Yogi the Cat
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
This retreat is about remembering how to see those miracles all around you and within you. If the past two years have left you feeling stuck, stagnant and uninspired - as if life is filtered through a grey lens - this week will reconnect you to a sense of wonder, inspiration and joy for life. We will bookend our days with a morning and evening yoga practice, embark on adventure activities including a scenic horse-riding trek, a thrilling via ferrata and a serene kayak trip, slow down relaxing and sunbathing by the pool and enjoy the most delicious vegetarian meals. All along making new friendships and memories of a lifetime. Our mission with this retreat is for you to get recharged and inspired and go back home with the biggest smile on your face and an opened heart.
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LOCATION & ACCOMMODATION
Just an hour's drive away from Malaga airport, nestled in the quiet and beautiful El Chorro mountains, our home for the week will be a lovely family-run bed and breakfast. A traditionally rustic property with a beautiful garden, outdoor pool, sun terrace, yoga shala and even a climbing gym - all opening up to stunning views over the valley.
There are five en-suite bedrooms, all different and quirky in their own way, decorated in a simple, but lovely and comfortable style. The rooms have private access and are situated at the back of the main property for privacy, peace and quiet. There is also an option to stay in a single tent and enjoy sleeping closer to nature - in the gardens of the property full of olive and fruit trees typical of the Spanish countryside. Bed mattress and bed linen will be provided so don't worry - your comfort won't be compromised!
CUISINE
Oh are we going to be spoiled with delicious food during this week! Prepared by our own personal chef Noan - who not only knows his way around the kitchen, but casually happens to be an awesome climber and a musician too - we will be treated to the most delicious, colourful rainbow, abundant plates of veggie goodness. Freshly prepared, vegetarian and plant-based meals will indulge your taste buds and nourish your body and soul. Tea, coffee and water will be available during the day.
YOGA
Our yoga classes will take place in the beautiful and airy shala with views into the mountains. Every class will be carefully planned to uplift your spirit and deepen your connection to your body, mind and heart. Inspiring story-telling, beautiful music and burning incense will awaken your senses and take you on a journey of coming back to yourself and the present moment. Our morning practices will be an invitation to play with creative and challenging vinyasa flows, building on physical and mental strength as we break down peak poses and explore fun transitions. The evening sessions will be softer and calmer practices to help you unwind, relax and go inward with restorative and yin flows, meditation and breathwork. Whichever the type of the class, you will be encouraged to listen to your body and move at the pace and intensity that feels good to you. Our teaching is down-to-earth and we aspire to create a safe space where we can all come as we are - not perfect, not knowing it all, not having it all together - just a group of yogis coming to be real and human together.
ACTIVITIES
VIA FERRATA ADVENTURE
This one is for the thrill-seeking adventurer in you! A via ferrata is an exciting mountain trail equipped with steel cables, ladders and other fixed anchors on the rock that allow a safe, but challenging route across tricky and steep terrain. Attached to the metal fixtures at all time and under the supervision of a certified guide, the El Chorro via ferrata will take us through a Tibetan bridge, a zipline of over 30 meters of fun, a nerve-wracking wire walkway on a single steel cable and an optional rapel down.
Alongside our daily yoga practice, we will stay active and make this week unforgettable enjoying some of the most incredible experiences El Chorro has to offer.
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HORSE-RIDING ADVENTURE
Tailored to the level of your experience, our personal guide and our four-legged friends will take us through and around the stunning woodlands and mountain scenery surrounding El Chorro. We will follow off-road routes through the pine forests, olive and almond groves and open countryside, taking in the incredible views and learning more about the local area from our guide while on horseback.
KAYAKING AND SWIMMING
Sometimes referred to as Malaga's Lake District, the El Chorro lakes offer an unusual scenery to the region and are known for their beautiful turquoise waters and the surrounding pine and oak forests. The lakes are a beautiful man-made wonder formed from a dam built across the Guadalhorce river gorge. We will come to relax, swim and sunbathe and explore this stunning nature reservoir and its shorelines by kayak.
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SCHEDULE
ARRIVAL: 2nd September
Opening circle/introductions and a welcome dinner
DEPARTURE: 7th September
Final morning practice and goodbye breakfast
DAILY SCHEDULE*
07:30 Morning practice
09:30 Breakfast
13:00 Lunch and free time
17:00 Evening practice
19:30 Dinner
DAILY SCHEDULE WITH ACTIVITY*
07:30 Morning practice
09:30 Breakfast
10:30 Horse-riding, Via Ferrata or Kayaking
14:00 Lunch and free time
17:00 Evening practice
19:30 Dinner
* Times might slightly change to accommodate day's activities
PRICING
Twin/Double room with private bathroom
£880 per person (sharing)
Single room with private bathroom
£1080 (places very limited)
Single tent with bed mattress/linen, access to shared bathroom
£750
The price includes all meals, accommodation, the stated activities, yoga classes and group transport from and to the airport.
PAYMENTS
A non-refundable deposit of £200 will be payable upon booking to secure your place. The full balance is due by 15th of July 2022. If booking after this date, the full payment will be required to reserve your place. Payments will be requested by bank transfer.
TRANSPORT FOR ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
There will be one group transfer organised to pick you up from and return you to Malaga airport on arrival and departure days. On the 2nd of September the transfer will be arranged for about 3pm and on the 7th of September ~1pm. The times are subject to change and will be confirmed once everyone's flight details will be known to arrange the best slot. If the time for the group transfer won't work with your particular travel plans, there is also an option to arrange a private transfer for a fee between €60-75 depending on the time of your travel. Further advice for flight times and transfers can be discussed upon booking.
YOUR TEACHERS
Kriste Sedleviciute (@yogithezencat)
Born into a lineage of athletes, Kriste grew up being physically active. Unlike her family, she struggled to commit to one form of exercise until she discovered yoga. She soon realised it’s the kind, positive and mindful approach to movement that keeps her returning to her yoga mat.
Kriste left her professional career and went on to train in traditional Hatha yoga in Rishikesh, India.
Throughout the years she deepened her knowledge in various yoga trainings across the world. Now, she teaches Hatha, dynamic Vinyasa, relaxing Yin yoga, and meditation classes in London.
Fascinated by the human body and biomechanics Kriste loves to combine yoga tradition with the movement science of the West. She is a strong believer that yoga is for everyone and is dedicated to helping people discover their body and mind potential through a compassionate and mindful practice.
Inga Venclaviciute (@yogasetgo)
No stranger to mental health challenges - from insomnia to anxiety and panic attacks - Inga has been inspired to explore how yoga and mindfulness can help us all become kinder to ourselves and become better friends with our body, mind and heart.
Trained in Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow, her passion truly lies with the creative aspects of Vinyasa Flow; playful sequences, diverse movement and the power of syncing it with the breath.
Carefully designed to balance strength and flexibility, her classes are challenging and sweaty, but with an emphasis on the harder challenge - can we stay kind and mindful while doing it?
Following her 200 hours training in Sampoorna Yoga, India, she went onto train with Jason Crandell programs, qualified in Mindfulness Meditation, became a certified CBT practitioner and has recently trained as a Mental Health First Aider. She lives and teaches in London, but has also started teaching in Yoga Teacher Trainings in Sampoorna Yoga School.