Almora Retreat Reportedly Cancels Tantra Yoga Training After Police Inquiry

Current assessment: The available evidence supports a cautious report that a planned October 2026 Tantra yoga teacher-training program at Dunagiri Retreat in Dwarahat, Almora district, was cancelled after local police and district officials inquired into it. But the available record does not support presenting the event simply as a physical “naked yoga course.” The organizer’s live booking-page description says participants would remain clothed and that “NΛKED” is the name of an embodied-Tantra methodology rather than a requirement of nudity.

Reported facts

The Pioneer reported on August 21 that the proposed month-long, 300-hour program at Dwarahat Dunagiri Retreat had been cancelled. The report attributed that account to Almora Senior Superintendent of Police Chandrashekhar Ghodke and retreat owner Piyush Kumar. According to the newspaper, Ghodke said police contacted the property owner during an inquiry and that the program was cancelled after discussions with the owner. The Pioneer also reported that Kumar confirmed the cancellation.

The newspaper said the program had been scheduled for October 1 through October 30, 2026, and identified the organizer as Carla Zürcher, who uses the name Yogini Kāmadevī. The listing independently identifies an in-person training at Dunagiri Retreat in Dwarahat for those dates, with online study before and after the residential portion.

Supporting evidence

The cancellation claim rests principally on The Pioneer’s reporting of statements from a named police official and the retreat owner. That is stronger than an unattributed social-media claim, particularly because the official and owner are the people most directly positioned to describe an inquiry and whether the venue would host the program.

The organizer’s booking listing corroborates several core background details: a 300-hour Tantra yoga teacher training, a residential component at Dunagiri Retreat in Dwarahat, and an October 1–30 in-person schedule. The listing also materially clarifies the nature of the proposed course. It describes “NΛKED” as a framework centered on authenticity, awareness and embodiment, and explicitly states that participants remain clothed throughout the training.

Limitations and competing evidence

No direct statement from the Almora district administration, Almora Police, the retreat, or the organizer was located during this review. As a result, the reported cancellation cannot yet be independently confirmed through a primary public record or a first-party cancellation notice.

The Pioneer reported that neither the venue nor organizer had obtained permission and that district officials had initiated verification. However, the available materials do not identify a specific legal or regulatory provision requiring permission for this particular type of residential teacher training. The report therefore supports saying that authorities made that claim and conducted an inquiry; it does not establish that the planned training was unlawful.

The term “naked” is the central source of ambiguity. The Pioneer characterized the program as “naked tantra yoga,” while the organizer’s current listing says the label is metaphorical and that attendees would be clothed. The organizer’s description is the more direct evidence of the advertised participant rules. It does not, by itself, disprove every aspect of the newspaper’s reporting about local concern or the cancellation, but it substantially limits how the course should be described.

Current conclusion

A cautious reading is that a planned, branded Tantra yoga teacher-training retreat in Almora was reportedly withdrawn from Dunagiri Retreat following official scrutiny and discussions involving the venue. The available record supports reporting the cancellation as attributed to The Pioneer’s named sources. It does not establish a legal violation, confirm the precise reason for cancellation through official documentation, or support stating as fact that participants were expected to practice yoga nude. A public statement from Almora Police or district officials, a venue cancellation notice, or a response from the organizer would materially strengthen or revise this assessment.