The early morning sun glints on the vast expanse of water as our toes sink into the soft, warm sand and we stretch down to touch them – most people with more success than me. “Just reach down as far as you can and focus on your breathing,” smiles our cruise director Neena.

Earlier, as we sipped mango juice on the bank which had been covered by water a few weeks previously, Neena explained the principles of yog – later westernised as yoga – which in India is far more than physical exercise and encompasses all aspects of physical and mental health. The setting and her reflective and dawn philosophies were a world away from the few and rather serious yoga classes I’d attended, especially when we ended each session learning the positive effects of deliberate laughter and giggle our way back the Mahabaahu for breakfast.