8 Day Relax and Rejuvenate Wellness Holiday with Yoga, Meditation and Walking in Alicante, Valencia

Facilities

La Crisalida Retreats is a health and wellbeing centre located in the quiet seaside town of Albir, north from Alicante on the Costa Blanca, Spain. We offer guests from all over the world a relaxing all-inclusive retreat experience in our quiet and welcoming retreat centre. La Crisalida Retreats offers a holistic approach to health and wellbeing through our programme of activities that include yoga, life makeover workshops, meditation, rebounding and more, combined with tasty nutritious plant-based food and juices.

Imagine starting your refreshing yoga retreat with a morning meditation and then your first yoga class of the day outside on the terrace with views of the sea and mountains. Enjoy a healthy breakfast before joining in a workshop, taking a walk or maybe relaxing on your sunbed with a good book. You can try rebounding, aqua aerobics (summer only) or legs, tums and bums before enjoying a delicious plant-based lunch. After a siesta you can choose to participate in the afternoon activities, or rest around the pool. There is a weekly programme of activities on offer. All activities are optional so you can do as much or as little as you want. Find the inner peace and leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and more like you.

Yoga

Yoga is a core part of the La Crisalida program, and we cater for beginners and people with an intermediate level of practice. Studies have proven yoga to be one of the best ways to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and relieve symptoms such as insomnia, depression and anxiety. Yoga also helps to improve overall fitness, strength, and flexibility.

Yoga classes at La Crisalida

There are twelve yoga every 7 days. There is one all-levels yoga class each day (suitable for beginners and intermediate level practitioners) and at least five intermediate classes during the week. Classes are open to everyone however the intermediate classes are stronger and more challenging. There is always one 90 minutes class in the morning and five days per week a second yoga class (either 60 or 90 minutes depending upon the day).

Most of the yoga classes are Hatha based, although we offer a range of different yoga styles, including Yin, Restorative, Kundalini and Hatha flow. There are four or five yoga teachers each week, so you can experience different styles and teachers. If you are new to yoga, this is your opportunity to try something new! The common theme underlying yoga at La Crisalida is to help you to get back in touch with the inner you, to find balance, strength, flexibility and inner peace.

Where possible, the yoga classes are held outdoors on the roof terrace (which has retractable shade) with views of the surrounding area, sea and mountains. We also have a lovely indoor studio in which to practice. You will leave your short yoga break feeling relaxed and rejuvenated from your time at the retreat.

Other activities

Each day there are other classes that you can take part in, like yoga-lates (a combination of yoga and pilates), legs, tums and bums, in addition to rebounding and aqua aerobics (summer only).

Yoga nidra and guided visualisation

Each week there is a wonderful yoga nidra, to enable you to deeply relax and reconnect body, mind and spirit. You will also find deep relaxation in our guided visualisations.

Daily guided walks

La Crisalidas location by the sea and close to a natural park and woodland makes the surrounding area a great one to explore, enjoy the scenery, sea and fresh air. La Crisalida encourages all guests to join with the daily guided walks, which gives you some of the very best views on the Costa Blanca. Various routes can be followed depending upon your desired level of activity.

Life makeover workshops

The La Crisalida program of life makeover workshops are designed to explore and enhance your sense of mental well-being. These workshops compliment the meditation at the retreat and although are light hearted and fun, they seek to capture the base cause of your experiences in life. A key fundamental is that to have outer harmony in life, there must be inner harmony and for there to be inner harmony there must exist mastery of the mind. In these workshops you can explore very practical ways of developing inner harmony. You can also look at the role motivation plays in your life and role of your inner self, thoughts and feelings in creating your own very personal reality. You can start to explore the often overlooked aspects of experience that we desire - those relating to inner riches.

La Crisalida Retreats programme

The retreat offers a full programme of activities that run every day of the week, starting at 8am and finishing between 8.30pm or 9pm (depending upon the activity). You are welcome to choose to attend all the activities that you want to – or you might choose to simply relax with a good book!

Sample daily schedule

• 08.00: 90 minute morning walk
• 09.30: Morning Juice or breakfast
• 10.30: 90 minute yoga class
• 12.15: 30 minute exercise class (It can be one of: rebounding, coreworks, aqua aerobics in the summer)
• 13.00 Meditation
• 13.30: Lunch, followed by siesta / relaxation time
• Welcome chat for new guests
• 15.00: 60 minute class (cooking demo or juice demo), some days
• 16.00: Afternoon juice
• 16.30: 90 minute class (It can be one of workshop, exercise class e.g. yogalates, yoga)
• 18.30: Dinner: evening juice or healthy meal
• 19.30: Evening activity (It can be one of: Yoga nidra, guided visualisation, mindfulness workshop, life makeover workshop, evening walk in the summer)

Note there are twelve classes of yoga each week. The start time varies by day, week and season. This schedule is shown for indicative purposes, as classes can vary. You will be given a weekly programme of activities when you arrive at the retreat and a new programme is available every Sunday for the following week.

The retreat is located in Albir, a small seaside town on the Costa Blanca coast, in the Alicante province of Valencia, Spain. The town itself is relatively quiet, with tree-lined streets and has an unhurried air; perfect for relaxation. We are located off the main road, up a quiet side street, within 15 minutes stroll to the beach. Shops and cafes are also close by in case you forget to bring something!

