Yoga Retreat

Yoga Retreats by Shanti-Som Wellbeing Retreat

3 day Yoga Retreat

If you are looking for a quick introduction into a Wellness Retreat and looking to kick start a more healthy lifestyle, 3 days is a great choice. You’ll get a feel for what your body and mind is capable of with some dedicated time away from your normal life. Let someone else take care of your meals, schedule and be guided by our Wellness Team. You’ll leave feeling rejuvenated and wanting to do it again!

5 day Yoga Retreat

You will probably find after two days of stretching and bending your body for hours at a time you may start to feel some aches and pains. But with anything, by day three you will start to see new muscle definition in your stomach, legs and shoulders, as well as improved flexibility. A 5 day Retreat is the perfect amount of time to further strengthen your movements and routine. It won’t just be your body that you notice improving. With a combination of regular yoga, relaxation, nutritious food and sunshine, our guests start to look and feel better with improved skin, brighter eyes and relaxed bodies. Most importantly, happier.

7 Day Yoga Retreat

Turn on your Out of Office and Do Not Disturb on WhatsApp and Social Media. This is the perfect balance for those who can take that extra weekend and a few days away from the office. We encourage you to disconnect from the world and learn to be comfortable ‘just being’ yourself. No social or work pressures as you disappear into a world of movement, relaxation and pampering. With two Yoga sessions and meditation every day, 7 days a week, you will feel yourself walking taller, leaner and confidently.

10 day Yoga Retreat

This is the ultimate wellness holiday for those who are dedicated to kick starting a better and healthier lifestyle. Immerse yourself in our sanctuary of privacy and complete relaxation. In this 10 day retreat you will have additional spa treatments and our guided hike in the Andalusian countryside is also included. During this time you will truly feel at home as you lounge in our cosy reception area or relax by the outdoor pool under Balinese parasols. Your days are relaxed, interspersed with activities and guilt-free time for yourself. Enjoy a few day excursions or simply finish that book that you have been meaning to get to for months. You’ll leave feeling brighter, positive and more energetic.

What is a Yoga Retreat and what can I expect?

If you are new to the concept of a Wellness Holiday, you are probably wondering what a Yoga Retreat is really like. Will you be eating raw vegetables and drinking green juices? Will there be wifi? Is alcohol available? Will there be chanting and tie dye hippies? You can safely put all these theories to rest, as Retreats these days are more realistic on what guests want to achieve – we offer guidelines and opportunities on nutrition, movement, mindfulness, relaxation and sleep. There is no rigid schedule or enforced way of living.

A retreat is not a school, and you won’t be expected to be bending from dusk till dawn. Our Yoga Retreat has two classes per day, usually held in our outdoor pavilion where you can be amongst nature. 

Your meals are carefully created with nutrition and taste in mind. We debunk myths of extra small vegetarian only meals, and instead create mezze platters, fresh salads, specialities from our Asian Wok and flavourful curries. You will be provided with daily choices using the freshest produce in the region. If you are a solo traveller you can expect plenty of opportunity to meet other guests as well as the space in the estate to be alone and relax. We usually have many solo travellers visiting at the same time who end up being friends and return to Shanti-Som together. 

Benefits of doing a Yoga Retreat

You can always just include Yoga in your daily fitness routine. The main benefit of going on a Yoga Retreat is to take a short break from the stresses of the world and to reconnect with your inner self. To not have to rush from work to your Yoga class and rush home again to cook dinner for your family. A Yoga Retreat is time for yourself, to find your passions again and recharge your mind to take on every day challengers with patience and grace. 

Here are a few reasons why Yoga is so good for you: 

Improved flexibility, strength and posture

Yoga helps to stretch and tone your body muscles. There is a misconception you have to be super flexible to do Yoga- at Shanti-Som we aim to show our guests that Yoga can be practised and enjoyed at all levels of ability with the singular aim to strengthen our bodies. Slowly guests can see improvement and gradual loosening so that once impossible poses now become possible. Then you will notice the aches and pains disappear.

• Strong muscles protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain.
• Daily Yoga helps improve posture and you will soon feel you walk taller and sit up straighter.
• Yoga prevents cartilage and joint breakdown as it helps take your joints through a full range of motions.
• Yoga poses require movement backwards and forwards, with many twists which help to keep the spinal disks supple.

