Name: 7 Day Meditation and Yoga Retreat on the Tranquil Island of Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
Brand: Saoriyoga
Rating: 10.0 (3 reviews)

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

15:00

Check-out Time:

10:00

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. The house provides a very homely and welcoming environment, like coming back to your own or your 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 space and a quiet moment whenever you want.

The room choice is first come first served. Private rooms are limited, so if you prefer this option, please book sooner rather than later.

There is 1 large shared room that has 6 spaces. It is a very large room which is designed to be shared in a traditional Japanese house.

There are two washing machines, also air conditioning, microwaves, fridge freezer, hair dryer in each room.

Program

Practice and Level

Open to all levels. There may be some challenging poses however Saoriyoga offer alternatives to accommodate all levels, being kind to the bodies through practice of Ahimsa (non-harm). Saoriyoga use a non-competitive approach for every participant to allow you to challenge your own physical and emotional boundaries.

Practice includes Asana (Poses), Pranayama (Breathing) and Meditation (Dharana / Dhyana). Asana styles are originated from Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Rocket, Mandala, Dharma, Yin. The teaching approach is based on the Eight Limbs of Yoga from Ashtanga philosophy. Saoriyoga have a deep appreciation of Yoga history, philosophy and science, and in their teaching they share the philosophical as well as the physical aspects of practice, always implementing the “4 Ds”: Dedication, Devotion, Discipline and Determination. The aim is to teach an appreciation of the present state of being, a mindfulness, to help counteract the stresses of daily life.

The typical day starts with half an hour meditation and 90 minutes dynamic yoga practice followed by breakfast, then you have the afternoon free to explore, followed by Yin or Restorative practice and dinner in the evening.

Sample schedule

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

Instructors

Saori Funawatari

1 Certificate Show Hide

Saori has undertaken the first 200 hours of teacher training with Rebecca French from Yoga London and 500 hours of advance trainings with Dulce Aguilar and Jamie Clark from Yoga People in Rocket, Mandala Vinyasa Yoga, and is 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

Shiraho village is famous for its huge coral beach, perfect for snorkeling and diving, and being well preserved by the local community. It is a quiet residential area, with traditional Okinawa houses, great local cuisine and a market. At night, you can see a beautiful sky with millions of stars as well as natural fireflies on the beach.

+−

Food

Saoriyoga has an amazing chef who will be spending all day in the kitchen for you, cooking nutritious healthy local food, full of love and passion. Chi-chan strongly believes that local food can connect our body and mind to the soil where we stand to adapt to the new land, so through the local ingredients we connect to the village and environment.

Saoriyoga carefully choose seasonal, fresh ingredients to receive rich nutrition from them. Chi-chan believes that sharing the same food builds friendship and connection and always does her best to create the dish that can meet everyone’s requirements and requests.

Dietary requirements

Saoriyoga do their best to accommodate any dietary requirement so please let them know if you have any in advance.

The following meals are included:

Brunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee
Tea

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)

Additionals

There are lots of additional activities you can sign up for separately with the venue and locals.

The island offers many activities – the seas are perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving or you can take an island tour, go hiking, do local cooking workshop, go island hopping, or enjoy a night out in town to mingle with locals. The 7 days will fly by with so many activities - or you may want to enjoy the quiet time with your favourite books in the sun.

Extra Stay - Travel around Japan

Saoriyoga recommend you stay 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 JR lines and bullet train lines for 7 or 14 days for a very reasonable price (it is only available for people who are non-resident in Japan. You will need to apply before you depart from outside Japan). April is Cherry Blossom season in Japan, and you see festivals under the trees all over Japan - a real “MUST SEE”.

Spa treatments

The house also provides massage, that you can book at a separate cost.

Ayurveda yoga massage
Swedish
and more

What's included

6 nights accommodation
Brunch, dinner, tea and coffee, snack, filtered water
Twice daily yoga classes

What's not included

Airfare
Airport transfers
Personal expenses
Extra activities

How to get there

Recommended Airports

ITM

Osaka International Airport (Itami Int'l)

1584 km

Transfer not provided

HND

Haneda Airport

1942 km

Transfer not provided

ISG

New Ishigaki Airport

4 km

Transfer not provided

Arrival by airplane

Retreat participants generally fly to a main airport such as Tokyo or Osaka and then take a domestic flight direct to Ishigaki airport, and a 10 minute bus or taxi ride to the retreat venue. Saoriyoga is happy to offer advice and ideas about your travel arrangements, however, Saoriyoga is not a travel agent. She will do her best to offer you the knowledge and experience! Please do your own research and check with a travel professional.

On arrival, Saoriyoga welcomes everyone and they share an opening ceremony at dinner time to get to know each other. Check-in starts at 15:00, however, there is some flexibility so if your flight is arriving earlier, just let them know.

Check-out time is 10 a.m. on the last day but again, let Saoriyoga know of your flight details and they will do her best to accommodate. If you would like to stay additional days, at a reasonable additional cost, please let them know.

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 30 days before arrival.

Explore