Pottery Retreats
The Creative Pottery Retreat in India You’ve Been Looking For
Pottery Retreats at Aura Pottery
This artist’s retreat in India is best suited to beginners and intermediates looking for a personalized pottery retreat, and peaceful practice time.
Discover a serene haven nestled in the picturesque countryside, where creativity meets relaxation. Join us for a rejuvenating pottery retreat filled with pottery workshops, tranquil surroundings, and unforgettable experiences. At our pottery retreat, we pride ourselves in providing comfortable accommodation, delightful amenities, and a warm, inviting atmosphere that will make your experience truly memorable.
Best suited to individuals who are at the beginner or intermediate level of ceramics, the courses range from one to eight weeks.
What to Expect at the Pottery Retreat
This is a personalized pottery retreat shaped around your individual goals and interests, with a relaxed, flexible curriculum that meets you where you are in your practice. You’ll spend your days on a beautiful farm, enjoying a creative holiday that allows space to slow down, think, feel, and detach from daily life.
Choose Your Duration
Everything you need to know about each retreat, including curriculum, pricing, and what's included, is laidout below.
1 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat will introduce you to the fundamental techniques of building in clay with the best tools a potter can have – their hands. The week is divided equally between hand-building and wheel-throwing. No prior knowledge is required, and this retreat is perfect for beginners.
What You’ll Learn:
Introduction to stoneware clay, Wedging, ceramic vocabulary
Hand-Building:
- Pinching
- Coiling
- Slab Work
- Surface Decoration
- When: Through the Year, Starts every Monday
- Best Suited to: Absolute Beginners & Intermediates
- No more than 8 guests at a time
Applicable to All Retreat Durations
- Included: stay, meals, mentorship, daily yoga, workshops, materials, taxes
- Extra: Firing charge of INR 100/100g, shipping (varies by final address)
2 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat will cover all the basic techniques and focus on specific tips and troubleshooting tricks to improve your skills in hand-building as well as on the wheel. Refine your work and continue to build upon your construction methods to form functional or sculptural ceramic shapes.
What You’ll Learn:
Hand-Building:
- Pinching, Coiling, Slab Work
- Surface Decor, Carving, Sgraffito
- Mugs, Tumblers, Handles, Bowls
Wheel:
- Centering, Coning, Pulling
- Cylinders, Bowls
- When: Through the Year, Starts every Monday
- Best Suited to: Absolute Beginners & Intermediates
- No more than 8 guests at a time
Applicable to All Retreat Durations
- Included: stay, meals, mentorship, daily yoga, workshops, materials, taxes
- Extra: Firing charge of INR 100/100g, shipping (varies by final address)
4 Week Retreat
The ideal program length to give yourself a good grounding in pottery is 4 weeks. Get introduced to advanced pottery techniques in both hand-building and wheel throwing during this retreat. You will design your own concepts, both functional and conceptual and learn how to best execute them.
What You’ll Learn:
Hand-Building:
- Pinching, Coiling, Slab Work
- Surface Decor, Carving, Sgraffito
- Mugs, Tumblers, Handles, Bowls
- Exploring complex surface treatment
Wheel:
- Centering, Coning, Pulling, Trimming
- Cylinders, Bowls, Large & Tall Pots
- Consisten throwing, Altering Shapes
- Exploring narrow and wide shapes
- Plates
Glazing:
- Introduction to glazes and glaze application
- When: Through the Year, Starts every Monday
- Best Suited to: Absolute Beginners & Intermediates
- No more than 8 guests at a time
Applicable to All Retreat Durations
- Included: stay, meals, mentorship, daily yoga, workshops, materials, taxes
- Extra: Firing charge of INR 100/100g, shipping (varies by final address)
6 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat offers students the opportunity to explore and understand ceramics, discovering their own individual language in clay. Participants would design their ideas and build them under the guidance of our instructors.
What You’ll Learn:
Hand-Building:
- Pinching, Coiling, Slab Work
- Surface Decor, Carving, Sgraffito
- Mugs, Tumblers, Handles, Bowls
- Exploring complex surface treatment
- Complex pieces
- Bottles, Vases, Lids & Jars
Wheel:
- Centering, Coning, Pulling, Trimming
- Cylinders, Bowls, Large & Tall Pots
- Consisten throwing, Altering Shapes
- Exploring narrow and wide shapes
- Plates, Complex Pieces
Glazing:
- Introduction to glazes and glaze application
- Loading & Unloading a Gas Kiln
- Basics of Firing a Gas Kiln
- Different Glazing Techniques
- When: Through the Year, Starts every Monday
- Best Suited to: Absolute Beginners & Intermediates
- No more than 8 guests at a time
Applicable to All Retreat Durations
- Included: stay, meals, mentorship, daily yoga, workshops, materials, taxes
- Extra: Firing charge of INR 100/100g, shipping (varies by final address)
8 Week Retreat
The skills included in this pottery retreat cover all the fundamentals in ceramics that extend into advanced techniques such as execution of conceptual design strategies and construction with mixed approach to form complex forms (sculpture or functional).
