Our Story

Our Story

WhiteLight did not begin as a retreat center. It began as land. A quiet 27-acre farm in the lower Himalayas, near Solan, surrounded by trees, forest, open sky, mountain air, and silence. For many years, this land was not something we were trying to “develop.” It was something we were slowly learning to listen to. WhiteLight grew from that listening. It grew slowly, one mud structure at a time, shaped by the land, by the seasons, by the people who came, and by our own inner journey.

The Beginning

Around 2015, the first structure was built. It was a small mud house with three rooms — simple, earthy, and close to the land. This became the first home at WhiteLight. The intention was never to create something grand or commercial. The intention was to live simply, close to nature, and allow the space to unfold at its own pace. The first house carried the seed of everything that would later become WhiteLight: simplicity, silence, mud, earth, care, and a deep respect for the land.

2016 — A Space for Guests and Workshops

In 2016, the next structure came up. This was a larger mud house with two floors and eight rooms. It became a guest house and workshop space — a place where people could stay, gather, learn, rest, and spend time together. Slowly, WhiteLight began to open beyond just being a home. Friends, seekers, and small groups started coming. Some came for workshops. Some came for reflection. Some came simply because the space felt peaceful. The mud walls, open views, shared meals, and quiet rhythm of the place began to create a feeling of belonging.

2017 — The Open Meditation Space

In 2017, an open meditation space was built. At its center stood a tree. This became one of the most loved spaces at WhiteLight — open to the sky, rooted in the earth, and held by the quiet presence of nature. People sat here in silence, meditated, breathed, listened to birds, watched the light change, and slowly softened into stillness. The space did not need much. The tree, the earth, the sky, and the silence were enough.

2018 — Yoga, Silence, and Forest Cottages

In 2018, WhiteLight expanded again. A closed meditation space and yoga hall were created, giving people a place to practice in all seasons — in rain, winter, mist, and mountain cold. Around the same time, two cottages were built near the forest. These cottages brought another kind of quiet. They allowed guests to stay close to the trees, away from noise, with the feeling of being held by the forest. By then, WhiteLight was becoming more than a collection of buildings. It was becoming a zone of silence.

Growing With the Land

Over the years, more structures were added slowly. Nothing was rushed. Each mud building came from a need that naturally appeared — a place to stay, a place to meditate, a place to gather, a place to rest, a place to be alone. WhiteLight was never built from a fixed master plan. It grew like a living thing. The land is shaped like a triangle at the end of a hill, with forest around it. This gives WhiteLight its special feeling — as if the outside world has gently fallen away and you are being invited inward. The structures remain simple, earthy, and minimal. They are not meant to impress. They are meant to remove distraction.

From Private Space to Shared Sanctuary

For many years, WhiteLight was held quietly. Most of the workshops, healing spaces, and retreats were personally held by Varun and Christina. The people who came were often friends, known guests, or those connected through earlier work. Slowly, the space deepened. People came here tired from the speed of life. Some came at turning points. Some came for meditation, healing, silence, and reflection. Some came with questions. Some came with exhaustion. Many left feeling softer, clearer, and more at home within themselves. WhiteLight became a place where people did not need to perform, explain, or become anything. They simply needed space.

Today

Today, WhiteLight has grown into a quiet retreat space in the lower Himalayas, about two hours from Chandigarh and around thirty minutes from Solan. It has several mud-built spaces, guest rooms, meditation areas, yoga spaces, cottages, forest paths, open skies, and corners of silence. And now, after years of growing slowly and being held personally, WhiteLight is opening more widely. We are inviting sincere seekers, meditators, yogis, healers, teachers, facilitators, and those who feel called to silence to come and experience the space. The intention remains the same as it was in the beginning: to keep things simple, quiet, honest, and close to nature.

What WhiteLight Has Become

WhiteLight is not a resort. It is not a formal ashram. It is not a place of packed schedules, noise, or performance. It is a small, intimate Himalayan sanctuary created slowly over time — one mud structure, one tree, one path, one gathering, one silence at a time. It is a place to pause. A place to rest. A place to breathe. A place to remember what the world often makes us forget.

A Living Story

WhiteLight is still growing. Not quickly. Not loudly. It continues to grow in the same way it began — gently, patiently, and with care. Every structure has a memory. Every path has been walked slowly. Every corner has held someone in silence. And perhaps that is the real story of WhiteLight: not a place that was built all at once, but a place that has slowly become itself.