Weight Loss

Gentle Yoga positions fuel the metabolic system and help burn fat leading to weight loss. Daily Yoga also strengthens the mind-body connection which is important to deal with emotions that are related to issues such as using food to suppress feelings.

Improved Fitness

If going to the gym and huffing and puffing with weights is not your idea of a fun workout then Yoga can give all that a gym can but in a peaceful, safe and holistic way. Yoga is a combination of cardio and strength training.

Reduced Stress

Studies have shown that Yoga can help regulate the heart  rate variability which means the heart rate is generally lower, giving the body the ability to handle stress more effectively. It has shown that cortisol levels become significantly lower after practising Yoga which results in lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

Increase in Energy & Immunity

Practising some Yoga positions each day helps to awaken the main energy centres (chakras) in your body and to circulate the blood flow, open the chest and encourage you to take in more breath.

• Yoga helps you focus: Yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time and memory as it focuses us on the present.
• Boosts your immune system: meditation appears to have a beneficial effect on the immune system, boosting it when needed

Types of Yoga and what does Shanti-Som offer

Hatha Yoga

A gentle and slower practice ideal for beginners to stretch and develop flexibility, find balance and improve mental focus. Hatha yoga is an alignment-based class to develop awareness of one’s own body and explore basic postures.

Vinyasa Yoga

A more dynamic and faster pace style of yoga. Vinyasa yoga is a flow, connecting one posture to the other using the breath, like a choreography. Great for developing strength, flexibility, grace and vitality. Because it is more energetic than most traditional forms of yoga, it burns more calories. It is also an opportunity to learn more challenging postures to advance your practice.

Yin Yoga

This class is all about relaxation and a deep stretch for ultimate zen! It is a more passive style of yoga: postures are primarily done on the floor and held for longer to allow for a deeper, grounding and more restorative practice. Most poses are supported with props like blocks, bolsters and blankets to so that you can sink deeper and release tension accumulated in the muscles and free your fascia memory.

A practice for deep release of tension in tight spots and areas of holding, a deeper connection with the breath, slowing down your heart and calming the nervous system.

Iyengar Yoga

Unlike Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar yoga poses are held for longer periods of time. When stability is achieved in a pose, it’s then possible to safely intensify the depth of the posture. This helps to help develop strength and flexibility, along with sensitivity and awareness between the body and mind.

Iyengar yoga recognises that all bodies are unique and have different strengths and weaknesses. It therefore advocates the use of props – blocks, chairs, belts, and blankets to help students to gain the correct alignment suitable for their individual body. This ensured that asanas could be practised safely and harmoniously.

Yoga & Meditation

Yoga is a beautiful flow of energy. Through the movement of our body it extends to our minds and the way we interact with the world. How we treat others and spread energy around us- with kindness, patience and respect. All of this comes from focusing on our breath, mindfulness and the practice of gratitude. Studies have shown that Yoga can help regulate the heart  rate variability which means the heart rate is generally lower, giving the body the ability to handle stress more effectively. It has shown that cortisol levels become significantly lower after practising Yoga which results in lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

Daily meditation is also included in our Retreat to teach us to slow our minds. The aim of meditation is not to get rid of our thoughts but to change our relationship with them. If there are lots of thoughts, that’s fine, but we can learn not to be absorbed by them, not to get entrapped by them. Our Yoga Retreat teaches you how to

• Discover that you are designed to be happy
• Realize your mind is not too active for meditation
• Train your mind to choose happiness

The meaning of Namaste

‘Nama’ means bow; ‘as’ means I and ‘te’ means you, so namaste literally means ‘bow me you’ or ‘I bow to you’.

It’s rather formal, for example in Asian culture, it’s most often used as a greeting of deep respect, reserved for elders, teachers, or other honourable. To use Namaste in Yoga, the teacher usually initiates it as a symbol of gratitude and respect to the students and their own teacher. Namaste can be used as an expression of appreciation and respect towards another person. It can be used as a hello or goodbye greeting, so you might say Namaste upon meeting someone, or before parting ways.