Simplify Scintillate Synergise

Simplify, Scintillate, Synergise Yoga Retreat

Costa Del Sol, Spain
October 16-21 2024
5 nights in shared or private room £725-875Get ready to simplify your life, ignite your spark, and collaborate with like-minded individuals at our in-person event, Simplify Scintillate.

Join us for an exciting Yoga retreat at Valle de Vida, Pizarra, Spain! Get ready to simplify your life, scintillate your mind, and synergize your goals. This event is designed to inspire and motivate you to reach new heights. Immerse yourself deep enriching daily Yoga sessions, Yoga workshops, thought-provoking discussions, and exploring the bounties of the beautiful spanish country side . Our expert yoga teachers will share their insights on personal practice, yogic philosophy, and personal training . Don't miss this chance to connect with like-minded individuals and gain valuable knowledge. Mark your calendar and get ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. See you there!

We’re excited to announce booking is now on sale for our Spanish Simplify, Scintillate, Synergise Yoga Retreat in October 2024. This is a 5 night Yoga immersion at the beautiful Valle De Vida -a traditional finca farmhouse, privately owned, and tucked away in the Andalusian Mountains among hundreds of almond, olive, lemon and fig trees - 18 acres reserved exclusively for our own use. Easily reachable from Malaga Airport (as part of your booking you can choose your transfer arrangement- more information below) yet far enough away from the busyness of city life to feel you are secluded.

What to expect?

Arriving around lunchtime on the 16th October we will begin practising that evening in the indoor Yoga space and continue with a programme of two optional two hour practices each day. Our mornings will be spent on the Yoga platform overlooking the surrounding mountain view and in the evening we will use the indoor space for our Yoga practice. Here is your chance to leave your day to day concerns behind. Perhaps you are looking for some much needed respite/a break from the to-do list. Or perhaps you want to really focus on developing your Yogi skillset and take that next step in your Yoga journey - then this retreat is for you.

The food will be delicious, homemade, and mostly vegetarian, with occasional meat options, and adapted to your dietary requirements. There is an honesty bar for soft drinks, with some alcohol available too. Filtered water, tea, coffee and fruit are freely available all day.

Our practice together will be grounded in the wisdom of the ancient teachings of Yoga and provide a chance for you to dive deeper into your practice. If you have ever wondered what might be the effect of Yoga on your body and mind if you had time to systematically practice Yoga regularly, as one might at an ashram where we live and breathe Yoga, this is your chance to find out. We can explore meditation and breathing exercises (pranayama) more deeply than it is possible in our weekly hour Yoga class and have more time to be playful with movement.

You can also try chanting Sanskrit mantra if you like and refresh your knowledge on some of the key aspects of Yoga philosophy, at our optional afternoon talks.

Valle de Vida is set in eighteen acres of unspoilt land, has a luxurious solar heated swimming pool, treatment room for therapies, steam and sauna. Accommodation is either in the main house or in one of their teepees, ME-Pods, or Geodesic domes for those that prefer to be a little closer to nature. Valle de Vida’s Yoga and wellness retreat is designed to have minimal impact on our 18 acres of unspoilt land, in harmony with the natural beauty of Spain’s Pizarra Mountains.

We depart after breakfast on the 21st October.

Who’s it for?

Imagine your days filled with nourishing Yoga practices, sunbathing, swimming, maybe a massage treatment or steam, reading, going for walks in nature, nourishing the body with incredible food and drinks.

It’s a time to reflect, re-energise and reconnect and absorb the therapeutic benefits of being in the stunning Andalusian countryside. In this beautiful premises you will find many serene tucked away corners if you are seeking time for solitude and self reflection. Meanwhile, there are many cosy spots dotted around the site where you can hang out with liked minded people and join in with activities as a group under the sunny Spanish skies.

Return home feeling inspired, refreshed and ready to begin again with so many more tools in your yoga toolbox. With highs of 28 degrees Celsius, we enjoy the perfect temperatures in October, so we can do morning and afternoon activities, and relax or even go for walks during the day.

The yoga classes will be Sivananda, Hatha and Yoga Flow styles with the influence of other exercise modalities coming through in our sequencing. Adaptions and progressions will be offered in each class to suit your practice. The instructor can support with alignments and adjustments to help you get the best out of your practice. While we ensure we understand your body as best we can before the trip (a full PAR-Q will be asked to be filled out before the retreat) this is the perfect chance to get all those questions answered and leave with a greater understanding of all the postures as well as how to acquire greater depth with your practice.

Food

As part of the retreat we will be blessed with our very own in house chef! The food offered will be vegetarian, meat and fish. (Please let the host know about any dietary requirements when booking.)

All meals are provided as part of your retreat*, unlimited tea, coffee, fruit bowl, and water too. Breakfast will be served on the last morning before we depart.

*Three meals a day*

Meet the hosts

We are Sara from the UK, & Akhil from India. We are not specifically followers of any organisation or guru but rather admirers of the Yogic traditions and we appreciate what a vast and complex resource the teachings provide. While we are serious about what we do, we have approached Yoga with light heartedness and simplicity which has helped us to dive into this vastness.