The coastline is stunning, with azure blue sea and a back drop of mountains. The beach, the Playa del Racó l´Albir has been awarded the prestigious EU Blue Flag classification, denoting its excellent facilities and cleanliness. It is a lovely place to relax and swim, all year around. There is a lovely promenade that you can walk on which stretches all the way up along to Altea (a beautiful old hill town which is well worth a visit). From the beach you can see Calpe rock, the Penon de Ifach. Surrounding Albir is the Sierra Helada, a protected nature reserve.

The walk through trees along to the lighthouse is beautiful and you are rewarded at the end with the opportunity to spot bottle nose dolphins. Although Albir is just north from Benidorm, the town cannot be more different, with very little nightlife apart from restaurants and cafes. The history of Albir goes back to the Roman times, when there was a settlement close to the sea front and you can visit one of the settlements during your stay.

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We believe that the starting point for rejuvenation of the body and mind is through the foods that we consume. Therefore, we offer an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole foods at La Crisalida Retreats. We serve a plant-based diet, packed full with nutrition to give your whole system support and a well-deserved rest.

We use seasonal products and where possible products that are grown or sourced locally, so the menu is typically Mediterranean, with a twist! All dishes are prepared and cooked on the premises, with care and loving attention from our talented chefs. We use lots of herbs and spices to bring flavour and variety, plus serving a selection of dishes with a variety of textures, colours and flavours.

All the meals (or juices) are included in the cost of your retreat. We serve three meals every day. You can enjoy a range of dishes, for lunch and dinner, sampling each dish served. Our chefs will serve you (safety measures introduced due to covid-19) and you are welcome to top up your plate as many times as you want.

We also offer you the opportunity to try juicing – this is included in the cost of your retreat. You can choose to juice for one meal, one day or one week, instead of eating. Each day you simply let us know if you want to eat or juice, you have the flexibility to tailor your retreat for you.

The foods that we do not serve include: sugar, bread, dairy products (including milk, yoghurts and cheese), eggs, salt, coffee and tea (except herbal and green teas), alcohol and sweets. These foods all place extra stress on our body systems, so by cutting them out for a few days or longer, the body has the opportunity to rebalance itself. We do serve vegan alternatives including rice milk or soya yoghurts. Most of our food is naturally gluten free, although occasionally we do serve couscous or a couple of other dishes containing gluten. Each meal is nutritionally balanced, so will include vegan sources of protein, and a carbohydrate option.

Typical foods served

• Breakfast: Juice or healthy breakfast (homemade granola, homemade muesli, fruit salad as standard). During the cooler winter months we offer porridge variations, in addition to the standard healthy breakfast.
• Lunch time: Bean burgers, courgette toppers, Buddha bowl, hummus, guacamole, falafel and lots of different salads and vegetable dishes, like beetroot and mint salad, olive tapenade on courgette “bread” or sweet potato “fries”. In the winter we serve freshly made vegetable soups and in the summer we offer an additional raw dish.
• Evening meal examples: Vegan paella, lentil sausages, vegan lasagna, Thai curry with coconut rice, tofu quiche, plus assorted salads and lots of vegetable side dishes. Twice a week we serve amazing vegan desserts and on Friday night you can enjoy an alcohol-free cocktail

Sometimes occasional treats are provided - of the healthy variety of course! In the afternoon we provide you with a fresh juice to freshen up before the 5pm class.

La Crisalida Retreats can cater for most dietary requests for allergies or intolerances, including gluten- or wheat-free, coeliacs and people with nut allergies. Please let them know at the time of booking if you have a special dietary request.

You are encouraged to drink at least 3-5 liters of water per day whilst at the retreat as this helps with elimination of toxins and helps to keep the body well hydrated. Filtered water is available for you around the retreat. There is also a wide range of herbal teas, including green tea and hot water so you can make yourself a hot drink whenever you chose. Fresh fruit is always available.

Juicing

La Crisalida Retreats also offers you the option to juice, instead of eat, for one meal or every meal during your stay. You have the flexibility to decide for yourself for each meal, so you can make your retreat personal for you.

Drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices is a popular part of the La Crisalida program. Juicing is a fantastic way of delivering maximum nutrition to the body. The juices are designed to give the digestive system a well-earned break - much of the energy intensive digestion work normally carried out by the body has already been done. This allows the body to divert energy towards any worn out or unhealthy cells which allow them to repair and rejuvenate with ease. With natural fresh juices, the very best nutrients are squeezed out of your favourite fruit and vegetables and put in liquid form into a glass. It often amazes guests how our juices can leave them feeling full for hours.

The juices are freshly prepared each meal time using fruit and vegetables sourced locally. There is a well-designed menu of juices for breakfast and lunch. There is a small afternoon juice also provided in between the activities for all guests. You can choose your own juice for dinner from our extensive menu, or, if you feel adventurous, choose your own ingredients! Juicing is a great way to cleanse the body of toxins, and this elimination process will work in harmony with your yoga practice at the retreat.

• Arrival any day of the week
• A stay in a large ensuite apartment (shared or private) with substantial facilities
• Twelve yoga classes per week
• All your retreat programme activities, starting at 8am and finishing at 9pm
• Three meals per day (or nutritious juices, your choice)
• Unlimited fresh fruit
• Unlimited filtered water and herbal teas
• Free transfers between Alicante airport
• Pool towel to relax on the sun loungers around the retreat or take to the beach
• Free Wi-Fi in your apartment and communal areas
• Satellite television in your apartment and DVD player
• Book swap, DVD library and informative books
• Use of two outdoor swimming pools, one is a magnesium pool heated in the cooler months

• Flights
• Travel insurance
• Holistic treatments – massage, transformational or life coaching, facials etc. Payable locally.

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