What You’ll Learn:
Hand-Building:
- Pinching, Coiling, Slab Work
- Surface Decor, Carving, Sgraffito
- Mugs, Tumblers, Handles, Bowls
- Exploring complex surface treatment
- Complex pieces
- Bottles, Vases, Lids & Jars
- Large-scale projects
Wheel:
- Centering, Coning, Pulling, Trimming
- Cylinders, Bowls, Large & Tall Pots
- Consisten throwing, Altering Shapes
- Exploring narrow and wide shapes
- Plates, Complex Pieces
- Hump & Sectional Throwing
- Advanced: Lidded Pots & Pitchers
Glazing:
- Introduction to glazes and glaze application
- Loading & Unloading a Gas Kiln
- Basics of Firing a Gas Kiln
- Different Glazing Techniques
- When: Through the Year, Starts every Monday
- Best Suited to: Absolute Beginners & Intermediates
- No more than 8 guests at a time
Applicable to All Retreat Durations
- Included: stay, meals, mentorship, daily yoga, workshops, materials, taxes
- Extra: Firing charge of INR 100/100g, shipping (varies by final address)
Meet your Hosts, Andy & Anya
Hi, I’m Andy, a self-taught ceramic artist with ten years of experience, and your head instructor and mentor during your time here. I love storytelling, whether through my work or while sharing moments in the studio. Anya, my creative partner, brings every experience to life—strategically coordinating operations, our online presence and your experience at Aura.
We’ve built this home with love and joy, and it’s our greatest pleasure to share it with like-minded creatives. This is more than a pottery retreat – it’s a piece of our life, designed with care and intention. Come join us and experience the art, nature, and beauty we call home.
Andy XO
The Studio
Your Stay - Comfortable and Just like Home
Aura is a private pottery farm and the accommodation is within the same premises. We have different options for stay & accommodation – the Potters Villa and the Main Private Residence. The potters villa is shared with the instructors, and other students. The Main residence is a shared space with the hosts/family of founders/owners.
Shared Room
Perfect for bringing a friend or sharing with a fellow potter, making connections and memories. All rooms are air-conditioned, cozy, and equipped with attached bathrooms and private porches.
Private Room
Ideal for those seeking a peaceful and private retreat. All rooms are air-conditioned, cozy, and equipped with attached bathrooms and private porches.
Luxury Room
A private double occupancy bedroom with two large picture windows and a beautiful pool OR garden view. Calming and nostalgic, the perfect room to relax after working in the studio. The Luxury Rooms are in the Main Residence
Nourishing meals
Simple, home-cooked food made with farm-grown and locally sourced produce. We believe good meals nourish the work as much as the body.
Breakfast brings savory staples like dalia, poha, upma, parantha, and daily eggs. The kitchen surprises us.
Lunch is a wholesome Indian spread: seasonal vegetables, pulses, roti, rice, yoghurt, and a fresh overnight soaked salad.
Dinner leans lighter and continental: baked vegetables, pastas, Turkish veggies, casseroles, and the occasional indulgent burger.
The Complete Farm Experience
Sprawled over 3 acres, Aura offers beautiful outdoor spaces for you to enjoy. Grab a book & a beverage and find yourself by our infinity pool. After a busy day in the studio, take a dip in the pool and relax. A walking path around the entire periphery of the property takes you through our fruit orchard, organic kitchen garden, ponds, potters villa and the meditation circle. You could also find a great spot for a picnic & catch some hammock time.
Interactive Sessions with the Team
Aura is run by a small happy team that is skilled at working and interacting with people from all over the globe. Andy, the resident artist, and the studio co-ordinator are the organizers of all retreats, workshops, and classes. The team at our pottery school ensures that your time is well spent at the studio, you benefit from the activities organized, your stay is comfortable, and you enjoy healthy, organic meals that complete the experience!
Testimonials
Getting here
We’re on the Siswan-Kurali Highway near New Chandigarh. Find us on Google Maps.
Flying in?
Fly into Delhi (DEL), then take a short 30-minute connecting flight to Chandigarh (IXC). From there, it’s an easy ride to us.
Distances by taxi
We arrange airport and railway transfers at a flat INR 2,000 through our trusted taxi partners. Just let us know when you're booking and we'll sort it. Prefer to take your own Uber? Absolutely fine too.