps the first time in years, the rhythm of life was completely different.
There were no meetings to rush into.
No notifications demanding an immediate response.
No target waiting at the end of the week.
Instead, there was time to eat consciously, spend time in nature, focus on wellbeing and simply be present.
It wasn't an escape from life.
It was a chance to look at life from a little further away.
The experience stayed with him.
So much so that retreats didn't remain a one-time experience.
Lijo began taking a wellness retreat every year.
And slowly, a question began forming in his mind.
Why weren't more people doing this?
The Conversations That Changed Everything
The people who seemed to need retreats most often knew the least about them.
Back in the corporate world, Lijo began speaking about his retreat experiences with friends and colleagues.
Many of them were working in startups and high-growth companies themselves.
They understood pressure.
They understood long hours.
They understood the feeling of constantly having something else to solve.
Yet when Lijo spoke to them about retreats, he noticed something surprising.
Most knew very little about them.
Some thought a retreat simply meant yoga.
Others imagined an expensive spa holiday.
Many didn't know the difference between an Ayurveda retreat, naturopathy programme, meditation retreat, detox programme or a structured wellness stay.
And almost everyone had the same questions:
The interest was there. The information wasn't.
Then There Was Another Discovery
Some remarkable retreats were surprisingly empty.
While people around him struggled to discover good retreats, Lijo was seeing the opposite problem on the other side.
There were retreats with beautiful locations, thoughtful programmes, experienced practitioners and decades of knowledge.
Yet some of them were far less discovered than they deserved to be.
That disconnect stayed with him.
People who could benefit from retreats didn't know where to find them.
And remarkable retreats weren't always reaching the people who needed them.
That gap eventually became the idea behind Pick Retreats.
A Pause at 40
After years of building companies, Lijo decided to build life differently.
At around 40, Lijo made another major decision.
After years in corporate leadership at companies like Paytm, BYJU'S and Practo, and startups later acquired by Flipkart and Reliance, he paused corporate life and became an entrepreneur.
The pace changed.
But something interesting didn't.
People continued asking him about retreats.
Friends.
Former colleagues.
Entrepreneurs.
Professionals dealing with demanding careers.
People going through particularly stressful periods.
Some were looking for somewhere to switch off for a week.
Others wanted a more structured Ayurveda or wellness programme.
Many simply wanted to know:
“How do I take a proper break?”
Those conversations made something even clearer.
Stress doesn't always arrive as one dramatic event.
Sometimes it accumulates through hundreds of small things.
These are the micro stresses of everyday life.
Then there are the bigger pressures — the macro stresses.
Most people know how to book a holiday from these pressures.
Far fewer know how to deliberately step away, slow down and create space for themselves.
That became an important part of the purpose behind Pick Retreats.
Why Pick Retreats Exists
We want to make taking care of yourself easier to understand.
Pick Retreats wasn't created because the internet needed another hotel booking website.
There are already plenty of those.
It was created because choosing a wellness retreat is fundamentally different from choosing a hotel.
Two retreats may both advertise a “Rejuvenation Programme”, while offering completely different experiences.
One might involve detailed consultations, personalised food and a structured schedule of therapies.
Another might be primarily a relaxing resort stay with yoga and spa treatments.
Both can be good.
But they are not necessarily right for the same person.
That's where Pick Retreats comes in. We help you understand the difference.
Who We Are
We are wellness & health travel specialists, not just a booking site.
Our starting point isn't:
“Which property would you like to book?”
It's:
“What are you hoping to get from your time away?”
Maybe you want to slow down after years of working without a proper break.
Maybe you're interested in Ayurveda.
Maybe you want to develop a yoga or meditation practice.
Maybe you're looking for a structured wellness programme.
Maybe you simply feel mentally tired and want somewhere peaceful.
Or perhaps you don't know exactly what you're looking for yet.
That's okay.
Understanding that is part of our job.
