Accommodation

Check-in Time:

15:00

Check-out Time:

12:00

You will stay at the Le Lotus Bleu, this traditional house used to be a Kimono gallery and is now converted into a yoga wellbeing center. You will have a wonderful experience living in a beautiful traditional Japanese house hired just for the group, just a minute walk to the beach. It is well equipped with amenities.

Program

The first day is pretty much-welcoming everyone’s arrival and there will be an opening ceremony at the dinner to get to know each other. Check-in starts at 3 p.m., however, there is a little more flexibility so if your flight is arriving earlier, don't panic and just let Saori know.

As for check-out, it is 12 p.m. on the last day but again, let Saori know your flight details and the retreat will accommodate. If you would like to stay additional days, please let Saori know, it is an additional cost but at a very reasonable price.

The typical day starts with half an hour of meditation and 90 minutes of Dynamic yoga practice followed by breakfast, then you'll have a free afternoon to explore.

Sample daily schedule

07:00 - 07:30 Meditation
07:30 - 09:00 Asana (Dynamic Vinyasa)
09:30 Breakfast
Free time
17:00 - 18:30 Yin yoga/Restorative yoga
19:00 Dinner

There are lots of activities during the stay that you can sign up for separately with the venue and locals. The island offers a handful of activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, island tour, hiking, island hopping, a night out in town to mingle with locals, etc., the list is endless.

These seven days will fly by with so many activities or you may want to enjoy the quiet time with your favorite books in the sun. This is Saori's home country, so she's doing her very best for you to have a pure local cultural experience throughout your stay.

The house provides a very homey and welcoming environment as if you come back to your own or family home and it is a very typical home atmosphere for those who choose to stay in the shared room. It is a very spacious house so you will also find your moment and space whenever you want.

Instructors

Saori Funawatari

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Saori has undertaken the first 200 hours of teacher training with Rebecca Ffrench from Yoga London and 500 hours of advance trainings with Dulce Aguilar and Jamie Clark from Yoga People in Rocket, Mandala Vinyasa Yoga, and continuing her further training with various world’s greatest teachers: Maty Ezraty (Yoga Advance), Edward Clarks (Tripsichore), Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (Pregnancy Yoga), Murielle Burellier and Sebastian Puchelle and Bernie Clark (Yin Yoga), Anna Ashby (Restorative Yoga), David Swenson (Ashtanga), Mark Kan (Dharma Yoga), Eileen Gauthier (Ashtanga) and David Robson (Ashtanga).

Location

Either you have been dreaming about going to visit Japan, or you love Japan and it is your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th visit. Ishigaki offers something even more special. Saori cannot address enough how beautiful the house, island, and community are. It is located on the tranquil island, Ishigaki, in the Okinawa region, 1957 kilometers away from Tokyo. It is unlike any tropical island in the southwest of Japan, Saori's home country. It is so welcoming, spacious, and friendly.

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Food

There will be an amazing chef who will be spending all day in the kitchen for the group, cooking nutritious healthy local food for any dietary requirement.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Dinner

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Other dietary requirements on request

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Extra stay: Travel around Japan

Saori also recommends staying an extra week or two before or after the retreat to travel around Japan. You can get a special train deal called JR Pass, which allows you to travel around Japan with most of the JR lines and bullet train lines for 7/14 days at a very reasonable price (it is only available for people who are non-residents in Japan, you will need to apply before you depart outside Japan).

April is a cherry blossom season in Japan and you'll see festivals under the trees all over Japan; it is a “must-see”. October is also beautiful in Japan with red, yellow, and brown leaves in the mountain and forests. Both seasons decorate the temples and shrines beautifully in old towns.

Spa treatments

The house also provides massage, i.e. Ayurveda yoga massage, Swedish, and more, that you can book at a separate cost.

What's included

Twice daily yoga classes
Meditation sessions daily
6 nights accommodation
Daily breakfast and dinner

What's not included

Airfare
Airport transfers
Personal expenses
Extra activities

How to get there

Recommended Airports

ISG

New Ishigaki Airport

4 km

Transfer not provided

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.

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