Women’s Retreat
in Puglia, 07-13 September 2024
Are you a highly achieving woman and easily forget to prioritise your self- care? Do you need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city? Do you want to remember how it feels to put yourself first?
I have created something for you!
Join my Women’s Retreat in Italy
September 07 - 13, 2024 ( we have added one extra night!)
Why a women only retreat?
If you asked me a few years ago if I would ever organise a women only retreat my answer would have been “no way”. However, while navigating through my fertility journey and menopausal transition, I realised that there is nothing more sacred than sisterhood.
When we, women, come together in community we can move mountains.
With this retreat I want to offer you a chance to feel the power of sisterhood and help you connect to your innate feminine wisdom.
Practices for your heart, mind, body and soul
The daily yoga and meditation practices will be designed with the woman’s body in mind and will take you through a journey to connect to your innate feminine wisdom and inner power. In the morning you will be guided through more dynamic practices, while in the evening you will be held in a restorative cocoon.
My aim is to help you reach deeper depths of knowledge of your feminine body, both the physical and the energetic, so that you can be so deeply connected within that it will be easy to recreate the retreat vibe whenever you need it, even back in your city apartment.
By aligning body, mind, soul and heart you will feel deeply YOU again, that “you” that is often forgotten when life takes over.
my heart aches for sisters more than anything
it aches for women helping women
like flowers ache for spring
Rupi Kaur
Nestled amongst olive and almond groves
The retreat centre that will host us, YogApulia, is set in 2.5 acres of grounds in a valley filled with olive and almond groves in Puglia, the heel of Italy.
Accommodation consists of six twin bedrooms and one double bedroom all with private ensuite bathrooms. All rooms are renovated to a high standard using locally sourced materials to create a luxurious yet simple and understated feel. A large outdoor courtyard provides the main communal eating space, and several outdoor terraces offer a place to relax in the sun or the shade.
Situated at the heart of the complex, the swimming pool acts like a colourful meeting point – with the blue water combining with the green olive trees and the red soil.
Sleep in a trullo
YogApulia is a boutique retreat centre exclusively for yoga and meditation practice. The accommodation has been built around old trulli.
A trullo (plural, trulli) is a unique architectural building, made out of rough stone quarried locally and built in an overlapping way without using any mortar but just simple know how and tools. The structure is composed of walls up to one metre wide, above which a conic roof rises, covered with “chiancarelle” – large narrow stone slabs positioned in a circular fashion.
This type of construction keeps the interior cool during the summer and warm in the winter.
Delicious and nutritious food
The food served will be varied, unprocessed and nourishing to promote energy and wellbeing. It will be predominantly plant based with some vegetarian options and local, seasonal and organic wherever possible.
Two delicious plant based meals, brunch and dinner, will be served daily. I know some of you are thinking: “will that be enough?” Some of the previous participants had the same doubt and they were super happy with the abundant choice, portions and quality of the food - believe me you will end up eating more than you would have liked!
Refreshments will also available throughout the day and include tea, coffee, water, fruit and the occasional cake.
-
"I was stressed as anything before the retreat, with life having just got on top of me. The retreat allowed me to slow down, and relax and recharge. I feel refreshed. It also opened my mind to the power of sharing with others, particularly women, as well as the importance of self reflection in dealing with whatever life throws at you.”
Cheryl, UK
-
“It felt warm, safe, easy. I will always remember it as a place I connected to myself and gave myself room to feel relaxed again.”
Annejet, NL
-
“I wasn't sure what to expect before the retreat, but I'm so happy I joined. It was a really nice experience and helped me feel more grounded. Also, being with such a diverse group of women helped remind me that there are lots of different paths to take in life - there's not just one way forward.”
Liz, USA
A typical day
Please note this schedule is an example. Variations might happen.
8.30am - 10.00am - Vinyasa yoga
10am - Brunch
10.30pm - 5pm - free to relax, read, sleep, enjoy the swimming pool, go for a walk in the countryside or explore the surrounding beaches and towns*
5.00pm - 6.30pm - Restorative yoga/ yoga Nidra / Yin yoga
6.30pm - Dinner
8.30pm - relaxation/connection
One afternoon : Beach day (depending on the weather)
*If you are planning to independently explore towns and beaches we recommend you rent a car.
-
“The food was amazing. Variety and quantity and taste were all excellent, beyond expectations. Vegetarian food can be a bit dull (maybe in the UK?) but not here. I didn’t miss fish at all.”
Yvonne, UK
-
“Brilliant retreat highly recommend it to all levels of yoga practice”
Majella, Ireland
-
“It was a beautiful location. It was perfect for feeling a sense of community, but with enough space for alone time if needed.”
Liz, USA
Your investment
Given the intimacy of this location, all rooms are on a sharing basis**. One room has a double bed which can be shared by close friends or same-sex couple.
Your investment: 1595 euros ( 1495 euros - early bird )
*lock your early bird price and book before 1 March 2024
You can reserve your spot with a 500 euro non-refundable deposit. Payment plans available on request. Email to sign up.
** In case of a not fully sold out retreat or if nobody is willing to share the double bed, we will offer the option for a last minute upgrade to a single occupancy room with a supplement of 300 euros. If you would like this option, please let us know as you book and we will put you on a waiting list. First come, first served.
What’s included
Six nights in shared ensuite room (or single if you have upgraded)
All meals - morning fruit and biscuits (before practice), abundant brunch, midday refreshments and dinner
Coffee and tea throughout the day
Daily yoga, meditation, breath work and somatic movement practices (morning and evening) with Veronica
Workshops and/or special practices (aromatherapy, yoga for female health, etc. to be decided)
Guarantee of taxi transport to and back from the beach one day (if you haven’t rented a car)
Walk to Cisternino and back with visit of the old town centre
Use of the swimming pool
Use of yoga mats, bolster and blocks
What’s not included
Travel costs (flight) and airports transfer / car hire*
Extras such as massages
Bank fees/currency exchange
*A taxi from the airport can be arranged for you at an extra cost. Brindisi (30min) and Bari (40min) are the closest airports. Once we have the list of participants and their arrival times, we will try and group them in taxis to make it more cost effective.
* If in your free time you wish to independently explore the cities and beaches nearby we recommend you to arrange a car rental directly at the airport.
Your teacher: Veronica Santini
In my yoga classes, all bodies and souls are welcome. I carefully design sequences that challenge the most experienced while allowing first time practitioners to understand the foundations of the practice and not be intimidated by it.
Veronica Santini (RYT 500) has been teaching yoga internationally for about a decade. She is certified in Vinyasa yoga and Yin yoga and is specialised in Yoga for Female Health, Menopause Yoga and Pelvic Floor Yoga.
Her teaching style has been infused by amazing teachers (such as Janet Stone, Tiffany Cruishank, Shiva Rea, Leslie Howard and Petra Coveney) to whom she is very grateful.
Veronica firmly believes that each student needs to feel empowered to practice in a way that feels authentic and good to them. She is the guide for you to find your own ways to approach yoga. Her style, thoughtful and precise, always aims to be non-prescriptive, so that you can make each and every practice your own inner journey.