What we want to share is that it doesn’t have to be scary and you don’t have to be a stereotype to practice Yoga. Yoga is beyond all the stereotypes and it can be as simple or as deep as you need it to be. The journey is unique for each and every person who taps into this incredible resource.

We met at the Sivananda ashram in India during our Yoga Teacher Training and immediately found common interests, waking up at 5am before morning meditation to practice Tai Chi together. It was an immersive experience and we'd love to invite you to come and experience something similar and dive into aspects of Yoga you wouldn’t normally learn about in a normal Yoga class.

Since then we have both undergone numerous trainings in Yoga at various centres from Kaivalyadhama to the Satsang Foundation, learning about the Yogic Diet or Yoga for Autoimmunity, and qualifications in Ashtanga Yoga to Restorative Yoga. The result is a broad and yet deep understanding of the history and discipline of Yogic practices.

Our primary aim is to grow together, create an environment of ease, unburdened by expectation, to allow our own transformation to happen at the right time as well as the people who we have the privilege to teach. And in the meantime, let’s enjoy the journey! We came to live in the UK together in 2017 and currently live with our dog Tchu in Barnet, North London.

Example of retreat schedule

Accomodation

Accommodation is first come first serve, and as part of your deposit booking you will be asked what accommodation you'd most likely want. Rooms, tipis, pods and domes have space for one, two or even three people. Do choose in your booking form if you are wishing to share with a friend, or happy to share with a fellow yogi that also joins the retreat. Any room can be arranged for single occupancy also. If you wish to have your own private room, tipi or dome the option is there for you on the booking form.

Cortijo

The main house is a beautifully restored traditional Andalucian Finca. It has six bedrooms, a large kitchen and lounge area. Inside you will find a fully equipped kitchen, a cosy living room with a wood fire, 2 bathrooms with a shower in each connecting to a large terrace & studio(with another bathroom off the back terrace). All bedrooms have air conditioning

Me - Pod & Geodome

For guests who want the full Spanish sensory experience of the mountains at night, there two ME-Pods (brick), and the two Geodesic domes (tent). The circular me-pods with beautiful acoustics are more private, have their own wood-burner as well as air-conditioning. ME-Pods are spacious and very comfortable, with tiled floors, electricity and beautiful bedding, perfect for those with an affinity for the outdoors, but who don’t wish to compromise on comfort. Each is connected with paths winding amongst the almond and olive groves, picked out with solar lights. They all have beautiful views across the valley, the stars glittering, a Spanish night breeze whispering through the trees, the sounds of crickets and cicadas lulling you to sleep.

Tipis

There are two large tipis to bring you closer to nature, as do the geodesic domes - a step closer to nature, and the perfect temperature during the summer nights so they do not require air conditioning but we do provide fans. They are light, spacious and comfortable, with electricity and typical bedroom furniture. Also equipped with mosquito nets (although rarely needed) however, not suitable for those with cat allergies in case the cat comes to visit.

All outside accommodation has a shared toilet and shower block next to the pool, a natural outdoor bamboo shower, and use of the house facilities too. All facilities are for everybody’s use.

Recommended flights

Not all flights for October 2024 will be available yet to book. However there are many airline providers that fly to Malaga, including Vueling, EasyJet, Wizz Air, RyanAir and TUI. Here are some we have found so far -

From: London Southend Airport (SEN)
EASYJET 09:20 - 1:15

From: Stanstead Airport (STN)
RYANAIR 8:40 - 12:35

From: Luton Airport (LTN)
EASYJET 8:40 - 12:40

From: Gatwick Airport (LGW)
EASYJET 8:45 - 12:40

Flights that land around 12/1pm are best because our first meal together will be lunch on the first day at around 2.30pm, so please try to arrive in time for that. If you arrive into the late afternoon or evening transfers are likely to cost more. Airport transfers will cost approx. 60 Euros per person for daytime arrivals.
Alternatively you may want to board a train from Malaga to Pizarra and we can arrange transfers from Pizarra at a fraction of the cost. This option you can do on your return as well. We can have breakfast together on the last day at 8.30am and transfers to follow from around 10am. Please plan your return flight accordingly.

Getting There

It’s important that your flight arrives before 2pm since the venue is remote and at least some part of the journey will be organised by the venue owners.

Once you arrive at the airport you have a couple of options

1. From Malaga Airport travel by train to Pizarra station with one change at Victoria Kent - this takes 40 mins. There will be a transfer to the venue from Pizarra station arranged for a specific time, which we will inform you of closer to the time (it will be arranged according to your flight arrivals as much as possible). The taxi from Pizarra takes about 15 mins The cost of the train ticket is approx 8€ and the cost of the taxi is approx 10€ pp.

2. From Malaga Airport travel by taxi transfer to the venue directly. This takes 45 minutes in total and costs 50€ pp.