We help you compare retreats based on their programmes, philosophy, practitioner expertise, level of supervision, accommodation, food, location, duration and price.
Because the best retreat isn't necessarily the most expensive or famous one.
It's the one that fits you.
Our Kerala Roots
The idea was born in one of the world's great wellness destinations.
Pick Retreats has its roots in Kerala.
It is where Lijo first began experiencing retreats personally and where the idea behind Pick Retreats gradually took shape.
Kerala also gave us something incredibly valuable:
Proximity.
Rather than understanding retreats only through websites and brochures, we could visit them.
Meet the people behind them.
Understand their philosophies.
See their rooms.
Experience their surroundings.
Learn how programmes actually work.
And understand that two retreats located just a few kilometres apart can offer completely different experiences.
That local knowledge became part of the foundation of Pick Retreats.
Today, our ambition goes far beyond Kerala.
We want to help travellers discover carefully selected Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, naturopathy and wellness retreats across India and around the world.
What We Believe
You shouldn't have to reach breaking point before taking a break.
One idea sits at the heart of Pick Retreats.
Wellbeing shouldn't always begin when something goes wrong.
You don't have to wait until you're completely exhausted.
You don't have to wait until work becomes overwhelming.
You don't have to wait for a doctor to tell you to slow down.
Sometimes taking time away can simply be a conscious decision to give yourself space.
To move differently.
Eat differently.
Sleep differently.
Think differently.
And perhaps return home seeing everyday life a little differently too.
Our Mission
Make meaningful health travel easier to discover.
We want to connect travellers with carefully selected retreats that suit their individual goals, preferences and budgets.
That means helping you with:
Clear programme information
Understand what a retreat actually offers.
Honest comparisons
See meaningful differences between similar options.
Personalised guidance
Find retreats based on what matters to you.
Trusted retreat providers
Discover programmes we have taken time to understand.
Support beyond booking
Have someone to speak with before and during your retreat.
Our ambition is simple: help more people discover the right place to pause.
Our Vision
Make a retreat as normal as taking a holiday.
Most of us plan holidays.
We plan birthdays.
We plan careers.
We plan investments.
We plan almost everything except time deliberately set aside for our own wellbeing.
Lijo's own experience changed the way he thought about this.
What began as one retreat became an annual ritual.
And that's ultimately the change we would like Pick Retreats to help create.
A retreat shouldn't always be an emergency exit from an exhausting life. It can simply be part of living a better one.
The Founder's Philosophy
“For years, I kept moving. A retreat taught me the value of deliberately stopping.”
“I had been working continuously since 2007—building products, teams and businesses in some incredibly fast-moving companies.
When I finally experienced a retreat during COVID, I began wondering why we don't consciously make space for this in our lives.
Then I started talking to friends and colleagues. Many were dealing with the same micro stresses of everyday life and the larger pressures that come with careers, businesses and families. They wanted a break, but most didn't know what kind of retreat to choose or even where to begin.
At the same time, I knew wonderful retreats that weren't reaching enough people.
Pick Retreats grew from that disconnect.
I want to make it easier for someone to say, ‘I think I need some time for myself’, and know exactly where to start.”
Our Promise
We'll help you choose. We won't simply ask you to book.
We don't believe every retreat is right for everyone.
So we'll try to understand you before recommending one.
Then we'll help you compare the options that genuinely make sense.
Because sometimes choosing a retreat isn't about finding the best retreat in the world.
It's about finding:
The best retreat for where you are in life right now.
Your Story Could Start Here
Maybe you don't need another holiday.
Maybe you need somewhere to slow down.
Maybe you want to focus on your health.
Maybe you want to disconnect from work.
Maybe you want to understand Ayurveda.
Maybe you're curious about meditation.
Or maybe you've just had a very long year.
You don't need to know which retreat you want. That's where we can help.
Tell us what you're looking for. We'll help you find a place that feels right.
Your journey doesn't begin with a booking. It begins with a conversation.
