Six Senses Vana announces the launch of Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana

DEHRADUN, INDIA – January 19, 2026 – Six Senses Vana announces the launch of Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana, a cookbook that brings more than a decade of lived culinary practice from the retreat’s kitchens into homes beyond Vana.

Anayu is not a conventional recipe book. It reflects how food is understood, prepared, and served at Vana as nourishment, as care, and as part of a wider ecological and human system. The foundation of this approach, known as the Vana cuisine philosophy, took shape through the vision of Veer Singh, Founder of Vana. He imagined food at Vana as generous and attentive, never restrictive or reduced to the idea of wellness cuisine. Guided by Ayurvedic understanding and brought to life by Vana’s doctors and chefs, this way of eating has evolved quietly through daily practice rather than trends.

 At the heart of the book is Anayu, a name that emerged from Veer’s thinking and draws from Anna, meaning food, and Ayu, meaning life or longevity. Together, they express the idea of Food for Life, nourishment that supports the body over time. At Vana, this philosophy begins with a shared understanding that food is medicine. Every ingredient is chosen with care. Every recipe is considered for its effect on the body. Every meal supports a guest’s wider wellness journey. Presentation, fragrance, texture, and taste are given equal attention, allowing food to engage all the senses while remaining purposeful.

“On my early visits to Vana, I was struck by the beauty of the food before I understood its deeper thinking,”. “Over time, it became clear that nothing on the plate is incidental. Anayu grew from that realization and from years of dialogue, testing, and learning about how we eat, where food comes from, and who it affects.”

Meher Varma, author of Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana

The book reflects a long-held intention of Veer to share Vana’s approach to nourishment beyond the retreat. Over time, and in close collaboration with Meher, the material was shaped, refined, and revisited, arriving at the version now shared with the world.

 For the culinary team, Anayu comes from years of daily practice translated thoughtfully onto the page. “Cooking at Vana has always been about listening,” says Chef Rajesh Sharma, Six Senses Vana. “Listening to the body, to the seasons, and to the ingredients themselves. The recipes in this book come from that quiet attention. They are meant to be cooked without hurry, adjusted with intuition, and shared with care.”

“Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana comes from years of that listening,”. “Over time, I have seen how deeply people respond to this food, how it comforts them, steadies them, and often stays with them long after they leave. This book reflects the way we eat here and offers a way for that feeling to continue beyond Vana.” 

Jaspreet Singh, General Manager, Six Senses Vana

The recipes in Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana are those served at the retreat, alongside adaptations designed for everyday kitchens. Written for non-experts, they use accessible techniques, limited ingredients, and fewer steps, while remaining mindful of waste, water use, and excess. Ayurveda’s emphasis on seasonality and individual constitution runs throughout the book, encouraging readers to understand their dosha and to eat in ways that support both personal health and the wider environment.

Beyond recipes, the book reflects on the realities of modern food systems, from the impact of monoculture and industrial farming to the ethics of sourcing and consumption. It invites readers to see themselves as part of an interconnected web that includes farmers, ecosystems, animals, and communities.

Designed to move between kitchen and bedside, Anayu blends cooking instructions with reflective reading, short essays, and practical guidance. The intention is not prescription, but relationship, helping readers build a more attentive, informed, and sustainable way of eating over time.

With this book, Vana opens its kitchen and shares a philosophy shaped quietly over more than a decade. Anayu – Recipes and Stories from Vana is an invitation to carry that awareness into everyday life.